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

Kelly in K’Rang and his translator, who appeared from seemingly nowhere, said, “Excuse this inadvertent display of my security detail’s efficiency, Captain Blake.   I hope you were not injured in any way.”
          Kelly assured the Elder through the translator that he was undamaged and turned to introduce Candy.
          “Candy, allow me to introduce his Excellency, the Senior Elder J’Gon.   Your Excellency, permit me to introduce my wife, Candy Blake.”
          To Kelly’s surprise, the Elder switched into slightly accented Galactic Standard and said, “It is always a pleasure to meet a fellow advocate.   Do not be so surprised, Captain.   Before I was elected by my clan to be elder, I was a junior legal advisor to the cease-fire negotiating team at the end of the Capricorn War.   Months of hard fought negotiations helped me to acquire quite some facility with your language.
          “Of course I hide it, as do you your facility with our tongue.   I watched you at the treaty negotiations.   You did not always wait for your translator to finish before answering.   Do not worry.   Your secret is safe with me.   That should allow you to gain some valuable pieces of information here once the T’Pala starts flowing.   You should try some, Captain and Mrs. Blake.   It is quite good and has been tested to ensure no ill effects to Humans beyond a mild hangover.”
          Kelly expressed a desire to try it, but Candy begged off because of her pregnancy.
          J’Gon asked if there was something else he could have brought for her.   Candy asked for ice water and it appeared simultaneously with two glasses of T’Pala.
          “Try it, Captain.   We think it compares to your best Scotch Whiskey.   The formulae are remarkably similar, even considering we both are using native ingredients and came up with our spirits independently.
          “Oh, forgive me, Mrs. Blake, you said you were with child and I completely missed the significance.   There are holes in my human vocabulary you could steer the Orion through, right Captain?”
          Kelly grinned and in a low voice said in fluent K’Rang, “Of course, Your Excellency.”    
      The two sipped the T’Pala and chatted for a good ten minutes while the rest of the room waited, some looking daggers at Kelly.   There were probably a good many petitions awaiting the end of their conversation.
          Kelly, in a low voice, said, “I don’t wish to monopolize your time Excellency.   Your other guests appear to be getting impatient.”
          “So they are.   It is good for them.   I know what they want even before they ask it.   That one wants a distant cousin to be granted residency so she can resume her affair while her husband, a destroyer captain, is away on patrol.   That one wants to be made a baronet.   This one wants some of his neighbor’s land, out of spite over a slight remark.   You are right, though, I should not be rude.   Stay late if you can.   There are some things I would like to discuss with you over some more of this excellent T’Pala.   My aide will come get you when it is time.   Do not worry, Mrs. Blake.   I will not keep you long.”
          He turned to his aide and asked, “Where to next?”
            She led him to a cluster of K’Rang wearing the cloaks of the F’Dor faction.   Kelly would have loved to listen in, but realized the dozen burly Shadow Warriors wouldn’t allow that.   He and Candy walked away to find where the food had been laid out.   They were starved and the T’Pala was getting to Kelly.

 
    Chapter Five
     
     
          The Supreme Queen, deep in her birthing chamber on their main world, reviewed the reports coming in from the frontier of five new worlds being completely dominated by her children.   She was heartened by the report of a navigation system from the furry, bipedal race being captured