Page 59 of Clan and Command

A message was waiting for Piras when the meeting broke up. It was from Kila and said,Your presence is requested on my ship. The upgrades you asked about are in place and await your inspection.

After seeing the deadly threat against Haven and knowing it heralded Maf’s fleet moving towards Laro Station, Piras was glad to have an excuse to see the Nobek. Somehow, Kila always managed to bolster his resolve to stay the course. It was damned hard to do so with events now moving beyond Piras’s control…events he had set into motion.

The shuttle ride was quick and quiet. He had the cabin to himself, sparing any need to make unwanted conversation with other passengers. He couldn’t have spoken about what was uppermost on his mind anyway: the attacks on Rokan and Haven’s defenses. No one could until the Imperial Clan and Royal Council approved the release of such information to the public.

Piras reached the destroyer without incident. He stepped off and found Kila waiting. The captain greeted him with a formal bow. “Welcome aboard again, Admiral.”

Piras echoed the official tone. “A pleasure as always, Captain. Let’s see those upgrades you’re so proud of.” His tone was clipped, but it was his usual for dealing with underlings. When Kila visibly suppressed his usual smirk, Piras snorted.

They left the bay and headed down the corridor. Piras felt a sense of homecoming as he walked the halls of the destroyer. Once more, it felt as if accepting a promotion and planet-side post had been a mistake. Yet at the time he’d been offered the rank of admiral, it had been difficult to imagine commanding a ship without Lidon. Too many memories and regrets had made it impossible for Piras to remain a captain.

If this works out, I can make new memories in space.He felt the warmth coming off the Nobek at his side and acknowledged the mote of hope that had sprung new life in his soul.

Kila spoke in an undertone as he directed their course. “I’m glad you’re made it to the ship. Dramok Sitrel wants to hear your latest news himself.”

Piras darted a startled glance. “So soon? I’d have thought they’d want control over Laro Station before bringing me into the fold. To confirm I did all I said I would.”

Kila waited for a couple of crewmembers to pass them on the opposite side before answering. “I think the Basma is desperate to have a man inside. He’s not happy with just a new acquisition. He wants to know everything that is happening with his fleet divided, and he wants it now.”

“Information we don’t intend for him to have, at least not for long. Not since I’m not meant to remain within Fleet Command. This is moving quicker than we intended, however. How much more delay do you need to be ready?”

“None.” That earned another surprised look. Kila nodded, his expression one of grim appreciation. “Lokmi is a hell of an engineer. Better than me, though if you tell him I said that, I’ll have to kill you.”

Piras was too amazed to be amused or irritated. “The alterations are complete? The ship is ready?”

“We managed to get it all done. As far as we know, we are as ready as we’re ever going to be. Chief is pretty pissed we can’t test it first.”

“Oh, it will get its shakedown, all right. Almost assuredly it will be trial by fire.” Piras’s heart pounded. Once Laro and the unmanned stations were in Maf’s hands, it would be down to being discovered by the fleet. And escaping.

Kila’s usual mocking grin made its reappearance. “Don’t you just love this job?”

Piras shook his head, though he couldn’t deny the rush of adrenaline that felt good despite the circumstances. “I think you love it more than I do. Where are we going?”

“Engineering. I have a private area there for communicating with ourfriends.” The last word came out in a snarl. With the endgame closing in, Kila’s Nobek instincts were on the rise.

As they made their way into the heartbeat of the ship, Piras brought Kila up to speed on the reactions of Hobato and the rest to the attacks on Rokan and Haven. He caught the flash of anger that spread over Kila’s face to hear of the farming colony being targeted by Maf. He brought it under control quickly and merely grunted in response.

They entered the main engineering section. Piras couldn’t help but look for Lokmi, wanting a glimpse of the fascinating Imdiko-Dramok. He saw the chief off to one side, consulting with a couple members of his staff. Piras allowed himself a moment of pure enjoyment looking at the handsome lover he’d enjoyed surrendering to. Yes, it would be splendid to go to space again with him and Kila along for the ride. The mission took on a delightful aura the more Piras considered his traveling companions.

Kila’s rough voice rang out over the mutter of conversation and hum of the engines. “Admiral on deck.”

The men in the room snapped to attention. As one, they bowed to Piras, but his attention remained on Lokmi. He saw a flash of a smile from the chief engineer before he arranged his features to appropriate respect.

Piras gave them a nod and a dismissive wave, pretending the pleasure on Lokmi’s face hadn’t made the warm glow in his gut burn brighter. “As you were.”

The men got back to work. Lokmi also returned to his conversation with the two other engineers, not sparing another smile or any kind of meaningful look in Piras’s direction. The admiral appreciated there were no more overt acknowledgements from Lokmi, though he allowed himself a second to ogle the way the man’s uniform molded to his body. Satisfied with his own moment of unprofessional interest, he followed Kila to a tiny office at the back of the section.

Kila went to the computer podium in the middle of the room. Piras stood at his side, nodding approval at the semi-private setup. Like Piras, Kila had a secret office, even on board a clandestine spy ship that most of Fleet Command didn’t know about. It was as bare and unassuming as Piras’s version. His respect for the Nobek captain went up another notch.

Kila ordered the room’s door closed and locked. He powered up a sound-blocker and crooked a brow at Piras. “Ready to face our allies? So to speak. It will be audio only,” he said in a dry tone.

Piras tamped down on a surly smile. Allies, indeed. “Throw me to the wolves, Captain.”

Kila tapped on his keyboard rather than making voice commands. “I use this for comming Sitrel rather than a regular unit. It has safeguards in place that make it harder to decipher should anyone intercept.”

“Good.”

A moment later, a nasally voice spoke from the computer speakers. “How is the weather today?”

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