“Good. And while I might not think much of the Collective as a whole, you’re a damn sight better than the alternative.”
“Thanks. I think. By ‘alternative’ I presume you mean the Church. Why do you hate them so much? Is it the whole vampire thing?”
“No. I hated them before I became a vampire. You could say I became a vampire because I hated them.” He sighed. “I grew up in a time when the Church was powerful, even more powerful than today.”
“I take it you were never a believer.”
Rico cast him an incredulous look. “Do I look like an idiot? Though strangely I’ve come to believe there’s something out there, just not the crap the priests spout.” He shrugged. “They killed my wife. Claimed she was a witch and burned her at the stake.”
“And was she? A witch, I mean?”
Rico glanced at him sharply. “You know, you’re the first person to ask me that. Most people assume not, but in fact, by the rules of the day she was. Enough—it was a long time ago and in a faraway place.” He nodded at the laser pistol at Callum’s waist. “Let’s give you a go with that thing—see just how bad things are.” He flicked a switch and a target appeared on the far wall.
Callum drew the weapon, flipped the power on, and shot a blast. Once he’d been good at this—the best—and he swore softly when he only clipped the edge of the target.
“I guess you’re more used to the old-fashioned type with bullets.”
“Ha-ha.”
“But you’re not completely without hope, you just need some practice. With these things, it’s not enough to be able to shoot and hit a target. If you’re good you can deflect the incoming blasts, even direct them back at the shooter. Janey has some training programs on file somewhere. Ask her nicely, and she’ll dig them out for you.”
Callum sent him a look of complete disbelief. “Is this the Janey that offered to murder me presuming Tannis didn’t want to do it herself?”
“If Tannis wanted to kill you, you’d be dead. If she didn’t when she first found out, then chances are she’s not going to now.”
Callum had an idea the vampire wasn’t always so talkative and he had a thousand things he wanted to know. “What was she like when you met?”
“What do you think she was like? Fucked-up.” He considered Callum for a moment. “Let me give you a word of advice: get the crew on your side.”
Callum snorted. “Is that even possible?”
“Maybe not, but you can try. For a start, you might tone down that massive superiority complex you’ve got going.”
Callum grinned. “That’ll be hard.”
“I’ll bet—but try.” He leaned against the wall as Callum tried a few more shots at the target, hitting it this time. He holstered the pistol.
“So the crew?” Callum asked.
“Most of Jon is just talk. He’s been acting mean for so long, it’s become a habit.”
“Yeah, I can see that underneath, he’s just a big fluffy dog. What about the little priestess?”
“Alex knows what it’s like to be in a position of power and not be able to totally control things. Play it right, and she’ll sympathize. Plus, she has this whole ‘to forgive is divine’ thing going on. She wants to forgive—all you have to do is ask nicely.”
“Janey?”
“Janey likes to flirt, but she doesn’t really like men.”
“Why?”
“Her business, but you’ll get points if you don’t flirt back. And don’t try to manipulate her—she’s got the best brain I’ve ever come across, and she’ll see right through you.”
“The green girl?”
“Daisy? She’s already half-infatuated with you. You can fly, and to Daisy, that puts you on a whole different level from the rest of mankind. Be her friend and she’ll love you forever.” He gave Callum a sharp look. “Just don’t take advantage of that.”
Callum was actually shocked at the thought. “It never even crossed my mind.”
“No, your mind—not to mention the rest of you—is somewhere else.” He grinned. “Good luck with that.”
“What about Skylar? How do I get her on my side?”
“You don’t.” Rico drew his laser pistol and placed three blasts in the center of the target. “You stay away from Skylar.”
…
Callum decided that however hard it was going to be, he was going to have to give Tannis some space. He was sure if she spent time with Starke, she would soon realize what a tosser he was.
Meanwhile, he was going to attempt to follow Rico’s advice and get the rest of the crew on his side. He wasn’t expecting it to be easy. He decided to start with Janey and found her at her console on the bridge. She glanced up, her expression vaguely hostile as she caught him watching her. He tried a smile. She didn’t seem impressed.
Humble. Think humble.
“Rico gave me a gun,” he said.
“So?”
He frowned. Wasn’t she supposed to be flirting with him? “I haven’t shot anyone in a long time.”
She raised one arched elegant eyebrow.