Chapter 6
Filling Shoes

Stepping onto the bridge again, Vathion's gaze flicked across his first-shift crew. Li'Codas looked at him briefly, then paled, quickly looking away. Ma’Gatas, who stood with his arms folded near Vathion's seat said, “I still object to this, Cinnamon wasn’t finished with repairs.”

Vathion said, “The damage does not endanger the crew. Besides, fixing hull armoring doesn’t fix the underlying problems in the Cinnamon’s hull structure.” Of course, that was a topic he could write a twenty-page dissertation on: Why the Natan Fleet needed to have ships retired and new ones put in their place. In fact, Vathion had written such a document, but it was on the hard drive he had brought with him and probably not of much interest to anyone.

‘Jathas helped me write that too...’

He quickly pushed that thought aside. Vathion missed Jathas as much as he missed his mother, and the time when his biggest worry was getting his hacking project done for Hell-Razor without his high school computer programming teacher knowing what he was doing. The really terrible part of it all was that he kept thinking of things to tell Jathas or Mirith.

#Sorry,# Paymeh said, #Couldn’t wait.#

#Shut up.# Giving a shake of his head and closing his connections again, Vathion addressed the bridge. “Anyways, I’m taking a pocket com and escort and going out. Crew not on duty can have station leave.”

He looked at each of them, easily reading their uncertainty, as if they were holding signs. He also had a nagging suspicion that they could tell he wasn’t an adult yet. After all, they were quite intimate with Natan’s scent.

‘It’s just like acting class. I’m playing the Hero,’ he told himself, meeting their eyes. It was then that he realized his acting classes were helpful. A year ago, he would have been wetting himself. Forcing a straight face, Vathion turned and left the bridge before Ma’Gatas could think of something else to object about... or before the silence got awkward.

It was odd. Ma’Gatas had always been a bit of a prick in the show, but he did not always question what Natan did or said. ‘Probably because he knows I’m just a kid. I mean, he saw my mom, he would have to know that if she’s still alive after being so long separated from her Mate, then I can’t be that old.’

Heading down the hall on his own, and mostly lost in thought, Vathion reached the lift and paused, “Kiti, call Se’Zandre and... uh. Whoever else.”

“Already have, sir,” Kiti said.

Blinking at that, Vathion stepped into the lift as the doors opened. ‘Initiative. Sure, I did some modifications on the house AI, and he did a few extra things around the house unasked for, but... odd.’

He rode the lift down to the airlock, where he met his guards. Se’Zandre, Vathion recognized, but the other man, he had no clue. “You are?” he asked. The man had dark blue hair and eyes, a square face and wide flat nose, a pattern that was echoed across the rest of his body.

“Se’Logos,” the man said with a salute. He and Zandre were of similar height and weight, which was reassuring. Hopefully no one would get past them.

Zandre, on the other hand, was a broad-shouldered man with silver streaked maroon hair tied back in a tail at the back of his neck. His face was built on rounded angles with a strong slanted nose jutting out over a pair of full lips. His eyes were icy blue and Bondstone was bright green.

Taking a breath and setting his shoulders, Vathion started for the lock, only to be stopped by Zandre’s outstretched arm, barring his way. “Ha’Vathion,” he said, “You didn’t eat yesterday, did you?”

Pausing as he thought about it, Vathion realized that no, he had not. ‘Probably been hungry so long that I forgot.’ Now that he was reminded, though, his stomach sent a shot of pain into his spine.

“And you haven’t had anything to eat yet today, have you?” Zandre asked.

“You are not my mommy,” Vathion said sourly, then shot a glare at Logos as the man coughed suspiciously behind his hand.

Zandre shook his head, “Natan forgot to eat a lot too, when things got hectic,” he said as explanation. Vathion's irritation simmered ad he forcefully swallowed it down. Lowering his arm, Zandre turned to take the lead out into Baelton’s docks. Logos stepped out after, and Vathion paused briefly to tell his stomach to leave him alone before fixing a smile on his lips. ‘Playing the Hero, as dad called it.’

