To Clan and Conquer (Clan Beginnings)

by Tracy St. John

  Lidon was quite ready to do that. It had been an extremely tiring day, starting with the kurble match, then pulling a full shift. And finally, getting tossed by a very physical Dramok.

  Still, he couldn’t find sleep until he felt Tranis settle and grow still. The young man’s chest moving against his back with deep rhythmic breaths told Lidon when he’d dropped into slumber. Only then did he let the warmth of the other man curled around him lull him to sleep.

  Chapter 5

  Piras’ voice jerked Lidon awake. “Captain Piras to First Officer Tranis.”

  Lidon drew a deep breath and willed his suddenly pounding heart to slow. His lover’s voice came from the room’s com link, not within the room.

  He looked over his shoulder at the Dramok he’d spent the night with. Tranis looked much too amused. “Tranis here, sir.”

  “I know you’re not released by Medical yet, but I need you on the bridge immediately.”

  All hilarity left the young commander. “On my way, Captain.”

  The com’s disconnect sounded with an audible click. Tranis carefully pulled free of Lidon. “His tone sounded pretty serious. I’ll bet you’re about to get a call too.”

  “He’s probably trying to reach me in my quarters right now.”

  The men were on their feet. As Tranis headed for his room’s wash facility, Lidon’s personal com went off in the pile his formsuit made on the floor.

  Lidon leaned down to snag it, his good leg holding him easily. “Weapons Commander here.”

  Piras said, “Lidon, I need you on the bridge immediately. We’ve got a situation.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  He picked up his formsuit and winced at the scent coming off it. The smell of Tranis on his body was even more pungent.

  Tranis came back in the room and opened his closet. Lidon hopped into the facility. “Great. I reek of you. Everyone wearing their nose today will know where I’ve been.”

  He ran water and grabbed a pre-soaped cloth from the dispenser. He scrubbed every part of himself as fast as he could. Still, he knew he’d never get enough of Tranis’ scent off to keep Piras in the dark.

  He hopped back out. Tranis was dressed. He tossed something at Lidon, who caught it with a deft hand.

  As Lidon dubiously eyed the formsuit the first officer had given him, Tranis said, “You can at least show up on the bridge in a clean uniform. We’re close to the same size. The trim is blue, but no one would mistake you for a Dramok.”

  Lidon snorted, but he sat down and started pulling the formsuit on. “I’m not sure if you mean that as a compliment or insult.”

  Tranis grinned. “You are all Nobek. And I like Nobeks.” He leered. “A lot.”

  Lidon couldn’t help but smile a little. He yanked his boots on and snapped the brace in its accustomed place. Then he transferred his silver bars of his command status onto the borrowed uniform.

  “How pissed off is Piras going to be?” Tranis asked. His voice was light, as if he didn’t really care.

  Lidon got to his feet. He was slightly more muscled than Tranis, but the Dramok was wider in shoulders and chest. The formsuit’s fit wasn’t too bad. Since it was clean, it did mask some of Tranis’ scent. If Lidon could keep distance from Piras, his lover wouldn’t know the difference. A distance of perhaps half the ship might be enough.

  Lidon followed Tranis out of his quarters. “He’ll be extremely angry. Let me deal with him.”

  They walked side by side, heading for the nearest transport. Tranis gave Lidon a narrow-eyed gaze. “I can handle Piras. I handled you, didn’t I?”

  They stepped onto the transport. Fortunately, they had it to themselves. Lidon answered, “Yes, but bending the captain over your bed and shoving your cock up his ass would probably be taken as insubordination.”

  Tranis burst out in laughter. He sobered just as the transport door opened and they walked out onto the destroyer’s bridge.

  Both of them stopped short. The main vid was up, and Lidon’s eyes widened at what it showed. His training kicked in, and he hurried to his station. As he walked past the captain’s podium, he saw Piras’ head come up and his nostrils flare wide. Lidon kept his gaze forward, refusing to acknowledge the shocked stare. But when Piras’ head swiveled in Tranis’ direction, the Nobek darted a quick glance at the other man too.

  Tranis didn’t take note of either of them. He was much more interested in the vid image of the demolished hulk floating in space. “Captain, is that the Cagu defense station?”

