Piras pursed his lips and looked down at an empty spot on his desk. “I was told you moved into clan quarters. I’d congratulate you on that as well, but my heart wouldn’t be in it.” He looked up at Tranis, and there was hurt and anger in his eyes. “I’ve been with Lidon for over a dozen years and could never get him to be my Nobek. In a matter of months, you steal him away. I respect you as an able officer, Captain Tranis. You are brilliant and a credit to the fleet. But I don’t like you. Not one bit.”
Tranis nodded. “I don’t suppose it would help you to know I had no intentions of clanning anyone until a few days ago. Least of all my commanding officer’s choice for Nobek. I know it wouldn’t soothe me were our positions reversed.” He took a deep breath. “I’m sure a man of your abilities and rank will attract a Nobek who will appreciate you for what you are.”
Piras’ eyes narrowed, as if wondering if Tranis had just insulted him. Tranis himself wasn’t sure.
The older Dramok finally said, “I can’t say I’ll be interested in pursuing a lifelong commitment with someone else. There aren’t many Lidons out there. I hope you appreciate how fortunate you are.”
At least there was one thing the pair could agree on. “Very much, Captain Piras. Very much.”
* * * *
Degorsk stared at Tranis in amazement. “Captain?” He exchanged a look with a grinning Lidon. “Congratulations, my Dramok. Though we shouldn’t be surprised. You certainly deserve the promotion.”
Lidon added his congratulations. While they admired the additional silver bar on Tranis’ uniform, Degorsk hid the sick feeling in his gut. He had yet to tell his clanmates he was resigning from the fleet. He knew he should have shared that information before he’d agreed to clan, but he hadn’t been thinking clearly when Tranis asked.
Afraid they’d pick up on his unease, Degorsk turned to the blank wall of their temporary quarters. A full clan’s room was much larger than single-man quarters, and they were all enjoying the additional space. Lidon had plenty of room for his altar. Tranis had hung a shelf for his kurble ball to rest upon, and Degorsk’s butt cast adorned the far wall. There was more wall space where they might have displayed their commendations, but with only two weeks of travel before they got to the salvage facility, it had seemed pointless. Not to mention none of the three men were much for showing off their accolades. That was why the Imdiko found himself staring at absolutely nothing.
Behind him Tranis said, “There are several new destroyers ready to launch. I’ll have my choice of command.”
Lidon growled, a sound fit to set Degorsk’s hair on end. “We’re still getting those three weeks of leave, aren’t we?”
The medic was quick to point out, “Twice that number when you factor in your surgery and rehab.”
“That doesn’t count. Being stuck in a medical facility is even worse than shut up in what’s left of this destroyer.”
Tranis chuckled. “Feeling claustrophobic, my Nobek?”
“Less than half of the ship to move around on. Before that, I had to endure five days crammed in a fighter. It wears on a man, even when he has ample distraction and exercise.”
That earned more laughter from Tranis, who no doubt enjoyed the euphemisms ‘distraction’ and ‘exercise’ for what had apparently been a lot of sex while the two men were stuck in their fighter. Degorsk turned around to share in it, though he felt no humor whatsoever. He wondered when he had become the serious member of this trio.
Lidon’s sharp gaze skewered him, and the doctor knew he’d been caught. “With good news to buttress our spirits and a clanship we are all thrilled to be a part of, our lives should be a joy. Perhaps our Imdiko will now share what has him feeling so low these last two days.”
The Nobek was smiling but there was nothing kind about the look in his eyes. It made Degorsk tremble inside, but he was determined to not spoil Tranis’ big moment.
“What are you talking about? I’m very proud of my heroic clanmates. You deserve all you’ve gotten and more. A year’s supply of Plasian leshella, naked dancing girls, your mighty cocks commemorated in precious metal sculptures—”
Tranis interrupted. “Lidon is right. I chalked it up to fallout from the battle, but you’re not snapping out of whatever has you in a rut. Do you need to tell us anything, Degorsk?”
Degorsk smiled brightly, not ready to give up. “Yes. I think we should get naked and celebrate. That’s what I really wanted to say.”
