“His First Father and I know that you support him, Del. He made a fine choice in his mate, I must admit. I suppose we’ll just have to trust him with this as well,” Wryth said patting me on the shoulder. “Well, shall we go check on those babies?”
------------
I was digging through the enormous bag that Quinn had packed and Wryth was rocking Xane and Saphira when Quinn wandered in looking for us. He seemed tired but happy. I gave him a quick hug and kiss in greeting then asked, “Well, that was fast. How did it go?”
“He’s not having me banned or executed,” Quinn answered. He accepted a baby from his Second Father and kissed her on the forehead before adding, “Father, please watch the twins. Del and I need to talk.”
Quinn made sure Xane also received a kiss. We left the babies in their Second Grandfather’s capable hands and decided to stroll through the garden. Having completed their meal breaks, the garden was devoid of office workers and it was lovely to have the whole place to ourselves. I figured this was going to be one of those deeply emotional talks that I preferred to have in privacy.
“Del, I want you to know that I took everything you and I wanted into consideration. I weighed it against the needs of my planet and my First Father’s desire to abdicate early.”
Sighing, I knew what he was trying, very gently to tell me. “You’re going to be crowned the King, aren’t you?”
“And if I were, would you support that?” He inquired taking my face in his hand, holding eye contact.
“Of course, Quinn. I will accept any decision you make as long as you are happy.”
“I accepted his abdication, Del. I’ve signed the document and will accept the crown this evening in a private ceremony,” he stated.
“So um, that makes me the King’s Consort?” I asked. He pulled me into his arms, planting a warm kiss over my lips. When he finally broke away, both of us nearly panting from it, I joked, “Because if it does there must be some benefits that come with that title.”
“In the ancient time the King’s Consort was kept naked by his side for use at his whim,” Quinn told me. “Silly human. Then you are really fine with this?”
“Was it your decision or your fathers?”
He confirmed, “Mine, completely mine.”
I nodded. “Then I’m fine. I will adapt to life here. It’s a good place to raise our children.”
“It is,” Quinn agreed lightly. He added, “If this is where we were going to live.”
When I frowned at him, confused he took my hands into his. I wondered, “What is going on, damn it, Quinn? Why are you holding something back? What is it?”
“Trying to be mysterious but apparently failing,” he replied. “I had a proposal for my father. It has only occurred once in our history but it worked well then.”
I wanted to choke him for keeping me on edge. “What did? What occurred?”
“I will be King-In-Absentia.”
Okay. What the hell? “Still not getting it, Quinn. Pretend I’m human and don’t know everything about your planet’s history.”
“It means I am the King, only I guide from a distance. My First Father acts as my liaison on Xolia and we can continue on our missions as before,” he explained slowly as if to a child.
“You can still be captain of the Narada Marant too? That’s great, Quinn!”
Shaking his head, he replied, “I wouldn’t be able to remain as Captain. I can travel with you, my mate but it means you will be promoted to the position.”
My mouth dropped open, stunned. “Me?” I asked. “Why me?”
Quinn chortled. “You are the First Officer, Del. You are next in line. You’ve done it before when I was ill.”
“Making Kasen the First Officer?”
“Del, that’s up to you but yes, that is a normal progression.”
I still could not believe it, I said it aloud one more time, “I’m the Captain of the Narada Marant.”
Quinn responded, “Not yet you’re not, little human. I’m the Captain till I’m crowned. Don’t forget that.”
I answered, “Yes, Captain.”
----------
The crowning ceremony was private. An announcement on the News Vid would inform the general populace of the change in the morning. Xolians weren’t very big on pomp and circumstance.
The crown itself was simply a silver hoop entwined with a gold one and it glittered in the filtered moonlight reaching the forest floor. King Grymm rarely wore it because he said the damn thing gave him a headache but it looked magnificent on his head at the start of the ceremony.
A healer asked him to bow his head as the he spoke a few words in Xolian. He lifted the crown from Grymm’s grey streaked hair and carefully placed it on my mate’s head. Just like that, very simply and elegantly, Quinn became the king of Xolia.
