The Technician's Fight, Draft 1, CH19

“Explain to me,” Gralgiran said, working at keeping his tone level while eyes locked on the hunter. “Why you had sex with a prisoner?”

“I didn’t get the chance when we had the other Earther on board. He was amicable to the idea and—” her ears folded back. “—I didn’t realize what he’d do.”

That was her reaction? “And how did you think what you did was acceptable behavior?”

She looked confused. “I’ve had sex with Xen often enough when he’s in a cell.”

He stared. “You’re on a short name basis with him. The Quartermaster is a known quantity, part of the crew.” He stood and glared. “That was an Earther who boarded my ship and attempted to kidnap one of us. And you thought you just got to fuck him?”

“Alpha,” Beta Krosonarok Frecimar Grotil said, and closed his muzzle when the glare was turned his way.

“Don’t even try to explain away her behavior.” He looked at the hunter again. “And if that wasn’t egregious enough. You went in his cell dressed? He used your tablet to let the others out. To get information on where they wanted to go. How am I to think you aren’t an accessory to their escape?”

“I didn’t mean to. I just wanted—”

“You are a hunter! What you want comes well after what the gods want of you! What your Alpha demands of you! You and your pack guard prisoners! They are not your bedmates!”

Her ears folded back, and she looked at the floor. “Yes, Alpha.”

He considered her before tapping the unlock of the door on his desk as well as the intercom to it. “Beta Batrix sel Gezbil, enter with your pack.”

The investigation Beta and his pack stepped in.

Even if Gralgiran wanted a better way to proceed, she’d taken that away. “Escort this civilian to her cell.”

She looked about to protest in dismay, but one of the Beta’s hunters took her arm and pulled her away.

“Alpha,” her beta said, once the door closed, and again, he shut his muzzle under the glare.

“When did things grow so lax in the cells that they became nothing more than a leisure alley for the packs assigned there?”

“It’s not—” he swallowed. “There’s little to do, Alpha.”

“So her behavior is my fault? Because I run an orderly ship, you feel you can let your hunters fuck whoever they want? Is that what it means to be a hunter now? Tell me, which of the god told you prisoners could be used for your pleasure? And demand their Meddling if the investigation reveals one of yours used their positions to force a prisoner to have sex with them.”

“They wouldn’t!” he protested.

“Same as she wouldn’t have sex with an Earther heading to the incarceration center? Do you have any idea what I’ll have to do if the investigation into how they hacked our system has even the suspicion there was help from within the crew?”

“She would never!”

“She helped them escape!”

“She was tricked, Alpha. They—”

“She admitted to initiating it! All we have, unless the recording from that block is distinct enough to make out her words, is her claim of that.”

“The cells are listened to in case they reveal something while talking among themselves.”

“That was turned off. Care to guess by who?”

The beta’s eyes widened as his ears vanished under his thick head fur.

“Yeah. You have to wonder why she did that.”

“She just didn’t want to….” Horror filled his gaze.

“Yes. That means she knew what she was initiating was wrong, at a minimum.”

“But—”

“Stop! It’s too late to defend her. You were her Beta, you were supposed to protect her!”

“I’m trying—”

“That means you should have seen to it she never even thought of engaging in that behavior!” He ground his teeth. “Leave. You and your pack as suspended until I decide otherwise. And if you say one word, Beta, you will be more than a civilian until then. You are going to be her cellmate.”

The male closed his mouth and, shoulders slumped, left his office.

“Fuck!”

He dropped in his seat and let himself fall back until the side blocked most of his view.

Was he at fault here? The Beta was young, but he had graduated from training with honors. Had distinguished himself on the line multiple times before applying to join his ship. None of the betas he’d served under until becoming one himself had reported behavior that hinted to this kind of lack.

Could the fact he ran an orderly ship had caused this? Did the three other packs who looked over the cells also do this?

He needed to rework how things were done there. Maybe….

He pushed himself out of the seat. He wanted to hit something, someone. He should head to the hunter section and get in some training, but he wasn’t in a state to be among others, even the crew.

They might understand that like that, he had bad days, but he would not force them to confront it. Which meant he needed to bring the training to him. His office wasn’t a great place for it, but it beat stewing in his anger.

He tapped the top of the desk to bring up Brel’s comm and had a different idea. What he really needed was to burn off this energy. He needed someone who would outlast him. And he knew exactly who would.

He contacted the Engineer.

*

The chime told him he’d arrived, and Gralgiran stood, opening the door.

Jeremy entered, looking confused. “You needed to see me, Captain?”

He’d been clear when he’d asked Alix if he could spare Jeremy for a few hours. His Captain had business with him. His friend would know what that business was, but he wouldn’t hint of it. And considering Alix’s usual tone when speaking as the Engineer, Jeremy had no idea what was about to happen.

“Yes.” Gralgiran walked to his Heart and slowly reached by him to lock the door.

“What are you doing?” Jeremy asked, the confusion not diminishing.

Gralgiran grinned. “I am about to abuse my rank.” He pulled his mate to him. “I’m about to fuck you until I can’t breathe, and then you are going to fuck me until I can’t think.”

“It’s the middle of—”

Gralgiran bared his teeth. “Maybe you didn’t hear me, Technician. I don’t care what the rules are. If you don’t do what I tell you, I’m going to space you.”

