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Nova Wars Chapter 6: Meeting the Commander By Draconicon

The Thousand Claws docked with Starwing Station without too much difficulty. It was one of the bigger ships in the docking areas, barely fitting at the very edge of it, but Klim knew better than to think that meant anything. The bigger ships, the battleships, were too big to dock in the first place, and even against the darkness of space, one could still make out their silhouettes dwarfing the stars and planets in the distance.

One of them passed over the bridge of their captured ship, huge enough to make him stare as he remembered serving on one at one point. Rather than the winged, bird of prey look that the Thousand Claws had, the battleships were massive crafts that rippled forward in an almost organic fashion, looking more like a writhing sheet of flame that had been given motion rather than a proper spaceship. They never held a proper shape for long, but rather were sheets of armor mesh interconnected by thrusters and battlestations, with a central core towards the middle where decisions and quarters were kept. Each battlestation, he remembered, was self-sufficient, able to power itself and all its weapons without subjecting the rest of the ship to energy drain or other problems.

Of course, one was a little vulnerable to solar winds with such an arrangement, and it was rather amusing to watch the giant sheets of guns and battle prowess get blown about like a towel in the wind.

Shaking his head, he brought his focus back to the rest of the crew. The captives were stowed down in the Breakaway at the core of the ship, where Ailsa would be staying for the moment as she continued to direct the repairs across the ship. He doubted that there would be a problem with that, considering that they had ways of keeping repair crews from getting on-board, but it was good to keep in mind they had risks there.

Ryker and Dresnath followed him down from the cockpit. Maggie and Lorkos would already be at the landing ramp, waiting to descend, and Sollon would be meeting them there.

"So, Ryker, how are you liking your outfit?"

"With all due respect, sir, fuck you."

The velociraptor chuckled, not bothering to look back. He knew that the folf didn't like being naked without someone to attend to him, but it was something that he'd have to get used to. Personally, he found the concept of the normally-top-dog security chief being forced to expose himself like this pretty hilarious.

Particularly as he knew that Dresnath would be ribbing the other guy about it for quite a while, heh.

They reached the landing ramp with ease. Other than his military outfit and Dresnath's slightly less spotless attire, everyone else was naked. Lorkos was dressed simply, collared with a cockring around his cock and balls, while Maggie had the more ornate style of ornamentation, with a pair of gold clamps around her nipples and chains running down from them to a pair of clamps that dragged her pussy lips down. The mare wasn't too happy with him, but then, she had been the one that wanted to look different.

Sollon, his second in command, stood with the same collar and cockring that Lorkos had, though he was more neutral about it, neither excited nor annoyed. He just...was. Ryker probably had a more sour version of the expression Sollon had, but he didn't want to look back at him just then.

"Alright, everyone," Klim said. "Ready?"

After getting an assortment of yeses and approximations of yeses, Klim dropped the boarding ramp. The segmented metal went forward, down, forward, down, creating an imitation of a slow-rolling hill on the way down, with steps in the center that flattened out into a simple ramp between the rolling sides. He stepped out onto it as it was still going down, folding his arms behind his back as he went.

It didn't take long for them to reach the long pathway that extended towards the main transport lane between the docking bays. The ship floated in the anti-gravitational field behind him, suspended in it with an energy field keeping an atmosphere around them. Klim noted its boundaries, figuring that it might be useful to know where the different edges of it came to a stop.

"Hmmm, fascinating."

Maggie nodded behind him. He reached behind her, nudging her arms down so that she didn't start trying to cover her breasts, and clicked his fingers to get them to keep walking with him. As expected, Dresnath slipped to the rear of the group, forming the barrier of the other 'free' man in the entourage, and they made their way down the metal strip towards the central lane between the ships.

It was a bit of a harrowing walk. Due to the way that the docking bays were laid out, they were suspended right above the star below them. The great gusts of solar flares and other such things continued to rush by, most of the momentum halted by the shields just under them, but some bit of it continued to get through. The heat, thankfully, didn't. It did, however, make sure that all the mammals had their fur go flying up every time that one went by, making them look like they were walking over jet engines.

"This...is...so...stupid..."

Ryker's complaints echoed in his ear from behind, but it was taking Klim every effort not to look back. He knew that if he did, he'd see the folf all sorts of ruffled up, and he bit his lip to fight the mental image that popped into his head. Laughing at his crew was not going to earn him any points, he knew that much.

They reached the transportation lane, almost walking right into a bundle of mechanics. Klim stopped, and so did they, the various lizards and iguanas coming to a full stop and saluting as one.

"Sir!" the one in the lead barked.

Klim returned the salute after a moment, and then glanced over their group, just as he would have done back in the fleet all those years ago. A simple glance, a dismissive one, and then he looked back at the one in the front.