Lidon glowered. “He’s holding out on us, my Dramok.”
“I see that. I trust you can locate your strap without much effort?”
“Quite easily.” The Nobek moved towards the part of the wall that contained drawers where their belongings were stored.
Degorsk panicked. He didn’t want another round of discipline. “Damn it, not now.” He started backing towards the door.
Tranis blocked him. “Right now, unless you tell us what’s wrong.” His glare was as steely as Lidon’s.
The Nobek pulled a thick black strap out and snapped it in the air, making Degorsk flinch. “Last chance, my Imdiko.”
Degorsk clenched his fists at his sides. “Fine, make me the asshole that ruins Tranis’ good news. I’m resigning from the fleet. Happy?”
Lidon cocked a brow and Tranis’ eyes widened. The Dramok asked, “You intend to remain on Kalquor once we get there?
Degorsk nodded, his heart miserable. “I’m sorry. I just can’t take looking at hundreds of men dying all around me and not being able to do a damned thing about it. I can’t board another destroyer, not even for you two. The thought of it makes me want to scream.”
Lidon looked to Tranis and waited for his reaction. The Dramok was their leader now. His direction would determine what happened next.
His expression filled with concern, not anger, Tranis moved to stand in front of Degorsk. He grasped the doctor’s shoulders and squeezed. “I understand, my Imdiko. I’m still trying to reconcile having to leave colonists in the Tragooms’ larder for those five days. I know it was necessary to successfully stop our enemies from invading the Empire, but it preys on me.”
Lidon moved close. The strap had disappeared, and his arms went around Tranis and Degorsk’s waists. “No one doubts you did what you had to, my Dramok.”
“It doesn’t mean it sits well.” Tranis’ gaze never left Degorsk’s face. “I know how you feel, Degorsk, but I don’t want to go a year at a time separated from you. That’s what we’re looking at from the patrol missions available to me.”
“I don’t want that either,” the Imdiko whispered. “But I won’t be any good to you or anyone else on another destroyer. I’ve got nothing left.”
Tranis drew a deep breath and nodded. “I guess I don’t have to take command of a destroyer—”
Degorsk’s temper went hot in an instant. “You can’t settle for less than that. I would never ask you to sacrifice your career for me.”
The Dramok’s expression was stubborn. “I want you with me.”
Degorsk could have punched him. “On what? A transport barge? A colony supply ship? Those are beneath you, my Dramok, and I won’t have it. I can’t live with the guilt of you giving up what will be a successful career any more than I can live with working on one of these death ships.”
“I’m not asking your permission, Imdiko.”
Degorsk’s instinct was to shut up and obey that commanding tone, but there was too much at stake. “No. No, you will not take some shit assignment for me. Absolutely not. I don’t give a damn if you are the Dramok.”
They were nearly nose to nose. Tranis’ face had gone red with fury at Degorsk’s display, but the Imdiko was not about to back down. He was not going to be the reason Tranis didn’t live up to his potential.
Lidon pushed them apart. “Stop cursing at your Dramok, Degorsk. We need cool heads to figure this out.”
Tranis refused to lower his livid stare from Degorsk’s face even as he spoke to the other man. “Do you have a suggestion, Lid
on?”
“Not yet. You two calm down so we can solve this puzzle.” The Nobek abruptly shoved Degorsk hard, nearly knocking him off his feet. “Lower your gaze and open your fists. Acknowledge Tranis’ leadership or be punished. Right now.”
Lidon was right, but it took effort for Degorsk to bow his head. He slowly opened his hands at his side, releasing all signs of aggression towards his Dramok. “Of course he’s my leader. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stand by and let him throw his career away. You mean too much to me, Tranis.”
“And you mean too much to me to leave you behind. Even if you are pissing me off to my very limit right now.”
Lidon stood slightly between them, forcing them to keep focus on what he was saying. “So this is what we need. We have to find a ship that will keep Degorsk with us, something with minimal prospects for bloodshed on a large scale. A ship that will allow Tranis to fulfill his ambition and potential.”
