To Clan and Conquer (Clan Beginnings)

by Tracy St. John

  Amusement was getting the upper hand with Tranis as well. Smothering his own smile, he told Degorsk, “You are the strangest man I’ve ever met, Doctor.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.” He injected Tranis in the long muscle of his neck. Immediately, the nausea and throbbing of the Dramok’s hand lessened. He couldn’t help but sign with relief.

  “That’s all the thanks I need,” Degorsk said. He turned to Lidon. “Show me some leg, you hardass Nobek.”

  Lidon slowly pulled his formsuit off, having removed his leg brace as soon as he’d gotten up on the table. Tranis pulled his mud-encrusted clothing back on, trying not to appear too interested in the body being revealed in front of him. It wasn’t easy. Lidon’s chest and arms were chiseled to perfection, powerful muscles rippling all over as he moved. He slid the pants part of his formsuit off his good leg first, showing off a thigh and calf of knotted strength. His ass was carved granite. A large pair of semi-erect cocks slipped into view.

  The torn formsuit peeled away from Lidon’s right leg, and Tranis sucked in a breath. He stopped pretending he wasn’t looking.

  The man’s thigh and calf were crisscrossed with scar tissue, as if a demented child with unformed handfuls of clay had finished off a masterpiece sculpture. There were hollows where muscle should be bulging and spongy lumps in other places. Lines of lighter flesh where skin had been forged back together stood out against Lidon’s brown skin.

  Tranis swallowed. He knew he was staring and that the other two men were looking at him, but he couldn’t help himself. With utter admiration, he said, “Now that is a war wound. I am more honored than ever that you played at my side today.”

  Lidon nodded proud acknowledgement. Degorsk rolled his eyes. “He even sounds like a fucking Nobek.”

  As the doctor bent close to examine the weapons commander’s game injuries, Lidon put his mouth to the Imdiko’s ear. “When was the last time you were around a fucking Nobek, Doctor?”

  Tranis’ eyes widened as Degorsk flushed at the obvious innuendo and moved his head so the smugly smiling Lidon couldn’t get so near. As if he’d been asked a serious question, he answered, “I’m around your self-destructive breed all the damned time, Commander. And none of you will let me do what I can for you. Like refer you to a surgeon who will make it so you don’t have to use a brace to walk around?”

  Lidon’s evil smile was replaced by a scowl. “You know better than to suggest I lose my marks of honor.”

  “I’ll have them leave every last one of your ‘marks of honor’. Hell, I’ll get them to give you more to show off if it will make you happy. I know surgeons who will grant you plenty of mobility you don’t have now. Not to mention, spare you so much pain.”

  Lidon gave him a dark look. “I am not spending weeks on end in recovery and rehabilitation. I had more than enough of that after the injury.”

  Degorsk sighed. “Stubborn, stubborn. You are a Nobek’s Nobek.” He put his scanner away. “The hits you took today didn’t do anything but bruise you. Will you at least consent to pain inhibitors so you can do your job at maximum effectiveness?”

  The Nobek’s tone was almost gentle. “Will it make you happy?”

  The Imdiko deadpanned, “Ecstatic. I might do backflips in my unmitigated joy.”

  Lidon bowed his head. “‘The true master receives joy from serving his servant.’”

  Degorsk narrowed his eyes. “Which of us are you calling the servant?”

  Lidon grinned and refused to answer. “I will accept your offer of pain relief. For the good of my work, of course.”

  “Of course. One moment.” The medic glanced at Tranis, who was now dressed and getting down from the table. “Commander Tranis, don’t run off. I need to go over some medical records with you in my office.”

  He walked off, and Lidon watched him as he began putting his formsuit back on. Tranis shook his head. The blatant flirting was a revelation. Who would imagine such a pairing?

  Lidon said in a low voice, “I believe Degorsk likes you, Commander Tranis. If he’s inviting you in his office, he must want to show you his ass.”

  Tranis stared at him. “Excuse me?”

  He looked over at Degorsk, who was fussing with another injector. Sure, the guy was decent looking, handsome in fact. If he’d shut up for a few minutes, he might even be fuckable.