His fathers and I congratulated him warmly. Tired of juggling the babies I handed him his son as Kasen, my new First Officer approached. I rocked back and forth on the balls of my feet trying to keep our daughter from interrupting him. Kasen bowed his head, saying, “Congratulations, Sire.”
“Is the ship ready to leave orbit in the morning, Kasen?” Quinn inquired.
“Are you certain we must leave so soon?” I asked him. When he grumbled, I added, “Joking, Quinn. Joking.”
“The ship will be ready by morning, Sire,” Kasen told him.
“Good, I want to pick up the new Chief of Security. Brync sounded a bit desperate to get off that planet. Said he won’t eat another bite of fish as long as he lives,” Quinn replied.
------------
I walked onto the bridge first. My bridge. My ship. The feeling of pride just barely outweighed the fear of having so much responsibility. I nodded to the crew who looked at me then at Quinn before finally turning to their stations acting nonchalant. I knew they had their doubts. High Hell, I had my own. But damn it we were going to have to get through this together. I sat in my Captain’s chair and keyed the comlink to speak with the entire crew. “May I have …” I started to say, catching myself when Quinn called me out with a soft cough. “Crew of the Narada Marant, this is your Captain, Del Foster. Give me your attention.”
The bridge crew pivoted towards me and I stared right back at the green eyes evaluating and judging me. “I am well aware that I am the first human Captain that the Xolian Space Service has ever had. I am also aware that some of you may not wish to serve under these circumstances. I want you to speak up now without fear of any reprisals. If you wish to serve on any other ship the King has provided his permission for you to do so. However, I hope each and every one of you decides to stay. I consider us a family and I’m going to need my family’s support on this new mission as your Captain.”
I waited a few moments to let that sink in before adding, “Our Chief of Security, Kasen, has been promoted to First Officer. This leaves a vacancy on the ship. My proposal was accepted to return to Sigma Seti Six to offer the Chief of Security position to Brync. Kai’s parents are allowing him to serve aboard the ship in a new role as our ship’s Cultural Liaison.”
There were happy murmurs from the bridge crew. I continued, “Though Quinn will remain on board to serve as my consultant his primary duties will be to stay in contact with Xolia and to help with our babies of course.”
This brought a few chuckles from the crew but they quickly composed themselves when Quinn growled softly. “Any concerns?” I asked, “Any problems with this? Speak up, now is your chance.”
Kasen turned to me, his grin lit up his face. “You do realize, Captain Del, that you are not going on many more missions, that is my responsibility now as First Officer.”
“Right,” I replied. “Implying?”
Jory piped up, “No more rescues?”
The bridge erupted with cheers and I had to laugh. “Fine, no more rescues.”
-----------
After two hours of prepping the ship, no one came forward to request to be dismissed. Though my heart soared at their a
cceptance I was somewhat saddened to observe as Quinn checked on the crew from time to time, looking melancholy and a bit bored. He was the true Captain of the ship and always would be. I wanted to make sure he knew that.
“Quinn,” I said to him quietly, dragging him away from Duron’s station. Duron shot me a grateful smile. Quinn had always made the Elon a little nervous when he approached the sensitive communications equipment. “Let’s go to the Ready Room and discuss the next mission.”
With a grumpy growl he allowed himself to be pulled away and up the short flight of stairs. We skirted quietly around the babies in their travel crib and snuck a peek at them lying side by side facing each other and were sucking on each other’s fingers as they slept. Quinn’s mood instantly lifted.
In the Ready Room I guided him to a chair and when he sat in it I promptly sat on his lap, folding his arms around me. “Quinn,” I said. “If you are trying to drive everyone buggy out there you are succeeding.”
“Buggy?” He asked.
“Insane, making them anxious,” I explained.
Quinn shook his head, “I’m doing no such thing. I am helping.”
“They are fine, Quinn. They know their jobs.”