  Lidon relieved his second at the weapons post and met Piras’ glare. The Nobek kept his emotions to himself. Recovering his equanimity with some difficulty, Piras answered his first officer. “Yes, Commander, that’s what’s left of it. We’re still an hour away.”

  Lidon busied himself with the reports and readouts streaming to his station. “No life signs. No power. All systems look offline, including atmospheric controls. No one could possibly have survived.”

  Tranis was at his station now, looking over the same readouts. “Maybe they had enough warning to put on spacesuits? What about their fighters?”

  Piras didn’t sound optimistic, but he said, “Maybe someone escaped. We’ll know when we get there.” He turned to Lidon once more. “Weapons Commander, put a team together to go over that station as soon as we dock, but be advised it will have to be a fast investigation. I want to get to that colony we lost communications with as soon as possible. We have to save any civilians that might be in danger on Natamev.”

  Lidon’s fingers flew over his controls. “Understood, Captain. With your permission, I’d like to put in a recon team for damage assessment, a search team for survivors, and a records recovery team in case there’s information on the attackers.”

  “Do it. And as soon as you’ve got that in place, you can meet me in my office.”

  “Yes, Captain.” Lidon’s chest tightened. That was not going to go well.

  Piras continued issuing orders. “First Officer, you’ll report to Medical and tell Dr. Degorsk to be ready for casualties. Tell him I also want you cleared for duty by the time we reach that station.”

  Tranis opened his mouth to protest, an understandable reaction given he could relay such messages over the com system. Lidon caught his eye and gave him a slight shake of his head. If Tranis was smart enough to obey orders and keep his mouth shut, he might escape censure for their activities after all. That would leave Lidon to bear the brunt of Piras’ displeasure, something the Nobek had no problem doing.

  Fortunately for them both, Tranis opted to heed good sense. “I will let the doctor know the gravity of the situation, Captain.”

  He gave Lidon a quick wink before turning and leaving the bridge. Despite knowing he was in for a huge argument with Piras, Lidon had to suppress a smile. The young Dramok was entirely too cheeky for either man’s good.

  Half an hour later, Lidon finished assigning and instructing his teams. He looked towards the closed door of Piras’ office and fought off a sigh with effort. The bridge was no place for a Nobek to show his emotions. He could do that in a few seconds when he went into the room where Piras waited for him.

  Sure enough, when he stepped into the captain’s office Piras was pacing the floor. The instant the door closed behind Lidon, the captain was in his face and shouting.

  “How dare you walk on my bridge with the stench of another Dramok on you!”

  Lidon lowered his head. “I planned to tell you of the encounter at another time, in private. It was not my intention for you to find out my indiscretion this way.”

  “The entire bridge crew could smell him on you!”

  “I had no chance to wash him off before answering your summons. I am deeply sorry for any shame this may have caused you.”

  Piras seemed a little deflated by Lidon’s show of contrition. In a much quieter tone, he asked, “So what is going on? Getting a measure of revenge for our argument?”

  Keeping his head bowed, Lidon rolled his
eyes up to look Piras in the face. “That would be petty. I was curious about him, and the opportunity presented itself.”

  “So may I take it your curiosity is satisfied?”

  Lidon kept his mouth shut, letting his silence speak for him. The truth was, he wanted to get hold of Tranis and top him, if only once. The idea of fighting the younger man to submission and mounting him, to possess that fine, strong body, had his groin swelling.

  Piras’ face reddened, and his lips thinned. The low rumble of a growl spun from his throat. Lidon stiffened and his heart drummed faster.

  The Dramok said, “I have no claim on you … yet. But this is forcing my hand where our pairing is concerned.”

  Lidon watched him carefully. Hopefully.

  Piras turned his back on him and stormed over to his desk. He sat down behind it and tapped on his computer. “Get that young upstart out of your system, and do it quickly. And discreetly. I want your answer on my offer to clan as soon as we have this border situation cleared up.”

  He finally looked at Lidon again, his upper lip lifted in a snarl. “You are dismissed to wash the stink of my first officer off yourself. Put on a proper uniform, and then get your sorry ass back on the bridge.”

