Free Carinae Sector: 02 - Admiral's Fury - Part 1 - Purple Blood by David Buck Page B

trailing two steps behind her. A Cephrit junior officer quickly scanned the room for electronic bugs before giving a curt nod to the Fleet master before he withdrew from the meeting room.
    Baredio crossed closer to the two senior Cephrit and gave a bow of respect, as the Fleet master started speaking softly in an obscure Barus dialect that they all understood.
    ‘So there is collusion as we suspected. Now I cannot imagine the Tilmud high Admiral will come peacefully after all the battles we have engaged in with their fleet….’
    The two Vorinne walked back to their shuttle and conversed in an equally obscure Vorinne dialect that they used for their own purposes, with Malang’troh careful to not offer opinions unless otherwise requested. Thatak’siema now thought this to be unnecessary as her next relaxed comment indicated.
    ‘We did well not to remind the Admiral Baredio of his embarrassment at Earth when the humans drove his cruisers away. Apparently he is still peeved at both the humans and the Traders, though we later found he was not culpable for the escape of the Trader ship. Now speak freely Malang’troh, in fact you will be required to state your mind increasingly during our expedition to this remote part of the sector.’
    Malang’troh gave her a lingering look that she enjoyed and he wasted no time in his considered reply.
    ‘Well your Grace, the Barus Admiral even now colludes with the two Cephrit to bring down the Tilmud Admiral. I suspect this is what you intended and I applaud your excellent logic behind this move. Indeed one day I would like to hear a detailed account of how the humans drove the Barus cruisers away. However the reactions of the Cephrit themselves towards your initial comment are of concern, and I noted they did not acknowledge the authority of the Zronte either. This is disconcerting and needs to be discretely evaluated.’
    Thatak’siema stopped her walk towards the shuttle and looked Malang’troh directly in the eye from three metres away. The closeness of their bodies was disconcerting also to Malang’troh as Thatak’siema was coming into breeding condition within the next few months. The second envoy gave a small smile as she noted his subtle reactions, ‘Vorinne males are so easy to read’ she thought as she casually replied to his comments.
    ‘Well Malang’troh the Tilmud had got all this coming to them in my estimation. If my decisions crimp the plans of a Zronte battle lord ten thousand light years away then so be it. You can read about ‘Baredio’s folly’ for entertainment after we dine together tonight. The Cephrit are not ones to hold grudges and I also would like to see them exert more control in this area of space over the Tilmud, Jerecab and possibly the humans if they survive. I will also attempt to get restitution through for the Cephrit if possible, however this will have to be done carefully.’
    The two Vorinne continued their walk towards their landing shuttle, and ignored nearby Cephrit and Barus dock workers; some undoubtedly spies, going about their business. After several more minutes, Malang’troh took their shuttle back onboard his flagship and the Vorinne fleet made preparations to interdict the Tilmud home worlds.
    In a Deltas Vass utility shop in the trading district, a shopkeeper drone prepared a confidential report to send away. However he felt real frustration with their efforts, as the audio bugs had only picked up snippets of the Vorinne conversation due to a small suppression field the second envoy obviously had operating in her staff of office.
     
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Chapter 2
     
    Gindane sat in her command chair on the research cruiser and looked over the latest dockyard reports with endless patience she felt she needed to get through the current day, even with her two thousand year plus life span. The whole