Blue solace complete ser.., p.16
Blue Solace: Complete Series Boxset, page 16
“I’m glad the Council supports the decision. It’s a big step to declare war on another mercenary group.”
“That wasn’t the hard part,” his dad said. “They’ve been pressing me…”
“Pressing you for what?”
“Charybdis Station’s changed quite a bit over the centuries,” he said. “A change is coming, a big one. I had hoped to put it off onto the next admiral, but it’s time.”
“What change?” Hack asked. His father looked both excited and worried.
“Don’t worry about it,” Fasi said with a smile. “We’ll deal with it when you get home. Tell me about Sami there.”
“Leti bought him in the trade market on Derelict. We’ll free him and officially adopt him as soon as we’re out of the system. He’s a sweet boy,” Hack said, picking up his son. Pax allowed it, nodding. “Sami, this is your grandpa.”
The little Betonize boy looked at the screen, sharp teeth gnawing on his toy. He waved shyly, then buried his face into Hack’s neck.
“He’s pretty smart,” Hack said. “He’s not talking yet, but he seems more responsive than other kids.”
“Every parent says that,” his father said, smiling. “Everyone thinks their child is a genius.”
“But he is, Dad,” Hack said. He hugged his son closer, love filling him. Three months ago, he never would have imagined he’d have three kids—four counting his brother—and one on the way. He never would have imagined he could love this much, or that he’d have a mate he adored.
“Sure, son. Sure,” his father said dismissively. The foolish man didn’t realize his grandson’s true genius. “So, have you told Leti yet that I’m the admiral for the station?”
Hack winced at the question and at the sharp teeth digging into his neck. Sami liked to bite sometimes. “No biting,” he said gently but firmly and set his son down.
Sami blew him a kiss in apology and crawled back over to Pax, leaning on the large feline and chewing his toy.
“See what he did?” Hack pointed to Sami. “He said sorry without saying sorry. I told you he’s smart.”
“Uh huh. Don’t avoid my question. Have you told Leti yet?”
Hack groaned, sitting and throwing his head back. He stared at the ceiling. “No. He thinks I don’t notice, but he’s already so nervous about meeting everyone and settling down at the station. I don’t want to make it worse.” He sat up, eyeing his father. “It’s not like you’re one of those snooty leaders who insist on royal treatment. He’ll be fine.”
“Sure, son. Sure he will,” his father said drolly. “Really, though, don’t worry too much about it. Renee and I will make sure he settles in just fine. I also already got him a little present I know he’ll like.”
“Thanks, Dad,” he said. “Anything you want me to work on from here?”
“Maybe the artifact? Has that other doctor… Franklin was her name, right? Has she found out anything about it?”
“I’m not giving her the chance,” Hack said. “I don’t trust her, Dad. The way she was taken prisoner, her attitude toward non-humans, it just seems off. Maybe when Dr. Manning can keep an eye on her at the station, I’ll feel differently.”
“Alright. I’ll go ahead and talk to Orsla. I know she’s looking forward to getting her hands on the element. She was pretty upset to hear about Dr. Morrick though. She said he was a good man, and she hated for him to die like that. They were rivals, but apparently got along much better than I thought.”
“Anything else you want me to work on? I can start reaching out to my contacts in the spaceports to track the Concords as they dock.”
“Good idea, son,” Fasi said. “The other captains could do the same. I’ll let them know. Now, there’s one more thing you could do. Well, not you really, but Beck. One problem we’re running into as we plan is the fact that most, if not all, of the Concord ships will have prisoners onboard. Realistically, most of our battles will be in space, not on the ground,” he said. “Beck’s the most inventive engineer we have, aside from his father, and he has more practical fighting experience then Pops does. Ask him to start brainstorming ideas for how to get the prisoners out alive. Right now, all we can come up with is disabling every ship instead of destroying them. As it is, that takes a lot of maneuvering, and it ties our hands in battle, which increases our own casualties. The Concords have numbers on their side. They’re the largest mercenary group in the galaxy—not the most skilled, but the largest.”
