To Clan and Conquer (Clan Beginnings)

by Tracy St. John

  Tranis gasped as an idea erupted in his mind, coming just as fast and perfect as the defense of Wetor had.

  Lidon leaned close. “Tranis?”

  It was a long shot and would take an incredible amount of luck, not to mention the best of his and Lidon’s abilities to pull it off. Still, it was better than wading into a battle they had no hope of winning.

  Tranis grinned at the Nobek. “I’ve got an idea. We’re not doomed, not quite yet. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  The two men left the colony compound, getting back into their atmospheric suits and escaping to the fighter without incident. While they waited for the fighter’s interior to re-pressurize and the air exchangers to make the vessel’s interior atmosphere breathable again, Tranis discussed his idea with Lidon.

  After hearing the first officer’s plan, Lidon was quiet. Tranis waited patiently, knowing the Nobek was considering the proposal from every possible angle. The fighter’s controls emitted a beep, letting them know it was safe to take the suits off.

  As soon as his suit was put away in its bin, Lidon said, “I like it. And I know the frequency ranges our ships and shuttles operate on. If the original codes are simply overwritten and not erased, we can get nav control.”

  Tranis grimaced. “Too bad we can’t access weapons controls via those codes.”

  “That’s exactly why they’re kept proprietary to the ships themselves. Imagine if our enemies got hold of our weapons frequencies. They could turn our entire fleet against Kalquor.”

  Tranis shuddered at the thought. “Point taken. Now if we could just find a way to get the surviving Joshadans and Earthers out of the Tragooms clutches, I’ll peg this mission a success.”

  Lidon spoke quietly. “I don’t see any way to accomplish that, Tranis.”

  “They’re being held somewhere in the colony. If there are few enough guards watching them—”

  Lidon grabbed Tranis’ shoulder and made the young man look him in the eye. “Where would you take them? The Tragooms have a keen sense of smell. They’ll track down the colonists anywhere we leave them in the containment area. We can’t take them out either; no suit will sustain them for more than ten hours. There’s not enough room in this fighter for more than the two of us. Not to mention rescuing them will alert the Tragooms to us. They’ll hunt us down and then the first defensive line fails because we’re not around to put your plan into place.”

  Tranis blinked at him. “But Piras and the rest won’t be here for five days. By that time, every last colonist could be dead.”

  Lidon said nothing. He simply looked at Tranis, the unemotional expression on his face the most chilling thing the Dramok had ever seen.

  Tranis’ voice was almost shrill as he protested the unspoken argument. “We can’t just leave them there to die like that, Lidon!”

  Lidon squeezed his shoulder. “We have no choice. It’s a few dozen lives versus thousands.”

  Tranis tried to come up with something. He waited for another flash of thought, the same brilliant bolt that had saved Wetor and might allow them to dismantle a substantial amount of the Tragoom invasion fleet. No such brainstorm came.

  There had to be a way. Had to be. But as hard as his desperate mind scrabbled for that idea, it wouldn’t come. All he could think about was that Joshadans and Earthers were going to die horribly.

  “But – but it’s not right. To just leave them to their fate? How can I allow that?”

  Lidon looked at him kindly, as if he knew exactly the pain Tranis was going through. And he would, wouldn’t he? How many missions had the experienced Nobek commanded? How many had he been forced to let die or ordered into no-win situations, knowing he was sending men to be killed?

  Lidon said, “You will allow it because you are a commander in charge of an important mission and you have to look at the big picture. That’s what leaders charged with the wellbeing of the Empire do.”

  Tranis tried to wrap his head around the situation. “I can’t.”

  “You will. It’s part of the package that comes with rank. Sometimes you have to knowingly send men in to die. Sometimes you have to leave people behind to die. You didn’t think becoming an officer was going to be all accolades and commendations, did you?”

  Tranis didn’t want to admit Lidon was right. But he also couldn’t find a way out of the horrific situation. “I think I may be sick. This is unthinkable!”

  Lidon nodded. “Yes, it is. And you never get used to it, not if you’re a good leader. Sometimes, you simply have no choice.”