Immediately, he squinted as cameras flashed and put on a smile at the vidrecorders that floated all around. “Ha’Natan!” reporters shouted, “I heard a rumor that you’d mated, gone on your honeymoon and left your son in charge of the Fleet! Is it true that you’ve got a mate and son?” he heard a shout over the other voices. “How did you keep them secret?”

His eyes scanning the crowd, Vathion found only six reporters. The rest of the crowd was made of adoring fans of Ha’Natan. He brushed invisible dust from his uniform. Se’Zandre and Se’Logos stepped up beside him, looking tall, dark, and dangerous.

“Is it true that you were wounded and are planning to leave the Fleet to your fourth cousin?” asked another reporter, the microphones waving at Vathion. Prickly must have been pretty busy in the last hour.

The third reporter was shouting, “I heard that you’d stolen a fighter ship and were planning to go back to Victory Station and live there as a hermit! How did that get started?”

“Someone told me that you took a religious vow and were planning to go to Datanna and live there as a celibate priest for the rest of your life!” There were shrieks and hisses of displeasure from the fans behind the reporters.

“I heard that you ran around the Xarian in the nude cursing the Emperor! What about that?” the fifth asked.

Number six was the loudest of them all, “I heard that Ha’Natan had died! Obviously not true, but how did that rumor get started?” And there was his first hint that someone already knew the truth.

Smiling, Vathion stepped down the plank and the reporters withdrew to a polite distance, though that was more because of the menacing postures Logos and Zandre had taken to his right and left. Lifting a hand for silence, he was shocked when he got it, people holding their breaths. It was eerie... Raising his voice so everyone could hear, he said, “I’m not sure where you heard those odd stories, but I’m afraid they’re all quite wrong. I am Ha’Vathion, Ha’Natan’s son. My father decided that I was old enough to take over the Fleet and has gone to properly Bond with my mother. He said he was taking her on a trip too. So that’s all I can really tell you, other than that I am in charge of the Fleet.”

Vathion smiled that charming smile again, and it felt plastic on his lips even as he continued, “But never fear,” abruptly, he turned and leapt atop a nearby box that was painted black and red - something that had likely been set up by fans when word got out which dock the Xarian would be at. Grinning, he swept out his command baton while his escort took places on either side of the box. On cue, they clicked their heels with a sharp salute as he shouted dramatically, “The command may have changed, but the goal remains the same! For the Empire, the Natan Fleet continues to fight!”

He remained where he was for a second longer to let them take their pictures, then grinned at a couple of cute girls who had made their way to the front. 'Guess this posing crap is like clockwork to Zandre and Logos,' he thought, musing on how perfectly timed it had all been. 'Or maybe I've practiced being Natan too much.' It was one of Ha'Natan's Things to spout Pro-Empire rhetoric from atop the nearest tall object. Risky in terms of safety, but it was something that had made Natan popular. The girls swooned with happy squeals. They were older than he by some years, but still fairly good looking. 'Won't be long before they start asking questions about how old I am and how Natan dodged biology like that.'

His stomach gurgled at that thought, and the following one that people were going to be fairly pissed when it got out that he was sixteen - and had not only lied about his age but about Natan's state of health.

In the meantime, he was going to have to talk fast to explain where he had come from.

Hopping off the box, Vathion landed on the decking and sheathed his baton in the loop on his belt, “So, does that answer your questions?”

“So none of those rumors are true? Then why did Ha’Natan leave so suddenly? Is that why the Fleet has been hanging around Baelton for so long?”

“Who’s your mother?” one reporter asked.

Another pushed her microphone forward, “How old are you? What are your stats?”

Coughing behind his hand with embarrassment, Vathion said, “I’d rather not drag my mother into the lime-light just now, she’s rather shy, so if you don’t mind, I won’t be answering questions about her. Just know that she and my father are quite deeply in love, having conducted their relationship over long distance for over twenty years. As for how that works... It’s Natan. Rules just don't apply.” He shrugged as if that explained everything, “I’m sure my father will release whatever he would like to share with you himself. Those rumors are nothing more than active imaginations. There’re some silly people out there who just love making up stuff.” He smiled desperately again, making an effort to keep his mask on even as he thanked Aola for teaching him how to creatively tell the truth. “As for my stats, I’m a Six, Silver, Cinnamon Rolls, and Cider.”

