Page 54 of Clan and Command

Piras drew a breath. He stopped pacing and faced the two men in his bed with renewed assurance. “Laro is the only worthwhile scapegoat for our assignment. I’m sure of it. However, if you have a valid concern outside of sentimentality, I’ll be glad to hear it. I mean it, Chief. I’m begging you to give me a reason and a better victim.”

Lokmi turned the matter over and reviewed all the details and reasons Piras had offered. He thought up arguments against Laro and discounted them one by one. He couldn’t deny the admiral’s plot was smart and well thought out. In the end, he shook his head, to Piras’s obvious disappointment. “I’ve got nothing. I just hate to see Laro in that bastard’s hands. Thank you for allowing me to share my opinion though.” He tried to lighten the mood, hating the despondency that filled Piras’s face. “I wouldn’t have thought you capable of listening to a lowly engineer, given your reputation as a hardass.”

Piras made a rude gesture. “I’m not a hardass. I just have an incredibly low tolerance for stupid.” A glint lit in his eyes, and he added, “Somehow, I tolerate your captain anyway.”

Lokmi laughed. With a low roar, Kila jumped from the bed to grab the Dramok and fling him facedown on the mat. He ripped the dressing skirt from the cringing but compliant admiral. Moments later, Kila was fucking Piras with bruising thrusts.

Watching Piras surrender, Lokmi was struck by how much he liked the man. Respected him as a commanding officer. Desired him as a lover. With Piras, the old argument against getting involved with Dramoks made no sense. The coming mission, involving weeks or months in the admiral’s company, had a new and unexpected attraction.

Later, with his cock enfolded in the warmth of Piras’s ass, Lokmi thought he’d keep an open mind about the matter.

* * * *

After the morning’s festivities, the men sat down to breakfast on the balcony with a good appetite. Lokmi had retrieved the seating cushions Piras had tossed to the ground the night before, so no one was forced to recline on the hard plank flooring. The sun peeked out from behind fluffy clouds that promised not to rain on him and his companions. Piras had checked in with the office, and all was quiet there for the moment. He could take his time before going in to work.

He forced himself to concentrate on duties that fell far short of the pleasure of his exciting companions. Even then, he couldn’t properly suffer over the gravity of the subject matter. He felt too good in his heart and soul.

He forced himself to speak soberly. “The way for the Basma’s fleet is clear. Now that I have the codes to the unmanned defensive stations, they have a chance to win that section of the border with Bi’is.”

Kila mused as he bolted down the imported pork sausage patties Piras had prepared. “My main concern is that Maf will listen to his generals. They’ll insist on maintaining the area they have and adding to it through nearby sectors. They will most certainly protest him splitting their forces to grab Laro.”

“Can you convince him he’s got enough to pull it off with the addition of the Earther battlecruisers? That he can afford to divide his fleet? If you remind him that the Empire will be as hard pressed to fight on two fronts, it might be enough to sway him.”

Lokmi dipped a boiled swala egg in cream sauce. “I wonder if Bi’is will try to take advantage of the Empire losing control over a portion of its border with them. Are you keeping all the sausage to yourself, Kila?”

The Nobek tossed a patty onto his plate. “Damned straight the little bastards will want to sneak in with the boundary compromised. But I can tell you Maf will be cautious on that account. He trades with them because he needs the funding, but he’s no fan of Bi’is.”

“Do you know that for a fact?” Piras asked.

Kila grinned. “I do. That snide asshole Sitrel told me that right after taking the Empire back and cleansing it of the Earther infestation, Maf plans to go after Bi’is. Our last great act before extinction would be to destroy them first.”

Lokmi barked disbelieving laughter. “How does he plan to pull that one off?”

“No idea. I doubt he knows either.”

Piras ground his teeth, recognizing a new threat. “Based on what you know through your spying, would Maf ask Bi’is for help fighting the Empire?”

Kila thought about it and shook his head. “Ask? No. Accept an offer to help him hold the border against us? Maybe. But you can bet, he’ll be ready to waste them if they get too aggressive.”

Piras stole a sausage from Kila, who seemed determined to hoard the entire platter. “I have to say, I think so too. His voting record while on the Royal Council has been in favor of everything from sanctions to outright war against them.”

“The sooner he can rid himself of financial dependence, the happier he’ll be. Then he can try to kill everyone.”

Lokmi stared into a glass of juice moodily. “Wouldn’t many of his followers turn on him if they knew what he was up to? Selling Kalquorians as lab specimens, I mean.”

“I’m sure they would. I get the idea that little tidbit is being hidden from most of his converts. I thought Dramok Sitrel would fill his pants with shit when I alleged I knew about them trading war prisoners with Bi’is.”

Piras had a flash of insight. “That’s why Maf has had the Earthers conduct the transactions in the past. It helps keep the matter from reaching his supporters.”

Lokmi growled at his half-eaten sausage. The sausage didn’t react, so he turned a fierce expression to Kila. “Permission to strangle Maf on sight?”

Kila ate his last patty and gazed despondently at his egg. “Denied. We’re on his side until we can turn the tables on his whole fleet. Once that happens, everyone in the Empire will be fighting each other for the opportunity to kill the asshole.”

“Painfully,” Piras opined.

“Slowly,” Lokmi added, perking up. “It’s going to be the biggest execution free-for-all ever seen.”

Kila winked at the Imdiko before getting serious again. “The way I see it, only one question remains. How will his attack fleet move across Kalquorian space? They’ll exhaust their resources fighting to get to Laro Station. They won’t have anything left to take the border itself. Sitrel insisted on an answer for that.”

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