Chapter 45

Chapter

Forty-Five

Vyk

I stood over my desk as I scoured the surface with my gaze. Nothing looked out of place, but the captain could have replaced everything to appear just as it had been when he’d snuck into my office the night before.

I had no proof that he had been inside my office. There was no sign that the door lock had been tampered with, there were no indications of forced entry, and there was no sign that anything had been taken. Even so, something told me that the human envoy had not been outside my office door by coincidence.

“But what did he want?” I rapped my fingers on the wooden surface that I kept neat and orderly. There was little that could be taken or moved, which made it easier to reassure myself that all my documents and reports were in order. But because I kept my desk so free from clutter, it would also be simple to restack everything into sharply aligned piles.

I picked up the latest security reports and flipped through them. There was little contained in even the most classified reports that was not also shared with our allies on Earth. Since we now worked in tandem with the humans, we briefed them on all potential threats. Captain Gorman could read any of these security briefings back on Earth, especially if he was ranked high enough to be sent to assess the exchange program.

Sinking into my chair, I tapped my device. There was little good to be gained by worrying over information that was not even secret from our allies. As much as I disliked and distrusted the man, I did not believe he was working for the enemy. No human would be so foolish as to align themselves with the Kronock when the creatures were determined to destroy Earth. No one on Earth even knew how to communicate with the aliens.

No, I did not believe that Gorman was that treacherous. If I was being honest, almost all my suspicion came from his connection with Fiona. It was not true suspicion as much as jealousy. I hated the idea of him with her. The thought of his hands on her, his lips on hers, his body on hers made revulsion pulse through me hot and fierce.

“ Grekking human,” I growled as I swept my fingers across the surface of my device to review the latest reports of long-range activity.

Drexian ships throughout the galaxy compiled data on the Kronock—where their ships were sighted, if their fleet was moving, how close their ships were to our territory—and relayed it to High Command, who then disseminated it to all the stations and to us. I might have been able to improve our planet’s long-range sensors, but we still depended on the information gathered by our fleet—and mainly our far-flung Inferno Force ships—to keep us informed of any potential threats.

Now that the Kronock had shown us that they possessed jump technology, it was more crucial than ever to know how close they were, and if they were amassing ships. We could not afford to be surprised again, although the last attack had only happened because the enemy had traitors on the inside. They did not have that advantage anymore.

I scanned the reports, my trained eye noting that Inferno Force was tracking Kronock ships deep in their space, but that there were no unusual movements. Then my gaze snagged on a short postscript at the end of one report.

“An Inferno Force transmissions specialist detected chatter between two Kronock ships,” I read aloud, even though I was alone. “Chatter about one of their outposts being devoured.”

I reread that word. “Devoured?”

My Kronock was rusty, but that seemed like an odd choice of phrasing. Then again, maybe the phrasing was that of the Drexian who had interpreted the message. Kronock was a complex language that was not easy to translate, especially not when native speakers were talking rapidly, which I was sure the Kronock had been when discussing the destruction of an outpost.

Still, it made me uneasy. If there was a plague sweeping through enemy territory, I did not want it to come anywhere near us .

My door beeped, snatching my attention from the report. I glanced up, wondering who was coming to my office so early, especially since the academy was so deserted. “Come.”

The door glided open, and Admiral Zoran swept in. He might not wear the flowing robes his predecessor had, but he still carried an air of authority and command that had me jerking to my feet. I thumped a hand across my chest in salute.

He returned the salute and motioned for me to sit as he drew closer. “At ease, Commander.”

Despite his request, I waited until he took the chair across from me until I sat. “Did we have a meeting, Admiral?”

He shook his head, glancing briefly at the weapons hanging on my walls. “We did not, but I wanted to speak briefly about the envoy from Earth.”

I stiffened. We had already spoken about my actions the day before, and I had thought the matter was settled.

“I was pleased that you warmed up to Captain Gorman,” Zoran continued, unaware or unconcerned by my bristling. “I wanted to thank you for welcoming him so warmly at the reception.”

I tried to hide my surprise. It was not common for the Academy Master to make office visits for something so trivial, so I knew this was not the true reason for his visit. But I played along, inclining my head solemnly. “You are welcome, Admiral. It was my pleasure.”

“It is crucial that this human captain return to Earth with a positive report. Too much effort has gone into the human exchange for it to be ruined now.”

I nodded, knowing this already .

“It is also important that we control what he sees,” Zoran continued.

“If this is about the creatures in the dungeons, they are already gone.” I did not mention that we owed this to Fiona and her insistent outburst.

His brows lifted, and it occurred to me that he might not have known they had remained. “I am glad to hear it. That would be hard to explain. But what I am talking about is the long-term goals of the program. The Drexian long-term goals for the human exchange program.”

This gave me pause. “I do not believe I know the long-term goals for the human exchange program. I thought this was an experiment that only concerned a small group of humans here and Drexians on Earth.”

“Originally, it was, but both exchanges have been more successful in more ways than we anticipated.”

I frowned at the Academy Master. “I do not think I understand.”

“Within a short amount of time, we already have two mated couples in the Academy, not counting me and my bride. Three of the Drexians who have been stationed on Earth have formed mating bonds with humans. Human women who are also military officers.”

“This is a good thing?”

“The entire reason we signed a treaty with Earth all those years ago was because we needed females so we could continue our species. The Tribute Bride program has been a success, and it has been an even bigger success since we started taking volunteers. But this exchange is proving to be an excellent way of making compatible matches.”

An instinctive protest rippled through me. “You are saying that the long-term goal of the exchange is now to encourage mating at the academy?”

Zoran leveled his gaze at me. “I am saying that the long-term goal of the exchange is to bring more human females as instructors and cadets—and not return them.”

I had heard whispers of how the Admiral had brought his own bride to the school. He had used a loophole in the tribute bride contract to bind her to him and force her to come with him to Drex. She had come to love him and marry him willingly, but it had not started with her agreement. “You wish to abduct them?”

He shifted from one foot to the other. “Drexians have never abducted females. Every tribute was part of our agreement, and no bride was ever forced into a marriage. But the fact remains that we need more females on Drex and more in our academy. Too many of our instructors are not mated. If they do take tributes, they usually leave their posts.”

“So, the exchange will become more of an acquisition program?”

Zoran gave me a curt nod. “In a way, yes, but only in the sense that our goal will be to provide such a beneficial experience at the Academy to the humans that they will not wish to leave. Most importantly, the captain cannot know. If Earth knew that our objective was to lure their best female officers, they may not be as willing to send them.”

“Why would he know this?” I did not add that if I had not known, I doubted the human would find out.

“Because he requested to return with Captain Douglas, and we cannot let that happen.”

He had requested to take Fiona back with him? My stomach tightened as I fisted my hands by my sides. “No, we cannot.”