To Clan and Conquer (Clan Beginnings) (31 page)

“Not going to happen.  This is a no-win situation.  But we will fight them and die well.”  The stoic expression on his face was that of a Nobek ready to go out in glory.

Tranis was not a Nobek, and his brain scrambled for a way to stop the Tragooms.  To cripple their huge fleet. 

He couldn’t repeat his performance from Wetor.  The Bi’isil security grid wasn’t one he was familiar with.  He certainly couldn’t patch a shuttle into it to arm for backlash fire against their enemies.  It didn’t matter that there were plenty Kalquorian craft he knew inside and out here on the colony’s grounds.  He looked at the many vessels on the landing pad vid.  Not only were there some intact Kalquorian shuttles, there were ships that had been cobbled together from various species’ machinery … including Kalquorian.

Tragooms didn’t develop their own technology.  They preferred to take what they felt were the best parts of other species’ equipment and putting them together in haphazard-appearing but very deadly weapons.  The nasty bastards highly prized Kalquorian-based navigation and arms in particular.

Tranis’ lips curled to see many craft sporting Kalquorian hulls patched into monstrous hybrid vessels.  The shuttles were only a small example of what Tragooms could do, given enough parts to play with.  Beyond the near-quarter of Kalquorian destroyers that made up the Tragoom armada orbiting the planet right now, there was little doubt many of the other ships possessed the Empire’s technology.

Their own weapons turned against Kalquor.  It made Tranis furious to know there wasn’t a damned thing they could do about it either.  No doubt all the codes that linked those pieces of the fleet had been overwritten.  The weapons codes were an isolated entity anyway, programmed individually by ship and not tied into the fleet like the navigational systems were.

Tranis gasped as an idea erupted in his mind, coming just as fast and perfect as the defense of Wetor had.

Lidon leaned close.  “Tranis?”

It was a long shot and would take an incredible amount of luck, not to mention the best of his and Lidon’s abilities to pull it off.  Still, it was better than wading into a battle they had no hope of winning.

Tranis grinned at the Nobek.  “I’ve got an idea.  We’re not doomed, not quite yet.  Let’s get the hell out of here.”

The two men left the colony compound, getting back into their atmospheric suits and escaping to the fighter without incident.  While they waited for the fighter’s interior to re-pressurize and the air exchangers to make the vessel’s interior atmosphere breathable again, Tranis discussed his idea with Lidon.

After hearing the first officer’s plan, Lidon was quiet.  Tranis waited patiently, knowing the Nobek was considering the proposal from every possible angle.  The fighter’s controls emitted a beep, letting them know it was safe to take the suits off.

As soon as his suit was put away in its bin, Lidon said, “I like it.  And I know the frequency ranges our ships and shuttles operate on.  If the original codes are simply overwritten and not erased, we can get nav control.”

Tranis grimaced.  “Too bad we can’t access weapons controls via those codes.”

“That’s exactly why they’re kept proprietary to the ships themselves.  Imagine if our enemies got hold of our weapons frequencies.  They could turn our entire fleet against Kalquor.”

Tranis shuddered at the thought.  “Point taken.  Now if we could just find a way to get the surviving Joshadans and Earthers out of the Tragooms clutches, I’ll peg this mission a success.”

Lidon spoke quietly.  “I don’t see any way to accomplish that, Tranis.”

“They’re being held somewhere in the colony.  If there are few enough guards watching them—”

Lidon grabbed Tranis’ shoulder and made the young man look him in the eye.  “Where would you take them?  The Tragooms have a keen sense of smell.  They’ll track down the colonists anywhere we leave them in the containment area.  We can’t take them out either; no suit will sustain them for more than ten hours.  There’s not enough room in this fighter for more than the two of us.  Not to mention rescuing them will alert the Tragooms to us.  They’ll hunt us down and then the first defensive line fails because we’re not around to put your plan into place.”

Tranis blinked at him.  “But Piras and the rest won’t be here for five days.  By that time, every last colonist could be dead.”

Lidon said nothing.  He simply looked at Tranis, the unemotional expression on his face the most chilling thing the Dramok had ever seen.

