Page 24 of Infiltration

More tears. “Was your ship taken over by them?”

“No. I had command the whole time. Was your ship seized by these dark entities?”

“The crew. All but a few of us grunts. Captain, can I go home now? Can I see my parents?”

Nako didn’t remember crying once in his life, but the damned kid was putting a lump in his throat. Ilid’s plaintive request tore at him, threatening his hardass reputation and delaying reaction to the strange tale.

“Soon, Ensign. What did the Darks plan to do on board your ship?”

“I don’t know, sir. Imdiko Darir said we’d left orbit…can I talk? I was on a spyship. I can’t give away secrets.”

“You’re fine. I’m aware of where your ship was, because I’m part of the spy fleet. As for Captain Nako and Dr. Zo, they’re sworn to secrecy.”

“Okay.” Ilid’s eyelids drooped.

Zo warned, “He needs to go under again. Wrap this up.”

“Ilid, what happened next? After you left orbit?”

“Darir helped me escape Medical, where they were keeping me in stasis. They operated…wanted to learn why I could see them when most couldn’t. They…we…”

He was fading. Kila prodded. “Ensign? What happened after your ship left orbit?”

Ilid twitched. His gaze wavered from side to side, as if he searched for something. It ended on Kila. “We went to Engineering so I could disable the phase and plasma generator. So the ship wouldn’t go where they might spread to others. The Darks attacked Darir. His blaster went off and hit the conduit. I ran…couldn’t help him…took a shuttle…”

His eyes were rolling, and the medi-bed’s alerts began to sound. Zo’s fingers flew over the controls. Kila was repelled as the stasis field reappeared and Ilid lapsed into its medically induced coma.

The doctor shot Kila a challenging glare. “You wouldn’t get another word out of him anyway. He’s in no shape for an interrogation.”

No doubt Kila knew as Nako did that shooting Ilid up with stimulants would have warded off unconsciousness for as long as needed…or until the poor kid died.

Kila didn’t tell Zo to do so, but his next order fell like a hammer. “Prep him for transfer to my ship, Doctor. My medical staff will arrive shortly to take custody of Ensign Ilid.”

Horrified fury filled Zo’s face as Kila swiveled and marched to the door. His gaze jerked to Nako. “Captain, he can’t—”

“Later, Zo.” Nako raced after Kila, who’d already disappeared into the corridor.

He chased him down in Medical’s admittance area. “Captain! What’s going on? What are these ‘Darks’ Ensign Ilid was going on about?”

Kila’s vicious grin returned in full force. He looked ready to tear into someone’s throat. He muttered, seemingly to himself and not Nako. “The fucking space squid’s entities got to them. There was a Galactic Council inspection team on the planet days later. If the things attached to them and made it to Jedver, who knows…” He grabbed his com off his belt. “Chief, we’re returning to the ship now. As in, two seconds ago. Get your ass to the shuttle.” Not waiting for a reply, he clicked the com for another frequency. “Com Lieutenant, alert command staff to meet me in the ready room the moment I’m on board. Tell Dr. Hadlez to bring his scans on the away teams we sent to Bi’is. Kila out.”

“Captain Kila!” Nako snarled to be ignored.

“Not now, Nako. I’ll get back to you later.”

Kila suddenly took off, blurring into a dark smear as he ran at top speed toward the shuttle bay. Nako gaped for an instant, then rushed to catch him.

It was to no avail. Kila’s shuttle was flying from the bay as Nako arrived.

Chapter Seven

“I understand your concerns, Captain Nako. I’ve just received a report from Captain Kila on the matter, and I’ve issued clearance for you and your command staff to be informed of what’s going on.”

It demanded every ounce of Nako’s self-control to keep from telling Admiral Tranis what he could do with his clearance. Terig had been forced to physically restrain Zo when Kila’s medical staff had arrived to take Ilid to the spyship. Nako hadn’t been able to do anything to stop it because they’d had an executive order countersigned by the bearded admiral who appeared to be sitting on the other side of Nako’s desk. Kila hadn’t left anything to chance in his bid to grab the senseless ensign from Zo’s protective custody.

Powerless on his own ship. Nako thought back to the days when he’d gone rogue on his old raider, free of the fleet and its fucking chain of command. He’d been pardoned and decorated as a reward for his part in ending Kalquor’s civil war and saving the empire from certain doom from Bi’is. Commanding a marauder had been the icing on the cake.

It wasn’t feeling much like a reward at the moment.

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