Page 24 of Savage Union (Brutal Universe #2)

23

TURK

A s I settled myself in my chair and surveyed the Bridge, I considered the state of the Crew, which wasn’t good—especially this early in our mission. Cass had been drawing plenty of unfriendly looks from the rest of the men in the Mess Hall—not just from Jerx and Gurflug. The two of them had probably spread the story of their whippings, no doubt making it sound like they were some kind of fucking martyrs who had been punished for no reason.

It wasn’t good to have the rest of the Crew distrustful and resentful of the navigator and I considered what I could do about it. For now the situation seemed under control, though no doubt the other Crew members felt like I was giving Cass preferential treatment.

What I ought to do was let the boy fend for himself. Ship life is tough—it teaches a lot of hard lessons. I ought to let the boy learn those lessons on his own—he’d never be able to stand on his own two feet if I kept protecting him.

But something inside me just wouldn’t let me do it. I couldn’t stand the thought of Jerx cornering him again or a group of the other Crew roughing him up. I couldn’t just let Cass get raped and beaten—which was what I felt was certain to happen if I didn’t keep him close. I didn’t allow that kind of thing on my ship.

It went deeper than that, though, I admitted to myself. I wasn’t just trying to keep the rules of The Illyrian intact. I had a powerful urge to protect the boy for some reason. It was irrational—I had only met him the other day, he was nothing to me except a brilliant navigator. But I couldn’t fight with my heart, which demanded that he be protected at all costs.

I hadn’t even been angry when I woke up with him draped all over me that morning—though it would have pissed me off if it had happened with any other Crewmember. I’m no lover of men, as I’ve said before. Being so close to another male—especially when I was vulnerable in bed—should have made me angry. But I’d felt nothing but affection when I looked down and found him wrapped around me, his head on my chest and his long lashes fluttering on his cheeks as he dreamed.

Why was that? What was happening to me? Why did I feel so protective and yes, possessive of a boy I’d never met before two days ago?

I had no answers for any of those questions. I would just have to keep an eye on the Crew and ask Snuffy to take their temperature often to let me know if there was anything brewing. The long-nosed cabin boy was universally liked because he often ran errands for busy Crewmembers. He would be able to let me know if there was something bad coming down the line. He?—

“Captain, I must protest this nonsense!”

The strident, nasal voice was all too familiar. I looked up to see Frux standing by my chair, looking down his long, bony nose at me. There was an expression of self-righteous anger on his long face.

Inwardly, I sighed. Couldn’t one day go by without the Union Rep complaining about something? But I knew the answer to that—it was almost always “No.”

“And what ‘nonsense’ are you protesting this time, Frux?” I asked, glaring up at him. I was in no mood to put up with him today. Not with so much on my mind.

“I’m talking about the favoritism you’re showing to the second navigator you hired for some reason—though I’m beginning to doubt you hired him to navigate at all!” Frux announced.

Of course, every Crewmember on the Bridge heard him. I thought of taking him into my Ready Room for some privacy, but it was too late. I was going to have to address this in public, because that was where he had started it.

“What exactly do you mean by that, Frux?” I asked, letting my voice drop to a menacing growl. “What favoritism?”

“Why, you’re letting him share your quarters!” Frux exclaimed. “While I—a ranking officer—am forced to sleep in the same cabin as the lowly regular Crew! If anyone gets to share the Captain’s Quarters it should be me—the Union Rep!”

“I’m not fucking sharing my quarters with you, Frux!” I growled. Just the thought of having to share a bed with the irritating bastard was enough to make me want to fucking break his bony nose for him.

“They why are you letting that boy sleep with you when he has a perfectly good berth in the navigators’ bunk?” Frux demanded. “Or is what the Crew is whispering true?”

“I don’t know—what is the Crew whispering?” I growled. I was really beginning to lose my patience now!

“They’re saying you got them a Catamite but then changed your mind and decide to keep him for yourself, Captain. So they are, so they are,” Snuffy said helpfully. “Sorry,” he added apologetically. “I thought you should know—though I was going to tell you later, in private. Yes, I was. Yes, I was.”

“Yes, well—there’s no need to be private about it,” I said calmly. “I’m allowing Cass to stay with me because he and our other navigator weren’t getting along. It’s important to keep the peace between two of our most important Crewmates.”

I could have said something about how I feared for Cass’s life—or at least his virtue—if I had left him where he was. But he was already perceived as weak and vulnerable by the rest of the Crew—I didn’t want to make things worse.

Speaking of Cass, I was aware that he was standing on the other side of my chair, blushing helplessly and keeping silent. Gurflug, on the other hand, had turned in the navigator’s chair and was eyeing the whole scene with a triumphant look on his flat face, obviously enjoying the scene that the Union Rep was making.