  Lidon had his magnificent body clothed once more. “I’ve never known him to show any interest in younger men. Of course, you are a treat for the eyes and you do hold up in intelligent conversation.”

  Tranis blinked at the Nobek. Lidon found him attractive? Intelligent? And he thought Degorsk felt the same? “Uh. You think so, huh?” was all he could say.

  “You’ll see.”

  Degorsk rejoined them. He was suddenly all business. “All right, Weapons Commander, this will allow you to take up your duties on the bridge right away. I’ll report to Captain Piras myself presently, but feel free to let him know his first officer won’t be able to perform his shift until tomorrow.” He shot Tranis a severe look.

  The Dramok protested hotly. “Hey! I’m due on the bridge in three hours.”

  “You’ll be very late. You’ve got a hell of a lot of poison in your system. Enough that I can’t guarantee the medication will cover all the effects.” He turned his back on Tranis to give Lidon his medication.

  The Nobek smirked at Tranis over Degorsk’s shoulder. “Our captain is going to be very disappointed in you. He’s not a kurble fan, you know.”

  Tranis’ stomach curdled anew. Piras’ temper was infamous. He was well known for dressing down underlings in humiliating fashion, and in front of as many people as possible. He took special delight in assigning demeaning tasks. Tranis had managed to avoid such censure, garnering only a few condescending remarks and barbed insults so far.

  “Shit,” he breathed. “Tell me you’re kidding about the missed shift.”

  Degorsk gave him a look that was devoid of all merriment. “No. I absolutely am not kidding.”

  “Shit,” Tranis repeated.

  Lidon locked on his brace and slid off the table. Stepping close to Degorsk he said, “Thank you for your always impeccable treatment, Doctor. I look forward to expressing my full gratitude at your earliest convenience.”

  Degorsk looked at the Nobek like prey confronting a predator. He swallowed and stepped back. Lidon glanced at Tranis. “I’ll give the captain your deepest regrets, Commander.”

  He headed out and both men watched him limp into the corridor. Under his breath, Degorsk growled almost too low for Tranis to hear. “Damned Nobeks. Him most of all.”

  He turned to Tranis and his smile returned. “That hand looks better already. My office, Commander?”

  Frowning slightly, the first officer followed Degorsk into his office. The door with clear inserts shut behind him as he gaped.

  The head medic’s office was small, allowing only enough room for a slight ledge of a desk with two seats on either side of it. What had Tranis stunned was not the size of the space, however. It was what adorned the walls.

  Right in front of him was what looked like the mold of someone’s naked ass and upper thighs hanging behind the desk. Degorsk’s back was still to him as the Imdiko fussed with some storing files on the desk surface, and Tranis quickly looked to compare the cast to the live man. Degorsk’s green tunic covered the upper half of his buttocks, but from what Tranis could discern from the close-fitting trousers, the sculptural piece was indeed derived from him.

  He looked at the muscular swells of the mold and thought about having that ass beneath him. Enfolding him. Holding him tight as he pumped in and out of it. His cocks warmed with interest.

  As Degorsk turned to him, settling that delicious rear on his desk, Tranis moved his gaze to the room’s other ‘art’, hanging on the wall to his left. A vid still photo met his eyes. It depicted two big, furry, awkward ronkas fucking in a field.

  Tranis shook his head. “You really enjoy shocking pe
ople, don’t you?”

  Degorsk grinned, completely unrepentant. “I love to see the looks on new crewmembers’ faces. You should see how huge your eyes are right now. And yes, that is my ass. Done on a drunken dare, but it looks good, doesn’t it?”

  Tranis refused to look at it again. He was still coming down from the kurble match, and wanting to fuck remained a high priority after the game’s excitement.

  The doctor shrugged. “Have a seat, First Officer.” He indicated the chair next to Tranis.

  Tranis looked at the seat. It was an off-the-floor chair, not a seating cushion, but with Degorsk perched on his desk, sitting in it would put Tranis at a lower level than the Imdiko.

  “I’ll stand, thanks. What are you doing on a destroyer?”

  Degorsk snorted. Something dark passed over his otherwise beaming expression. “Trust me, I’ve asked myself that quite a few times. Which brings me to the real reason I asked you to come in here. Are the rumors true that there have been Tragoom incursions at the border and we’re heading over to fight them?”

