To Clan and Conquer (Clan Beginnings) (29 page)

Degorsk was not amused by Tranis’ attempt at humor.  He said, “I guess that will have to do, won’t it?”

The Imdiko took a step away from them.  He abruptly turned and ran out of the bay, heading back into the bowels of the ship in a blur of movement.  He was gone.

Lidon’s forced lack of emotion betrayed just how moved he really was.  “He’s strong enough to survive another loss, if it comes to that.”

Tranis glared at him.  “It had better not, Nobek.  Is that clear?”

Lidon blinked at him.  After only a moment’s hesitation, he bowed his head.  “Yes, Dramok.”

They turned to their fighter, hurrying to it without another word.  They got to work, double checking the crew’s preparations for their flight and the supplies for their trip.

An hour later, the destroyer was nothing but a mote of distant light behind the fighter.  Tranis had watched it grow smaller as they flew away.  Lidon faced forward, piloting as expertly as if he still flew almost every day.  Before him, the gas giant Sujaptrin grew, along with its tiny moon Phescxo, where the Joshadan-Earther colony was located.

Being a two-man fighter, there was no real forward or aft section.  Only the direction it flew determined that.  The craft ended in points each way with propulsion jets sticking out of its sides.  It was like a two-sided javelin with burners to power it when the landing struts, weapons arrays, and explosive launchers were hidden inside their ports.

Before each man was a console that lit with navigation, armament, targeting, and power information.  Their data was enhanced by a steady stream coming from the destroyer’s more sensitive instruments.  For now, Tranis had nothing to do.  He simply looked at his console to see Lidon’s impeccable piloting skills slip them with astounding ease through the Tragooms’ tight security grid.

Tranis let relief wash through him as they left behind the grid.  They still had hours of travel ahead and little to fill it with inside the cramped fighter.  He turned his head to regard Lidon, sitting next to him facing the opposite direction.

“So.  Degorsk.”

Lidon engaged the auto pilot function to take them to the Phescxo colony before meeting Tranis’ gaze.  “What of him?”

“After all he’s been through, he’s finally considering clanning again.  For an Imdiko, that wouldn’t be so hard considering how few of them there are compared to our breeds.  But the Dramoks your age usually have a Nobek already.”

Lidon nodded slowly, his steady stare never leaving Tranis’ face.  “The odds of clanning as a pair are against us, if we concentrated on finding a Dramok nearer our age and rank.”

“Not to mention Degorsk’s constant teasing can be a little hard for some men to take.  And you know I don’t mean insult when I say that.  I like Degorsk.”

The Nobek wasn’t offended.  “His humor is a defense mechanism he developed to keep anyone from getting too close.  He’s been afraid of committing to anyone since losing the men he was set to clan with.”

“I figured that out.  It’s a waste because when you get past the bad jokes, he’s an Imdiko well worth having.”

Lidon smiled.  “Yes, he absolutely is.  If no Dramok will have us both, then I will still be content with him alone.”

Tranis thought for a few moments, aware he was about to tread on dangerous ground.  “May I ask a very personal question?”

Lidon raised an eyebrow.  “Have you asked anything else?”

Tranis laughed at that.  “You’ve been most patient with my curiosity.  This one might get me punched, however.  In such close quarters, I can’t avoid being pummeled.”

Both eyebrows were up now.  “Well, now you have me curious.  Ask whatever, Tranis.  If I’m offended, I’ll wait until you have room to run before I come after you.”

Tranis scowled.  “I never said I’d run.  Maneuvering room to fight back is all I ask.”

Lidon grinned.  “Done.  Ask your question.”

“Are you in love with Degorsk?”

Lidon eyed him sharply.  Nobeks as a rule were not in the habit of proclaiming love for anyone but their mothers, young children, and Mataras.  It was acceptable to laud females with both words and deeds.  But among the warrior breed, speaking of softer emotions to other men was often seen as a weakness.  A Nobek who uttered such words to his chosen Dramok or Imdiko was thought to be insulting them.  It was an admission that he was incapable of protecting his clanmates.

