Prime Commander (Katieran Prime Series) (18 page)

“You did protect her. You threw your body in front of hers and blocked the Morin from hitting her with his weapon.” Syd needed to switch tactics. If  his brother was worried about the female’s health, he might agree to see her.  “I was told that she attended the Warrior Service. She suffered from Lieutenant SilAS’s death. Dr. Morris said she was not eating much at all.” Syd told him.

“You need to make her eat something.” KydEL demands.

“She is difficult. And I do not want to cause her more grief.” Syd says.

Kyd didn’t like that she was hurting. He wanted to hold and comfort her. The thought that she would pine for another male, even one that was dead, brought out jealous and angry feelings in him.

“I am not ready yet.” He replies stubbornly.

“Don’t take too long Kyd. Other males have expressed interest in Jaxon.” Syd hopes that would rile his brother. Right now, he needs his brother to fight to get better.

“Not as long as there is breath left in my body.” Kyd growls.

Lieutenant RowAN escorted Commander TylOR inside Jaxon’s sleeping quarters. He took a corner close to the door. She wasn’t sure if he was guarding her or the Commander.

“Thanks for coming to see me Commander.” She reaches out to clasp his forearm which is the Katieran and Kiljorn custom of shaking hands.

“It is no problem. What can I do for you Captain?” TylOR still thinks the female warrior is beautiful, but he no longer feels desire for her.

Those feelings changed almost immediately. The moment he had boarded the Katieran transport ship during the breach and literally ran into a small mouthy human female. He was not likely to forget
her
anytime soon. He had no idea that eyes could be that blue.

“Would it be possible to contact my planet Earth, specifically the EWG Military?” Jaxon asks not sure of the response she would get.

TylOR is shocked by the request. The female claims that she has not betrayed the Katierans, yet she now asks to contact her superiors on Earth. Why?

She sees his hesitation and tries to reassure him. “I will not be giving out any information about the Katierans, the Kiljorns, or even the Morins. What I have to say to the EWG Military is in regards to me.”

“I will have to ask both Prime Leaders KadEN and RendEL for their approval.” TylOR tells her.

“Okay. Thank you again for coming Commander.” Jaxon says respectfully. The commander leaves to go to the Operations Room.

RowAN remains in the room. “Why would you do this?”

“No offense Lieutenant, but it’s my business not yours. Please leave.” She doesn’t look at him. She misses SilAS and her heart is full of hurt from Kyd’s rejection. She doesn’t feel like defending herself right now.

There is a lot of damage to the Katieran’s transport ship from Earth. They won’t be able to continue on to Katiera until the repairs have been made. Prime Leader RendEL is sending another ship to collect the human females while the damaged ship is being repaired. Until the new transport ship arrives, the Kiljorn transport ship will remain as escort and for protection.

The two alien leaders agreed to allow Jaxon to make the call to the EWG while waiting for the new transport ship. The Kiljorns were setting up a room for her with viewing screenings so that she could have her conference call. There were stipulations to granting her request. The first was that a Kiljorn and a Katieran representative would remain with her throughout her call. Second, if she divulged any information during the call that the representatives deemed unfit, the conference call would be cut short.

It was nerve racking. She stood in the room they set up for her. There was no chair to sit in.  Lieutenant RowAN was standing in the corner, he was the Katieran representative. Guess Kyd didn’t want to do it. Commander TylOR was walking through the door. He was the Kiljorn representative. There were 5 viewing monitors set up. When they announced the connection was ready, three viewing screens turned on showing the three Generals she met with on Earth. The fourth and the fifth viewing screens were too dark to tell who it was.

“Captain, it is good to see you again.” General Campbell greets her. The other two Generals also offer pleasantries.

“Thanks for agreeing to this conference call.” Jaxon replies.

“Captain, how goes your mission?” General Millian asks.

“I regret to inform you that I cannot complete the mission that you assigned me.” She shifts from one foot to the other.

General Clarkson leans forward and asks carefully. “You cannot complete the training that the Katierans are putting you through?”

“The other mission you sent me on General. Operation Eagle Star, the intelligence-gathering operation.” Jaxon said.

“Captain, what are you talking about?” General Millian says while shifting in his seat.

“A transmission was detected by the Katierans. They were extremely upset over the invasion.” Jaxon informed them. “Even before that, I found that I could not carry out this mission. It was not right. However, the Katierans believed that I was the one that sent the transmission.”

“Are they sending you back to Earth?” General Clarkson asks.

“I sincerely hope not. I feel that I have served the EWG military to the best of my abilities. This mission has made me rethink a lot of things.”  Jaxon continues, “I respectfully request a formal dismissal … from my service with the EWG Military.”

Chapter 16

“I do not understand.” General Campbell leans forward towards his viewing screen.

“I can’t complete my mission because my loyalties have changed. I will not betray the Katieran Nation in any way.” Jaxon tells them.

“Captain, you do realize that if the Katierans return you to Earth, you will no longer have a military career? You will be a civilian.” General Clarkson asks while running a hand through his thinning hair.

Jaxon tries to keep her emotions under control. Her whole career … gone. Everything she has worked ten years to accomplish … will be wiped out. “Yes Sir I understand.”

“Maybe you’re being a bit hasty Captain. What if we offer you a promotion in return for any information you have already obtained. You can pick any assignment you want. This could be a great opportunity and quite a challenge for you.”  General Millian offers giving her a disingenuous smile.

A promotion? A new challenge? They were pretty much offering her everything that she wanted to get from her career. Correction, everything she
had
wanted. It wasn’t what she wanted now. And she wasn’t the same person either.

All the tribulations she had gone through brought her to this moment. She realized that she belonged with the Katierans. She hoped that they will give her the opportunity to make amends.