“Will you be expanding the fleet?”

Nodding to that last question, Vathion said, “More than likely. I have a fair amount of funds of my own, as well as my father’s talent for designing ships, so perhaps in the near future, I might put a call out for experienced crew and pilots.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

“Where are you going next?”

“When are you leaving?”

Vathion shook his head, “Sorry, but I don’t exactly have time for a steady girlfriend,” he shrugged slightly, “As for where I’m going? I think out to lunch.” The reporters stared at him then laughed as they got it.

“I meant where will you be taking the Fleet next?”

Again, Vathion nodded, flashing a smile at the girls when he realized that he was starting to get a bit too stern-faced. “Ah, haven’t decided where we’ll be going next,” he shrugged, “But when we move out, you’ll probably know.”

The girls shrieked and squealed as he sandbagged them with charisma. #You’re going to get a big head if you stick around these people any longer. You’ve already answered more questions than Natan ever did. It’s time to strut off and get some lunch. There’s a good fish-bar on the third level,# Paymeh told him.

#Shut up, stupid lizard,# Vathion snarled back at the Hyphokos. Unfortunately, he did have a point, and with a smile, he stepped closer to the reporter that was directly in front of him. Lifting a finger, he touched her lips lightly while smiling mysteriously, and slid past as she stood there blushing to her ears.

Off through the crowd he went, the other reporters howling questions, which he ignored, his escort breaking a path for the admiral and guarding his back as he went. “Shall we go to the fish-bar on level three?” he asked them once they were free of the fans. People trailed behind, of course, but they hung back some distance, knowing better than to provoke Vathion’s guards.

“How’d you know about that?” the man on the left asked, Se’Zandre.

“Paymeh suggested it,” Vathion admitted.

Zandre shook his head slightly with a sigh, “You’re really giving the crew Déjà Voodoo, Ha’Vathion,” he said bluntly.

Giving a slightly sad smile, Vathion said, “I don’t mean to.” He picked his chin up again and set his shoulders, remembering belatedly to walk as if he had confidence and ego to spare - it was difficult. “Can’t help it though. So tell me the truth, what’s everyone saying below decks?”

Logos and Zandre were in their early fifties, but had been close friends with Natan over the years, having served with him in Ha’Huran’s ship, and their candor with Vathion spoke well for their willingness to accept him as the new admiral.

Logos said, “They’re upset that Natan has apparently abandoned us, but bridge crew accepts the cover-up. It does no good to anyone for us to blab. How did those reporters know anything?”

Briefly, Vathion flashed a grin, “I had Kiti call them up from a blanked number and tell them some stupid stuff I came up with. If no one else says anything about the truth, then when whoever did it tries to tell it, the waters’ll be so muddy no one will know what’s real and what’s not. So long as I keep the Fleet on course and killing Rebels then everyone’ll remain calm.” He sighed softly and lifted a hand to wipe his forehead as they got to the lift. Vathion was forced to wait a moment at the doors as the crowd that had been delivered to the Docks section got out, eyes wide as they recognized the uniforms and that tall thin figure with dark violet hair. Vathion cast them a polite smile and slight nod, then stepped in with Logos and Zandre hulking beside him. They had the lift to themselves.

Logos nodded. “Sounds like something your dad would come up with,” he observed.

“I’d like to go make a personal report to the emperor, though. He needs to know the truth,” Vathion added, pursing his lips as he got lost in thought.

His escort silently nodded in agreement and the lift doors opened again on third level. Zandre stepped out, Vathion following and Logos taking the rearguard. Looking back once, Zandre led the way to the fish-bar, and over to a seat in the back corner. The grill was dimly lit, with a specialty of Baelton seafood, prepared Serfocile style, which meant that much of it was raw. There were even some alien dishes called Sushi, which Vathion had tried a few times but simply could not quite get into.

