Prime Obsession(52)

“As you can tell by Gold’s duties, the Alliance takes our future existence as crucial to the defense of the Milky Way from the hostiles in the Andromeda border-space.” Wulf paused, his gaze swept the room. “The Alliance and the Prime Council also understood that Prime soldiers are needed to patrol Prime territory. No native population wants foreign soldiers camped out in their territory, telling them what to do. Any Alliance region that wishes to maintain a local military presence may do so under the treaties signed upon joining the Alliance.”

Mel picked up the thread of Wulf’s thoughts. “Over time, other Prime military units could be merged into one of the battle squadrons besides Gold if the Prime Council and Military feel that it would benefit them. Any Prime soldier who wishes can ask to be transferred to any Alliance military unit anywhere in the Milky Way.”

“For now, Gold will be the test case of the new pact. So do us proud,” Wulf said as he stood up. “You are dismissed.”

Wulf pulled Mel into his side. “Shall we follow the troops to the bar? Or retreat to our quarters for some private time?” His hand stroked down her back and settled just above the curve of her butt. “It’s your call, lubha,” he whispered in a low husky voice against her ear.

Mel shivered. Wulf’s thoughts were positively decadent.

But she shook her head. “Huw and Iolyn need to talk to us. Let’s head to the officer’s lounge and let them vent.”

“Damn, my brothers’ timing is awful.” Wulf snarled as he glared at the two culprits, still leaning against the outer wall of the room, obviously waiting for her and Wulf to join them.

“Just wait until they find a mate, I’ll be sure to bother them when they want to be alone with their women.”

“Hey, we need to eat sometime,” she purred. “A big man like you has to keep up his strength.”

“I see the logic,” Wulf replied, sliding his hand down over her rear, cupping it firmly as he nudged her toward the exit. “Later we will take care of this.” He patted her rear.

“Later,” she said. “Count on it.”

*

Wulf eyed his brothers as he and Melina approached them.

Brushing a kiss across the top of her head, he grunted. “You are correct—as always.

They are concerned. I’ve sadly neglected to allay my brothers’ fears about their place in our new crew.”

“Exactly,” murmured Melina.

“Huw. Iolyn.” Wulf greeted his brothers, his arm around Melina’s waist. “Would you like to join Melina and me for a drink and some dinner in the Officer’s Lounge?”

“That was what we were going to suggest,” Huw said as his eyes narrowed. “Are you reading us?”

“Yes,” Wulf said. “Melina and I are becoming more adept at picking out emotional purpose. It’s not quite reading minds, but if we know the persons well enough we can usually figure out what the issues are.”

Huw started at that information, eyeing them with askance. Wulf wondered what was wrong with his younger brother. He was awfully jumpy. Huw had always been the most placid of the three of them, but right now he was a roiling cauldron ready to explode.

“Huw—” Wulf began to ask his brother what bothered him when Melina’s sharp elbow jabbed him in the ribs.

 “Not now, Wulf.”

“—lead the way,” he finished saying.

 “What’s wrong with Huw?”

 “Nadia is wrong. I think. Well, maybe. Just don’t ask. Let him tell us when he is ready.”

The four of them followed the last of the exchange partners out of the room. Taking the lift to the top of the space dock’s central core, they followed some of the officers from the meeting into the officers’ lounge. The enlisted crew had their own lounge/recreation area two decks below the officer’s.

As with all Prime military facilities, the room was designed for efficiency, functionality, and ease of keeping it clean. The metal walls were silver-gray, the floors carpeted in a dark gray synthetic. The only color in the room came from the red-wood bar and the bottles of colorful liquors and wines behind it.

Unlike most Prime military facilities, some small effort had been made to create a comfortable space for officers to unwind and socialize when off-duty. To that end, pleasant music played in the background, the lighting was subdued, and comfortable black leather-upholstered booths lined the perimeter of the large room providing an illusion of privacy.

The four took a booth near the bar. The android bartender immediately zoomed over to take drink orders.

Iolyn, Melina, and Wulf gave the server their orders. Huw looked past the droid, glaring at something on the other side of the room.

Wulf followed his brother’s icy yellow gaze. “Give the droid your drink order, Huw.

