The Captain's Heart CH 49 (Patreon)

“Alpha, Medical wishes to speak with you,” the hunter at comms said. “Transfer it.” The Doctor’s face appeared on the screen. “Doctor,”

“Alpha, Medical wishes to speak with you,” the hunter at comms said.

“Transfer it.”

The Doctor’s face appeared on the screen.

“Doctor,” he greeted her.

“Captain. I thought you’d like to know Engineer Alixianakaran Debaren is awake.”

He smiled. “How is he?”

“Not well enough for you to ask him about his knowledge of the gods’ involvement, if that is what you are hoping for.” The dismissive tone was clear. “But he is well enough for visitors.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course.”

The screen went blank.

He relaxed.

“Position?”

“Twelve point three light years past the start of the unclaimed territory,” Toom answered.

“Scans, report.”

“Nothing ahead of us other than dust and the occasional rock.”

That confirmed what Alix waking said.

“Bridge. Stand down to regular flight duties. This hunt is over, other than bringing the carcass home. I’ll let your betas know you have performed well.” He undid the armor’s jacket and ruffled his chest fur. He wrinkled his nose. As always, he’d need a shower as soon as he was out of it.

Fortunately, Jeremy was on the ship and he could—

His tablet buzzed, and he checked it. The Psychologist, informing him Jeremy had his first language imprinting session, and that she was keeping him in her office until the aphasia passed.

From his memory, it would be a few hours. So much for enjoying a shower with him. He wasn’t waiting to get out of these. He was heading to the lockers, then to see Alix and fill out reports.

    *

The sandy furred male reclined in the bed and watched him approached, his expression searching.

Gralgiran placed a hand on the arm and squeezed. “Alix, It’s good to see you out of that tube, my friend.”

Alix searched his face. He opened his muzzle and made sounds that Gralgiran couldn’t associate to any words.

“The Engineer is still suffering from damage to his brain,” the medic said, arriving on the other side of the bed. Alix looked at him, confused. “Once the Psychologist has examined him and given her report, we’ll start on repairing it.”

“How long until he can leave medical?”

“The Doctor would be the one to be able to hazard a guess, but the damage is extensive.”

Gralgiran squeezed the arm again, pulling Alix’s attention back to him. He smiled. “You’ll be screaming at me in no time.” He leaned in and rubbed muzzles. Alix startled at the initial contact, then leaned into it. “I’ll visit again. When you’re better, I’ll tell you what the gods have been up in your absence.”

His friend grabbed his arm as he turned to leave. The sounds had urgency to them, but carried no details.

“It’s still there,” he reassured him. There was only one thing Alix would get this worked up over. As he’d expected that calmed him. The tone, or could he understand, even if he lacked the ability to speak right now?

A male and female ran by him as he exited. “Aly! Aly, they just told us you were awake. How are you? We missed you so much.”

From the exit, he couldn’t make out Alix’s expression, but the pain on both told him they’d received the same lack of recognition he had. Hopefully, they wouldn’t take it personally. The medic’s explanation didn’t seem to help.

He left them to return to his work.

    *

Now that he’d turned the scan results, along with the information that had been gathered in other ways, into a proper report for the Security Council to forward to the Trade one and sent it. He looked at the information and marveled.

Twelve reactors. Six inactive, they’d learned, now that they had time to study the scan’s details. Enough anti-matter stockpiled to power them for centuries. What did they need so much of it for? Let alone where they’d gotten in all? A check of the trade quotas with non-federation species told him that if they’d gotten it through trade, someone was looking at severe sanctions.

Not his hunt, but he was still curious. The Taournians were the ones that jumped to his mind, and the fact they shared a border with the Earthers made it harder to dismiss just because he’d dealt with so many Taournian pirates in his years on the line. The Ridoshi had to be considered. Their minds worked so differently than anyone else that understanding why they did something could be a task worthy of Gezbiliam.

The Kersosterans [renaming of the Garans to take into account how the Federation name species based on the name of the homeworld] and Reosephs were out as possibilities. Laws were too important to the Kersosterans, and the Reosephs didn’t get the nuances needed to justify skirting laws. When they broke them, they basically told everyone.

It still left many other possibilities, and for that, he was happy he wouldn’t be assigned that hunt.

The chime let him know someone wanted to enter, and a glance at his desk had him frown at who stood outside his office. He let the hunter in.

Thuruk sel Minial wore a casual vest and pants, but remained at attention when he stood on the other side of the desk.

“What can I do for you, hunter?”

“I’m here, Alpha, for the chastising I deserve. My Beta is on his way.”