After a couple of beats during which Tranis wondered if his companion would punch him after all, Lidon shrugged and turned to his console.  “Yes, and if you tell anyone I said so, I’ll hurt you to the point you’d wish you were dead.  I will not have Degorsk knowing I committed the affront of speaking of it.”

“No need.  You have demonstrated your devotion quite well.  I just had to know for sure.”

Lidon’s eyes were on him again.  “Why?”

It was Tranis’ turn to look away.  “Because it’s obvious that Degorsk loves you just as much.  He needs you to return alive.”

“As I told him, there are no guarantees of that.”

“I know.  But you can do your best to be careful.  You have your duty to the Empire, but you also have a duty to him.  I want you to keep in mind how devastated he’ll be if anything happens to you.  Especially if you get killed unnecessarily.”

After a few moments of silence, Lidon said in a quiet voice, “He has suffered enough.  I would not be the cause of more pain to Degorsk.  Since he cares for you as well, you would be well advised to use as much caution as possible too.”

They flew for awhile without speaking after that.  Tranis felt better having elicited Lidon’s protective instincts for Degorsk.  It meant the Nobek would perhaps not endanger himself more than was absolutely necessary.

Lidon spoke after some time.  “Now I’m concerned you have heard my admission.  Perhaps I need to keep you close from now on to make sure you never speak of it.”

Tranis looked over to see the weapons commander’s steady gaze on him once more.  The hint of a mocking smile played around the Nobek’s lips.

He warmed as he realized what Lidon was saying.  Would he really set aside their age difference and consider Tranis as his Dramok?  And what would that mean for Tranis’ ambitions?  After all, he’d not planned to clan anyone until he’d attained the rank of captain.  But for the chance to clan men like Lidon and Degorsk, Tranis would be as foolish as Piras to postpone such an opportunity.  Neither of them would be an impediment to his career.

Tranis lifted his chin in challenge.  “Keeping me near enough to watch might be a good idea, seeing as I’m so young and foolish.”

Lidon never dropped his gaze for an instant.  “I don’t think there is anything foolish about you, Tranis.  Youth has not impeded you gaining maturity in most respects.  Degorsk feels the same way.”

The Nobek went back to studying his instrumentation and readouts, letting Tranis have time to chew on that.  The knowledge that Lidon and Degorsk had already discussed the possibility of being his clan, that they would seriously consider an offer to do so, had Tranis’ heart thudding fast.

They want me to ask.  They want to clan with me.

Tranis’ mind whirled with the possibilities.  A lifetime with Lidon and Degorsk.  It was definitely something to think hard about.

They flew for several hours.  In that time, the two men took turns napping and eating.  With no idea of what lay before them, they concentrated on being as well rested as possible.

At last Lidon leaned forward in his seat.  “Space just above the colony coming into scan range.  Let’s see what we have.”

Tranis brought up his own readout.  The vid flickered over his console.  He gasped just as Lidon hissed.

Tranis swore.  “I know Pilot Georgehuberts said it was over two hundred ships, but I thought he had to be exaggerating.  Tragooms just don’t work well enough with each other to do this!”

Lidon spoke in more of a growl than a voice.  “Fuck me.  This is a full-scale invasion force.  They’ve got fifteen of those Earther battlecruisers, fully intact.  About 80 vessels made up chiefly of our own destroyer class warships.  Plus Bi’isil, Yeknas, and Nasin warships.  Over four hundred vessels, no doubt armed to the teeth.”

Tranis wanted to pound something.  “A concentrated effort to get at the Empire and her resources.  Reverse course just enough so we can send a message to Piras without being detected.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Lidon piloted them out of sensor range, and Tranis transmitted their findings back to the destroyer over a scrambled frequency.

Tranis next tapped into his console.  “All right.  I’m inputting the codes the Earthers gave us to get into the colony’s outer contained area.  Take us into the atmosphere and  fly as low to the ground as you can.”