"And what are you doing?"

"Orders were to offer repairs for the ship."

"It limped in fine. We have it under control."

"No work for the station mechanics, then?"

"None whatsoever."

The iguana in the front grinned, nodding.

"Thank you, sir. Was hoping to keep some downtime."

"Not a problem, soldier. But get some supplies out here. We had to scavenge a few things to keep it to hold together all the way out here."

"You got it, sir. Better to drag some supplies over than spend all day slapping it on."

The head mechanic gestured to a couple of his subordinates, who split off from the group to do just that. As they went off, Klim cleared his throat.

"I could use a hand. Could you tell me how to get to the commander's offices?"

"You want to talk to Commander Rumiir, then?"

Klim nodded.

"Not that hard to find him. Just follow the administrative signs. It'll get you right to the old admin offices. He's taken up quarters there."

"Thank you."

He nodded, dismissing them with a gesture. Just like that, the grease lizards disappeared, heading off down the other lanes to the other ships, and in some cases, running back to the station itself.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Lorkos chuckled.

"Not that keen on working hard, are they?" the wolf asked.

"Not very, no. Keep your eyes out, though. Sometimes, they get curious."

Leading his crew towards the station itself, Klim kept an eye on it. Unlike the various Soaring Fleet vessels around them, which were more organic and based off the designs of reptiles and elements in the way that they were constructed, the station was very much built on the idea of circles and ovals. Even from here, he could see the way that it was like two large ovals that were intersecting, with the bottom of the upright one placed right in the middle of the one that was laid on its side. It created a sort of nest-like structure, with the central spire being the egg that was kept inside it.

Well, it was made by the Federation. Can't keep their bird imagery off anything, he thought.

It was a long-ish walk from their berth, taking almost ten minutes to walk down the line. Various other ships kept him from getting bored, reminding him of the different types of ships that the Soaring Fleet had.

He took particular notice of two fighter-craft that were docked right by the door. One was a smaller one, barely more than a one-manned craft, but he recognized the sort. It was an interceptor, sharp-nosed with a series of fins along the back that allowed for massive amounts of maneuverability in vacuum or in atmosphere. Black and red, it was the sort used by the Hierarchy's worst sorts. The Evaluators.

Well, that will make things interesting.

The other ship was a bigger fighter, but one that was obviously built for a feral dragon. It had a number of kill marks on the side, and was painted a bright, sapphire blue from nose to engines. Not one that he would want to face down, he had to admit.

Noting that down, he turned back to the door, stepping through it as it opened for him and his crew automatically.

Inside the station was where everything was more lively. Soldiers of various scaly species hung out in the hallways, and he could see every eye turn towards him as the doors opened. Some lingered on him, taking in the white commodore outfit that he wore, while others glanced at the 'slaves' that he brought with him. Klim stood there, the velociraptor taking his time to be admired for a few seconds, then stepped further in.

The eyes of the other soldiers stayed on them as they walked by, the conversation continuing around him but at a quieter level. They were curious, he was sure, far more curious than he wanted them to be.

Damn, was hoping that they'd be busier working with the mining facilities. What are they doing, if they're not mining the star out?

As they turned, following the directions up to the admin offices, he took the chance to glance back at his crew. Ryker had obviously had the same thought, as had Sollon. The others...well, if they weren't blushing at being stared at while naked, they were showing themselves off. It didn't bother him, but he made sure to make a mental note of it. They'd need a talking to later.

They soon reached an elevator. Klim stepped to the side, getting the other members of the crew to step into the tube-shaped container first, and then followed after, standing by Dresnath. He let the door of the elevator shut before speaking.

"Alright. When we get to the commander, I want everyone to stay quiet."

"Yeah? That bad?"

"That bad, Ryker. If he's got an Evaluator around here, then the commander's gonna be pissed already. If he's in the room, I don't want any of you giving the game away."

"Who says we'd do that, captain?" Maggie asked.

"...Commodore."

"...Ah, like that. Right."

Indeed. The lack of discipline among his crew would be instantly noticeable if any of them so much as opened their mouths. It would immediately give the game away, and if either the commander or the Evaluator was paying any attention whatsoever, that little slip would immediately point out all the others, from the lack of proper stance in some of the 'slaves' to the fact that they weren't actually wearing any sort of proper collars and slave rings down on their dicks - in the case of the males - and then...well, they'd have to fight their way out, and he didn't like their chances.

The elevator dinged, and Klim put on a mask of confidence. It was showtime.

The door opened on a massive room that had obviously been seeing some renovations. A series of chairs and other bits of furniture had been ripped out of the floor, as evidenced by the bolt holes that were still left around, and a desk was thrown off against the side of the room, shattered to pieces. Only its connections to the base remained in the form of a few mechanical poles that stood out where the desk probably had been. The hallway leading to the elevator had been expanded, too, and considering who had moved in, he could see why.

