Page 66 of Clan and Command

It was in this seeming torture chamber that Diwal motioned Piras should take a chair at the conference table. “Please, make yourself comfortable,” he invited.

Piras remained standing, letting his foul mood continue to hold sway. It kept him from feeling intimidated by Diwal’s mode of decoration. He snapped, “Don’t think you’re wasting my entire day on whatever it is you’ve dragged me in here for. If you’ll inform me what this is about, so I can get back to important things? Like the war we’re trying to win?”

Diwal leaned against the table. His mocking smile didn’t have the sexy effect Kila’s did, though something about it chilled Piras. “You have interesting friends, Admiral,” he said.

“I’m an interesting man. Don’t fuck around with games. What do you want?”

“Captain Kila has caught our attention. How well do you know him?”

Warning signals went off in Piras’s head, but he maintained his aggressive demeanor. “You know damned well we associate outside of our duties, since you’ve called me here. If you’ve done your work properly, then you also know his destroyer was my squadron’s flagship during the war with Earth. On that occasion, he proved himself to be a first-rate officer.”

“Yes. His record is impressive, particularly since Nobeks don’t always rise to the rank of captain on destroyers. That’s more a Dramok path.”

“You sell your breed short, Officer. Nobeks make fine ship leaders when they apply themselves and get over the administrative headaches of the role.”

“There have been suspicious transmissions coming from his ship.”

Piras blinked at the sudden change in subject. Feeling as if he’d missed a chunk of conversation, he said, “Define ‘suspicious’.”

Diwal’s smug expression intensified. “Suspicious as in scrambled and coded. The first coms we detected went to Sector G15, which is currently in enemy hands.”

He referred to the area near the Galactic Council’s borders that Maf held. Piras relaxed, ready for that concern. “I’m sure your investigation revealed Captain Kila has cousins living on a colony in that area. If he is speaking with them, perhaps trying to gather intelligence as he checks on their welfare, of course he is scrambling his transmissions.”

“So you believe it is Kila who is making those coms?”

“I don’t have a fucking clue. Why don’t you ask him?”

“I’m asking you. Can you think of anyone else who would use a secure and scrambled frequency on board his ship?”

Piras rolled his eyes. “What about other members of his crew who have family and friends in that sector? Have you checked on those? Or would you like me to do your job as well as my own and verify that for you?”

Diwal crooked a brow. “Of course I’ve checked. I’ve learned Kila’s former chief engineer had such ties, but that man has since been re-assigned. Abruptly re-assigned.”

“So? Kila’s an asshole with his engineers since he likes to fuck with his ship’s power. A speed junkie, as I once heard a member of his crew call him. Why are you not discussing this with him?”

Diwal didn’t answer Piras’s question. Instead, he said, “Yesterday, his ship sent another transmission, a rather lengthy one. It routed to the area containing the Haven and Rokan colonies, which are currently under siege by the enemy.”

That meant Dramok Sitrel was part of the siege group. Piras found it interesting that Maf’s top aide wasn’t hiding behind the lines, safe and sound.

Realizing that Diwal was waiting, expecting a reply to his information, Piras gave him an irritated shrug. “And?”

“Captain Kila has no ties whatsoever with anyone on those colonies.”

“Perhaps he was checking in with the defenders. He has plenty of friends within the fleet.”

Diwal’s eyes narrowed. “Regulations stipulate no coms are to be made to any warship involved in a Level Five situation outside of High Command itself. Captain Kila has no reason to talk to anyone out there.”

“Don’t quote regs to me, Tragoom bait. Kila is not the kind of man to worry overmuch about rules when people he cares about are in harm’s way.Ifit is Captain Kila.”

Diwal changed tack yet again. “How involved is your relationship with him?”

“We’re not clanned. We fuck. Outside of that, it’s none of your damned business. My personal affairs are mine alone.”

“Not if treason is involved, Admiral. Have you shared any information with him? Let slip any sensitive or even classified matters?”

Piras was in his scarred face in a second, shouting hard enough that spit sprayed the Nobek. “You dare?You fucking dare?You slimy piece of Bi’isil shit, are you accusing me of sharing top secret information? Me?”

Diwal shoved him back a couple of steps. Piras bladed his body, his fists coming up as he set to fight. He’d take the smug fuck apart for such a question. That he indeed shared secrets mattered not one bit at that moment. He was primed by desperation to divert Diwal’s attention from Kila.

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