“So, what’s good here?” Vathion asked as he took a seat, tucking one foot under him as he did so.

“Natan always had the Tapae platter and water,” Logos supplied helpfully.

Chuckling, Zandre smiled, albeit sadly. “I still can’t believe he’s gone...”

Straightening, Vathion put on a smile and slapped his palms on the table top, “Come on,” he said, “lighten up you two. Dad would be disappointed if you let this get you down. Besides, I’m supposed to be the one who always looks like his pet got kicked.” This got a startled laugh from his guards. Quickly, he shoved aside the pang of depression as he was reminded of Jathas.

The waitress appeared then, eyes bright and smiling as she looked over the men at the table, “Hi, I’m Liiza,” she said, “can I take your orders?” her question seemed to imply that if they wanted a side dish of Liiza that would be on the house.

“Tapae platter and water for him, Sushi surprise for me with green tea, and the barbeque with a ginger ale for him,” Zandre ordered.

She pouted and wrote down the orders and turned, sashaying off. Vathion leaned over slightly to catch a better look at her long legs from beneath the short frilly skirt she wore. Zandre laughed again and Vathion flushed lightly as he straightened.

“Gonna start ‘Tasting the Delicacies of the Universe’ like your old man, eh?” the maroon-haired man teased.

Brushing nonexistent lint off his coat, Vathion pretended mature innocence, though it was more like prepubescent disinterest and embarrassment over being caught in one of his brief moments of curiosity, “No clue what you’re talking about,” he muttered defensively.

“Ah, before about sixteen years ago, Natan had a hand up any skirt that passed his way,” Logos reminisced. Of course, this was also well known information. Natan had at least three official girlfriends on every station and a one-night-stand or two to spare.

Zandre added to the thought, sounding slightly mischievous, “Then it was like he all of a sudden lost interest.” He eyed Vathion speculatively.

Alarms rang in Vathion’s mind and he smiled, “Mom probably bit his head off about it,” he deflected smoothly. “He didn’t bond to her fully. Anyway, my whole day is free unless there’s an emergency. I want a grand tour of this place. It’s my first time here, after all.”

Once more, Logos and Zandre laughed, “Sure, boss,” Zandre agreed, a smirk lurking at the corners of his lips. “We’ll take you to all the sights.”

* * *

Stepping into his quarters, Vathion took a deep breath and let it out. Still his room smelled like Natan, but either it wasn't so bad now, or he was getting used to it. He headed over to the couch and dropped into a seat in front of the pile of random things he'd purchased on his tour through Baelton. He sighed. "Why did I buy all this stuff?" Reaching out, he picked up a wood carving one of the Serfocile at the embassy had given him. The holy symbol was unique to say the least, but hardly master craftsmanship. However, refusing it or throwing it away would have been incredibly impolite. The best he could do with it would be to put it in a visible place. "Kiti, put this in my office."

Three Daisybots scurried across the room from a dispenser in the wall, took the carving, and trundled off towards his office door. Shaking his head, he sat back on the couch, staring at the rest of the pile. He picked up a video game that he would likely never have the time to play.

‘Maybe I can donate it. Auction it off for charity after I sign it or something. That would look good for the public.’

A smirk ticked at his lips, but faded quickly as he set the game down.

'I should call Mirith or something... brag to her about what I did today.' He rubbed his face with his hands and slid sideways on the couch, too tired to get up, too depressed by Jathas's absence to want to reach out to anyone else. Jathas would have enjoyed this. Jathas would have teased him relentlessly about having actually enjoyed careening about the station like a drunk pop-star. Thankfully, Paymeh had nothing to say, and Vathion hoped it would stay that way.

He rolled onto his back on the couch, propping his feet up on the other arm rest. 'Least I got a lot done today.' And no one was going to mistake him for his father again. Not after the scene he had made in the recreation area. He flushed slightly in embarrassment at how he had totally gushed at meeting Panden, the star player of the Baelton Gravi-ball team.