Tranis added, “And a ship that will keep our Nobek challenged and his need for action satisfied.”
Degorsk had settled down enough to attempt a weak joke. “We don’t ask for much, do we?”
Lidon sighed. “The Book says, the answer to every question is there. One only needs to find it.”
Degorsk wanted to laugh at that bit of useless information, but he knew another outburst would not be taken well by his clanmates. He managed to keep quiet though he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they all three couldn’t possibly get what they each needed from one ship.
* * * *
Hours later, Tranis and Lidon commandeered an auxiliary computer station on the bridge. Power was low, but with the destroyer only required to make its way to its final resting place, little was being used. Plus, the men had the rank to do as they wanted for the most part. As a captain now, Tranis had no duties on board Piras’ ship. With no weapons and few defenses left, Lidon had very little to do. Meanwhile, Degorsk had no medical department to run, but he was back in their quarters with no idea of what his clanmates were up to. The Dramok and Nobek had decided to leave their sensitive Imdiko in the dark for now. He was stressed enough.
Lidon scrolled through the command assignments Tranis might consider beyond captaining a destroyer. So far the choices had been depressing. Everything was a major step below Tranis’ goals, but he was grimly determined to keep Degorsk with them. He’d run a garbage scow if that was what it took, except for the fact such an commission would harm the doctor’s battered psyche. Things were not looking good for their new clan.
Lidon made a rude noise, giving vent to his own dismay. “Not much glory to be had here. Barges. Repair ships. Hmm, raiders.”
Tranis shut down that in a hurry. “Don’t even think about it. Raiders are barely a step up from pirate ships. My brothers would disown me after they finished beating me to a bloody pulp.”
Lidon nodded and kept scrolling. “The fleet is thinking of suspending those operations anyway. What else? Refuelers. Spyships.”
“Spyships?”
Lidon looked at him. “It is important work. And not without prestige. Interested?”
Tranis considered. “Our operation on the Phescxo colony was covert. I found it a decent challenge.”
The Nobek grinned. “I got to kill a Tragoom. I can live with those kinds of benefits. Let’s see what the details are and the availability.”
He scanned the readout quickly. “Small ships with a complement of less than one hundred men. No direct offensives taken against enemies except when required to salvage a mission or save lives. Cloaking technology and some arms requiring a weapons commander. Lots of planetside infiltration.” His tone told Tranis he was intrigued by the possibilities.
Excitement filled the Dramok’s gut. “Degorsk might be all right with that since there would be less men and few offensive engagements.” That actually appealed to him too. Fewer men to command meant less he might lead to their deaths. “What about you? Will it fit in with what you need?”
Lidon’s grin was one of anticipation. “What’s not to like? The infiltration missions offer plenty of danger for any Nobek to enjoy. Not only that, but that branch of the fleet is begging for senior officers. Everyone transfers to the destroyer class as soon as they can because that’s where they get all the accolades.” The stoic Nobek was showing obvious enthusiasm. “And look at this, Tranis. You have so many options for spyship command: Bi’isil space, Tragoom territory … there’s a big recruiting push for operatives on Earther colonies too. Not their home world though; apparently their defenses are impossible to get through.”
“Maybe I could finally see one of their women.”
Lidon nodded. “They don’t let too many off their planet, but who knows?”
There had been some unpleasantness with the Earthers they’d encountered who had escaped in the Joshadan shuttle. Once the aliens had discovered Kalquorian men enjoyed intimate relations with each other, Pilot Georgehuberts and his companions couldn’t get away fast enough. Apparently, their religion abhorred same sex relationships to the point of considering it criminal.
Tranis snorted. “What a strange culture. They have plenty of women, yet don’t allow most of them to serve on their ships. And then they expect the men to not enjoy each others’ company? I bet there is a lot of drinking among their kind.”
Lidon arched an eyebrow. “I’m sure illicit liaisons are the rule as well. You can’t tell me they aren’t alleviating their natural needs with each other.” He dropped the subject, more interested in their future work. “I like this spyship option, Tranis. I think it’s a good fit for all of us.”