He leaned back the chair, placed his hands behind his neck and responded, “They need their Captain’s stern glare, Del. Or they start to let little things slide. You don’t know that yet but you will. Take Tyrek for instance, notice anything you should have corrected him for?”
I shook my head. “I trust my crew.”
He grinned at me, his incisors bared. “Never trust your crew so completely that you forget they need a leader. Tyrek’s station was not locked down properly. When we leave orbit and accelerate there is scientific equipment that may slide around or overturn.”
Hmm, I hadn’t noticed. “Quinn, that’s one example…”
“Jory and Rue?” He asked.
I frowned, responding, “What about them?”
“Jory has his pet Traugh in his pocket and Rue probably has candy in his,” He said.
“Then I’ll be tougher on the Elons, “ I reassured him.
Quinn added, “It’s not just the Elons, Del. Even Kasen was stepping out of line earlier.”
I tilted my head. “What? When? I didn’t notice.”
“That’s what I mean, Del,” He replied. “Never completely trust that crew. They are always testing your boundaries. It helps you grow, helps them feel secure in your leadership. Set the bar high from the beginning and you’ll do fine.”
I leaned into him, kissing as I ran my hand over his chest. He no longer bore the ship’s rank insignia as the royal crest had replaced it. I told him, “I’m so lucky to have you onboard, Quinn. I’ll be fine because you support me and want me to succeed.”
“And you’re going to have to discipline them if they step out of line,” he added, chuckling lightly.
“What?” I snapped in feigned surprise. “You don’t think I can spank somebody?”
“Mmm, can you spank yourself? That’s what I wonder,” Quinn answered. To stop my reply he returned the kiss.
Life on a busy ship was never private and we were once again interrupted. Kasen knocked but stepped inside the moment the door opened. “Sire, Captain Del, there is a communiqué from Rathia directed to King Quinn but it is too garbled to understand. From the brief portion we could decipher it seems to be a request for assistance. What are your orders for the Narada Marant, Sire?”
“Won’t hurt to check it out at a safe distance. Once we are closer to Raider territory perhaps we can pick up another message,” Quinn responded.
“Small amendment to that order,” I replied as I wriggled off of his lap. “With the King’s permission of course, take us first to Sigma Seti Six to pick up Brync and Kai since it’s on the way. We should start this mission with a full complement of crew.”
“I give my permission, Captain Del. Let’s get this mission underway.”
Quinn and I followed Kasen onto the Bridge. They all sat looking expectedly at me. Taking my seat in the Captain’s chair with Kasen in my old seat and Quinn behind I announced, “All right, hit it.”
No one moved. I frowned at them wondering why they were not obeying me.
Rue questioned, “Hit what, Captain?”
Oh for… they still didn’t get my human phrasing. This was going to be a short career full of misunderstandings if they didn’t try a little harder. Of course I’d have to adapt as well. I cleared my throat, explaining, “Let’s get underway to Sigma Seti Six.”
“Oh, yes, Captain.”
When the ship pulled away from orbit and banked sharply we heard something crash to the floor from Tyrek’s Science Station. Behind me I heard a light snort. I glanced over my shoulder at my mate. “Doesn’t the King have something he needs to attend to?”
“No, no,” Quinn said, practically beaming in amusement. “Looks like I may be needed here on the Bridge.”
Just as I rose to go speak with Tyrek the babies started to cry. I took advantage and pointed out, “Oh look at that, the babies need their First Father. Go on, Quinn, I got this. I can handle the needs of the ship.”
He nodded, giving each crewmember a hard stare. “I know you do, Del. Come see your family at your next meal time.”
“I will,” I promised him.
“I’ll leave you to it then, Captain,” He said. He paused at the doorframe and added, “One piece of advice though, don’t ever hurt my ship.”
“Go get the babies, you bossy Xolian.”