Thinking about it, Vathion pulled the piece of paper from his pocket. "Kiti - frame this and put it in my office." He handed the autograph to the Daisybot that appeared from beneath the couch.

"Of course, Stud Muffin!"

Reaching out, Vathion picked up one of the books he'd bought, then dropped it to the table with another sigh, reflecting on the conversation he'd had with the Stationmaster; running the poor man in circles as he hinted at things and pretended innocence about others. 'I feel a bit sorry for him.'

Adjusting the pillow beneath his head, he relaxed and stared at the ceiling. He really should not have been sitting down - at least not here. He had other things he had to do - such as review the autopsy report again, find the surveillance files of cargo bay four, and go over the things he had learned today - maybe taking notes while he was at it.

Paymeh disengaged and dropped to the floor. Turning, he looked up at Vathion. “You did very well today.” The Hyphokos sat back on his tail, three-fingered hands lacing together, backwards facing thumbs tapping lightly. “Natan is proud.”

“Piss off,” Vathion said. “Natan’s dead.” The last of his good mood burned away. “I don’t like you, go away.”

The hyphokos’s ears flipped downwards, “I have other things to do. You stay here. Stay out of trouble.”

Sitting up, Vathion threw a pillow at the lizard. Paymeh dodged in a quick side-step then slithered out the door. Flopping back down on the couch, Vathion sighed, only to find his eyes sliding suspiciously towards the door. What kind of other things did Paymeh have to do? Heaving himself to his feet, Vathion pulled his shoes back on and stalked out after the Hyphokos. He was just in time to see Paymeh’s tail disappearing around the bend in the hall.

Scowling, Vathion hurried after, long legs bringing him around the curve as Paymeh’s tail disappeared into the conference room. Pausing near the door, Vathion pulled wrinkles out of his coat and shirt then stepped in with a smile. “Oh, good of you all to gather,” he stated as he entered to find Ma’Gatas and the other first shift bridge crew, including I’Savon standing around the table, in the process of finding seats. They looked at him in shock, Gatas glanced at Paymeh accusingly. The Hyphokos shrugged.

Vathion strode confidently to the head of the table, walking past his officers and took a seat. “How good of you all to gather. I’ve been meaning to speak with you.” Leaning back in the chair, he put a foot on the table and studied his nails. “I’ve done a lot of work today.”

Reluctantly, Ma’Gatas took a seat to Vathion’s right, Paymeh took the chair on the left. The others found seats around the table as they liked.

“As far as I saw, Ha’Vathion, you played around all day,” Ma’Gatas pointed out boldly.

Smirking, Vathion lifted his eyes. “Exactly what I wanted it to look like,” he stated, “You weren’t listening to the talk, were you?”

Gatas looked confused.

Ca’Bibbole spoke up then, ears flipping as he hesitantly, “You mean, those rumors about Ha’Natan running off to join the circus, or going to be a priest, or returning to Victory Station...?

Nodding, Vathion said, “Those were all things I sent out to the media.” He put his feet on the floor and sat forward.

I’Savon’s eyes lit up, she was the first to understand, “Meaning that if anyone even breathed that Natan was dead, it would be discredited as one of those silly rumors.” He neglected to inform her that he had already come across hints that someone already knew Natan was dead. She put her face in her hands, “I have to admit, you’ve got more brains than I’d first suspected.”

Vathion stared at her, mouth open for a moment, “Thanks,” he said sarcastically. “It tends to run in the family, you know.” Rolling his eyes, Vathion sat back in his chair and continued, “So, in short, I ran around and made myself visible, blew off rumors and told everyone that Dad had just ran off to go do something silly with my Mom, and essentially reassured everyone that it would be business as usual with the Fleet. So, Gatas, do you still think I just played around today?”

The older man scowled. Vathion got the feeling Gatas had been the one to call the secret meeting he had walked in on. Though, how Paymeh had known about it...

