"I figured you'd want to be with your family to make plans."

Talyn stood up slowly. His expression stern, he held his hand out to Fain. "You are family, Hauk."

Stunned, Fain took his hand and allowed Talyn to pull him into a hug. He clung to his son, unable to believe that this moment was real. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you, Talyn. But I swear to every G.o.d of Andaria that so long as I have breath in my body, I will be here for you from now on."

Nodding, Talyn released him and returned to Felicia's side. "So what are you planning to tell your parents?"

She swallowed her bite of Talyn's ice cream. "That I was abducted by aliens and surgically implanted."

Talyn laughed. "Now that I think about it, I might ought to store my sperm before you tell them. Lorens is likely to kill or geld me."

"Don't worry, baby. I'll protect you."

"Good. 'Cause he's scared of his little sister. I don't intimidate him at all."

Felicia scoffed. "That's just what he wants you to think. Trust me. The last thing Lory ever wants is to walk into a Ring and face you."

Galene gathered the papers and badges, and sealed them back in the envelope. "Don't lose this."

"If he does, it's all on official record now. Only you or the courts or tadara can ever take his Vested status from him. He is and will always be a legal eton Anatole." Fain met Talyn's grateful stare. "And both my brother and Sumi have agreed to adopt you if you want to be entered as a War Hauk. After all, it should have been your birthright, and they've promised to honor it, if you want. You now have three highly prestigious lineages to choose from, aside from Felicia's."

"Gah, I don't know what to say to that. Thank you, Hauk. Seriously." Talyn pa.s.sed a bashful grin to his mother. "But if it's okay, I think I'll stick with Batur for myself. It's been good to me. And I'll leave it up to Felicia and Matarra as to which one is best for the baby to use."

Galene stroked his cheek. "Ever mi courani." Then she tugged playfully at his goatee. "Felicia? Would you please make this mess on his beautiful face go away? I positively hate it. He looks like a farm animal."

Felicia laughed. "But I kind of..." Her voice faded out as Galene c.o.c.ked a brow at her. "Am thinking it should be shaved."

Talyn snorted. "I look like an infant without it."

Galene ruffled his braids. "You'll always look like an infant to me. Just wait until your baby's here. Then you'll finally understand why I still want to cut up your steaks."

"If it's a boy. If it's a girl, I'm locking her in her room until I'm dead and gone." He pa.s.sed a smug look to Felicia. "Or pledging her to priesthood."

"You will have no control over her pledging. That's up to me and our mothers."

"Yeah, but I have full control over whether or not the male you pledge her to is anatomically correct on their unification day."

Fain burst out laughing. "How do you manage to deliver lines like that in such a dry, serious tone?"

"It's his s.e.xy surliness. I would say it's what I fell in love with, but it was his s.e.xy shyness that won me over."

"I always thought it was my large... condo you coveted."

Felicia let out a sound of supreme annoyance. "Oh my G.o.d, Talyn! Your mother's standing right there! Watch what you say in front of her!"

But there was no apology in his expression at all, as he took a bite of Felicia's food.

"And on that note, we shall leave the two of you alone. Good night, kids." Galene kissed Talyn's cheek, then Felicia's.

Inclining his head to them, Fain stepped back to make room for her.

Talyn rubbed his bearded chin against Felicia's fingers. "Goodnight, Hauk."

" 'Night, son. Felicia."

" 'Night, Mum. 'Night, Paka," she said sweetly before she fed Talyn more of his dessert.

To Fain's shock and delight, Galene took his hand in hers and led him toward his post.

"What time is your shift over?"

He checked his chronometer. "Another hour."

"Mine ended before I took my call with Cairie, so I'll leave the door to my side of the condo open... if you feel up to it, why don't you come in for some tea?"

"What? With no Talyn there to scowl at me like an angry father?"

She gave him a smile that hit him like a fist in his gut. "No scowling Talyn. You finally found a way to get rid of him, it seems. And that was a clever device for moving your room closer to mine."

"Ah, you caught that ulterior motive for switching rooms with him, did you? And here I thought I was being really slick."

She sobered before she placed a kiss to his cheek. "I'll see you later... maybe."

The sensation of her lips on his skin lingered like a tingling caress as he watched her walk away with that sa.s.sy, s.e.xy swagger that was unique to her. Every part of him wanted to run after her, but he couldn't abandon his post. Not when he was covering for Talyn. The last thing he wanted to do was get his son in trouble. And he was still p.i.s.sed at what he'd seen written in his son's military file.

Actions taken against Talyn because of Fain's youthful stupidity. Honestly, he was stunned Talyn could bear to be in the same room with him. It said a lot about both Galene's and Talyn's character that they could tolerate him at all.

Trying not to think about it, he went back to the commcen, where Gavarian returned the command bracelet to him and introduced Felicia's escort, the Andarion captain who definitely looked like Lorens. The boy was practically a clone of Keris's onetime friend.

"This is my brother Brach. Brach, meet Fain Hauk."

Fain inclined his head to him. "So, you're warning me this time who your family is?"

Gavarian grinned. "I told you, I don't give up the commander's private details. Not without clearing it through him first."

Brach snorted. "He doesn't care who takes a shot at me. My a.s.s isn't sacred to him."

Gavarian nodded in cantankerous agreement. "And there is that."

