Kila’s one sexual
encounter with the temperamental admiral had brought up some worrisome issues.
Worrisome enough that he’d personally investigated Piras’s past thoroughly.
Illegally, even. But Kila had to be sure Piras was up to the challenges ahead.
If he faltered at the wrong time, things could get royally fucked up in a
hurry.
That one night of
intimacy had brought up too many questions. Kila needed answers. Hell, he
wanted answers too, and not just because of the upcoming operation. Especially
when it came to one particular man, a Nobek named Lidon.
Kila could have
thought of Piras all day…hell, he’d have enjoyed nothing more than ruminating
on the elegant, long-limbed Dramok until he was hard and aching. As he neared
the exit from the vast shuttle bay however, his thoughts were derailed by the
sight of his weapons commander coming in.
Nobek Mostar veered
to meet him. Kila repressed a sigh. Mostar had apparently come looking for him.
The narrow-faced man always wore a suspicious look, but it had more to do with
how his brows hung heavy over his eyes and the tight set of his lips than
actual mistrust.
He bowed. Hoping
nothing was amiss, Kila came to a stop and asked, “Are you lost, Weapons
Commander?”
Mostar never
responded to Kila’s sarcastic humor. Looking as skeptical as always, he answered.
“No, Captain. I thought you might like to know Chief Engineer Byrcla has left.”
Kila snorted. Good riddance. “He wasted no time, did
he? Any word on his replacement being assigned?”
“Already assigned.
Already on board.” Mostar might have been allergic to humor, but Kila could see
the twinkle of amusement in his eyes.
“I guess going
through so many head engineers has trained the fleet to be ready with the next
one,” he observed.
“You do have a
history with them. I’m looking forward to watching you work with this one.”
Kila’s eyes
narrowed. “Why is that?”
Mostar’s lips
twitched. Kila got a bad feeling about what he would say. “This Chief Engineer Lokmi
is a dual breed. Straight down the middle, half-and-half.”
The bad feeling
intensified. “Don’t tell me.”
The weapons command
nodded. “Classified an Imdiko. He is known for coddling his engines. Not so
much his crew or those in authority over him. With people, he’s heavy on the
Dramok attitude. All Dramok, in fact. He’s already punched a couple of
underlings senseless who got mad enough to take first swings.”
“Great. Just great.
Has he started his inspection?”
“He went straight to
his duty station rather than moving into his quarters. He’s made it know he’s not
very happy about the state of the engines.”
Kila groaned. “Ah,
the ancestors love me. I guess I’d better get to engineering before he undoes
all my work.”
“Yes, Captain. Have
fun.” The man was damned near laughing, an event in and of itself. It would
have been astounding if Kila hadn’t been readying himself for his first
encounter with his latest head of engineering.
Kila headed to the
lift, muttering curses under his breath. Putting an Imdiko with control issues
in his place before dealing with that hothead Piras was the last thing he
needed.
No release date set.
No comments:
Post a Comment