officers’ briefing for 0600. The renovations of Lunar 9 were ahead of schedule and Kotto wanted to make sure they stayed that way. Once the outpost’s shield generator was repaired, ships would be able to land on the moon. Until then, risk of detection was too great and the battle born were not yet ready to reveal their existence to the inhabitants of Earth. There were interior docking slips as well, but the entrance was tricky especially for larger ships. Luckily for Kotto, the Crusader’s crew was exceptional.
Striding down the corridor, Kotto entered the command center and watched his bridge officers react to his arrival. If this had been an official Rodyte mission, each person present would have stood and offered their respect with a hand gesture. As it was, most nodded or muttered “Commander” then continued on with his task. Keyran had set the tone for the ship’s operation. Kotto felt more comfortable with less formality as well, so he saw no reason to make changes.
He walked to the master console and activated an overview grid. Three recon teams had been dispatched earlier that morning. Team one had returned. The location of team two was indicated on the grid, but he saw no record of team three’s position.
A communications blackout had been issued for all three teams, so Kotto asked the bridge officers, “What’s going on with recon three?”
“Beacon malfunction,” Sental told him. “Morrin used a com-bot to let us know, but he didn’t elaborate.”
Kotto nodded and made a quick note in the overview grid. “Anything else I need to know about?”
“There’s a human female locked in your quarters.” Sental wiggled his eyebrows and someone snickered. Sental’s easygoing personality made him popular with the crew. He’d also been one of the first to work through his resentment toward Kotto and accept his authority.
“I’m aware.” Kotto assured him with a smile.
“Would you like some suggestions?” Several more snickers made it obvious everyone was following their conversation.
Kotto squared his shoulders and hardened his expression. “If I can’t handle a human female by myself, I’m not worthy of command.”
“Give her a thrust for me—”
“Ease in and—”
“Start with—”
“—until she squirms like a—”
The officers’ overlapping encouragements became progressively raunchier as they circled the command center.
Sental ended with, “Can I watch?”
Kotto could no longer hold back his laughter. “Sorry, brothers. I work better without an audience, but I appreciate the support.” He waited for the amusement to clear before he growled, “Now get back to work.”
Encouraged by the banter, Kotto looked back at the overview grid. He needed to update Raylon, but there was no indication of when Raylon would return to the Crusader . He had quarters on board reserved for his use, but it wasn’t unusual for him to remain on one of the other ships if there were complications. It was Raylon’s job to coordinate operations between all of the ships on or near Earth. Kotto wasn’t even sure which ship Raylon was currently aboard. Raylon was terrible about keeping others informed of his movements. He answered to General Nox and only General Nox.
There were currently five Rodyte ships on or near Earth, if the Relentless was still in this star system. Locating Akim Farmon was one of Kotto’s secondary objectives. There had been no sign of the bastard in the two weeks since the disastrous rescue mission. Still, Kotto knew Akim was out there, searching for the Crusader as intensely as they were searching for him. It was only a matter of time before they crossed paths again, and Kotto was determined to make the most of the opportunity.
Command was always a balancing act. He had to prioritize and make decisions every hour of every day. He generally welcomed the challenge, but remaining objective when it came to Akim was particularly difficult. Not only was the man an
Striding down the corridor, Kotto entered the command center and watched his bridge officers react to his arrival. If this had been an official Rodyte mission, each person present would have stood and offered their respect with a hand gesture. As it was, most nodded or muttered “Commander” then continued on with his task. Keyran had set the tone for the ship’s operation. Kotto felt more comfortable with less formality as well, so he saw no reason to make changes.
He walked to the master console and activated an overview grid. Three recon teams had been dispatched earlier that morning. Team one had returned. The location of team two was indicated on the grid, but he saw no record of team three’s position.
A communications blackout had been issued for all three teams, so Kotto asked the bridge officers, “What’s going on with recon three?”
“Beacon malfunction,” Sental told him. “Morrin used a com-bot to let us know, but he didn’t elaborate.”
Kotto nodded and made a quick note in the overview grid. “Anything else I need to know about?”
“There’s a human female locked in your quarters.” Sental wiggled his eyebrows and someone snickered. Sental’s easygoing personality made him popular with the crew. He’d also been one of the first to work through his resentment toward Kotto and accept his authority.
“I’m aware.” Kotto assured him with a smile.
“Would you like some suggestions?” Several more snickers made it obvious everyone was following their conversation.
Kotto squared his shoulders and hardened his expression. “If I can’t handle a human female by myself, I’m not worthy of command.”
“Give her a thrust for me—”
“Ease in and—”
“Start with—”
“—until she squirms like a—”
The officers’ overlapping encouragements became progressively raunchier as they circled the command center.
Sental ended with, “Can I watch?”
Kotto could no longer hold back his laughter. “Sorry, brothers. I work better without an audience, but I appreciate the support.” He waited for the amusement to clear before he growled, “Now get back to work.”
Encouraged by the banter, Kotto looked back at the overview grid. He needed to update Raylon, but there was no indication of when Raylon would return to the Crusader . He had quarters on board reserved for his use, but it wasn’t unusual for him to remain on one of the other ships if there were complications. It was Raylon’s job to coordinate operations between all of the ships on or near Earth. Kotto wasn’t even sure which ship Raylon was currently aboard. Raylon was terrible about keeping others informed of his movements. He answered to General Nox and only General Nox.
There were currently five Rodyte ships on or near Earth, if the Relentless was still in this star system. Locating Akim Farmon was one of Kotto’s secondary objectives. There had been no sign of the bastard in the two weeks since the disastrous rescue mission. Still, Kotto knew Akim was out there, searching for the Crusader as intensely as they were searching for him. It was only a matter of time before they crossed paths again, and Kotto was determined to make the most of the opportunity.
Command was always a balancing act. He had to prioritize and make decisions every hour of every day. He generally welcomed the challenge, but remaining objective when it came to Akim was particularly difficult. Not only was the man an
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