Commander Rumiir, he assumed, was the great blue dragon that paced back and forth at the far side of the office. He was a big one, a deep blue along his back and sides with a white-gray sort of underbelly. He had a series of scale-tattoos along his flank and chest, marking him with body-medals that showed his rank, and along one side of his body, a jury-rigged rifle case was pressed tight to his flank. Klim immediately took in the mechanics along the side of it, saw the way that it led down to the dragon's front paw, and knew that a simple gesture could pull it out so that it pointed ahead of him, aimed wherever the commander happened to be looking.

Very smart, very smart.

The commander turned as soon as he took a step out of the elevator, and Klim snapped a hand to the side of his head.

"Commodore Hexclaw. Permission to enter?"

"Permission granted."

Klim nodded, lowering his hand to his side once more. His 'slaves' poured out the doorway behind him as they walked forward, and he prayed that they would remember the proper etiquette that he had taught them. Several steps behind, never moving forward outside of a disciplined line, and making sure that they kept their heads down. He couldn't even look back to make sure that they were doing it. He just had to assume that they were.

He kept his face neutral as he approached. There was no sign of the Evaluator, which was a plus. He didn't have to worry about that during the meeting at least.

The commander gestured for them to stop when they were still about ten feet away, and Klim guessed that was the length of space that the dragon needed to properly use his weapon. It would make sense, he supposed, to keep people at the minimum range needed. He didn't push his luck, and neither did the rest of his crew.

Commander Rumiir chuckled.

"So, Commodore, hmm? I didn't know that you'd rejoined the fleet."

"It's a recent development."

"It would have to be. I've been tapped into the reports for the current officers of all ships in this sector, and I haven't heard anything about you being reassigned."

"Considering your current guest, I imagine there's the possibility of certain information being restricted from you."

"It's a fair point," the commander said. "But still, after what you pulled..."

"Trust me, I'm aware of what I did. I can't exactly take it back, but I hope that there's a chance that I can make up for it."

More questioning glances from his crew. He didn't see them, but he sure as hell could feel them. Klim was glad that nobody said anything, but it was too late. Rumiir had noticed. The blue dragon chuckled, slowly folding his forelegs under him, lowering himself to his belly. It still left the blue feral's head about at the level of his own.

"Your slaves haven't heard of you, then?"

"I haven't had much need to educate them."

"Fresh from the war, hmm?"

Which war? he almost asked. The Hierarchy was involved in at least two almost all the time. It was a matter of which they were involved in at any given point. Better not to answer that.

"No, more people that I've picked up during my days away. Just because I left the fleet doesn't mean I left all our ways behind."

"Particularly not the pleasurable ones, by the smell of the female."

Klim was thankful that his hands had been folded behind him, because it meant that he could stifle Maggie's response with a firm gesture. No, not a good time to talk. No, do not offend him. No, do not rise to the bait. No. No. No. The velociraptor forced a small smile.

"Not all of them, no. I suppose that this is a bad time for a visit -"

"Not at all. The supplies that you're bringing in, according to Admiral Torin, are much needed. And the Thousand Claws is a welcome interceptor in the fleet, considering its speed."

"Yes, I'm sure you'll be putting it on patrol before long."

"For a time, yes."

"And then to be used as a delivery vehicle for the next shipment of energy, I imagine."

"Of course."

There. The slight hesitation.

Heh, so you're doing something besides star-mining, are you? Well, now, that's something. That's something, indeed.

Both he and the Federation has believed that the threat to the star was just a means by which the Hierarchy would be harvesting energy, oil, plasma, and more from the star. Now that he knew that they weren't harvesting it to send back to the system, he had to wonder. What were they doing? And why was the commander lying to a fellow officer about it?

Either he's doing something against commands, or he already suspects me, Klim said. The latter means I'm already fucked, the former means that I might have something that I can use against him at some point.

The velociraptor didn't let any of it show on his face, however, and merely nodded his head.

"The ship is, obviously, at your command as soon as the repairs are finished. I have my pilot and crew working the repair drones already."

"Yes, the mechanics already told me that. You seem to have things well in hand, Commodore."

"I try."

"Make sure that you keep your slaves informed of what their proper place is. Despite being slightly more liberal on shore leave, they are to maintain their decorum."

"Of course," Klim said, barely managing to keep from gritting his teeth. "Anything else?"

"Yes. The folf. Is he your personal slave?"

If there was a way for Ryker to kill with a look, he was pretty sure that the commander would already be dead. Hell, he was pretty sure that he caught the flames of the folf's look over his shoulder at that. With such a breach of protocol, he knew he'd be allowed - even expected - to take action. The velociraptor turned, staring down the folf, and grabbed him by the neck. The sudden squeeze nearly yanked Ryker off his feet, and Klim pushed him down on his knees.