And stop staring holes into Ard and Commander Petrovich.”

“Valerian whiskey. Make it a double. Neat.” Huw turned toward Wulf. “Does that icy bitch have to be on the Galanti?”

Wulf turned his head toward his gemate. “Lubha, would you like to answer our brother?”

“Gladly.” Melina turned toward Huw. “Yes.”

Iolyn laughed as Huw muttered “ansu bhau” under his breath. “Guess you’ll have to learn to keep it all business around Nadia.”

“Shut up, Iolyn. And since when do you call her Nadia?” Huw huffed.

“Since she asked me to,” his brother replied.

“Dammit, she told me to address her as Commander Petrovich,” Huw almost whined.

“Was that before or after you tried to interfere in her conversation with Ard?” Melina asked.

“After,” mumbled Huw. “I was just trying to mediate. Ard was treating her like shit.”

“Nadia is more than capable of handling any man on the Galanti, ” Melina assured him. “Try treating her as an equal.”

The look of horror on Huw’s face caused Wulf to roar with laughter. Once he gained control, he said, “Seems I recall you telling me to treat Melina as an equal a time or two.

You need to practice what you preach, brother.”

“Shut up, brother.” Huw growled. “No one likes a know-it-all.” Iolyn and Melina laughed at Wulf’s angry scowl and Huw’s petulant frown.

“Okay, boys,” Melina said. “We’re here to explain that both of your roles will not change on the Galanti. Huw, you will still be chief engineer, and Iolyn, you will still be the chief IT engineer. Wulf and I feel better knowing you will have our backs.” Wulf added, “Eventually, you will both captain your own ships—if you wish. You are on the same promotion track in the Alliance Military as you would have been in the Prime.”

“Can we choose to remain in the Cejuru System in the Prime Military, if we wish?” Iolyn asked.

“Of course, Iolyn,” Melina replied. “We would love for you to stay in the Gold Squadron, but the choice will be yours when the time comes.” The two brothers’ tension levels lowered immeasurably after Wulf and Melina’s pronouncement. Although, Wulf noted, Huw still sent dagger-like glares toward the booth that Ard and Nadia shared with Captain Nowicki and Commander A’Tem, the chief engineer on the Leonidas.

After their drinks were served, Wulf’s table ordered their meals.

With a companionable silence settling over the table as they enjoyed their pre-dinner drinks, Wulf hated to broach the topic that concerned him the most. It was the two-ton elephant at the table and could not be ignored.

“We need to root out the leaders of the rebels and put an end to their attempts to kill us and sabotage the pact with the Alliance,” Wulf said. “Melina and I want to go on the offense.”

“And we need to do it soon,” Melina added. “Too much time has been invested in negotiating the agreement between the Prime and the Alliance to allow some malcontents to destroy it”

“Why soon?” Huw asked.

“Calls have been made to Galactic Alliance genetic research labs to send some of their scientists to Cejuru Prime to work alongside Prime researchers. The goal is to determine why the Prime women who are left can no longer carry babies to term,” Melina said.

“That’s important research,” Iolyn agreed. “But the fanatics have concentrated their attacks on us, not the research into the infertility of our women. The purists have just as much to gain by that research as anybody. I don’t see them disrupting it.”

“If that was all the research entailed, you would be correct,” Wulf said. “But the research goes beyond Prime women’s infertility and inability to carry to term. The teams will also be looking at the genetic drift issues among the humanoid species.”

“Meaning?” Huw asked, his gaze drifting toward Nadia across the room.

Melina was correct. His brother was attracted to the Terran Nadia. But there was a lot of conflict and confusion in his brother’s emotions concerning that attraction.

 “Let him bring the topic to you, Wulf. Huw is torn about this lust he has for Nadia.”

 “I hate to see him so upset.”

 “We’ll keep an eye on the situation. Don’t worry. My gut tells me she is attracted to him also. She is glancing over here as much as he is over there.” Wulf sought out the table with Nadia. Melina was correct. The attractive blonde’s gaze returned again and again to their table. He smiled. His gemate read people far better than he ever had—and he was doing better since he bonded with her.