The enormity of Ethan’s victory slowly sank in. Bridge crew bustled about with subdued voices, while the assembled officers stared up at the rapidly changing map of the system.
Over the coming seconds, a clear image of the Torken’s self-destruction became apparent. Yany’s explanation turned into a visible recreation of reality.
A half-dozen or more slices of battlecruiser, spread roughly across the solar system, with a thousand heat signatures dotted around each one. Many of those heat signatures vanished within a minute as the ravages of the foldspace failure and the Torken’s destruction killed the crew jettisoned into the void. But hundreds remained, reliant on dwindling reserves of air with no probable chance of rescue.
Except Ethan and the Gloria.
He gritted his teeth for a moment, understanding the likely response to what he was going to say. “I know you said it’s beyond hope, but… how many could we realistically rescue? Can we determine which ones might have survived the psychic backlash?”
Yany looked at him expressionlessly, while Heafi bit her lip.
It was Sai who answered him, speaking over his helmet. “At best, dozens. There’ll be a handful inside shielded sections of the ship. But no good deed comes without a price, Ethan. You already know there are reinforcements bearing down on us. If they reach us while we’re fishing out a few rattled clones from this derelict, we might end up in a space battle we can’t win as handily.”
“I know,” he muttered, glad that his helmet prevented Poi and the other officers from hearing him talk unless he let them. “I’m assuming we won’t have time?”
“Even if we do, it’ll cost us time we’ll need to get away from their disruption. The reinforcement fleet may arrive and begin the process anew. If we’re too close, Tithus may be forced to slow down our foldspace travel.”
“More relevant is the fact that the incoming fleet can rescue those floating in space,” Yany said. “This isn’t like a capsizing vessel at sea. Anyone not in a spacesuit is already dead, and those wearing one possess enough <breathable air> to survive for tens of hours. We would be risking ourselves for no reason. At best, their value would be in their knowledge, but Mistress can extract that by telepathy before we leave.”
“I already have,” Sai said. “Even through their ruined minds, I’ve confirmed they’re Mortami. Most of the crew were fresh clones provided for the rental and flashed with memories to make them loyal to Mortami. I’ll need more time to scan for the officers and log what I find, and you should celebrate, rather than mourn, Ethan. Shiploads of clones die in battles like this all the time. Better them than us.”
Somehow, that didn’t comfort him. The expendability of the galaxy’s soldiers unsettled him, especially with the knowledge that most of his own crew were clones as well. If anyone died in this battle, would they have been replaced by the on-board cloning bay?
His gaze met Heafi’s, who nodded at him.
“I believe we need to value our crew and our mission,” Heafi said, her eyes still visibly red from her earlier reaction to spotting the Torken’s collapse. “I can issue the orders—”
“No, I will,” Ethan interrupted with a shake of his head.
He tapped the buttons on the chair, and Poi turned to face him even before he began speaking. Fiona hovered nearby, her face a mask, as she listened in on the broadcast.
“Admiral Poi, Commodore Jionach, I’ve been informed by Executor Sailiferia that the Torken’s crew are unrecoverable without endangering us,” Ethan said. “As such, ready the fleet to re-enter foldspace. Lady Tithus began preparations during the battle, so we’ll leave the system as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Sovereign,” Poi said, saluting.
“Your will, Sovereign,” Jionach said.
Fiona nodded, but remained silent.
The bridge crew roared back to full activity, and the Gloria began shifting on the displays. Power began restoring to normality. Kiels removed his helmet before her own and shot him a confident smile.
“Good command,” she said. “You deserve a drink.”
“Later,” he grunted.
“Not too late. It’s been a long day.”
Had it? The battle had lasted ten to fifteen minutes, when all was said and done. An eternity given all that happened, but not that long. He’d awoken under five hours earlier.
On the other hand, he felt exhaustion creeping into the back of his mind. He’d never taken on anything that required this much responsibility. Even if Yany implied there’d been safety rails for his first battle, the stress of knowing the battlecruiser might have killed them all had felt all too real.
He leaned back in his chair and let the following thirty minutes wash over him. Yany vanished briefly before returning. Presumably she’d checked on Sai. Heafi tapped away at her tablet.
Still no sign of Lati, but she might be busy down in engineering prepping for the jump. Or maybe she was making her way back up here. The ship was big, even if it paled in comparison to the size of the vessel they’d defeated.
Tithus’s face appeared on a terminal beside his chair, pulling him from his torpor.
“Sovereign, the fleet is ready to enter foldspace,” she said.
“Take us into foldspace when you’re ready, Lady Tithus,” Ethan said.
She nodded, but didn’t close the link. Her expression wavered.
“Is something wrong?” he asked, uncertain if she’d simply forgotten to hit the button to end the call.