Tranis’ voice was almost shrill as he protested the unspoken argument.  “We can’t just leave them there to die like that, Lidon!”

Lidon squeezed his shoulder.  “We have no choice.  It’s a few dozen lives versus thousands.”

Tranis tried to come up with something.  He waited for another flash of thought, the same brilliant bolt that had saved Wetor and might allow them to dismantle a substantial amount of the Tragoom invasion fleet.  No such brainstorm came.

There had to be a way.  Had to be.  But as hard as his desperate mind scrabbled for that idea, it wouldn’t come.  All he could think about was that Joshadans and Earthers were going to die horribly.

“But – but it’s not right.  To just leave them to their fate?  How can I allow that?”

Lidon looked at him kindly, as if he knew exactly the pain Tranis was going through.  And he would, wouldn’t he?  How many missions had the experienced Nobek commanded?  How many had he been forced to let die or ordered into no-win situations, knowing he was sending men to be killed?

Lidon said, “You will allow it because you are a commander in charge of an important mission and you have to look at the big picture.  That’s what leaders charged with the wellbeing of the Empire do.”

Tranis tried to wrap his head around the situation.  “I can’t.”

“You will.  It’s part of the package that comes with rank.  Sometimes you have to knowingly send men in to die.  Sometimes you have to leave people behind to die.  You didn’t think becoming an officer was going to be all accolades and commendations, did you?”

Tranis didn’t want to admit Lidon was right.  But he also couldn’t find a way out of the horrific situation.  “I think I may be sick.  This is unthinkable!”

Lidon nodded.  “Yes, it is.  And you never get used to it, not if you’re a good leader.  Sometimes, you simply have no choice.”

Tranis began shaking all over and couldn’t make himself stop.  He was going to leave innocent people to die.  Lidon was right; there was no way to rescue them, not without alerting the Tragooms. 

He stared at the floor of the ship.  “If I was just sacrificing myself, I could stand it.  But to sacrifice others … I think I know how Degorsk feels now.  No wonder he keeps talking about resigning.”

Tranis sensed Lidon moving closer.  Maybe the weapons commander would punch him now, insist he snap out of the horror overcoming him.  Yell at him to stop being a whimpering child and do his job.  It was what any of his brothers would have done.

Instead, Lidon’s arms went around him, pulling him close.  Tranis looked at him, startled to be treated with tenderness.  The Nobek kissed him.

Tranis dove into the comforting embrace, desperate to not think about what he was going to have to let happen to the colonists.  His return kiss was needy as he looked for any reassurance he could get.  Lidon indulged him, not breaking the kiss until Tranis was moaning into his mouth.

The Nobek brushed Tranis’ hair back from his face as if the Dramok was a mere boy.  It was a very non-Nobek move, and Tranis reflected he felt very non-Dramok himself at this moment.  He’d never experienced feeling lost and afraid as he did now.

When he’d joined the fleet, Tranis had always seen himself going into battle to save lives.  The salvation of Wetor had been the kind of heroism he’d aspired to.  But this — this situation was nothing like what he’d imagined himself doing.  And now he was falling apart under the strain.

He couldn’t meet Lidon’s eyes.  If he’d ever thought he’d have the privilege of clanning the Nobek, it was no doubt gone.  “You must be so disappointed in me right now.”

Lidon’s voice was a soothing rumble.  “Why would I feel that?”

“Look at me.  I’m shaking.  I’m weak.  I’m no leader.  Damn it, I want to curl up and hide from all this.”

“You’re not weak.  You’re young and realizing the true weight of your responsibility.  There’s no shame in that.”

Tranis scowled at the space over his companion’s shoulder.  “You’ve never faltered when it comes to duty, I bet.”

“Actually, I did.”

Tranis finally looked at him and growled.  “Don’t patronize me, damn it.  I’ll do what I have to here.  You don’t need to hold my hand to make it happen.”

Lidon shook his head.  “I would never condescend to you, Tranis.  The truth is, I failed to face the greatest duty of my entire life.  It shames me to this day.”

Tranis searched the other man’s eyes.  Lidon was telling the truth.  He swallowed.  “It’s hard to imagine you shrinking from duty.”