"You will not stare at your betters this way."

Do not fight this, do not fight this, please, dear god do not fight this.

He could feel the tension in his security officer's shoulders as the folf struggled not to give into his instincts, and barely resisted breathing a sigh of relief when Ryker managed to control himself. He held the folf there for a few seconds, then let him stand again.

"I apologize for his lack of training. He's the newest of them, and he hasn't had the chance to learn his place yet."

"A pity. You are taking him in hand, then?"

"I'm trying. Much as I am sure that you could do great things with him, I'd be loathe to loan him to someone before he's fully trained."

"I suppose that is fair enough. A pity, though. I was looking forward to seeing him squirm on the end of my shaft as he learned where he belonged."

Klim reacted before the folf could say anything, grabbing the other male's chin and holding his mouth shut before he could screw them any further.

"I'll remember to use that as a threat for him, heh."

"Or an incentive. Slaves tend to like those better."

"True enough, Commander. May I request a berth for me and my men?"

"You may. Third sub-level, fifth barracks."

"Thank you, sir."

He and Dresnath saluted, and the 'slaves' bowed at the waist before they turned around. They made their way back to the elevator, Klim in the lead and Dresnath taking up the rear. He was about to press the button when the elevator door opened.

Standing on the other side was a chameleon, of all things. He looked at them with a pair of shifting eyes, flicking back and forth, one going down as the other went up, and then vice versa. His scales started black, then turned green, before he stepped out of the elevator.

Well...there's the Evaluator. He's going to be visiting later, I'm sure, he thought. Damn, damn, damn.

Evaluators were the nearest thing that the Hierarchy had to a secret police, people that went around the fleet and the reptilian society in general to make sure that people were keeping to the proper traditions and codes of the Hierarchy. They were also the ones that decided when one was due for a promotion, either militarily or socially. Either way, if you pissed one off, your life tended to go south very, very quickly.

And this one was armed, too. Just from a quick glance, he noticed the bulge of a concealed blaster along the chameleon's back pocket, dagger tucked up his sleeve, and a gas grenade disguised as a rank pin on his chest. There were probably three times as many weapons hidden elsewhere on his body, just waiting to be used in the case of someone trying to silence him, or someone that had been evaluated to no longer be of worth.

Having one of them on the station was going to be trouble.

Klim forced his face to stay as neutral as possible as he stepped into the elevator, taking a few deep breaths as the doors of the elevator closed behind him. He didn't say anything this time, not daring, just in case the place was bugged. He should have thought of that before; if he wasn't careful, he might end up saying something even more stupid than usual.

Shushing all attempts at conversation until they were down on sub-level three and down in their chambers, Klim fought his own nerves at what might happen if he screwed up. The stakes were higher now, and he honestly didn't know what they were going to do. If the Hierarchy wasn't mining the star - or at least, wasn't just mining it - what were they doing? What was happening out here to draw an Evaluator out? What had the Federation not told him, and what else didn't he know?

His crew were still spreading out over the quarters they were given as he thought it through. He casually grabbed Maggie, pulling her along, and she seemed to notice that he was in a problematic headspace, because she didn't complain. The velociraptor sat down, pulling her between his legs, and gently rested her muzzle against his crotch. Not in a way to make her suck, but just to keep her close. An old habit, one that he had almost forgotten than he had.

"Everyone..."

The chatter of the other members of the crew drowned him out. He cleared his throat.

"Everyone. Quiet."

They stopped, each one of them standing by one of the beds that stuck out from the wall, each bed as oval as the room itself.

"We need a plan. And that means, we need information. We're not going to get that in one big group, so that means we're going to have to split up. I need two volunteers to go for slave training."

Nobody raised their hands, at least, not immediately. Sollon eventually raised his, as he knew the rat would do. He was always taking on the jobs that nobody wanted. Eventually, Lorkos raised his hand as well.

"Alright. And now, two volunteers for mining work."

"...Fucking hell..." Ryker muttered, raising his hand, and Maggie raised hers, as well.

"You?" Klim asked.

"Well, what can I say? First chance I've ever had to see the inside of a star. Not gonna pass something like that up."

"Fair enough. That leaves you and me for the most dangerous part, Dresnath," Klim said.

"And what's that?"

"Spy work. One of us spies on the commander...the other one spies on the Evaluator."

He hated the idea, positively hated it, but the situation had changed. If they weren't mining the star, then just dislodging the station, disrupting the situation might not be enough. The Hierarchy might already have a plan in place for that. Which meant that they needed more information, and the only people that were likely to have it were the most well-armed, dangerous people on the station.

Fuck, fuck, fuck...

The End