Jeremy narrowed his eyes. “We are going to talk about what happened to put you in this mood.” He undid his pants. “After we’ve fucked.”

*

“Do you think she’s really in league with them?” his Heart asked while Gralgiran panted.

Did he really expect him to think after Jeremy had done exactly what he’d told him to? “No, but that’s not going to matter if the investigation doesn’t conclusively show the hack only took advantage of us hacking them first. If there’s a hint of internal assistance, she’s the only suspect, and because she deactivated the recording feed for that specific cell, I have no record of what they said.”

“How about a mentalist? I’m sure Leiha would be willing to help you.”

“As strong as she is, I won’t be able to trust what she finds. We receive training to withstand interrogations. It also makes us more adept at keeping mentalists out of our heads. She has one of the best scores in mental resistance in recent years.”

“But isn’t it in her favor to cooperate?”

“Especially if she can have the Psychology see what she wants her to.”

“You can do that?”

“Some can, and the experiments have linked it to a strong resistance. I’d need two more, as strong as she is, to have a chance of getting something I could trust.”

“There are no other mentalists on the ship?”

“Not of her strength, or even close to it. It would be noted in their citizen files, and even if they’re civilians, I would have been notified.”

“I’m sorry you’ve been put in this situation.”

“Thank you.” He licked Jeremy’s cheek. “And thank you for going along with this.”

“What are you thanking me for? I didn’t go along with anything. You forced me to do it all. I protested and fought as hard as I can, but I’m just a little Earther against a big bad Kelsirian with no respect for his Rank.”

He laughed and kissed Jeremy. “Thank you anyway. We should get back to work.”

“I can’t wait for the Engineer to comment on how I smell.”

“Tell him to lick it off you.”

Jeremy considered it. “Sex, twice in a few hours. Yes, I could go with that.” He grinned. “But one thing, if you’re going to abuse me like this, get a proper couch installed. The floor is fucking cold.”

*

It took two days, but Gralgiran was happy with the new procedures he and the eight Betas he’d selected to take over the cell duties had come up with. Doubling the personnel meant halving how long each hunter worked, which would lower the chances they’d give into the boredom. The rest of the time would be divided between various training, from how to deal with escaping prisoners, to their proper treatment, to straight up combat training. He was giving the Betas latitude to make changes as the training required. But he wouldn’t give any leeway when it came to engaging with the prisoners. Going forward, they were off limits, and the punishment for anyone caught engaging with them had been increased.

“You are dismissed,” he told them, and stood as well. He had an appointment to get to.

*

Dresdiren flopped on top of him, nuzzling into his mane. “Again?”

Gralgiran chuckled and shouldered his friend off him and onto the bed, then climbed between his legs. “Definitely.”

*

“Are you okay?” he asked Jeremy, whose skin was pinker than usual. He didn’t think it was because of the reservoir’s heat, or the intense light.

“It’s just weird being ogled like this. Ever since the video of me and Toomerim circulated, people are looking at me like…. Well, like I’m on the menu. Having them look at me while I’m naked isn’t making it seem more normal.”

“Has anyone harassed you?”

“No, those I’ve turned down have been understanding. It’s just this entire situation. It’s been a month now. You’d think people would get used to it.”

Gralgiran nuzzled his Heart’s neck. “Take it from someone lucky enough to ogle you for more than a year now. We never get enough of you.”

“You realize you’re going to make me inappropriate for being in public.”

Gralgiran nibbled, and Jeremy moaned. “A place that allowed you to be naked also allows your body to have natural reactions to that nakedness.” He nuzzled the ear and whispers. “And it’s good to show them what they could have if they become your friend.” The elbow in his side didn’t have the effect Jeremy had to expect, so he stepped away with a chuckle.

“You are being pretty presumptuous with who I’ll have sex with, considering how few of them I am having sex with.”

“Still uncomfortable with him outranking you?”

“There’s more to it than that. I know you said that sex doesn’t mean love, but I know he’d like something more, and he has a mate, and I have you and—”

“If you love him, it doesn’t mean you love me less.”

“But what if I don’t? Is it fair to him if I don’t feel the way he does?”

“So long as he knows, then it’s his decision.”

Jeremy nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Then took off. “See you when I’m done swimming!”

*

Gralgiran paused in the large lounge on his way to the shower before he and Jeremy headed out to eat. The food prep and eating area was, again, bare of his Heart’s usual cooking tools. Unlike their previous apartment, an island counter separated the food prep from eating area. He’d thought it was a good addition, considering how often Jeremy’s cooking experiments spread over the table.

Jeremy hadn’t cooked anything since they’d moved in.

He paused by Jeremy’s workroom. As usual, the door was open, and he was at his drafting table. One of the six printers was working on something. Two others had parts for him. He’d wanted to give him a larger one, so he wouldn’t have to borrow Repair’s, but that would have required redesigning the apartment to account for how large it was. Hopefully, if they changed apartment again, it would come with enough warning he could have the needed modifications done first.

“Jer,” he greeted him, when his Heart raised his head. “I’m grabbing a shower, then we can go eat.”

“I’ll join you.” A few taps on the table and Jeremy was by him. “I could do with working up an appetite.”

He decided not to mention the unused food prep area. There was someone else he could make aware of it, and she would be better placed to help his Heart if this was something he needed to overcome.