“What have you done that needs me to chastise you, instead of your Beta?”

“I addressed you directly during a conflict. I risked dividing your attention.”

He opened his muzzle to contradict the male, then remembered the whispered ‘talk to him.’ The advice had been good. But the hunter was right, he had spoken well out of place. Except…

“I was your active Beta, since yours was sleeping.”

“No, Alpha. You placed me under Beta Rokderranderim for the chase. I should have passed the information to her, so she could tell you.”

“Why didn’t you?”

The male opened his muzzle, then closed it, as if he hadn’t considered that before. Gralgiran had expected ‘there was no time’. That could get a hunter out of trouble for breaking rank, and he would have accepted it.

“I didn’t consider it, Alpha. I simply spoke.”

He liked that the male didn’t make excuses, but it placed him in a situation he didn’t like. Punishing people for doing something that helped, even when it was against procedures, never sat well with him. Before he formulated something that adequate, the chime sounded again. The hunter’s Beta had arrived.

“Alpha,” the Beta greeted as he took position next to Thuruk sel Minial. The glance and shake of the ears told him the male didn’t know why his hunter was there.

“You didn’t tell your Beta?”

“I didn’t act while under him, Alpha. This isn’t something he needs to bear responsibility for.”

“It won’t happen again,” the Beta stated, and Gralgiran smiled. He appreciated a male willing to make blind assurances in regards to his hunter. It meant he knew him well.

“I don’t doubt you.” He looked at the hunter. “Hunter Thuruk sel Minial. For breaking rank during active conflict, you are relieved of your duties for the rest of next two shifts. Go home and be a civilian.”

The hunter looked at him, confused, then at his Beta.

“Is that really appropriate punishment, Alpha?”

“Are you questioning my judgment?”

“No, Alpha…” he looked at the hunter, the ear twitched and Gralgiran made out the start of a question in code, but the Beta remembered ear code was taught to all hunters, and stopped. “What did he do?”

“Your hunter provided important information, bypassing the Beta I assigned him to for the chase.”

“Then—”

“His information led to my Heart being rescued without us needing to engage in active battle. If he’d brought up the time sensitive nature as his defense, I would have accepted it, but he didn’t, so I’m forced to punishing him. But I don’t have to be harsh. You are dismissed.”

“Alpha,” the beta said, not moving, and the hunter paused in turning. “You aren’t needed, hunter.”

Once the hunter left, the Beta relaxed. “I have made arrangements for a Beta to take charge of my hunters when I sleep.”

“Who?”

“Beta Descinikal Dosirar.”

He’d have to look her file over to be certain, but the memory he had of his interactions with her was of a no nonsense female with a hard punch.

“What parameters has she agreed to?”

“If my pack has to go active while I am sleeping, they become hers. Only if we were not already active.”

Again, he’d have to check, but he thought she worked covert ops with Zorfiel, so the odds of both their units being active at the same time were low.

“Alright, I will update the files.” He considered something. “I want you to train hunter Thuruk sel Minial to become a Beta.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

“You can go.”

Training didn’t mean he’d become qualified, but he had hopes for someone named for the father god.

    *

Gralgiran attracted looks as he ran.

Jeremy was free to go, the message had said. He wasn’t letting him wander the ship, or have to ask where his quarters were. He would be at the side of his Heart and—

He almost collided with the Earther as he exited the counsel room, even with sinking his claws in the flooring.

“Hi.” Jeremy sounded amused. “I’d greet you in Kelsirian, but learning the language didn’t make my throat able to pronounce it.”

Gralgiran smiled. “I missed you.” He placed a hand on Jeremy’s cheek, who flinched, but caught the hand before he pulled it away. “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. You caught me by surprise, that’s all. Public displays like this are going to take some getting used to.”

“Don’t Earthers show they care for their Heart when among others?”

“We do, but all of this is new to me.”

“Then, how about we head to our quarters so I can show you how much I missed you?”

Jeremy swallowed, but smiled. “Yes.”

Outline section 

No outline

Addition 

Thuruk comes to be punished for his insubordination

The reports

Alix wakes up

This is the start of chapters that will, hopefully transitions into the next part of the story, which, according to the outline, is the next chapter.

This deals with the direct fallout of what happened previously. Thuruk seeking out punishment was planned pretty much from the moment he spoke out of turn. With that, I knew I needed the resolution to his ‘Beta’s situation, since I can’t have Gral be his backup for always. Thuruk receiving training to be a Beta is because of where I know the story goes. Down the line, he’ll need a leadership position.