“… I am sorry that I was unable to assist with the battle.” Her eyelids fluttered closed and she took a ragged breath. “The end was a fate no Pathbuilder wishes to see any vessel suffer. I felt their dying shriek echo in my mind, and countless souls fail to return to reality intact. It stands as a grim reminder of how important it is that I remain resilient.”
Ethan nodded slowly. His mind replayed her comments both before and during the battle.
One in particular came to mind.
“Do you still think you could have pulled us safely into foldspace if necessary?” he asked.
Tithus’s black ears shot bolt upright and her eyes widened. Her breath hitched, audible even over the comms. “Of course, Sovereign! I would never do anything that would place the vessel in the sort of danger you witnessed. It’s been ingrained in me my entire life, and I’ve steered countless ships through the void.”
“Wouldn’t the Pathbuilder in the Torken have said the same?”
Her ears flattened against her head. She didn’t answer for several long seconds. “I will take us into foldspace, Sovereign.”
Then she cut the link.
Instantly, he pressed a hand against his forehead. “Well, that was stupid of me.”
“Hardly,” Yany said. “Those were the right questions for the right time. Tithus is a highly capable Pathbuilder from a distinguished family, but her pride could prove lethal. Perhaps only to herself, but even that may be too much.”
“I’ll see if I can talk to her…” He paused. “After we leave foldspace. I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t bother her outside of an emergency, right?”
The unicorn nodded. “Pathbuilders prefer solitude, and it tests them to breach the bubble of their compartment while inside foldspace.”
“Just like Sai? I imagine she’ll return shortly.”
“After a short rest, perhaps.”
Curious. He had assumed Sai hadn’t used her power much, but dropped the topic.
Kiels clapped him on the back and he nearly tumbled out of his chair.
“We’ve made it back to foldspace now,” she said, grinning down at him. “Time to relax. Savor the victory. Drink to glory and all that.”
He looked up at her with a dour expression. “You just want to drink. It’s the equivalent of midday.”
“We’re in space, time doesn’t mean shit. Look, they’re even changing shifts on the bridge.” She waved at the bridge.
True to her word, a great shuffling of deck chairs took place as many of the bridge crew rose and began to depart. They remained silent, but their expressions and gestures told the story. Hugs, slaps on the back, strange hand gestures that equated to human fist bumps, and more than a few face nuzzles from the more touchy-feely species.
Even the officers relaxed and began to move away from the central holotable. Each of them openly congratulated and saluted Poi and the XO, before shifting to the far end of the bridge. None left, unlike most of the bridge bunnies.
After a few seconds of watching, during which the officers stared expectantly back at Ethan, he cottoned on to what was happening.
He blinked. “Is there usually some sort of celebration?”
“This is the greatest space battle every officer and crew member has participated in during their careers,” Yany said. “The isolation of the Rim means even the veteran sailors of the Association haven’t seen large fleet battles, especially with the loss of their own capital fleet.”
Kiels nodded. “The border disputes between us and the <dragons> pale in comparison to true war, but they involve capital ships regularly. I’m not going to rain on anyone’s parade, though. Taking out a battlecruiser—even a shitty Dominion hand-me-down—is a trophy you can brandish with pride. The officers deserve to celebrate. And so do you, Ethan.”
She slapped him on the back again, if a little gentler. He was pretty sure the first strike might bruise.
He rose and looked at Yany and Heafi. They both smiled back, if with different levels of radiance.
“I will join you later, after I see to Mistress.” Yany inclined her head.
Shaking her head, Heafi waved him on. “This is your time, not mine. I’ll help with reports and anything that might need your attention. We can check in tomorrow.”
Ethan hid his frown. Heafi’s positivity sounded more muted than usual. “I don’t think I need to say it, but make sure the entire crew can celebrate… as much as they’re able without endangering us.”
“I’ll provide a drinks and meal allowance for the day while they’re off-duty,” Heafi said. “I’m sure Admiral Poi can manage the watches and ensure we have enough crew at all times.”
When he looked over at Poi, she smiled up at him and saluted. He returned the gesture.
Having stalled enough, he finally gave in and left the flag bridge with Kiels. The moment he did so, the gathered officers practically mobbed him.
“Join us in the mess, Sovereign?”
“Brilliant tactics to teleport the missiles!”
“I can’t believe we took down a battlecruiser under you, Sovereign. You’ll celebrate with us, right?”
Their chatter blended together, and he found himself overwhelmed. Kiels grinned nearby.
“Err, that was the plan,” he said amid the mob. “Does the mess have drinks?”
“We can crack open the good stuff if you’re there,” the missileer commander said.
The group half-dragged him out of the bridge and to the officers’ mess, where several others had already gathered. Rounds of beer appeared by the time he sat down. Thankfully, it was Faecrim-strength and -sized, which meant he could safely drink a pint without worrying if his liver would instantly turn cancerous. The breadth of races among his officers meant serving something that suited Taer preferences might put half of them under.