Lidon’s mouth thinned.  “Two of my fathers, the Dramok and Nobek, contracted the Hirmog virus at the same time.  They were in the last stages, dying slow, agonizing deaths that had no honor.  It was horrible to watch.  And yet, when we received the official grant to end their lives, I couldn’t do it.  I was afraid.  Every time I thought I was ready, the guilt consumed me.”

Tranis blinked.  “Were you young?”

Lidon’s shoulders sagged.  “Fifteen.  Old enough to accept the responsibility and spare my mother and Imdiko father the pain.”

“It’s still damned young, Lidon.  No one would fault even a Nobek of that age for faltering.”

“I know, but the shame of leaving it to my remaining father follows me still.”

“Did he blame you?”

“Never.  He was my strength then, just as he was my strength following my injury.”  Lidon managed a wry smile.  “Never underestimate the bravery of the Imdiko breed, Dramok.  They can be tougher, more resilient than any Nobek you’ve ever known.  Feeling any better?”

“About what I must allow to happen?  No.  I understand it, but I still hate it.”  Tranis’ voice dropped to a whisper.  “It hurts me inside.  It makes me feel … less.  As if I should be able to find some way out of this mess.”

“That’s because you’re a Dramok.  Not just a Dramok, but an apex version of your breed.  Such men expect a great deal from themselves, and when they can’t achieve it, it kills something inside them.”

Lidon pulled him close again, once more kissing and caressing Tranis.  This time it wasn’t just comfort he offered.  There was heat and ardor in his touch, and Tranis let the cleansing wash of lust take the fear and self-reproach away.  When Lidon pushed him down towards the flattened seat cushions that now made up their sleeping surfaces, Tranis didn’t fight.  He lay on his back, letting Lidon get on top of him.

The Nobek moved his body against Tranis’ making him hard and aching.  The feeling of Lidon’s swollen cocks rubbing against his had Tranis gasping.  He didn’t battle for control this time, not even when Lidon planted his hands against his shoulders, pinning his upper body down.  Tranis simply gave himself over, immersing himself in the feeling of the other man’s power.

“That’s it,” Lidon whispered.  “Let me take care of everything.  Let me show you I can be strong for you when you need it.”

Tranis closed his eyes, letting sensation take him over.  The feeling of Lidon’s opening his formsuit, of pulling his cocks out, of encasing the primary one in the tight warmth of his body was strangely soothing.  For a little while there was nothing but the Nobek’s weight rising and falling over him.  The firm pull of his body releasing Tranis only to absorb him in a snug, velvety grip once more.  Molten bliss pooled in the base of the Dramok’s main cock.  It surged as if in slow motion, filling his prick in a hot stream until it poured out the tip into Lidon.  Tranis cried out and arched beneath his lover as his body pulsed nirvana, the only time he moved during the encounter.

When Tranis was quiet again, Lidon lifted from him, freeing the Dramok’s softening cock.  He rolled him onto his side and spooned behind him, pushing his hard length into Tranis’ ass.  The first officer opened to him, taking the invasion without a qualm.  Lidon didn’t hurt him, but that part was only secondary to the younger man.  It was the feel of Lidon’s arms around him that mattered.  The feeling that he truly could trust his companion to shoulder some of the burden that had suddenly become so hateful to bear.

It was more than lovemaking.  It was like a kind of weird, sad, and wonderful homecoming.  Tranis pushed back against Lidon, moving against him, offering him everything in return for the security the Nobek gave.  When Lidon groaned with release, his cock pulsing liquid warmth deep inside, Tranis felt whole.

Several minutes later, Lidon breathed into Tranis’ ear, “Thank you for trusting me to care for you.  I know it wasn’t easy for you to give me that power.”

Tranis looked at him over his shoulder, immersing himself in the man’s warm gaze.  He did trust Lidon.  With every mote of his being, he knew he could place his complete confidence in the Nobek.  It brought his strength back.  The man had his back, no matter what.

“Thanks for allowing me let go of my control for a little while.  I never knew how heavy a burden it could be until now.”  He narrowed his eyes in mock ferociousness.  “Just don’t get used to being dominant with me.  In fact, don’t expect it to ever happen again.”