  Tranis began shaking all over and couldn’t make himself stop. He was going to leave innocent people to die. Lidon was right; there was no way to rescue them, not without alerting the Tragooms.

  He stared at the floor of the ship. “If I was just sacrificing myself, I could stand it. But to sacrifice others … I think I know how Degorsk feels now. No wonder he keeps talking about resigning.”

  Tranis sensed Lidon moving closer. Maybe the weapons commander would punch him now, insist he snap out of the horror overcoming him. Yell at him to stop being a whimpering child and do his job. It was what any of his brothers would have done.

  Instead, Lidon’s arms went around him, pulling him close. Tranis looked at him, startled to be treated with tenderness. The Nobek kissed him.

  Tranis dove into the comforting embrace, desperate to not think about what he was going to have to let happen to the colonists. His return kiss was needy as he looked for any reassurance he could get. Lidon indulged him, not breaking the kiss until Tranis was moaning into his mouth.

  The Nobek brushed Tranis’ hair back from his face as if the Dramok was a mere boy. It was a very non-Nobek move, and Tranis reflected he felt very non-Dramok himself at this moment. He’d never experienced feeling lost and afraid as he did now.

  When he’d joined the fleet, Tranis had always seen himself going into battle to save lives. The salvation of Wetor had been the kind of heroism he’d aspired to. But this — this situation was nothing like what he’d imagined himself doing. And now he was falling apart under the strain.

  He couldn’t meet Lidon’s eyes. If he’d ever thought he’d have the privilege of clanning the Nobek, it was no doubt gone. “You must be so disappointed in me right now.”

  Lidon’s voice was a soothing rumble. “Why would I feel that?”

  “Look at me. I’m shaking. I’m weak. I’m no leader. Damn it, I want to curl up and hide from all this.”

  “You’re not weak. You’re young and realizing the true weight of your responsibility. There’s no shame in that.”

  Tranis scowled at the space over his companion’s shoulder. “You’ve never faltered when it comes to duty, I bet.”

  “Actually, I did.”

  Tranis finally looked at him and growled. “Don’t patronize me, damn it. I’ll do what I have to here. You don’t need to hold my hand to make it happen.”

  Lidon shook his head. “I would never condescend to you, Tranis. The truth is, I failed to face the greatest duty of my entire life. It shames me to this day.”

  Tranis searched the other man’s eyes. Lidon was telling the truth. He swallowed. “It’s hard to imagine you shrinking from duty.”

  Lidon’s mouth thinned. “Two of my fathers, the Dramok and Nobek, contracted the Hirmog virus at the same time. They were in the last stages, dying slow, agonizing deaths that had no honor. It was horrible to watch. And yet, when we received the official grant to end their lives, I couldn’t do it. I was afraid. Every time I thought I was ready, the guilt consumed me.”

  Tranis blinked. “Were you young?”

  Lidon’s shoulders sagged. “Fifteen. Old enough to accept the responsibility and spare my mother and Imdiko father the pain.”

  “It’s still damned young, Lidon. No one would fault even a Nobek of that age for faltering.”

  “I know, but the shame of leaving it to my remaining father follows me still.”

  “Did he blame you?”

&
nbsp; “Never. He was my strength then, just as he was my strength following my injury.” Lidon managed a wry smile. “Never underestimate the bravery of the Imdiko breed, Dramok. They can be tougher, more resilient than any Nobek you’ve ever known. Feeling any better?”

  “About what I must allow to happen? No. I understand it, but I still hate it.” Tranis’ voice dropped to a whisper. “It hurts me inside. It makes me feel … less. As if I should be able to find some way out of this mess.”

  “That’s because you’re a Dramok. Not just a Dramok, but an apex version of your breed. Such men expect a great deal from themselves, and when they can’t achieve it, it kills something inside them.”

  Lidon pulled him close again, once more kissing and caressing Tranis. This time it wasn’t just comfort he offered. There was heat and ardor in his touch, and Tranis let the cleansing wash of lust take the fear and self-reproach away. When Lidon pushed him down towards the flattened seat cushions that now made up their sleeping surfaces, Tranis didn’t fight. He lay on his back, letting Lidon get on top of him.

