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He unclenched his teeth. “I look forward to hearing the full story, sir.”
“I’m sure you do. Kila should be sending you the file on the dark ship his vessel encountered at Bi’is and what followed. He may wait until after he consults his command staff on Ensign Ilid’s account of what happened to his ship.”
Suspicion reared its head, and Nako inwardly cursed himself for not seeing what was happening. Admiral Tranis wouldn’t be sharing spy information unless…
“You’re redirecting my ship to join Captain Kila’s.”
“Affirmative. He’s in charge of the mission. It’ll delay your assignment to safeguard the moon your Imdiko was tasked to assist terraforming.”
Fuck. Ulof would lose his shit to hear his joining the team would be postponed. It would be a blow after Nako’s and Terig’s insistence his career would take center stage after years of him sitting in the wings.
“Admiral—”
“You’re the only vessel in the vicinity available to help Kila in this matter. You’ll be going to the site of the spyship’s destruction, then on to Bi’is to investigate. If it’s true the ensign’s superiors were controlled by an unknown and hostile species, if those entities have taken control of Bi’is, if they’ve managed to reach the Galactic Council…”
The Galactic Council? Tranis’ horror transmitted to Nako. “Mother of All.”
* * * *
“Postponed for how long? And why?” Ulof stared at his clan leader.
Nako glanced at Terig, who lurked behind Ulof in the main room of their quarters. No doubt Terig was ready to take him down if he gave in to his quick temper. They’d shooed Piper back so she stood behind Nako.
As if he’d hurt her. Ulof had punched Nako in the past. He respected and cared for his Dramok, but sometimes Nako had it coming. Terig too. All three, half or full Nobeks, could be absolute bastards to each other when the notion took them.
Never to Piper. Ulof wouldn’t touch his Matara, even if she came at him holding a knife and a blaster.
She knew. It was in the glare she leveled at Nako for being overly protective. Her belief in him made Ulof feel a little better.
“I wish I could tell you the reason for the delay, my Imdiko. The truth is, I barely know the mission the spy division of the fleet has forced on me. They’re pretty much in the dark on what’s going on themselves.” Nako’s own temper hovered, leaving him glowering.
“Spies.” It explained a lot, including his Dramok’s obvious frustration. “Does this detour have something to do with the deep-fried shuttle you picked up?”
“It has everything to do with it.” There was a hint of relaxation from Nako at Ulof’s reasonable tone. “We picked up a survivor. He started babbling weird shit, then Captain Kila sent me a report detailing even weirder shit…fuck, I can’t tell you since you aren’t a member of this crew any longer.”
“You wouldn’t be able to if I were. I was just a cook when I was part of the fleet, not command staff,” Ulof pointed out. “I’d be in the dark no matter what.”
“True.” Guilt filled Nako’s expression. Ulof realized it wasn’t merely the mysterious situation upsetting his clanmate. He hated keeping Ulof from his hard-won dream of terraforming work. “I swear, the instant they cut us loose, I’ll get you to your assignment. That’s a promise.”
“Don’t worry about it. This isn’t your fault.” Ulof refused to tell them his disappointment was tempered by a wash of relief. He’d begun losing sleep due to fears he wouldn’t be able to do well at the moon.
He was full of ideas when it came to bringing a dead rock of a planet or moon to life. Good ideas, if he were to believe his supervisor’s praise. It was in their execution Ulof fell short, due to a significant learning disability. He’d managed to contribute to the birth of Earth II, but his role had been extremely limited. If his clanmates hadn’t been acknowledged heroes, he’d probably have never gotten a toe in the terraforming team. He damned sure wouldn’t have been invited to work the next assignment.
“Thanks for being patient. I…I appreciate your understanding.” Nako did his best to cover his surprise, no doubt to keep from insulting him.
Ulof smiled wryly. His short fuse was legendary. It had put him in prison at one point. Frustration at always coming up short and assholes who teased him for his difficulties had led to a lot of trouble throughout his life.
Then Nako and Terig had come along. They’d seen beneath his infuriating limitations and accepted him for who he was. Piper had gone beyond acceptance; she’d encouraged him to reach past where he’d believed his weaknesses were.
He’d managed some success, he admitted. Given another five lifetimes or so, he might make it as a terraformer.
He’d been given something more precious than the ambition to work in his dream field in recent weeks, however. A hope that had committed him to reining in his urges to break objects or punch his male clanmates, more than anyone or any fantasy had.
The new beautiful desire brought him to his greatest concern. “Is it dangerous? Will it endanger Piper? Will we have to put off having a baby?”
They glanced at their golden-haired Matara. Five years after clanning her, she’d made the decision she was ready to become the mother to their children. The nature of Ulof’s work and the safe environment it offered had sealed the deal. Nako and Terig were members of the fleet, which wasn’t always conducive to maintaining a clan in the same place. They’d set aside perilous assignments to allow Ulof to chase his goals, which in turn allowed them to remain together and offer a stable household for a family.
Piper blushed under their regard. Nako slipped his arm around her, and she molded to his side.