“I’ll talk to him. If anyone can come up with something, he can.”
“Thanks, son. I’ll get back to work and talk to you tonight, okay? Mo is enjoying your nightly chats. I haven’t told him about Sami yet, wanted to give you the honor.”
“Good idea,” Hack said, smiling. “Love you, Dad.”
“Love you too, son,” his father replied and nodded.
The call ended, and Hack looked over at Sami. The little boy had fallen asleep against Pax, his mouth wide open. His soft snores blew the cat’s fur back and forth. At first, Hack had worried about Pax being around Sami, the boy wasn’t even two years old, but Pax was a lot like Princess Buttercup—scary as hell, but loyal to his person, and also, a little too smart for an animal. After observing them and talking with Silas, he grudgingly accepted the fact that Pax was a permanent addition to the family.
The door opened and Dru walked in. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked, sitting across from him. Monty, her Vexal newt, was perched on her shoulder, judging him with his little black eyes.
“What makes you think there’s something wrong? I’m perfectly fine.” He wasn’t worried about anything. He didn’t stress over keeping his family safe or worry about the upcoming war. What was her problem anyway?
“You look like you want to blow something up,” she said, smirking. Her brown eyes tracked his every move.
Damn it! Why’d he have to have a smart lieutenant?
Hack sighed. “It’s so damn strange. On one hand, I’ve never been so happy. Leti is simply amazing, and the kids are great. I never really thought I’d have my own family, and yet, here I am. On the other hand, I’m worried sick. Declaring war on the Concords is a big deal. We’ve never fought another mercenary group when we weren’t being paid to. It seems like everyone back home is just rolling with it. I don’t understand how they don’t see the ramifications.”
“What do you mean?”
“We have allies,” he said. “Other mercenary groups that we get along with, call in for aid when we need it. What happens when they see us fighting with another group? It’s not like there’s some agreement that says we can’t, but what’s it going to do to our reputation with the others?”
“You have a good point, but I don’t think they’ll be surprised,” Dru said and shrugged. Damn it, another person who didn’t care.
“Seriously? They won’t be surprised?”
“Hack, Charybdis Station isn’t your typical mercenary group. We’ve been changing for a long time, and the other mercs aren’t blind. They know it too.”
“Dad said a change was coming,” Hack said, baffled. “I don’t get it.”
“We’ll see when we get back. I have an idea what he means, but I don’t want to say anything. I could be completely off base.”
“Oh, come on, Dru. You can’t not say something now.”
She laughed. “Fine. I think Charybdis Station’s about to become more than a mercenary group. Maybe a lot more.”
“Like what?”
She sat back in her seat and smirked. “That’s up to your dad and the Council.”
“Damn it, Dru,” he said, frustrated.
A little voice piped up from the corner. “Damn it, Dru,” Sami said, or at least it sounded like what he said.
“Oh fuck,” Hack said. “Leti is going to kill me. Those were his first words.”
“Fuck,” Sami repeated. That was much clearer.
“Oh gods, Leti is definitely going to kill me.”
Dru shook with laughter. “Oh gods. That is just perfect.”
“Can you watch Sami? Thanks!” Hack didn’t wait for an answer and jumped to his feet. Retreat was sometimes the best action. He ran out the door and fled to engineering.
Beck banged around his workshop, angry grumbles echoing in the large space. The large green Grell was the most even-tempered and gentle man Hack knew.
“What’s wrong, Beck?”
The Grell startled, yipping and spinning around, tail clutched in his hand. “Damn, Captain,” he said. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“Why are you banging around? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a bad mood.”
Beck shrugged, looking baffled. “I don’t know. I just feel jittery and annoyed all the time. It started about a week ago. I shifted and ran around Derelict when we were there, but that didn’t seem to help at all.”
The Grell weren’t just big furry humanoids. They also shifted into large wolf-like creatures. He remembered the first time his dad had shifted around him. He had just moved in with them and thought his dad’s new shape was the most amazing thing in the world. So, of course, for at least a week, he’d insisted his dad stay in that shape anytime he was home. It made his stuffed wolf, Milo, even more special.