  The Nobek moved his body against Tranis’ making him hard and aching. The feeling of Lidon’s swollen cocks rubbing against his had Tranis gasping. He didn’t battle for control this time, not even when Lidon planted his hands against his shoulders, pinning his upper body down. Tranis simply gave himself over, immersing himself in the feeling of the other man’s power.

  “That’s it,” Lidon whispered. “Let me take care of everything. Let me show you I can be strong for you when you need it.”

  Tranis closed his eyes, letting sensation take him over. The feeling of Lidon’s opening his formsuit, of pulling his cocks out, of encasing the primary one in the tight warmth of his body was strangely soothing. For a little while there was nothing but the Nobek’s weight rising and falling over him. The firm pull of his body releasing Tranis only to absorb him in a snug, velvety grip once more. Molten bliss pooled in the base of the Dramok’s main cock. It surged as if in slow motion, filling his prick in a hot stream until it poured out the tip into Lidon. Tranis cried out and arched beneath his lover as his body pulsed nirvana, the only time he moved during the encounter.

  When Tranis was quiet again, Lidon lifted from him, freeing the Dramok’s softening cock. He rolled him onto his side and spooned behind him, pushing his hard length into Tranis’ ass. The first officer opened to him, taking the invasion without a qualm. Lidon didn’t hurt him, but that part was only secondary to the younger man. It was the feel of Lidon’s arms around him that mattered. The feeling that he truly could trust his companion to shoulder some of the burden that had suddenly become so hateful to bear.

  It was more than lovemaking. It was like a kind of weird, sad, and wonderful homecoming. Tranis pushed back against Lidon, moving against him, offering him everything in return for the security the Nobek gave. When Lidon groaned with release, his cock pulsing liquid warmth deep inside, Tranis felt whole.

  Several minutes later, Lidon breathed into Tranis’ ear, “Thank you for trusting me to care for you. I know it wasn’t easy for you to give me that power.”

  Tranis looked at him over his shoulder, immersing himself in the man’s warm gaze. He did trust Lidon. With every mote of his being, he knew he could place his complete confidence in the Nobek. It brought his strength back. The man had his back, no matter what.

  “Thanks for allowing me let go of my control for a little while. I never knew how heavy a burden it could be until now.” He narrowed his eyes in mock ferociousness. “Just don’t get used to being dominant with me. In fact, don’t expect it to ever happen again.”

  Lidon grinned. “That’s sounding more like the Dramok I know. But now that I’ve had a taste, you’ll have to fight me harder for the privilege of my surrender.”

  Tranis chuckled. “Sounds like fun.”

  It was nice knowing he could admit his pain and lack of surety to Lidon and not be thought less for it. Instead of making him feel weak, it made him more secure in his own strength.

  * * * *

  The next few days passed far too slowly. Tranis and Lidon returned to the colony compound only once more. They spent an entire night dodging Tragooms and investigating the colony as best they could. The Tragooms were now eating the livestock. No sign was found that any of the colonists were still alive.

  Tranis had the place mapped out in his head by the time the first light of the rising planet crept over the horizon. He knew the airfield and how many of the Tragoom shuttles possessed Kalquorian navigation. He and Lidon investigated the command center as best they could from their air vent in the Earther building. They noted the few defenses the overconfident Tragooms had set up. Their enemy had apparently decided the orbiting fleet was all the real protection they needed on the colony.

  Back in the fighter, the two men went over their plans again and again, honing their attack strategy. They took walks across the poisonous, barren landscape in their suits when Lidon’s natural Nobek tendencies steered him towards going stir crazy and meditation no longer calmed him. They made love often until they fell asleep.

  Tranis had thought the physical closeness of their situation might reduce them to arguing as they slowly wore on each others’ nerves and chafed against the tight confines of the fighter. Instead, it made him realize how much he valued Lidon’s company. Not one ill word passed between them. Tranis also discovered that cramped quarters or not, he’d do anything to have Degorsk with them. He missed the Imdiko, and by the frequency of how often the man’s name came up in their conversations, he knew Lidon was wishing Degorsk was with them too.