“I’ll speak to Cap – uh, Admiral Piras.”
Hours after Tranis’ promotion, Piras had received word he too had been advanced in rank. Lidon had been correct in that their mission’s success in undermining the Tragoom threat would reflect well on their commanding officer.
Lidon smirked. “He’s in his office. My bet is, he’s practicing his strut.”
Tranis couldn’t resist teasing. “Just think, Lidon. You could have been clanned to an admiral instead of a lowly captain.”
Lidon’s upper lip curled. “Don’t make me beat you. I will, you know. I’m still head disciplinarian on this hunk of salvage, and Piras would be too happy to honor such a request.”
Tranis chuckled at the threat and headed for Piras’ office. The future was starting to look bright again.
Chapter 16
Piras stared at him as if Tranis had suddenly transformed into a Tragoom. “A spyship?”
“Yes, Admiral.”
“Really? When you could have a destroyer?”
Tranis had no intention of telling Piras the exact reasons for his decision. Half-truths would work fine. “My clan is up for a new challenge, something that we haven’t done before.”
Piras leaned back in his chair and considered Tranis. “You do realize such a move will delay your taking actual command of a ship by about two years?”
Tranis blinked in surprise. “There are a great many missions available right now.”
“Indeed there are, As a captain and now an admiral—” Piras preened a little as he reminded himself of his new rank, “—I’m to look out for likely candidates for those missions. But spyship work is greatly different from that of a destroyer. You’re off the regular communications grid with the rest of the fleet, the dangers are more of a one-on-one personal nature, there are interrogation methods Lidon would have to learn, languages to master … even your Imdiko will have to be re-trained if he’s to be the head doctor on such a vessel.”
Tranis considered this new wrinkle in his plans. He’d been in a headlong rush to climb the ranks for years, to make his brothers proud, to show them they hadn’t wasted their time and money on him. Two years of training would certainly slow that progress down.
But he’d already made captain. More importantly, this career shift had the potential to keep Degorsk with him and Lidon.
Tranis squared his shoulders. He did
n’t have to pretend the firmness in his voice. “As I said, we’re ready for a new challenge.”
Piras looked him over and nodded. “Very well. I’ll tender my approval of your change of field. I am surprised, though. While the work of a spyship is invaluable, it comes with few public accolades. Gathering information wins many wars. More importantly, it helps us avoid many wars, but it gets little to none of the glory.”
“I’ve had my share of glory, Admiral. I’ve found other rewards worth more than rank and commendations.”
“Indeed. Your Nobek is such a one.” At Tranis’ raised eyebrow, Piras grudgingly added, “I suppose you feel that way about your Imdiko, as well. Lidon certainly does. No offense, but I really don’t understand what you two see in such a man.”
Tranis couldn’t help the smile in his tone. “As Lidon might quote, ‘There are sometimes hidden qualities that take careful scrutiny to appreciate.’”
Piras shook his head. “If you say so.”
Tranis just barely managed to keep a smirk from making an appearance on his face. Piras’ blindness and arrogance had cost him not just Lidon, but a very wonderful Imdiko. Tranis sent silent thanks to the ancestors he himself was not so afflicted.
* * * *
Degorsk took a deep breath. He kept his stance relaxed. He would not lose his temper again. He would not disrespect his Dramok. It wasn’t easy with guilt crowding in on him. Fortunately, the past hour of sitting in the clan’s quarters and reading from Lidon’s copy of the Book of Life had given him some equilibrium.
He kept the frustration he felt out of his voice, speaking his protest quietly. “A spyship? Well, I admit it beats a garbage scow, but it’s still a step down for you, Tranis. And a lot less opportunities for glory, Lidon.”
The Nobek actually looked pleased, as if the solution he and their Dramok had arrived at was a hidden treasure he’d discovered. “It’s less glory only when it comes to public recognition. I don’t need that kind of acclaim. The glory I strive for comes from here.” He thumped his chest hard.
To Clan and Conquer (Clan Beginnings) Page 26