His officers chattered and shared stories about the battle, occasionally lapsing into stories about other natter. Ethan’s main contributions were comments about life in the Union or how different Earth was, which left the women in varying states of disbelief or fascination. Dominion had been beyond their wildest dreams, but none of them had seen a race as “primitive” as Earthlings. The Rim appeared to be bereft of native interstellar races.
By the time he finished his first pint, kitchen and serving crew arrived with refrigerated serving tables loaded with a broader range of alcohol. More officers emerged from the lower decks and the entire mess filled out, while share plates of food began to appear. They varied a lot in origin, and Ethan hid a grimace at the slimy appearance of some.
Fortunately, Lati arrived and her loud mouth saved him.
“I wondered where you skived off to,” she said, leaning her tits on the top of his head. “I’m making sure all the shit I did was reverted and that the engineers knew how to handle it next time, and you’re up here getting shitfaced with a bunch of sluts.”
“I think you might be the slut,” Kiels said from behind her.
“I’m not the one sleeping in his bedroom while pretending I’m his bodyguard.” Lati glowered at the wolfgirl.
The officers grinned at the catfight.
A lithe snow leopard sitting next to Ethan elbowed him. “Sure that’s strong enough for you, Sovereign? You’re bigger than me, so I reckon you could do with something a bit fiercer.”
“I might need it,” he muttered, then regretted it when Lati scowled at him. He cleared his throat. “Want some grub after the battle? If Poi’s the captain, then they definitely make proper Yinil food. They even have your fire-fruit spirit.”
“Oh shit, really? How come I haven’t seen that before?” Lati’s wings sprang upward behind her and her head pivoted back and forth, as if expecting to see the fire-red food the Yinil were famous for.
Kiels groaned. “Oh Baerin, no, don’t bring that shit out.”
“Oh, you want to shit talk me, but you can’t handle a little spice, <doggy-woggy?>” Lati teased.
“Spice my ass, your food is marinated in liquid pain. I don’t know how you eat that crap, Ethan. When you got some the other night, I thought you were bullshitting, and my ass hurt for ages.”
“Eh, it’s more the temperature that’s the issue with Yinil food. Earth has stuff just as spicy, but it won’t literally melt my esophagus,” he said.
“I still want to try some of that stuff,” Lati muttered. “I can’t eat some of the hottest shit on Dominio, but you just wolf it down.”
The assembled officer cadre stared at Ethan with mixed expressions. Many appeared skeptical, convinced he was bullshitting, while others bore fear or wonder.
Lati grinned as she took in the atmosphere. “Oooh, looks like we’ll have to order something hot. Let’s see how spicy I can get them to make it.”
Not very, in Ethan’s experience. Humanity had spent much of the past century breeding chili peppers and other foods like Szechuan to test themselves. He hadn’t found any Yinil food as hot as a Carolina Reaper, which was weaker than the many hot sauces found on grocery store shelves on Earth. The cyber-dragons had instead pushed themselves to make absurdly hot food, almost like volcanos. Fortunately, he could always ask them to serve the food at normal temperatures, rather than hot enough to melt bronze.
After forty minutes, a huge platter of sliced meat appeared from the kitchen. Concerned cooks mingled with excited serving staff as Lati carried it out. Yany had joined them by now, and sat beside Ethan with a confused expression.
The meat was a dark brown, with a blackened exterior. He’d eaten it before, and it was a very popular gamey meat the Taer and Yinil loved. While the Taer preferred leaner, more steak-like preparations, the Yinil torched muscular cuts they injected with spicy marinades.
Speaking of marinade, the sauce glowed a vibrant, almost toxic red. Heat billowed off the platter, and officers recoiled while holding their noises as Lati passed them. Yany grimaced and closed her eyes.
“I have read about this part of Earth culture,” she said. “The masochism.”
“It’ll taste pretty good,” Ethan said.
Then he picked up the skewer on the platter, scooped up a piece of meat, and ate it. As expected, it had a decent amount of heat—maybe equivalent to those really hot noodle bowls he’d eaten during work shifts on the space station—but nothing crazy. The flavor was strong, deeply floral almost, and tangy.
“Damn good,” he said after swallowing it.
Lati downed a bite with her fingers and began radiating heat. “Fuck, it’s hot.”
The assembled crew howled with laughter, while Kiels stared between the two of them. Grimacing, she rose and took the skewer off Ethan.
“You’ll regret that,” Yany said.
“I refuse to lose to her,” Kiels muttered.
She wolfed down a piece, and her ears and tail drooped instantly, only to shoot bolt upright. A hiccup escaped her. Redness filled her face.