“I appreciate the offer Sirs. I respectfully decline. I ask that you give Prime Leader RendEL and Prime Commander KydEL the name of the person or persons that you have sent besides me to acquire the Intel.” Jaxon doesn’t have anything to bargain with to get that information, but she know how to bluff.

“There are no others.” General Millian shifts uncomfortably in his seat. He is sweating profusely.

She doesn’t say anything for several minutes. She stares into the beady eyes of the Generals through the viewing screens. She makes the Generals more discomfited. “You know, the Katierans don’t have to relocate any more people from Earth at this time if they don’t want to. They can wait 5 -10 more years before returning to Earth.”

There was another long silent pause. “We sent two civilians and one member from your team.” General Campbell finally admitted.

“And their names?” She was upset that someone on her team would go behind her back. Not only that, they obviously followed her when she had confiscated the digital tablet and retrieved it from where Jaxon had buried it.

General Campbell nods at General Clarkson who glances down at a piece of paper. “The civilians are: Daniela Deaton and Shanna Levenson. The team member is … Sergeant First Class Taylor.”

Taylor? She actually liked Taylor. “Anyone else?” Jaxon asked. The Generals shook their heads no. “And my request for dismissal?”

A red faced General Clarkson responded, “Granted.”

Jaxon nods her head. She doesn’t have anything else to say. “I appreciate you taking my call Sirs.”

General Campbell gives her a slight smile. “Good luck Captain.”

The transmission ended. The viewing screens went black. Jaxon sagged with relief. She had not realized how much pressure she had been under trying to undertake this Intel mission. Now that she was no longer tied to the EWG Military, she felt lighter. She felt …
free
.  

She turns to Commander TylOR. “Thank you for allowing me to call. Will you pass on the names to Prime Leader RendEL and Prime Commander KydEL?”

“Of course. It was impressive how you handled your Generals.” TylOR complimented her.

“They are no longer my Generals. Currently, I belong to no one.” Jaxon states forlornly as she walks out of the room. Lieutenant RowAN follows behind her at a respectable pace.

“Was that what you were expecting?” TylOR asked images on the 4th and 5th viewing screens. The blurry images cleared showing Prime Leader RendEL and Commander KydEL.

Prime Leader RendEL shook his head. “I did not know what to expect, but am greatly relieved. This should go a long way to help smooth things over with the High Council.”

“What about you Commander?” TylOR asks.

“I … excuse me I have somewhere I need to be.” He gets up and leaves the Medic room he was in.

TylOR smiles at RendEL, “We will see you later Prime Leader.”

RendEL returns his smile. “Very good Commander, transmission out.”

Beep … beep … beep.  Lieutenant RowAN’s Comm link goes off. “Lieutenant RowAN here. But I am on security detail at this moment. Very good Sir, give me 5 minutes.” He ends his communications and stops Jaxon from walking further. “I am needed in the Operations Room.”

“Should I go with you or are they sending a replacement to watch me?” Jaxon asks.

“You are no longer under a security detail. You may go wherever you wish.” He smiles at her as he walks away.

She was no longer  under security detail. It felt strange to be  completely alone. She walked the corridors passing people. They no longer treated her like the plague. Some waved or smiled at her. But no one stopped to talk to her.

She wandered aimlessly not knowing where she should go. She could go anywhere. She was no longer bound to her sleeping quarters. The thing she wanted to do most was seek out Kyd. That was no longer an option. The second thing she wanted to do was call and talk to Cassie. No, she needed some time to process everything that’s happened before she talked to her friend. The third thing she wanted to do most was …

She stopped outside of the docking bay in front of the viewing screen. She could see the warships being repaired. There had been a lot of destruction caused by the Morins. She shivered remembering how badly Kyd’s ship had been damaged. She would always regret SilAS’s death, but if she had not left to go fight in the battle, then Kyd would not be here today. She was grateful to God that he survived. She was so distracted by her thoughts, that she didn’t hear the heavy footsteps that came up behind her.

“Planning to make your escape Captain?” Kyd’s deep rumbling voice is close to her ear, she can feel his warm breath against her neck. It sends shivers down her spine. She turns to face him.

It was the first time she has been able to see him since returning to the Kiljorn transport ship. She drank in the sight of him. He had his bronze coloring back. His dark eyes sparkled with the gold centers. He appeared to be in tip top shape.

“Commander KydEL it’s good to see you on your feet again.” She tries to keep her emotions in check. She is confused about why he would seek her out. He has refused to see her. She is fighting back the tears. Crap! She doesn’t want him to see her cry.

Kyd frowns. Why is the female acting so standoffish? “Jaxon I need to …” He is dumbfounded when Jaxon suddenly turns and starts to walk away. He grabs her arm gently but firmly to make her stop. “Where are you going?” He demands.

“Let me go.”

“No. Not until we talk.”

“Commander, I am tired and emotionally spent right now.” She tries to pull her arm free but he refuses to release her.

“I was sorry to hear about the Lieutenant. He was a fine warrior.” Kyd started to pull her with him to a more secluded spot.

“SilAS. His name was SilAS. He wouldn’t have been there if it wasn’t for me.” She looked sad.

“Do not blame yourself. Every warrior knows that each battle could be their last. I am eternally grateful for the assistance you gave in the battle. I owe my life to both you and Lieutenant SilAS.” He tells her.

“Just let me go.”

“No.”

She was getting frustrated with his manhandling her. Jaxon tried to kick his legs out from under him in an attempt to get him to release her. It didn’t work. He stepped back far enough out of her range and still kept his hold on her. Damn his long legs. Jaxon tried to drop herself to the floor as dead weight which surprised him enough that she was able to move herself in a better position.