Page 40 of Clan and Command

Piras’s legs were too shaky to hold him up at first. He crawled into his private restroom facility and locked himself in. He found relief after a few seconds, cursing Kila the entire time.

* * * *

Kila was in high spirits upon his return to the destroyer. Life was good. The mission was on track, he’d had more fun with Lokmi than any man had the right to expect the day before, and a glorious night of sexual pursuits with Piras was on tap. Danger, fighting, and fucking…what more could a Nobek want?

It was hard to settle down to a more professional mindset, but he needed to do so. He’d reviewed Piras’s report to the Basma on the shuttle flight back to his ship. More than ever, he was impressed with the admiral. Despite the admiral’s personal issues, Kila felt sure his recommendation of Piras for the mission had been a solid one.

Laro Station though…Kila felt the pain of handing over that particular target to Maf. Every man who’d come through the fleet had spent time in that particular facility. It was a respite from the confines of the ships, a place to meet up with other crews, connect with friends, and throw off the yoke of duty in a dangerous area for at least a few glorious hours. Thinking about it in the Basma’s hands was almost like losing a home.

Yet it could not be denied Piras had hit on a brilliant focus. Now it was time to see if Maf would take the bait.

Kila went to engineering rather than his ready room. His personal space there awaited him, with the computer that might be overlooked if his activities ever came into question by Fleet Security, which remained unaware of his ship’s true assignments. The hum of the engines was the loveliest sound Kila knew, and he caught himself humming along with them. He looked around to see if Lokmi was around, knowing full well the Imdiko was off duty at that time. Still, it wouldn’t be surprising to find the chief engineer fucking around with Kila’s engines…and earning more ‘punishment’ in the process. Kila fought to quell another smile that felt so out of place considering what he was up to.

He inserted an earpiece as soon as he stood at the podium with his computer. His crew’s loyalty to the fleet could not be questioned, the very reason they had been assigned to his ship. He still liked to play things close when it came to communications with the enemy. Should any of his men be caught and interrogated by either side of the fight, they would lack pertinent information to share.

Minutes later, Dramok Sitrel, Maf’s longtime aide and most trusted accomplice, was online. The man’s voice was characteristically cold as he responded to Kila’s report on the capture of the Fleet Command traitor. It was particularly chilly as they discussed the Nobek’s choice for a replacement. “The loss of Banrid is a blow to our intelligence-gathering efforts. But tell me, Captain Kila, why Admiral Piras? How did you broach the matter of him joining the revolution? He’s known for his loyalty to the Empire.”

“Are you and I not loyal to the Empire? Of course we are. That is why we’ve rejected the rule of the Imperials and Royal Council. It has come to my attention that Piras has also felt shaky on that score for some time.” Kila’s tone was its usual when speaking to Sitrel: somewhat friendly without scraping for approval. Talking to the hateful traitor without letting loathing drip into his voice was a task in itself. “As for how I came to know he might be willing to show his loyalty to Kalquor and its people, I only had to see his reaction to Banrid’s arrest.”

“Which was?”

“We’ve been acquainted for some time. He’s quite comfortable with talking to me. In an unguarded moment, he made certain statements to me that hinted at how he felt. Nothing overt, but as you’ve noticed, I can sense the true feelings of such people.”

“You have been good at finding allies where we need them most.” Sitrel’s voice was more grudging than grateful, and Kila smirked. He suspected the man hated anyone showing they might be as important to the Basma’s cause as he was.

Sitrel continued. “Losing Banrid has weighed on our leader. If Piras can take his place and keep us apprised as to what the fleet’s movements are, it would be of great help.”

Kila grinned fiercely. An opening had appeared. Now he needed to do what he could to bust it wide open. “He can do better. In fact, he already has, in hopes of assuring our leader of his fidelity to his cause. Standby for transmission.”

Kila sent Piras’s files and proposal to the slimeball on the other end. There was a long silence from the Dramok. Kila waited for his reaction, letting part of his mind wander.

Kila mused over the attraction that had sprung up not only for Piras, but for Lokmi as well. Why should he be surprised now that he knew them both better? Each fulfilled a different need: Piras with his willingness to let Kila take the lead, and Lokmi with his demands that Kila win that right.

They were quite a pair, all right. Kila found them equally compelling. He wondered how they would feel about each other if he could get them together. Lokmi dominating Piras – now that would be worth watching. And participating in. Had Piras ever had the pleasure of being commanded by two men at the same time?

Thinking how he’d left Piras in the admiral’s office, aroused and eager, made Kila grin from ear to ear. He didn’t have long to enjoy the memory, however. Sitrel started talking again, taking him away from the delicious visualization.

“Well, Captain Kila. This is interesting information about Laro Station. But why should we care about gaining such a small area in the border defenses with Bi’is? It’s far away from where we have our strongest holdings. It gets us nothing.”

Kila snorted, letting the other man hear his derision. “Don’t play with me, Sitrel. I’m perfectly aware of what has been done in the past with illegal trades to Bi’isil research facilities.”

“We don’t talk about that, even over a secure channel,” Sitrel seethed.

“Piras also mentioned to me that the Basma’s accounts have been shut down. Our revolution needs money, lots of it, to keep some of the less faithful fighting for us. You might not want to talk about the research station that’s across the border from Laro, but it’s the best chance of regaining much-needed cash flow.”

Silence. Kila imagined Sitrel chewing on the fact he knew about the loss of funding. He let him stew for a few seconds before playing his next card. “Fine, Dramok. If you don’t want Piras’s offer of Laro’s schedules, along with the passcodes he can gain to give you control over the unmanned stations in that sector, I’ll kill him. He will not be a loose end to worry yourself over.”

“He can get us control over that sector? The unmanned stations too?”

Gotcha, Kila thought. “He can and will…provided your fleet doesn’t fuck things up. You’ll still have to battle for possession of Laro Station, but that’s not my concern.”

“Not to mention the resources we’ll have to go through just to fight our way there. Does Piras have a plan for that?”

“I could ask him. Knowing him, he’s got it figured out to the last blaster.” Kila believed it. Piras was brilliant with strategy.

There was another long beat before Sitrel’s grudging approval came through. “I will discuss the matter with our leader and get back to you. Check the frequency at the usual times until I make contact.”

He was gone. Kila shut off his end of the frequency connection, erased the record that the com had been made, and otherwise covered his tracks as best as possible. He pulled the earpiece out with a sigh.

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