Ignoring Gatas's silence, Vathion continued, “I’ve read over the damage reports from the Fleet’s last battle and decided that it’s superficial enough that we can handle the remainder of the repairs ourselves. We’ll be heading out towards Kimidas Station in the morning, by way of the Toudon trade route, I’ve got some things I want to look into over there.”

Ma’Gatas slapped the table, “Absolutely not! If you knew anything, then you’d know that station was taken two weeks ago by the Rebels. We’d get shot up in a second!”

Vathion paused and glanced around. “The West Wind defected in that battle, correct?”

“That scum, Ha’Rio!” Li’Codas thumped his fist on the table, “He’d been leaning towards their side for some time now. If he hadn’t turned, Kimidas would still be ours!”

Lifting a finger, Vathion shook it, “Not so fast,” he stated. “I never said we were going into Kimidas anyway, just to it. I want to take a look around. You guys ever heard of Shell?"

They nodded.

Erekdra said, "Everyone knows Kimidas is a Carken Harbor for it."

"And Baelton’s got its fingers in on the deals too," Vathion said.

His officers stared at him.

“Baelton? A Harbor for Shell?” I’Savon asked, confused. “Serfocile would never put up with that.”

Shell was a stimulant drug assumed to be of Carken origin. The Carken claimed that they had got it from someone else. While it made the Carken hostile and gave them faster reflexes, it was a depressant for Gilon that made them docile and happy. It was the drug of choice for those in high-stress jobs, and highly addictive. Thinking on it, Vathion realized that the word was from the Terran language, which made him wonder about what other alliances the Carken had that they had not told the Gilon about.

Again, Vathion smiled, “If they knew about it, but Stationmaster’s keeping it as quiet as he can.”

“If he is, then how’d you find out,” Ma’Gatas asked sourly.

Smile turning to a grin and lifting a single finger to wag, Vathion said, “That’s a secret!” He turned back to the rest of his officers, “So, in the morning we’re gonna jump to Toudon.”

“No!” Gatas snapped, “I’ve told you already that it’s a bad idea to go to Kimidas! And to take us through Toudon to get there is asking for trouble! We haven't got the supplies for it!”

Paymeh spoke up, scowling, “If he wants to go, then we’re going!”

Lifting a hand, Gatas waved his finger at the Hyphokos, “You - I can’t believe you’re actually taking this... this kid’s side! He doesn’t know anything and you’re supporting him!” Turning towards the other officers, Ma’Gatas spread his hands, “You all know that it’s sure death for us to go that direction!”

Standing on the table, Paymeh leaned forward, tail standing straight upwards as he addressed Gatas, “And you’re a pigheaded old man! Too stuck in rules and how things should be that you can’t think past your own nose! I say shut up and give Ha’Vathion a chance! You’ve all trusted Ha’Natan’s decisions before this!” He looked around the table. “You really think he’d leave the Fleet to someone he wasn’t sure could do the job?”

Slapping his hand on the table, Vathion raised his voice, “Gentlemen!” They both looked at him. “Enough,” he settled back in his seat, “We can’t afford to fall into arguing amongst each other at a time like this. Do I need to point out that my father was murdered, and whoever did it has been on this ship for a long time, and might still be on this ship?”

“I’ve taken precautions,” Ma’Gatas said, folding his arms on his chest and lifting his chin to look down his nose at Vathion. “The breach in security was heinous! I've discharged all known spies from the fleet.”

His blood chilled, then heated, nails biting into the wood of the table as Vathion restrained himself from striking the smug smirk from Gatas's face. “Fool!” he said on a breath and lifted a fist to shake at Gatas. “Idiot! You just killed all chances of finding out who did it!” He lifted his other fist to join the first and stomped a foot, “How stupid could you be?” Abruptly, Vathion took a calming breath and controlled his volume in a shocking turn that had his officer’s attention focused firmly on him, “Did it ever occur to you that those people were useful? That maybe Natan left them for a reason?” he asked, “And you just...” He was beyond words.

