Page 33 of Infiltration

He smiled and pressed her fingers to his lips. “I don’t feel complete. You can’t give wholeness to me, and I wouldn’t wish such responsibility on you. What I require has to come from me.”

“Do you know what that is?”

“Purpose. Something beyond supporting you, beyond meditation, beyond waiting for my turn to die.” He pulled her close, willing her to understand. “Don’t despise me for my weakness.”

“Of course I don’t despise you!”

Tears escaped her eyes, shattering his heart. But Yuder couldn’t change who he was: a Nobek, once the leader of an empire, who was fading from lack of usefulness. “Then forgive me, because I have to chase this fool’s errand. I won’t be the man you love if I don’t find some way to serve my empire. I’d rather lose you from being myself than from pretending to be someone I’m not.”

* * * *

Nako’s marauder

“These ‘Darks’ may have already reached the Galactic Council and the space station orbiting Earth,” Kila said, summing up his briefing to Nako’s command staff. “The GC’s inspection team went to the planet shortly after our encounter with the alien entity. Admiral Tranis experienced an episode of lightheadedness similar to my away team’s, following the mother ship dropping its envoys on Bi’is. I’ve sent a message to Admiral Piras to check up on him, to discover if he’s acting strangely and to perhaps send a team to Jedver to make sure nothing odd is happening there. Meanwhile, we have a couple of steps to cover out here.”

“Recovery of the destroyed spyship’s records,” Terig guessed.

Kila nodded to his fellow Nobek. “We’ll have to search for the device that stored the ship’s logs. Even if the captain and command staff were overcome by these riders and left no record, the ship itself should have automatically documented information on its heading when it departed Bi’is space. Following that, we’ll go to Bi’is itself.”

Nako’s gaze narrowed. “Do you think the Darks came from elsewhere? Or is it possible Bi’is developed these entities? Did Ensign Ilid know?”

Kila caught himself tapping the conference table they sat around and stopped. “Ilid seemed to think it was something sentient, which would discount Bi’is’ involvement. However, he had no recollection of sensing a separate presence in his mind when he was…possessed, for lack of a better word.”

Dr. Zo sat scowling, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared at Kila. “Not to mention the poor boy is horribly traumatized by his experience. You can’t count anything you get from him as valid. Not because he’d lie, but because of what he went through.”

“There is that.” Kila had no wish to be at odds with Nako’s head medic. They were in agreement on the ethics of interrogating Ilid. Necessity and the empire’s safety had meant doing things his conscience found uneasy. “We won’t know for sure what happened unless we visit Bi’is ourselves.”

“You can’t wait for another ship with a spy complement?” Nako pressed. “As much as I’d love to sink my teeth in this mystery, I have non-combat members on board. My Imdiko and Matara, to be precise.”

Here was the second part of the mission Kila found distasteful. “If the Galactic Council and Earth are in danger, we can’t delay. We have to figure this out quickly. Fortunately, Imdiko Ulof’s past service in the fleet allows us some latitude where his presence on a marauder heading into questionable territory is concerned. Maybe you can assign him to the kitchen for the present? He is an amazing cook.”

Nako’s stormy look said he wasn’t impressed by what had been a genuine compliment to his clanmate’s culinary skills. He let it go to press the other sticking point. “My Matara.”

A soft growl came from Terig’s direction.

“I have concerns on her behalf myself. However, Admiral Piras is adamant we can’t hold off any length of time. I can’t spare your ship this duty.” Kila tried for his most conciliatory tone, though his Nobek nature bellowed to tell Nako to suck it up and deal with the situation. “Remember, my Matara spent five years on my ship in enemy territory. I agree your concerns are valid, but our backs are against the wall on this.”

He tossed Nako a computer drive. “This is clearance to train Matara Piper to pilot shuttles, as well as whatever else you deem necessary on your ship, whether it be navigation, helm, or weapons. I advise you to teach her first and foremost how to successfully escape and reach a safe haven.”

Nako and Terig gaped at him. “Piras approved this? Did he run it past Rear Admiral Hobato?” Nako demanded.

“He had no need. The spy portion of the fleet moves fast when the situation calls for it. It sometimes means not tossing things up the chain of command for its captains and admirals. It also takes advantage of the resources it can in an emergency.” Kila held up his hands, though Nako and Terig appeared too stunned to mount the protest he expected. “As a spyship captain who can make certain decisions without oversight, I can…well, I won’t order you to make your Matara combat ready. I’ll leave it as your call.”

“Damn right you will.” Nako was recovering.

“I insist you teach her how to identify the signs Ensign Ilid told us point to Dark riders controlling members of the crew. A list of those symptoms is also on the drive I’ve given you. Your entire crew should familiarize themselves on those.”

“Maybe you’re the sort of man willing to risk your lifemate, but—”

Kila held off the urge to throw Nako across the room. “If you or Matara Piper concludes she’s in danger during the mission, she should leave your ship immediately and head for Laro Station. It’s closer than any other safe place. Unless you wish to send her off in a shuttle now?”

“When we don’t have a shred of information on what the hell’s roaming the area?” Terig looked as murderous as Nako.

Kila couldn’t quite believe they weren’t already fighting to the death. “Exactly. We don’t know, which is why I need your marauder along for the ride. Thanks to its phasing capability, it can operate much like a spyship. It can also engage battle and hope to come out on top. My spyship is extremely limited in such capabilities, though I’ve implemented a few upgrades the fleet isn’t fully informed on.”

“One of those decisions not tossed up the chain of command?” Nako scowled.

“Five years watching Bi’is gave me a lot of time. Such projects allowed me to kill time and not my fellow crewmates.” Kila leveled a steady stare at him. “Do you think I like the situation for one second? Would I order it if we didn’t feel there’s real danger to the empire and its people…including your Matara?”

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