Free All Enemies Foreign and Domestic (Kelly Blake series) by Rodney Smith Page A

that Jotil Laptee’s cousin was female.   Jotil Laptee stared at Candy and walked around her, appraising her from all angles.   Candy, not sure whether to be amused or guard, asked what Jotil Laptee was looking for.
          “You will please forgive me and stop me if I have made offense, but I have seen few human females other than the few onboard the Orion and a few from your embassy here.   Now that I have seen you, I can say that I have truly seen a human female.”
          Candy blushed, thanked Jotil Laptee for the compliment, and curtsied to him.   He did not know what to make of this gesture and turned to Kelly and asked in Angaerry what it meant.
          Kelly replied, “It is an old Earth gesture, similar to your hand wave.”
          Jotil Lenkva asked, “Is there a response gesture?”
          Kelly showed him how to bow properly and Jotil Laptee tried the gesture on Candy, albeit a little jerkily.   Candy curtsied again, causing Jotil Laptee to bow again.
          Kelly noticed the hall starting to fill as the time for the host’s entrance approached.   Kelly excused himself and Candy then worked the room, making the rounds of the K’Rang that Kelly or Candy knew or recognized.
          At one point, a minor official in the K’Rang Combined Imperial Fleet was haranguing Kelly, when the official casually mentioned that many of the problems of the fleet would be solved as soon as Baron G’Rof took command.   Kelly took note of this tidbit, as he had heard nothing on this before.   Kelly felt pretty good.   He had just gotten his first piece of cocktail intelligence.
          Conversation in the hall died off as a liveried servant in a resplendent red cape stepped out onto the first landing of the massive stone staircase.
           “My lords and ladies, warriors, honored guests, please stand for the entrance of his eminence, Senior Elder J’Gon.”
          Elder J’Gon appeared at the top of the right upper staircase and began his slow walk down the massive stone staircase.   Kelly had to admit he looked majestic in the azure-lined cape of an elder of the empire.
          Candy whispered in Kelly’ ear, “What a lovely shade of blue.   Perhaps we could paint the nursery that color.”
          Kelly didn’t respond and Candy turned to find his face lit up.   “A boy!   When did you find out?   I thought we weren’t going to ask.”
          “I didn’t ask, but the doctor slipped up and forgot we didn’t want to know.   He asked me how I felt about having a son.”
          Kelly wanted to pick up Candy and carry her about the room, but decorum required their attention back to Elder J’Gon’s march down the staircase.   Kelly composed himself and watched J’Gon’s slow progress down the stairs.   At the middle landing, he was joined by Shadow Warrior H’Kona, his military aide.   Kelly looked at her and wondered if J’Gon knew she was a cousin of Elder G’Tol.
          Elder J’Gon finally descended the last step and stepped out into the crowd of K’Rang warriors and petty nobility that faced him and stood at attention whenever J’Gon got within five meters of them.   Kelly and Candy laughed at this mobile petrification as J’Gon glad-handed old friends and attempted to drive away the sycophants and wannabe entourage.
          Then J’Gon saw Candy and walked away from a group attempting to engage him in conversation.   He left them so abruptly that his aide, who was recording what was being asked and what was being promised, was left behind and had to hurry to catch up.   Her haste caused some of the Shadow Warrior security detail to alert and surround Kelly and Candy, warding off some unidentified threat to the Elder.   One was about to push Kelly bodily to the ground when J’Gon said a K’Rang “safe” word and they melted away as if they had never been there.
          J’Gon spoke to