EPILOGUE
Del:
Twenty-five years after becoming his mate, I looked over my grandchildren with a fond smile and knocked my knee against Quinn’s. He chuckled at this endearment and when he glanced at me questioningly I said, "Just thinking about how the two of us met and ended up as mates."
Quinn smirked knowingly, leaned forward in his chair and scooped up a toddler that was roaming around by grasping legs and the sides of furniture. The young one squawked in displeasure of having been captured but soon settled when Quinn gave him a kiss to the nose. Quinn maneuvered the lad onto his lap then beckoned the older children to gather.
"Come listen to the story of how your grandfathers met,” Quinn announced.
"I know how you met, First Grandfather," The eldest boy exclaimed dryly. He rolled his eyes and earned a dark frown from Quinn. He quickly added, "But it's a great story! Let's hear it again!"
I cleared my throat, faced my audience of family and friends and waited for the younger children to settle.
"As you know children your Second Grandfather was born on a planet far from here..." I started.
"New Erf," a little one interjected quickly from his spot at my feet. His eyes sparkled a merry green at being the first child to express this fact. The older children giggled and shushed him. Annoyed, he popped his thumb back into his mouth. "Well, I'm wight,” he grumbled around it.
"Yes, you are correct," I said. "I am from New Earth. Your First Grandfather is from here, Xolia."
“Yay!” The children responded, clapping.
I continued, "Some ask how it is that the two of us, being from such different worlds, even met. It started with me losing my job on board a Trash Trauler."
"Ewwww, stinky twash," The little one said. I laughed and nodded.
"It was stinky,” I replied. “I was a navigator on the ship’s bridge and even though I wasn’t working the trash the smell seeped throughout the ship."
"Dad, were you fired or did you quit?" My son Xane, sitting behind us, asked me.
"Good question, son,” Quinn stated. “You know, I don’t think I ever knew. Please tell us, Karr' Nari."
I made a face at hearing the silly endearment and slugged him fondly on the shoulder. "I told you a long time ago that I'm not to be called a 'soft belly', Quinn," I remarked back to my mate.
A grandchild stood up, grabbed my shirt before I could protest and peeked under it. "But Second Grandfather, your belly is soft, not armore
d like ours."
"Do you want to know what happened on the trash trauler or not?" I asked the boy. Instantly the youngster returned to his spot on the floor at my feet to listen attentively.
I continued, "I wasn't fired and I didn't quit. I missed the ship when it left the space station. I overslept."
Quinn grunted in mirth and explained, “Young Del was not very disciplined. That is, before he met me. So there he was, all alone in the great universe, no food, no money and no job! Poor, poor Del.”
A child sighed sadly and crawled up into my lap and laid a soft hand on my cheek. "Poor Papa, you didn't have First Grandfather yet?"
I hugged him close and reassured him, "No, I didn't but luckily for me I met him pretty quickly."
"Hurray!" The older children cheered. It made Quinn and me smile at each other.
"Your Second Grandfather went into a bar and had a few drinks. He got very... what, children?" Quinn asked dramatically.
The eldest sighed, knowingly. "Drunk," he said.
"And should you ever drink to excess, children?" Quinn inquired, giving each child a good, hard stare.
"Noooooo!" They answered as a group.
"Well, Del did! You see he didn't have a Xolian Charon to discipline him and guide him in proper behavior!" Quinn added. A soft gasp went around the small group. All the children viewed me with real sympathy glimmering in their green eyes.
I chuckled. "It wasn't that bad, I promise. Most humans value their free, wilder days. I got a little tipsy and apparently I'm a touchy feely kind of guy when drinking."
"Grandfathers should be role models!" The older boy stated bluntly.
I nodded and told him, "Well hopefully I am now but remember this was a long time before I was a grandfather."
"Anyway, to continue,” Quinn said. “He was well into his third or fourth glass of Druskan Ale when I and several crewmembers from the Narada Marant entered the bar."
“Wait, wait,” I said impatiently as I grabbed his hand. “Let me tell it. You always make me sound like a sex starved lunatic.”
Supernova Page 18