"Commander?"

Fain glanced to the Tavali on his right who had spoken. "Yeah?"

"There's something weird coming through. But I don't know this language." She handed her earpiece over to him.

Fain pressed it against his ear and listened. "You recording it?"

She nodded. "Do you know what that is?"

"I think it's Phrixian. Call Morra and get her up here."

"Yes, sir."

Fain caught random words from the years he'd spent listening to Darling and Maris switch in and out of languages and dialects when they were drunk, or angry and fighting with each other, but he couldn't really understand what was being said.

Morra came in, pulling on a jacket. "Yeah, boss?"

He handed the earpiece to her. "Phrixian?"

She inserted it and nodded. "Naglfari b.a.s.t.a.r.ds... Hope all their d.i.c.ks rot off."

Fain and half his on-duty staff choked at that unexpected comment.

"It sounds like a report for Kyr. Some kind of bargain... no, pact is more precise. Blood brothers?" She handed the earpiece back to him. "It just went dead as if they realized they were being heard. Did anyone get a trace?"

The comm officer shook her head. "Somewhere on this station. Nothing more precise than that."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Morra scowled. "There aren't any Naglfari here, are there?"

"Not that we know of. You're the only one I knew who could even identify the language."

Morra cursed. "They definitely have to be Naglfari for you not to know their race. Let's face it. Schvardan stick out. Hard to hide in a crowd when you're lime green and glow in dim light."

Definitely had a point. Fain brought up the file. "Here's the whole thing."

She replaced the earpiece to listen. By her darkening expression, Fain knew it had to be bad.

"What is it?"

"Not real sure. They're speaking in code and using terms that don't make sense."

"Such as?"

"The pickle is in the jar, and the lid is open." She deepened her frown. "And if I'm the one they're calling the pickle, I'm going to have their pickles for lunch."

He ignored her venomous threat. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I told you, it's mostly random phrases like that. The prize is at the top of the closet. Don't forget to turn out the lights and brush your teeth. What the h.e.l.l? I think they're on drugs."

Fain growled in frustration. "Did the voice recovery work?"

His comm officer shook her head. "I can't break the encryption."

Fain pulled his link out and called Dancer. "Hey, I have a file up here I need you to work magic on. We need to ID the real voice on it."

"On my way."

Fain hung up and sighed as he tried to figure this out.

What are you up to, Kyr... He did his best to understand the mind-set of The League's prime commander. There was only one person he knew who might be able to guess it.

He glanced back to the comm officer. "Get me a copy of the file to send."

As they worked on it, he stepped out of the room for privacy and called Maris Sulle, Kyr's younger brother and Darling Cruel's best friend. He was also a member of The Sentella and one of The League's most wanted criminals. He motioned for Morra to follow him to Galene's office.

By the time Fain reached her desk and took a seat, Maris answered the call with a groggy yawn.

Fain cringed as he realized it must be the middle of the night wherever Maris was. "Sorry, Mari. I didn't check the time or your location."

"Mmmm, it's okay, s.e.xy. Is something up? Besides me and you at this unholy hour." He yawned again audibly. "Then again, it may not be unholy wherever you are, but I hope it is. I believe whole-heartedly in sharing my misery."

Fain tried not to be amused at that comment. "I just had an interesting call we intercepted from Kyr. But it's codespeak and in Phrixian. You're the only one I know who might be able to translate it."

"Or Saf." Maris yawned again. "He'd know better than I, especially if it's League code. Can you please send him a copy and wake him up? Besides, he can handle the sleep dep better than I. I'm the one with a husband and infant, and he's the one gallivanting about with cheap women and no responsibilities these days as we're all still spoiling him terribly."

"Yeah, sorry I woke you."

"No problem." A baby started crying in the background.

"I've got him," Ture said near the link.

"Thanks," Maris responded before he returned to the call. "File's here. I'll get right on this with Saf and see if we can figure it out." He yawned yet again, making Fain feel terrible for waking them.

"I owe you."

"Anytime, sweet cheeks. I'll call as soon as I have something."

As Fain hung up, he noticed Morra was texting someone. "What are you doing?"

"Notifying Ryn since Nykyrian's en route with Syn. He's letting me know that their families are being prepped and locked down." She showed him the text. "I'm personally responsible for Sumi and the kids until they arrive, and am senior Sentella officer under Hauk and Jayne." She put the link in her pocket. "I'm not to let Hauk's family out of my sight for three seconds."

"What was that?" Dancer scowled as he walked in on that last bit.

Fain laughed at the thought of Morra babysitting Sumi and Dancer in their bedroom. "It sounds like a plan."

Morra chucked Dancer on the arm. "Always around to ruin your fun, eh, big guy?"

Dancer shook his head. "Just knock first before you enter. If Sumi comes awake to a stranger in the room, she'll open fire on you."

"I've heard that about your lady. And that Kyr is still nursing his rib cage from his last encounter with her."

"That he is. My Ger Tarra is fierce."

"In that case, I shall awaken the hulk that is Q and send him in first." She winked and clicked her tongue at him. "Later, fellow air-breathers."

Dancer laughed as he turned toward Fain. "She really hates the Nagls, doesn't she?"

"With a burning pa.s.sion. And now that you're here, I'm handing the helm over and going to update Galene on this. Call if you break the encryption or need me."