by PJ Schnyder
“To be honest, Petrico-Calin had a death wish for the two of you if he sent you after Bharguest, much less the both of us.”
No way was she going to be confined in a room full of not-so-shiny new shapeshifters. Hell, her control stabilized only recently as it was. Rygard might not forgive her for having to hurt them all.
Badger’s fingers tightened on his firearm. His muscles bunched in his arm as he readied to draw his weapon to his shoulder.
Too slow. She’d be faster.
“Everyone play nice.” Dev appeared in the aperture leading from the main ship’s corridor. Specs and Tails stood behind him along with a good half dozen of their own ground crew.
“You took your time.” Of course she’d heard them coming but poor Badger might have gotten hurt if they’d arrived a minute later.
Ignoring the nervous enlisted man, Kaitlyn kept her attention on Badger. His brows quirked up in surprise and the deep creases across his forehead smoothed away. The scent of his aggression faded.
Good. Just as she’d hoped, following orders.
“Ah well, I had to get a bit spiffed up.” Dev’s tone was light but his brows were drawn close and the set of his jaw still grim. “And I swung around the long way to invite a couple more to the party.”
As they all stepped through to the cargo bay area, her crew mates spread out on either side. Rygard walked down to stand by Badger and the older soldier relaxed further.
“What is Max doing off his IV?” She nailed first the big dog with a look and then Rygard.
Rygard held up one hand. “He wasn’t going to stay behind. I figured disconnecting his line was better than letting him rip it out on his own.”
Max whined as he moved to stand at her side, his broad shoulder brushing her thigh. When he looked up at her, his big ears drooped and pinned down to his skull.
“Don’t give me sad eyes. You were supposed to stay.” Eyeing him warily, she watched for signs of tremors or fatigue. He’d improved. Still, he needed rest and food.
“Why is that animal not in a crate and ready for shipping?”
Captain Petrico-Calin IV strode into the cargo bay with the rest of his team. Rygard’s men, even the uninfected, were notably missing.
Kaitlyn snapped her mouth shut and swallowed her order for Max to head back to the Medical Bay where he could rest. Hell if she was going to send him anywhere where she couldn’t keep him out of a crate. Then again, Petrico-Calin glared at her as if he might have been referring to her.
He could suck on freeze-dried space rations.
More footsteps in the corridor, a heavier tread yet quieter than humans. The more dominant felid had to duck through the aperture to step into the cargo hold. Someone had given him a wrap of some sort, Skuld maybe. He’d arranged it around his hips in an interesting drape and held it in place with a belt. His companion followed him on all fours, still wearing nothing but his fur.
Seeing them, Petrico-Calin’s eyes bugged out. Maybe the taste in his mouth was worse than space rations.
“Thank you, Captain Rishkillian for inviting us to join you.” The bigger male nodded to Dev.
The cargo bay doors signaled completion of the airlock cycle.
“Oh good, we’ve got the welcome party all settled.” Dev moved to stand on Kaitlyn’s other side. Specs and Tails stepped in to flank them both.
Since when had she rated second in command position? Even if Dev called her his first mate, Specs and Tails had always stood shoulder to shoulder to her in the past. The three of them had been of equal “rank” in so far as mercs had rank. Besides, it’d always helped her blend.
“No chance of you standing in the background for this one, Kat.” Dev knew her too well because she was certain she hadn’t betrayed her disgruntlement on her face. “We might as well have you standing where you’ll do the most good.”
Best to keep her mouth shut, especially since the huge cargo bay doors were opening.
Good thing Dev had assembled a solid compliment of crew too. Their “friendlies” were Terran military and all formal in pristine white uniforms. Only a half dozen of the soldiers making their entrance had stripes on their arms. All the rest carried shoulder epaulettes and a colorful plaque of ribbons fastened to their chests. High ranking wasn’t the word for it.
“Captain Rishkillian, permission to come aboard.” The admiral, by the polished stars on his collar, greeted Dev with a perfunctory nod.
Dev only nodded in return. “Permission granted.”
No witty commentary. Her captain was walking a line and not ready to test his footing yet. As Dev made introductions, she kept her nods respectful and her eye contact brief.
“Admiral, I’m certain you received my reports.” Petrico-Calin wasted no time once salutes were exchanged.
Hard to tell since the admiral and his party had to step past her to fully board the ship but if at all possible, the admiral’s back got stiffer. It wasn’t just the starch in his uniform.
“Indeed, Captain. Interesting reading.”
Oh that did not sound encouraging, especially considering the smirk crossing Petrico-Calin’s face.
“Then...”
The admiral held up a hand. “A moment, please.” He turned back to Dev. “Captain Rishkillian, my officers tell me a shuttle took off from your ship a few minutes ago.”
“The monster escaped...”
Dev smoothly spoke over Petrico-Calin’s blurted beginning. “Escaped prisoner, Admiral. We were intending to pursue. My communications officer notified your bridge as soon as you locked onto us.”
“I’m afraid our intercept made that impossible. My apologies. We can send a scout out after your lost shuttle if you prefer.”