  If Tranis had entertained any doubts about his compatibility with the other two before the mission, they were all gone now. He was in love with Lidon and Degorsk. If the three survived the coming battle, he would ask them to clan without hesitation. He only hoped Lidon’s hints that the pair wouldn’t mind a younger man for their Dramok would prove true.

  Chapter 14

  The night finally arrived for Tranis and Lidon to put their plans into action. It was the quietest time for the Tragoom patrols when the two men gained the vent of the Earther building once more. Lidon led the way to the command room this time.

  He peered through the vent opening for a few seconds before turning to Tranis. He held up two fingers then flashed a series of hand signals: a fist first, then his pinkie pointed up. Finally he splayed both hands wide and pushed out.

  Tranis nodded. Message received: two Tragooms armed with percussion blasters and knives stood on the far side of the control room. Lidon motioned to Tranis to take the one on their left.

  The Dramok unsheathed his long knife from his boot and nodded his readiness. Lidon gripped the vent cover, tensed, and was suddenly gone. The vent was wide open and Tranis went through it in an instant.

  Tranis burst into the room. He raced for his target, which was only beginning to react to Lidon’s attack on its companion. The Nobek used the heavy vent cover like a shield, bowling the Tragoom on the right over before plunging a knife towards its chest. Then Tranis was on his own prey, fighting to get his knife into the rank creature’s soft spot just below the breast bone.

  It was a kill blow, aimed true. The Tragoom uttered a squeal that was more surprise than pain because the attack had come too fast for it to absorb what was happening yet. Wet warmth jetted over Tranis’ hand and arm. He ground the knife further in, digging for the loathsome Tragoom’s heart. He was so intent on killing it before it could kill him that he barely noticed its hard, hooflike paws pounding on his shoulders, leaving blackened bruises that would last for weeks. It heaved beneath him, having been knocked on its back from Tranis’ first rush. A grating bray fell from the tusked snout of the Tragoom, then a geyser of nearly black blood gushed from the hole Tranis had made in its chest. The vile thing fell limp and moved no more.

  Tranis stared into the tiny black eyes of his enemy, watching as they went glassily blank. He jerked his knife free and stood, his long legs straddling the still
body. Sewage-ripe fluids dripped from his arms to rain lazily on the dead thing. The thing he had killed.

  Tranis had never taken the life of another sentient being in hand-to-hand combat. Now that his duty and the frenzied struggle to prevail were over, the shock of having killed something that didn’t live on pure instinct pressed down upon him.

  Lidon’s voice right behind him pulled the Dramok a little way out of his shock. “Tranis?”

  “Yeah.” Tranis turned around. It seemed to take several minutes before the Nobek slid into view. He blinked at his companion, forcing the muzziness from his head. “It’s dead. Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine.” Lidon’s sharp gaze bore into Tranis’ eyes, and he nodded. “Killing an enemy face to face is a very different thing from firing on him from a ship, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. Very.” Tranis took the cloth Lidon offered him and wiped as much blood as he could from his hands and knife. By the ancestors, the things smelled. A new odor made Tranis think his victim had emptied its bowels upon death. Disgusting.

  Lidon seemed satisfied with Tranis’ state of mind. “Let’s get to work.”

  The Nobek busied himself setting a timed fail on the defense grid. Meanwhile, Tranis scanned the shuttles on the ground, punching in the codes Lidon had provided him. Within minutes, he had access to the still-intact Kalquorian navigational frequency signatures that underlaid the Tragoom codes. Next, he used his connection to the shuttles to scan and find the nav signatures of the Kalquorian-based ships in the Tragoom armada.

  “I’ve got them,” he told Lidon. “Downloading all frequencies and codes to my handheld.”

  “Timer is set.” Lidon got to work hiding the Tragooms they’d killed in storage bins set in the walls. Hopefully the creatures wouldn’t be found before the grid failed. The plan had a better chance of working if no one immediately suspected foul play. By the time he had cleaned up the blood and all evidence they’d been in the room, Tranis had the codes stored in his portable computer.