“I spent all week making two of those energy nets you liked so well. They should have taken me a full month to make, but I can’t sleep and I can’t seem to stop moving.”
Hack thought about Beck’s words for a moment. “I think I know how you feel. You feel like there’s something you’re supposed to be doing? Your feet need to be moving constantly? Everyone pisses you off?”
“Yeah, that’s it exactly!”
“You have itchy feet, Beck,” Hack said. “You remember what that means?”
His big, plain face lit up with joy. “I’m gonna meet my mate soon?”
“Sounds like it. It took me a while though, so I don’t know if it’ll be soon.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Beck said. “I can’t believe I’m gonna have a mate. I’ll finally get to have sex!”
“Whoa there, buddy. TMI,” Hack said. “Wait, you haven’t had sex?”
“No,” he answered. “I wanted to wait to be with my mate.”
“Gods, you’re so sweet, Beck,” Hack said. “Your mate had best know how lucky he or she is.”
“He,” Beck said. “At least, I hope so.”
“So, how will you know when you meet him?”
“Scent. Grell know by scent.”
“Do you think it’s anyone onboard?”
“No, I’d have smelled him by now. I’ve been aboard the other two ships too,” he said. “I went to talk to their engineers on Derelict. It doesn’t have to be someone I’ve met yet. It just means I’m getting ready to meet him. You started feeling it when it was close to the time you were meant to find Leti. I’ll find my mate. He’ll be beautiful and sweet. It’ll be perfect. You’ll see.”
“It had best be perfect. You deserve only the best,” Hack said.
“Oh, whatever,” Beck said. “You’re starting to sound like Leti when he talks about Draif. So, did you need something? You don’t usually visit my workstation.”
“Oh, yeah. The admiral wants you to try to come up with a way to deal with Concord ships that carry prisoners onboard. We can’t easily disable every ship without putting our own ships at too much risk, but we want to save as many Concord prisoners as possible.”
“Hmm, I’ll think on it. That’s a tall order, but I like a challenge.”
“Thanks, Beck.”
“Not a problem,” he said.
“Will, you had best get your butt to our quarters right this instance!” Leti’s exasperated voice came over the ship’s comm system.
“Well, someone’s sleeping on the couch tonight. At least you have a couch now,” Beck said, smiling. “Get going, Captain. You don’t want your mate to get any angrier.”
Chapter 4
Hack slowly walked toward his quarters. He stopped at Wobble’s room, petting the llama and making sure he had food and water. Most of the time the older refugee kids took care of him. They adored the fuzzy critter.
Speaking of the older refugee kids, Julia, a young Wello hybrid, stepped through the door as Hack finished refreshing Wobble’s water. She clutched a brush, a bit of red knitting, and an apple in her hands. Her wide eyes focused on him as if he was a predator hunting for prey. The poor girl hadn’t relaxed around him since she boarded.
“Hey, Julia,” Hack said softly. He knew she’d been through a lot. She didn’t have to like him, but he’d damn sure do his best not to scare her.
“Captain Hackett,” she said and nodded. “I was just going to play with Wobble.”
“That’s good,” Hack said. “He likes you kids an awful lot. Leti appreciates you helping out with him.”
“He’s nice,” she said and started feeding the apple to the llama. “Ava taught me how to crochet, and I made him a hat.”
“Is that what you have there? It’ll match his scarf perfectly. Want to put it on?”
She nodded hesitantly, and the two of them worked together to pull the knitted beanie on Wobble’s head. She had made holes for his ears, and a long braided piece hung down each side. She smiled when they finished. Hack had to admit, Wobble looked kind of cute… for a llama.
“He looks good, Julia,” Hack said. “I’ll leave you to play, but it was nice seeing you.”
She nodded shyly and moved to Wobble’s other side, disappearing behind him.
Hack left Wobble behind and went to check in on Lucas and Alois. Alois was still unconscious, and Nettle didn’t understand why. He was completely healed, but he wouldn’t wake up. Lucas was finally stabilized and off the pain meds. He’d be measured for prostheses when they got to the station.