“At this point, your scout is better equipped to track and apprehend, Admiral, if it isn’t a draw on your resources.”
The admiral raised his hand and one of the enlisted men headed back to the military ship double time. “Not at all, Captain Rishkillian. The escapee is a military prisoner in any case and our responsibility. I’m told the two military police assigned to guard the prisoner died.”
“An unfortunate loss.” Dev wasn’t lying, his voice heavy with regret.
“Have you completed your investigation? I’d like to get the bodies aboard and would appreciate a copy of your report.”
Dev dropped his composure then, running a hand through his hair. “About that...”
“I assigned a detail to guard the area for an official military investigation, of course.” Petrico-Calin seemed pleased to interrupt Dev in turn. “It’s ready whenever your men can come aboard.”
The admiral made a quarter turn in order to address Petrico-Calin while remaining open to Dev. Silver gray eyebrows drew together. “It would have been more expedient for Captain Rishkillian’s crew to conduct the investigation.”
“Well, it’s not as if they have a dedicated forensics team.” Petrico-Calin waved away his own comment. “We can’t place our trust in their team’s findings.”
As much as she disliked the man, he had a point about the forensics team. As ship’s medic, she usually conducted whatever forensics investigation they needed. Generally though, they knew how a person died. In this case, Bharguest had done the damage with his bare hands. Not much in the way of interesting lab work to conduct there.
“We’d be happy to turn over copies of the security feed, Admiral.” Dev made the offer with aplomb.
“Appreciated, Captain.” The admiral studied Petrico-Calin for a moment. “And Captain Petrico-Calin...”
“The Fourth, sir.”
“If you could place a detail to secure the scene of death, why did you not supplement the security set to guard the prisoner in the first place? An additional two men might have made the difference.”
The smirk fell
from Petrico-Calin’s face. Nice to see. Kaitlyn decided it would be more prudent not to voice her own opinion and Dev didn’t say anything either. Aw, they were both maturing.
Two or four, Bharguest still would have left the ship when he no longer felt like playing his game. He’d finished with his toys. The additional security detail would have simply meant more bodies in the prisoner’s wake.
She should have been one of them. Why he hadn’t killed her was a worry for later.
One of the officers was watching her. He’d been ignoring the conversation and the weight of his gaze began to raise the fine hairs across her skin. She set her teeth against the urge to snarl.
Next to her, Max leaned into her hip, his big shoulder a warm pressure. She dropped her hand into his fur and steadied herself. If she didn’t, the dog was going to knock her over.
“We’ve also received communication from the Baihunen government.”
Who the hell were the Baihunens?
The admiral must have moved on to a different topic and she’d missed Petrico-Calin’s response. Damn.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Admiral.” The larger male felid nodded.
Might have been good for them to share the name of their race earlier. It would have saved Boggle some research time. But then, she supposed they’d all been a little distracted.
“Our governments are in talks for a proposed alliance at this time.” The Admiral’s tone was respectful, perhaps tinged with deference. His back wasn’t as stiff and he made minute shifts of his weight from one foot to the other. Nervous. “While Terrans and Baihunens have had chance encounters in the past, this incident has convinced high level officials on both sides that an alliance might be mutually beneficial.”
“My...” the alien seemed to be groping for a word, “...pride brother and I are grateful for the aid of those present for our rescue from the Colosseum.”
“Yes. Fortuitous that our people could be of help.”
And completely not in the plan as far as the military had been concerned. Petrico-Calin had chewed her and Dev out when they’d all arrived back on the ship. He’d wanted to toss them into confinement along with Bharguest.
“I’m not sure I understand, Admiral. How does this take priority over my mission?” For once, Petrico-Calin asked a question she had on her mind too.
Although alien relations did seem fairly important in the big scheme of things, there were men who needed to get back to Terra for treatment and rehabilitation. Virus or no, they’d suffered serious trauma down in the caves. They hadn’t had a “trainer” like Dev to protect them.
“Our primary orders are to see the Council member here safely back to his home system.” There was the deference again. “As soon as the Baihunens received the transmission from the Council member, they reached out to Terran authority to ensure he and his...pride brother returned home. The Terran government has promised our full cooperation.”
Dev nodded. “Of course.”
Good for them. They’d been a great help in the caves.
The big male caught her attention. He had that trick of Bharguest’s. No overt movement, only one minute he was standing there and the next minute he was standing there and everyone in the room was paying attention to him. Now that was command presence.
“We appreciate your help, Admiral.” He twitched an ear. “I am hoping our other requests were also communicated.”
“Absolutely.” The admiral turned to Dev. “I’m told you have a crew member specifically suited to interactions with a feline-like species. Something about having the innate ability to read the necessary body language and signals inherent in the Baihunen culture.”
“Ah.” Dev rubbed his chin. He might fool everyone else, but the bastard was hiding a grin behind his hand. “I believe you’re looking for my second, Kaitlyn Darah.”
“We’ve been authorized to give Kaitlyn Darah ambassador status and appoint her liaison to the Baihunen on contract for the term of one year as we enter alliance negotiations, subject to renewal as necessary.”
