Read Online Alien Refuge by Tracy St. John - Free Book Online

with textiles. This time, however, Iris decided Hoover could be unnerved. The room was very warm and comfortable, and the heater made no more than a whisper of sound. Gratitude for Jol’s work curled pleasantly in her stomach.
    “Sit down,” she urged her guests. “Can I offer you anything to drink? Some apple pie?”
    Hoover looked at the simple furniture, his distaste apparent. The seating wasn’t that old and it was clean, but it showed the wear from Thomas’ hard use. He finally chose the chair Jol had sat in the day before. Father Stephen settled on the donated lounger.
    The priest waved his hand at her offer. “Nothing for me, thanks.”
    Hoover added with smooth, diplomatic tones, “Thank you, but no. We won’t take up much of your time, Mrs. Jenson.” He watched the underwear-clad Thomas play with his collection of trains as if afraid the boy would suddenly turn rabid and attack.
    Iris had the sudden urge to punch the man right in the face. She took a breath and recalled the calm she’d felt at the temple.
    Father Stephen leaned towards her as she sat on the opposite end of the lounger. “Iris, we understand there was a bit of trouble out here yesterday. Blaine Middleton’s shuttle was impounded by the Kalquorian security force and his piloting license revoked.”
    Iris managed to keep her voice even. “After he nearly ran down Thomas.”
    Hoover’s bushy brows squished down over his eyes. “Wasn’t your son at fault? After all, he was standing in the middle of the road.”
    Iris didn’t spare the man a smile, though she maintained a polite demeanor. “He panicked when my snow blower broke down and made a noise that frightened him. He’s extremely sensitive to loud sounds and can’t control his reactions. That’s why there are warning beacons on this lane and why the limit is slower here than anywhere else on the colony.”
    “I see you have a containment border.”
    “It was just installed today. The Kalquorian security head loaned it to me since I couldn’t afford one myself.”
    Hoover scowled. “This is a very big problem, Mrs. Jenson. Blaine is a hardworking man with large loads of supplies and cargo to transport. He needs his license and shuttle to take care of a family larger than yours.”
    Iris’ temper rose. Hoover’s intimation that Middleton’s family was more important than her son had her ready to swing again. “And I need my son to be safe. If Blaine is determined to hurt people by disabling his warning indicators so he can run over a small child, then I don’t want him to have his damned shuttle.”
    Hoover’s eyes widened. Women had not been allowed to use profanity on Earth, and it was obvious he was affronted by her utterance.
    Father Stephen remained cool and diplomatic. “Blaine Middleton is most definitely in the wrong here, but we don’t want Kalquorians in our business. We are trying to govern ourselves, to rebuild our lives after Armageddon. We want independence, not alien masters who have no idea what it means to be Earther.”
    Iris forced herself to be calm. “So what do you want from me?”
    Hoover drew himself up. “We need you to testify to Governor Ospar that what happened was not entirely Blaine’s fault. That you do not hold him liable for an injury that did not even happen.”
    “But I do hold him accountable. Thomas wouldn’t have been merely injured; he would have been killed. The only thing that saved him was that Governor Ospar’s own Nobek came to his rescue. I can’t lie against the head of security. Not when he put his life on the line for a small boy he didn’t even know.”
    Hoover’s jaw clenched, making him more bulldoggish than ever. “You are putting the Kalquorians ahead of your own people?” His voice rose angrily, and Thomas looked up from his toys.
    Iris gazed right in the man’s eyes and did not waver. “I am putting my son’s welfare ahead of Blaine’s stupidity and disregard for the wellbeing of others. If you can