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“I think it’s pretty damned clear why he kept it quiet until you returned. You’re acting like a jealous wife, checking his collar for lipstick stains every day when he comes home from work.” Hope crossed her arms over her chest. “They were done with each other, what, fifteen years ago?”
“A lot less for Piras. You never saw him, the hurt and betrayal when he and Lidon crossed paths for years afterward. His wish it had turned out otherwise was obvious.” Kila went to his desk, simply to slam his fist on that surface too.
“After he clanned you?”
“Of course not. We weren’t clanned until after Piras was branded a traitor, when there was no chance of contact between him and Lidon afterward. But before—”
“So since you became his Nobek, you haven’t seen him and Lidon in the same room. You haven’t seen him look at his once-upon-a-time Nobek the way that upsets you so much. Do I have it right?”
“Did you see anything?” Kila’s gaze bored into her. “Tell me there wasn’t anything I should be worried about when they were together longer than I’ve even known Piras.”
“For heaven’s sake, Kila.” Hope couldn’t believe they were having such a conversation. “Yeah, I saw them. Usually, Lidon stayed phased, but he showed his face to introduce himself to me and once to ask about my nanobots.”
“And?”
“And Piras either ignored him or was impatient, the way he gets when someone is wasting his time. Or on that particular occasion, my time. ‘She can’t spend all day answering your questions’ were his exact words. Lidon could have been any idiot on your crew from how Piras behaved.”
Kila paced. “It doesn’t mean when you weren’t there—”
“Do you hear yourself?” Hope shouted. “Do you really think Piras prefers Lidon over you?”
Kila paused. “No. It’s just…what they had, at least in his mind, was huge. For over a dozen years, no one was more important to Piras than Lidon. Then the memory of what he was to him haunted him. I ask myself, how could I compete with the Nobek who got away? If I hadn’t come back from Bi’is, would it have devastated Piras as much as Lidon leaving did?”
“Oh, Kila.” Hope at last saw the inferiority complex her clanmate had built for himself. In a way, she couldn’t blame him. From what she’d gathered about Piras’ earliest relationship, Lidon would have indeed been a hard act to follow.
She also knew their Dramok’s feelings for each of his clanmates. “Piras would have been destroyed if anything had happened to you. He barely slept while you and Lokmi were gone. He checked his coms, personal and official, at all hours of the day and night in case you’d sent news. As for his feelings where Lidon is concerned, he’s definitely a thing of the past. Just after he arrived, I walked in on Piras raging to Admiral Tranis, telling him next time he decided to put a special guard on him, to send his Imdiko instead.”
“Piras said that?” A chuckle was surprised from Kila. “He told me ages ago Dr. Degorsk was the most aggravating person he’d ever met. His words were, ‘to spend a minute in Degorsk’s presence is to want to claw your ears off.’”
Hope drew close and wrapped her arms around Kila’s waist. “You’re Piras’ Nobek. He chose you. You know how he is, Kila. If he were still hung up on Lidon, he’d have carried it like some dumbass badge of honor for the rest of his life. He’d parade his losses and grudges for the world to view.”
Kila laughed harder. “It’s a good thing he has so many excellent points to outweigh his quirks. I guess I just need to rate as high as his ex did.”
“I doubt it.” She grinned at his shock. “I’m sure you’ve surpassed Lidon. Piras wouldn’t have settled for second best. He would have just kept lugging around his lost chance, whining how he was cheated.”
“Okay. Okay, I get it. I’m the winner of the Piras sweepstakes. Lidon’s a blip on the horizon at our backs.”
Kila’s often-present grin was used to display a variety of emotions: fury, threat, and disdain, in equal measures. It had been days since its appearance had meant actual happiness. Hope was delighted, and greatly relieved, to see that version at long last.
“I’m glad you’ve come to your senses. Give me a kiss, you big, jealous lug, and I’ll let you get back to terrorizing your crew.”
* * * *
Earth II
Kuran eased through the crowd gathered for Stacy’s latest campaign rally. He was phased, but he had a great dislike for passing through others’ bodies, as the technology allowed him to do. He hated it, in fact. Going through people or any solid objects produced a slight dragging sensation. He had the odd superstition he was leaving behind small bits of himself and adding traces of whomever or whatever he passed through to his own genetics when he did so.
As far as anyone knew, besides Stacy, he wasn’t present. Kuran was supposedly allowing Michael Adams to run the security show, with only human officers on his team. He glanced at the stage and the two towers from which officers, Adams among them, watched the audience. A look over the heads of the smaller humans verified the rest of the spy division surrounded the rally, altering positions as needed to keep the best view on the animated crowd. Several uniformed members also roamed among the audience, keeping careful watch and unaware of the phased Kalquorian spies Kuran had tapped as emergency backup, should the Earther contingent falter in their mission of keeping Stacy safe.
Many concentrated on the small group of Earthtique protestors who’d shown up, predominantly men. They stood in the middle of the crowd. They were well covered by officers seen and unseen, so Kuran wasn’t terribly worried about the couple dozen whose thin catcalls barely registered over Stacy’s amplified voice and the approval of the majority.
He kept his hearing tuned to the conversations and asides from those gathered, as well as to Stacy’s speech. At the moment, the crowd was nearly silent as she detailed the details of the explosive mailed to her weeks before.
“…sent by those who wish to return our government to the repressive regime of our former planet. Some would call them Earthtiques. They call themselves God-fearing patriots. But I’ll name them for what they are: cowards.”
Cheers rose from the crowd. The angry objections from the knot of protestors were drowned out.
“There’s talk my lieutenant governor, a man I’ve considered a friend, might choose to run against me.” Over the scattering of boos, Stacy went on. “I don’t doubt Ken Bryant wants what’s best for Earth. But what he thinks is best is a return to old ways. Why? Why would we go back to that? Because, like those who attacked me, he’s afraid of stepping into the future. He’s afraid to forge a new path. Let me tell you; Mr. Bryant was firmly in lockstep with the old regime. How entrenched was he? He and the so-called Holy…and I use ‘holy’ very loosely here…he and the former Holy Leader, Browning Copeland, were good friends.”