“Hey, Captain,” Lucas said, setting his tablet down. Draif sat beside his bed, frowning at his own tablet.
“How are you feeling?”
“Okay,” Lucas said, grimacing. “I shouldn’t complain because it’s a shit ton better than before.” He smiled wide. “Are you dragging your feet back to Leti?”
Hack shrugged. “Maybe.”
Draif snorted, not looking up from his tablet. “Don’t put it off too much longer, or he’ll be even angrier. Hey, by the way, these investments I made are looking good. Tell Leti that if he ever decides to leave you, he and the kids will have plenty of money.”
“Yeah,” Hack said drily. “I’ll be sure to mention that to him. Especially since he’s mad right now.”
“That’s okay. I just messaged him,” Draif said. “Oh, he says that he’s staying with you forever and that nothing could drag him from you. He also says he really wants to hit you with something hard right now. And… he likes your penis.” Draif looked up from his tablet. “These are our conversations now. I hear more about your penis than I ever wanted to, and Leti threatens to hit you a lot.”
Hack grinned, standing straight and proud. Leti liked his penis. He had suspected he did, but they hadn’t had sex in over a day, so he couldn’t be a hundred percent sure.
“Uh oh,” Draif said. “Leti says you better get home right now, or he won’t let your penis visit him. Honestly, though, I think he’s bluffing.”
“Well, I’ll see you two later,” Hack said, spinning and sprinting out the door. He went to his room to face his fate. Princess Buttercup was at his food bowl, crunching away on his kibble. He gave Hack a look, and he swore the dragon was laughing at him.
Leti sat on the couch with Rizzie and Sami, watching a cartoon on the vid-screen. Gravy and Pax sat on either side of the pile of cuteness. His darling mate glared at Hack and slowly got up, untangling himself from the kids. Rizzie moved into his spot and cuddled with Sami. She settled her head on his, hauling his wiggling body close.
Leti pulled him into the bathroom, the only place they had privacy anymore.
Leti growled. “Why was our son’s first word fuck?”
“It was actually ‘damn it, Dru,’” Hack said, wincing. “I can’t help it that he’s so damn smart. I tried to explain that to Dad, and he didn’t believe me.”
“Don’t distract me with our son’s genius, Will,” Leti said. “Everyone really needs to watch what they say or our kids will be potty mouths. What would your parents think?”
“That I must be their father? Trust me, baby, they were worse when they adopted me. Mom in particular was pretty bad. Somehow, we all survived, and they raised three good kids. We’ll do the same,” he said. “I know you’re nervous about meeting my parents and getting to the station, but I promise, they will love you. The station’s great too, full of good people.”
Hack cupped Leti’s cheek in his hand and leaned down to kiss his mate. Leti moaned and Hack deepened the kiss, pulling his mate’s soft body to him. Gods, he was addicted to his taste.
“Daddy Leti, Daddy Will,” Rizzie called. “Sami’s hungry. I can hear his tummy go grrr, and he’s chewin’ on the couch.”
“That boy is all you, baby,” Hack said, grinning as he pulled out of their kiss.
Leti groaned and tried to hide his smile. “He’s terrible and adorable all at once.”
Hack leaned down and kissed his sweet mate’s cheek. “Just like you.” He laughed and darted out of the room before Leti could smack him. He got Pepper from her bassinet. “You, baby girl, are all mine. You and my Rizzie are Daddy Will’s girls.” Pepper’s wild red hair and bright green eyes looked like Leti, but she was his baby. All his.
They gathered up the kids and the pets—minus Princess, who decided to enjoy the solitude—and went to the commons for dinner. Maia met them at the door, grinning at the kids.
“You know, I’m with Hack and on the ship,” Leti said. “Do I really need a guard?”
She looked around the hallway. “I don’t see a guard, Leti,” she said. “What’re you talking about? Let’s go get dinner.”
Quite a few of the crew and refugees were already there, sitting at tables and on couches, enjoying Juniper’s beef stew.