Lati grinned, but Kiels swallowed. The Taer gritted her teeth and balled her fists.
“Tastes good,” she gasped.
The laughter grew in intensity, and a pair of Void Hounds rose and wrapped themselves around Kiels, rocking her while laughing in her face. Kiels looked as if she wanted to hit them, but held back.
Ethan happily kept eating the food, while sipping at the beer they’d gotten him. They kept to the low strength stuff, which allowed him to remain relatively sober.
By contrast, Lati and Kiels stood chest-to-chest, both carrying huge steins of their respective liquors. Kiels favored her thick, Guiness-like beer that would put a human under instantly, while Lati’s was completely clear, but bubbling like a volcano. The secret was that it contained a high-proof spirit made from the Yinil equivalent to chilis, and was served with mildly sweetened boiling water.
“Enjoying yourself?” Yany asked him as he watched the two women compete in some sort of drinking competition.
He glanced at her, then nodded. “No Sai?”
“This isn’t her type of event.”
“It doesn’t seem like yours, either.”
She pursed her lips, then glanced at the meat platter he was slowly devouring. “I can stretch myself. It is important that I keep a close eye on things.”
“Is enjoying yourself illegal?” he asked, unable to hide his annoyance at Yany’s apparent inability to let her hair down. “Or would that bother Sai too much?”
“I have plenty of ways to enjoy myself, and sometimes that can be done vicariously through others.” She stared pointedly at him as he ate another slice of meat. “I still do not know how you enjoy that.”
“Experience. I ate stuff this hot for lunch when I was younger.” He sighed, unsure if he was feeling nostalgic for Earth food. “You know, I find it odd how a lot of my tastes fly so close to Faecrim, but this doesn’t.”
“Every woman in this room also shares a taste for penis, yet no interest in spicy pain, so that means very little.”
He stared at her, then at the wine in her hand. Yany’s cheeks were visibly flushed.
“Had too much to drink?” he asked.
“I don’t think you can tell that simply because I said the word ‘penis,’ Ethan,” she said, visibly annoyed.
“No, but usually you get bothered whenever I bring up anything sexual.” He grinned at her.
She huffed. Desperate to change the subject, she skewered a piece of spicy meat and bit off half of it.
Instantly, a breathless shriek escaped her and the skewer clattered against the platter. Ethan winced and caught it, then waved down someone for water. Trying to get up and grab it himself would be pointless. He’d be mobbed by drunk subordinates.
After forcing down an entire jug of water and wiping away her tears of shame, Yany refused to so much as look at him. He expected her to bail, but clearly her job required her to stay. Or maybe her pride.
Lati let out raucous cheer and shot to her feet, only to stumble and nearly crash to the floor. A nearby Hound held her up by her hand.
“And the winner is Aklati Kirriae!” the Hound said, eliciting cheers from the room that nearly deafened Ethan.
Kiels groaned on the table, still awake and alert, but she’d knocked over her stein of beer. She tried to push herself up while a Hound beside her laughed.
Their drinking competition had ended the only way it could. After a few hours, Ethan figured it was time to retire. He could do with a nap.
“Ethannnnn, I’m the besssst,” Lati slurred as she stumbled over to him.
She nearly crushed him as she pulled him into a hug, her tits wrapping around his face.
“You sure are, Lati,” he said, after breaking free. “Let’s get you to bed.”
“… your bed. I won,” she mumbled.
He ignored the cackles and whispers, and enlisted the help of several others to drag Lati and Kiels back. Attempting to get her away from him and to her own bedroom proved dangerous, as she threw a tantrum when someone attempted to break her grasp of him.
“I think she has had too much to drink,” Yany observed, easily holding Kiels up with one arm despite their size difference.
Several officers and Faecrim soldiers kept Lati at bay until she calmed down and wrapped herself around Ethan again. The Faecrim appeared confused, and unsure if they should arrest Lati and throw her in the brig, until Yany waved them away.
Once in Ethan’s quarters, they threw Kiels on her bed, and Lati collapsed on top of Ethan in his bedroom.
“I’ll be fine,” he told Yany, who stared down at him without an expression.
He was certain she was smirking behind her mask. She’d gotten the last laugh of the night.
“See, I won,” Lati murmured, grinding against Ethan even while fully clothed.
“You could be having the time of your life,” Yany said mysteriously. “Are you sure you don’t need any help?”
“She’ll collapse soon enough. Just hit the lights,” he said.
He wouldn’t be pushing Lati off any time soon, given the weight and size difference. Her massive tits weren’t the only thing that made her weigh a ton, as her cybernetics made her heavy as shit. But she spread her weight across the bed and he found himself drifting off not long after she dozed off while cuddling him.
- - - - -
Commentary: If you dislike it when I talk about food in my books, I'm guessing you're having a bad time.
Anyway, Lati cute.