“Mapping flight plan.  Activating.”

The fighter arrowed for the colony moon, approaching from the opposite side of Phescxo to avoid detection.  An hour later, they entered the atmosphere.  The surface was mountainous and Lidon kept their flight low.  The men hoped the rugged topography would help mask their presence from the Tragooms.

As he navigated between the jutting peaks, Lidon said, “Command will scramble the main fleet for this.”

Tranis asked, “It will take five days for the first defenders to get here.  How long before we have a comparable force to match the Tragooms?”

Lidon grimaced.  “Probably never, at least not at the border.”

The Dramok’s heart dropped.  “Really?”

“Most of our forces are near the Bi’isil end of the Empire.  That’s four months away.  They’ll probably go straight to Kalquor itself to mount a defense rather than come here.  Georgehuberts said the Earthers don’t have anything battle-worthy closer than three months away.”

“So the answer to my question is, we’ll have about one hundred ships in five days and that’s going to be it.”

Lidon nodded.  “Two hundred more that might be mobilized on this side of the Empire to stop the invasion halfway to Kalquor … if Fleet Command sends them.”

Tranis’ mouth tightened.  “Is that standard strategy for defense?”

“In a situation like this with our forces scattered the way they are, the home planet itself becomes the primary concern.  The first defenders will engage here to slow down the Tragooms so Kalquor’s defense can be solidified.  They’ll send orders to the colonies between here and Kalquor to evacuate.  No second wave will come to defend the border.”

Tranis took a deep breath.  “The home planet won’t fall, but unless we find a way to stop them here, we’re going to lose a lot of ships.”

“And men.”

Tranis thought of Degorsk.  The knowledge that the Imdiko was on a destroyer where he had a good chance of being killed made his chest painfully tight.  He felt sick and angry all at once.

Damn it.  Lidon’s not the only one in love with that man. We’ve got to find a way to stop this invasion
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Chapter 13

They were finally half a mile from the colony.  It was still out of sight when Lidon set the fighter down in a valley between two hills.  The larger mountains were behind them now, but the terrain was still rolling and difficult.

Lidon checked his instruments.  “Gravity within our norms.  Hostile environment.  No oxygen, some acids in the atmosphere.  Temperature is well past the boiling point.”

“What a lovely planet to stick a farming colony on.”

Lidon grinned at him, no doubt more thrilled with the challenge of adversity than put off by it.  “Joshadans can make anything work to their advantage.”

“And with little technology.  They are an amazing species,” Tranis agreed.  “Enabling static survival interior.”

He punched in the command and the interior of the fighter began to shift.  The consoles shrank away, moving out of arm’s reach for the men.  Their seats sank down to foot level then lower still until they could stand upright within the cabin.  The high backrests also shifted and joined with the seats, giving each man a small surface to sleep on.  Tranis tapped a wall and a shelf slid out with two spacesuits and helmets.  They slipped into the suits and charged them with air pressure.  Then they filled the air chambers in the suits and helmets.

Ten minutes after setting down, Tranis and Lidon opened the ship’s canopy and stepped out onto Phescxo’s hostile surface.

Tranis made sure his suit com was switched on.  “The contained area is half a mile to the northwest.”

Lidon eyed the baleful glow of the setting gas giant the little moon orbited.  “We’ll get there as it starts to become dark.  That will help with cover.”

“Let’s move.”

The pair headed towards the colony.  The stark, rocky landscape was colored a hectic rust, probably because of the swirling brownish-red aspect of the planet it roamed around.  The dusty surface of the moon drifted like smoky vapor with every step they took.  Tranis was more impressed than ever with those who had made a colony on this inhospitable moon.

Despite his suit’s cooling system, Tranis was sweating freely.  He had no doubt that even if the air hadn’t been pure poison to breathe, the heat would have cooked his unprotected body within minutes.  The going was arduous too.  Rocks rolled underfoot and the landscape undulated like a rolling sea.