  Disappointment had already settled its familiar weight in Lidon’s gut. He snapped, “Yes, Captain.”

  He left the office and headed for his quarters to carry out Piras’ order. What had he expected? Had he really believed Piras would be incited to be the Dramok he craved?

  Lidon couldn’t help but think a Dramok worthy of him would have put him over the desk and re-claimed what he thought should be his. He had no doubt Tranis certainly would have.

  I have no business clanning with Piras. Maybe it’s time I faced that once and for all.

  * * * *

  Degorsk stood at his desk, his back to the open office door. He had just finished dictating some notes for later review. “Close file,” he instructed his computer.

  The door behind him made its distinctive hissing sound, letting him know it was closing. He started to turn to discover why it had done that when a strong hand gripped the back of his neck. It pushed, forcing him down towards his desk surface. With a yelp of surprise, he slammed his palms down on it, straining to keep himself somewhat vertical.

  “Has this desk been broken in properly yet? You do look good bent over it.”

  Degorsk’s teeth bared, not that Tranis could see it what with him standing to the rear of the doctor. He ground out a substantial amount of fury in his tone. “Commander, I insist you let me go. It would be very demoralizing for my staff to see me like this.”

  “To you or them? Those insets on your office door are change-glass, aren’t they? Opaque! There, that’s better. Now we have some privacy.”

  The Dramok ground what could only be a massive erection against Degorsk’s ass. Something in the Imdiko’s psyche softened at the domination, and heat spilled into his cocks. That pissed Degorsk off more than Tranis’ surprise attack.

  Shoving hard against the implacable grip still trying to press him down onto his desk, Degorsk snarled, “I am on duty, you asshole. And I don’t want this.”

  Tranis groped around and cupped the Imdiko’s groin. He stroked over the telltale bulge, and erotic need filled Degorsk. He barely managed to swallow a groan. He couldn’t help but rock his hips, rubbing himself against both Tranis’ hand and his cocks. The spicy scent of the doctor’s arousal built thickly around him.

  “You don’t want this, huh?” Tranis chuckled. “Something smells and feels differently, Doctor. I think you want it quite a bit.”

  Degorsk wanted it, all right. But he was pissed off now, and he wanted to beat the hell out of his tormentor even more. He grabbed for Tranis’ hand, determined to make him stop fondling. Unfortunately, that left only one hand braced against the desk, and the bastard took the opportunity to press him closer to the surface. Degorsk had no choice but to let that wicked hand continue to rub his aching crotch while he braced himself again.

  “You had your chance last night, damn it!”

  Tranis practically purred in his ear. The warmth of his breath there made Degorsk’s already overloaded senses reel. “Yes, I know. I am trying to correct my insult to you now.”

  Degorsk became aware of another scent, one not belonging to Tranis. His eyes widened, but he managed to keep all care out of his voice. “It smells like you already took care of matters. So is our Weapons Commander as good as he looks?”

  Tranis chuckled. “Better. Since you two can’t seem to get together, I thought I’d be your middle man. I need to make a full report to Lidon on what he’s missing. By the way, the Captain would like you to clear me early for return to duty. We have a situation.”

  Degorsk stilled, and suddenly Tranis’ touch wasn’t nearly as arousing. Sensing the change in the Imdiko’s mood, Tranis stopped rubbing though he kept his hand on the Imdiko’s groin.

  Degorsk barely noticed Tranis had dialed back on his efforts to subdue him. He was more interested in the trouble the destroyer might be facing. “What situation? What’s going on?”

  “Cagu defense station was demolished. From the looks of it, there are probably no survivors, but you need to have your staff ready for casualties. We also lost contact with a nearby colony, so there might be trouble there as well.”

  Degorsk thought fast. A defense station on the Joshadan border had maybe fifty personnel, tops. But a colony might have thousands.

  Thousands.

  “Damn it.” The faces of the dead and dying crowded his memory. A layer of groaning, screaming men on the ground, too many to treat, too many he couldn’t save. Especially the two lives that meant the most to him. One moment walking tall and strong, the next broken and bloody and dead.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!”