Ma’Gatas continued to smirk. Vathion made a mental note to start planning for a Worst Case Scenario - in case of further screw ups on the part of his well-meaning but incredibly stupid second in command.

Staring at the table in silence for a moment, Vathion quickly thought. First off, the Emperor was going to be pissed, as were all the other people who had had spies on the Natan Fleet - the silver lining was that whether they spread the word that Natan was dead or not would not matter now that Vathion had sent out all those other crazy rumors.

In better control of his temper, Vathion sat up and said, “I really didn’t think you were such a moron." Gatas glared at him. "I want a list of the people you fired as soon as this meeting is adjourned. Second, we’re putting out of port at first shift and heading to Heartland to present ourselves to the Emperor and beg his forgiveness for this transgression.”

Gatas looked confused, but his eyes were smug, “Why? Spies are information leaks. We don’t need that kind of thing on our ship!”

“Natan knew about them, didn’t he?” Vathion roared, standing up and looming over Gatas. With wide eyes, the man nodded. “And he left them, did he not?” This time, Gatas gave a scowl and nod. “Then there was a reason for it! Spies are just fine so long as they’re not sabotaging things and you know who they’re working for. I want that list on my desk in ten minutes, Gatas, or your ass is toast. I’m not going to put up with stupidity in my second in command, nor will I put up with your making command decisions behind my back.”

Gatas stared at him wide-eyed. Codas gulped and had practically slid beneath the table. Savon and Erekdra seemed to be the only ones unaffected by Vathion's display of rage. Erekdra eyed her nails while Savon sat back in her seat, watching. Chira and Arih merely looked worried.

Sitting down again, Vathion took a breath. Paymeh was fuming too, his eyes stormy blue. “Third, when we get the chance, we’re picking up new crew to replace the ones that were fired. I want a list of who gets hired, along with a background check on each.” He did not mention that he was going to see if he could get some of his father’s old contacts to run a more thorough and truthful background check than what Gatas was likely to dig up. Ma’Gatas was turning out to be a liability that Vathion did not think he needed.

But who could Vath replace him with? It was a problem of keeping the known fool around or finding someone else with unknown associates and allegiances. It was frustrating enough to make the young man want to pull his hair out.

Lifting his eyes, Vathion stared at each of the rest of his officers, lips tight with suppressed anger still. “I’ll not tolerate any more of these attempts to go behind my back,” he told them, waving a finger around in the air to indicate the room they were in. “I know what you’re up to, and my father has been training me to take command for quite some time - in that underhanded way he does everything. I’ll not lead you astray. I honestly do want the best for the Fleet.”

“If you do,” Ma’Gatas interrupted, “Then let me take over! We’ve been here - we know what’s going on and how to run things! All you have to do is sit back and look pretty.”

"Right. And first battle we get into, everyone will know who's running things and who isn't."

"You don't know anything about battle anyway, so what would it matter?"

Clenching his teeth, Vathion said, "And you've yet to see me fight."

Eyes narrowed, Vathion determined that this was the angriest he had ever been in his entire life. A sudden calm came over his fury, and all he could do was stare at Ma’Gatas as he straightened, standing with his hands at his sides, “You trusted Ha’Natan’s decisions in the past,” he said again, then swept his eyes over the rest of the group, meeting their eyes individually. “Did you not?” Reluctantly, they nodded, “Then trust them now. He did not betray you.”

With that, he turned and left the room, Paymeh remaining where he was for a long moment before stating, “Natan knows what he’s doing.” Sliding out of his chair, he followed Vathion.

Bibbole shook his head, hair and long ears swaying, “Natan’s looking after us,” he agreed, “I speak for all the Xarian Hyphokos when I say that we still follow Ha’Natan, in whatever fashion.” Getting up from his seat, the com officer walked from the room, the tip of his thick tail twitching behind him in irritation as he headed for his quarters. The other Hyphokos in the room, which was I’Savon’s Bond after she had disengaged, followed without comment. They left the Gilon occupants of the room confused and silent.

Chapter 5 ..... Chapter 7