  Tranis blinked. He realized Degorsk’s question was valid. He was the head of the medical department after all. The potential for wounded would be priority information for him.

  “The information I’ve gotten consists only of some strange energy signatures in the buffer zone between Empire and Joshadan space.”

  Degorsk relaxed. “Good.” He picked up a remote and clicked it at the vid. The humping ronka were replaced by a still of a very old, naked Bi’isil male with an incredibly small and wilted penis. The ancient alien with the bulbous head and huge black eyes lounged on a rocky beach. His tiny slit of a mouth wore a lascivious smile. If not for the cast of Degorsk’s ass hanging in Tranis’ peripheral vision, the Dramok’s semi-erection would have disappeared at the sight.

  Again, Tranis asked, “What are you doing on a destroyer?”

  “It seemed like a good idea at the time?” Degorsk shrugged with a sheepish grin. “I signed on to the military when I was young. The opportunity for occasional female companionship on other planets was a big draw, as it is for many Kalquorian men. Plus, I thought it would be glorious, patching up war heroes. Not to mention how good Nobeks look in battle armor.”

  “I won’t argue with you about the women or the armored Nobeks.” Or naked ones, Tranis thought. The image of Lidon bared of his formsuit flashed across his mind’s eye.

  That dark look passed over Degorsk’s face again. “It’s not so delightful when you’re pulling off that armor and finding a ragged mess of what used to be a man who has been blasted into pieces. Torn to shreds, yet he continues to breathe and scream—” He stopped, a haunted expression replacing the joking brightness.

  Tranis’ Dramok instincts to take control of an obviously upset Imdiko came over him. He moved close to Degorsk and put his hand on the doctor’s shoulder.

  Degorsk started and flushed with embarrassment. “I’m all right. Just remembering not so good times. Have you seen combat yet, Commander?”

  Tranis let go of him. “Just small stuff with Tragoom raiders. Nothing like what you and the weapons commander have. Were you on his ship when he took that injury?”

  “No, thank the ancestors.” Degorsk scowled and shook his head. “He should have had a robotic limb put on rather than making the surgeons put that leg back together. Stupid Nobeks and their marks of honor.”

  “They are a proud breed.”

  “You’d know, wouldn’t you? Five older Nobek brothers! It must be a lot to live up to.”

  Tranis arched an eyebrow. He glanced up at the mold of Degorsk’s ass. In a low voice, he said, “It’s left me with a tendency to be a little more forceful than many Dramoks.”

  A sweetish-spicy scent not his own wafted to his nostrils. Degorsk looked up at him, his pupils widening. “That’s – interesting.”

  “Yes? How interesting do you find it, Imdiko?” Tranis leaned down and tasted Degorsk’s lips, moving his mouth gently over the other man’s.

  Degorsk made a small sound. His lips parted, allowing Tranis’ tongue to forge into the warmth of his mouth. The Dramok took the invitation, stroking the raw silk of the other man’s tongue. A wave of need slammed into his gut, spilling heat into his cocks. They filled, and he pulled Degorsk close, rubbing the swelling lengths against the doctor’s firm abdomen.

  Degorsk’s hands ran over Tranis’ chest. He stood and moved against the young officer. Tranis felt the other man’s growing erections against his. He growled low in his throat and clutched the Imdiko’s ass, holding Degorsk tight so he could grind hard against him.

  For a moment, Degorsk softened in Tranis’ demanding embrace. The sensation of another man’s surrender brought heavy heat to the Dramok’s groin. The combined scents of their arousal hung in the air, and Tranis growled again, louder. He started to lower Degorsk to the desk behind him.

  The Imdiko shoved against his chest, struggling. Degorsk broke the kiss with a sharp twist of his head. He gasped, “Those clear panels on my door will give everyone more of a show than I think is proper.”

  Tranis’ groin throbbed almost painfully as he looked into the doctor’s dilated eyes. But the man had a point. Not letting go of his forceful embrace of the Imdiko yet, Tranis said, “Meet me for drinks tonight. I’m free, unless you want to change your mind about my worthiness for duty?”