  Tranis stopped trying to bend him over the desk. He let go of Degorsk’s neck and groin and wrapped one arm around his chest and the other around his waist. The first officer pulled Degorsk back against himself and held on tightly. His deep voice gentle, he asked, “What is it, Imdiko?”

  The quiet way Tranis spoke and the strength he held Degorsk with made something tight and painful loosen a bit in the doctor’s gut. His mouth fell open. He vomited out the words that played on a loop in his head when the nights were endless and sleep wouldn’t come. “I should have resigned. I don’t belong in the military. Too much death and pain.”

  The man holding him, giving Degorsk a temporary false sense of security, spoke again. “Except for the occasional Tragoom incursions, we’re at peace right now.”

  “Peace never lasts. War always comes. Then everybody dies.”

  “You’ve seen some terrible things, haven’t you?”

  Degorsk turned his head to look into the younger man’s eyes. Yes, there was strength there. Confidence. Power becoming a Dramok. But there was also too much innocence, though one had to search for it.

  He asked, “Have you been in battle yet, Tranis? A real battle, with men screaming and dying all around you? Friends … lovers falling before your eyes?”

  Tranis blinked. “No.”

  “You can’t imagine.” Degorsk swallowed the scream that wanted to tear from his throat. No, such horrors were beyond imagination.

  The Dramok’s looked at him with a tenderness Degorsk hadn’t expected. “I’m sorry you’ve seen it, Degorsk. I hate the pain in your eyes.”

  Tranis kissed him then. It was comforting, but it was also sensual, the gentle way his lips moved over Degorsk’s. The Imdiko sank into the caress, needing the reassurance of the strong arms holding him, of the solid body supporting his, of the simple affirmation that life went on and was sometimes good despite all that had been stolen.

  Tranis’ tongue slid across Degorsk’s lips. The doctor opened his mouth. His invitation was accepted. Tranis seized possession, exploring Degorsk’s mouth thoroughly, making the Imdiko gasp with surging need. When Tranis’ hand slipped down to his crotch once more, searching a
nd stroking him to firmness, Degorsk didn’t try to make him stop.

  There was a tug, and the raspy sound of Degorsk’s crotch seam giving way made him moan into the Dramok’s mouth. He shuddered with delight as the other man’s hand slipped inside his pants. Hot flesh met hot flesh and his cocks were set free.

  Tranis’ hand was a tight fist surrounding Degorsk’s front cock. The Imdiko rocked his hips, making himself slide in that firm grip. Tranis released his hold around Degorsk’s chest. A moment later, the waistband of the doctor’s trousers were tugged down until they fell to his ankles. Cool air against his buttocks was an arousing surprise, and he jerked within Tranis’ grip harder and faster.

  Tranis broke the kiss. Staring into Degorsk’s eyes, he shoved two fingers in his mouth, wetting them. He put them to Degorsk’s anus.

  This was a huge mistake. Degorsk knew it beyond a shadow of a doubt. But his resistance had crumbled in the wake of too many memories and in the steady strength of the Dramok holding him. He closed his eyes and surrendered.

  “Please.”

  He opened to the pressure of Tranis’ fingers. They slid into him. Degorsk’s head fell back on the other man’s shoulder, accepting the strange fullness and ache. How long had it been since another man’s touch had been there? Months. Maybe more than a year. The quick one-night stands had been unsatisfying since the deaths of Bara and Semlo so many years ago. Disappointment and the surge of renewed loss following each one had kept such encounters infrequent.

  Tranis’ fingers moved in and out of him, twisting and stretching as he worked against the tightness. His hand gripping Degorsk’s cock moved at the same pace, making for a sweet, slow climb to passion. Damn, it really did feel good. Better than it had been in a long time. Degorsk didn’t know why that was. Right now, he didn’t care either. All that mattered was the growing pulses of erotic heat in his groin, driving away thought, memories, and pain.

  The fullness pulled free, leaving him empty. A sound that might have been a whimper escaped Degorsk’s throat. The sound of Tranis’ formsuit seam parting calmed the sudden panic that he’d leave the Imdiko wanting again. Hurting. Alone.