Ambassador? Political immunity and freedom from military jurisdiction. Bonus. Wait didn’t that require diplomatic skills? Were they crazy?
No way could Dev have manipulated that into happening. No way.
“As her captain, holding her current contract, I’d be happy to sit down with your staff and negotiate a subcontract agreement.” Of course Dev was going to turn a profit off of all this.
“We’d be most grateful if you would work out the details, Captain Rishkillian.” She had the distinct impression the big Baihunen was suppressing laughter. Hard to tell.
“You must be joking.” Petrico-Calin spit the words out. For once, she agreed with him. “That...that thing belongs in a cage before she infects the rest of my men.”
Okay, no. She didn’t.
“And I want that man over there, Lieutenant Rygard, taken into custody and quarantined too.”
Now she was going to break his neck and rip out his spine.
“Those measures are unnecessary.” Every head turned in her direction. She kept her words directed at the admiral. Petrico-Calin had the mouth, but she knew who had the rank. “I submitted the results of all blood work. The tests provide conclusive evidence of which soldiers have been infected by the lycanthropy virus and to what degree. Lieutenant Rygard is clear and completely human.”
“He spent the entire night with you.” There was no mistaking the implication there.
No point in acknowledging it and giving it any power in the discussion.
“None of the people aboard this ship is capable of passing on the virus by normal contact or exchange of bodily fluids.”
However, if somebody had a vial of the live virus squirreled away somewhere, there could be issues. Day dreams of jabbing an injection gun up Petrico-Calin’s ass were inappropriate.
The admiral watched her for a few long moments, his face perfectly neutral. She made a mental note never to play poker or chess with the man, at least not until she got to know him better. Jury was still out as to whether she wanted to.
“While your report was not included in the original transmission, Ambassador Darah, it was received. I haven’t read it in its entirety but my science officers provided me with the abstract.” The admiral might have smiled. Maybe. The quirk at the corner of his mouth might be an odd tic. “Your work comes with very high recommendation from my science officer along with an invitation to join him over a meal while we get the details worked out regarding next steps in this highly unusual situation.”
All right, the heat at her cheeks might be in response to the praise. A girl didn’t receive a compliment from a man wearing that many stars on his collar very often.
Petrico-Calin’s eyes bugged out of his head and there was a very prominent vein popping across his forehead.
The admiral turned back to him. “Captain, your work in rescuing the captured team is commended as well. Your next set of orders is to take command of the smaller ship we have in tow and return to Terran solar system with the infected soldiers in order to get them the treatment they need. We’ll see to it that you are fully supplied and in command with your original team.”
All but Tracer. And what about Max?
“Fine.” Petrico-Calin shot her an evil look and his mouth twisted. “The dog is to be put in a crate and loaded for transport back to Terra.”
If she said no, she’d be taking the bait. “He still requires medical attention.”
Petrico-Calin gathered breath to bellow at her, but the other officer standing with the admiral spoke up. “What medical attention are you recommending?”
He’d never stopped staring at her. She tightened her hand in the fur of Max’s ruff, hadn’t realized how much she’d steadied for the both of them.
“He needs to finish a cou
rse of IV fluids and I was headed to the galley to get him plain protein, preferably chicken or some other mild aviary.”
“How did you plan to give it to him?”
“Ground and boiled if he’d take it. Otherwise, I’d have to install a stomach tube. He’s too active to submit to a feeding tube in his throat, too much danger of choking or airway obstruction. Plus, he’d dislodge it and possibly do himself damage in the process.” Maybe she didn’t have to grind out the words but there were a whole lot of eyes on her and at least one pair would have killed if possible. “He’s on his feet right now so I’m thinking he’ll eat if I can get him to a quiet place to talk some reason into him.”
“Why do you think he isn’t eating?”
The weight of the other stares faded away. Sadness rose up in a wave, tightened her throat, and she let it emerge in her expression as she addressed the man asking the questions. “Years ago, one of my best friends signed off in combat. He blinked out of existence in a silent explosion in space. I didn’t eat for days. My guess is Max is doing the same.”
She looked down at the German Shepherd Dog to find him watching her, his eyes so incredibly sad.
“Given the choice, he might never eat again.” She hadn’t wanted to.
Would she have if Dev hadn’t come to her? Told her to eat? Threatened to shove it down her throat? Then guilted her?
“Max will eat if someone gives him the right reason.” She returned her attention to the man, the officer so interested in the dog. “I’m not sure it’d be doing him any favors though, not if Petrico-Calin is going to take him away.”
Her fingers wandered up the back of Max’s neck and fondled the silky softness of his ears. The big dog let out a sigh and relaxed his head against her waist.
“You will address me as Captain Petrico-Calin the Fourth.” Petrico-Calin shook a finger in their direction. “And that is very valuable military property. What you think is irrelevant.”
“Actually, she’s spoken in the best interest of the Kx9.” The officer took out a data-pad and tapped on the screen. “According to my records, Max is young by German Shepherd Dog standards and he had only one handler in his history. You’ve managed very well considering this is his first loss. It’s nothing short of amazing he’s re-imprinted so soon.”