  Degorsk shoved again, but Tranis refused to let him go. Scowling, Degorsk said, “I can’t clear you, First Officer. Your poison levels are well above the safety limits.”

  He was trying to skirt the issue of meeting later. Tranis grinned down at him, enjoying his power over the slighter man. “Since I’m not on duty, you can call me Tranis. When do you go off duty?”

  “Not for awhile. Four hours.” When that still didn’t get Tranis to let him go, Degorsk pointedly asked, “Don’t you think you’re a bit young for me?”

  Tranis felt the still aroused body against his, felt how the Imdiko’s cocks pulsed with need, a need as great as his own. He looked at the vid, then the mold of that delicious ass. His eyes lingered on that and he grinned with anticipation. “No, Dr. Degorsk. The way you like to tease, I think you might be too young for me. I’m trying not to hold that against you.”

  Tranis released him. Without another word, he turned and walked out of the office. Behind him he heard Degorsk mutter, “Damned Dramoks. Especially that one.”

  Chapter 3

  Piras’ frustrated growl filled the bridge. “Keep trying to reach those sites.”

  The lieutenant in charge of off-ship communications bent to his station as if being just an inch away from his readout would hasten results. “Yes, Captain.”

  Piras paced in front of his and Lidon’s consoles. Lidon could feel the tension boiling off him. It had been a tense shift with too many questions and not enough answers.

  The transport door opened, and Tranis walked onto the bridge in uniform. Lidon raised an eyebrow and stiffened when Piras froze in mid-stride.

  The captain looked at his first officer with narrowed eyes. “I was told you wouldn’t make your shift, Commander Tranis.”

  Tranis halted on his way to his console. He carefully answered, “I feel fine, Captain.”

  “That may be, but regulations call for our chief medical officer to release you for duty, whether we respect his credentials or not.”

  Lidon’s fists clenched as anger sparked at Piras’ belittlement of Degorsk. At the same time, Tranis’ eyes widened. The Nobek thought he saw Tranis’ upper lip curl slightly.

  His tone remained respectful, however. “I have the utmost faith in Dr. Degorsk’s opinion, Captain. My shame of being temporarily relieved of duty caused me to undermine his orders. I will excuse myself from the bridge as ordered and beg your pardon for having to miss my shift.”

  He bowed, obviously prepared to abandon his ill-advised move of reporting for duty. Piras raised a hand, stopping him.

  “Hold a moment, First Officer. You should know what is happ
ening so that when you do return to duty, you’re fully informed. Weapons Commander?”

  Lidon was still fuming. A full second passed before he spoke. “Sir. Commander Tranis, as you know, two defense stations reported some strange energy readings in Joshadan space. We have made contact with them since then at regular intervals. Five hours ago, Cagu Defense Station reported they had lost communications with the Cori Defense Station and Natamev colony, which lies at a point roughly between the two stations. We also could not raise those locations. An hour ago, we lost contact with Cagu as well. Efforts to re-establish communications have met with no response.”

  Tranis’ expression turned grim. “Definitely not a good sign. Do you think they came under attack?”

  “It could be whatever is emitting the anomalous energy readings is simply disrupting communications. Old communications satellites that have broken their orbits and wandered through space have been known to cause such effects.”

  “You don’t think that’s the case.”

  Lidon shook his head. “Three different locations on the border going dark like that? No. I think we should be prepared for Tragoom raiders.”

  Piras told Tranis, “We’ve put the fleet on alert, and two other destroyers are on their way. They are at least five days behind us however, so we’ll be on our own for the initial investigation.”

  A flash of excitement crossed the young first officer’s face. “Where are we going first?”

  “Cagu. It’s closest and the last to go dark. We’ll reach it in ten hours. You’ll be cleared for duty by then.” Piras scowled at him. “And I trust you will avoid all excuses to miss your next shift?”

  Tranis flushed. “Thank you, Captain.” He bowed and left the bridge.

  Lidon considered Piras, who took up his pacing where he’d left off. The captain had let Tranis off remarkably easy, an indication of how much the silent stations and colony had absorbed his attention. However, that unwarranted comment on Degorsk’s abilities…

  “Captain, can I possibly have a private word? It will only take a moment.”