“So you moved the boy in with you to ‘keep the peace?” Frux sneered. “Riiight. Rest assured, Captain, all of this will be going into my report for our Chieftain at the end of this trip!”

At last, I lost my temper. If this skinny shit thought he could disrespect me in front of my Bridge Crew, he was going to learn otherwise the hard way!

Reaching up, I grabbed him by his scrawny throat and dragged him down to my level.

Frux choked and sputtered, but he was no match for my strength and he knew it. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head as I glared him in the face, pulling him so close that our noses nearly touched.

“You put whatever the fuck you want in your little report, Frux,” I told him, keeping my voice low and menacing. “But if you disrespect me again in front of my Crew or anywhere else, you’re spending the rest of this fucking trip in the fucking Brig! I say who sleeps in my fucking quarters with me and it’s none of your fucking business!”

He choked and gurgled, his eyes bulging out of their sockets as he scrabbled at my fingers which were locked around his throat. I had the urge to crush his windpipe and I could have done it, easily. I’m a full-blooded Brute and we’re fucking strong…but I knew my Chieftain wouldn’t like it. He might not care much for Frux, but the annoying Union Rep was still related to his wife. Killing Frux would piss her off and make his life hard…which meant he would make my life hard. Though I had to wonder if it could get any harder than it currently was.

I squeezed for a little longer, cutting off Frux’s air and letting him know that I could kill him if I wanted to before abruptly pushing him away. He fell to the ground, choking and gasping and flopping like a fucking fish. At last he managed to scramble to his feet.

“Get off my Bridge,” I told him flatly. “I don’t want to see your face for the rest of the day. And if I hear you’ve been spreading rumors, you really will spend this trip in the Brig for insubordination.”

Frux gave me an angry look, but didn’t dare to say anything. He scrambled down the tube and disappeared into the deck below with a metallic clatter of boots on metal.

There was a breathless silence on the Bridge and nobody seemed willing to look at me. I don’t usually resort to choking people, but I felt like I needed to get my point across. I really couldn’t allow a Crew member to disrespect me—that way lay mutiny which is something to be avoided at all costs, especially in Deep Space.

I wasn’t too worried about Frux, though—he wasn’t well liked by any of the men because he was constantly tattling on them for minor infractions. Still, the fact remained that I’d had to punish three Crew members in less than twenty-four hours and all of it related to my new navigator.

I looked over at Cass and found that he was watching me with wide eyes. But the minute our gazes met, he jerked his face around and looked intently at the viewscreen where Gurflug was plotting a course.

The big Galafruxian chose this moment to turn in his chair again and announce,

“I have our course through the next worm hole charted, Captain.”

“Great,” I said blandly. “Now get up and let Cass check it.”

“What?” His purple eyes bulged with offended rage. “You’re going to let that young pup second guess my route?”

“I’m going to have him check it,” I said, keeping my voice even. “No point in having two navigators if I don’t have them check each other’s work,” I added.

Still looking extremely offended, Gurflug finally exited his chair as he tossed the nav band carelessly aside.

“Stop fucking around with my equipment!” I warned him.

“I beg your pardon, Captain?” He looked at me, widening his eyes even more.

“The nav band,” I said, nodding at it. “It’s an expensive piece of equipment and we’re fucked without it. If you break it, the replacement is coming out of your salary.”

“What? But I am not responsible for buying the ship’s equipment!” he protested.

“You are if you break it,” I snapped. “Be more careful in the future.”

“ Yes , Captain,” Gurflug said with elaborate politeness. “I’ll certainly do as you say. Though I don’t believe I was being rough with the equipment before, I shall treat it with utmost delicacy hereafter.”

“Good, that’s all I ask,” I said mildly. I wasn’t buying his wounded martyr act. “Cass—check the route,” I added, speaking to the boy.

Cass slid into the nav chair and fitted the nav band around his temples. Thanks to the shower Gurflug had taken, he didn’t have to wipe it off first this time. Then he closed his eyes in apparent concentration.

After a moment, he opened his eyes and turned to me.

“It’s not a dangerous route, but it’s a long one,” he said to me. “I can get us closer to the next worm hole after this one by using a different jump.”

“What? What lies are you telling, you young pup?” Gurflug demanded. “My route is the best! The only?—”

“Do it,” I said, ignoring the Galafruxian. “And hurry—I want us through the next worm hole quickly.”

Cass nodded and fed his route to the nav computer.

“Ready for the worm hole,” he reported.

“Good. But before we jump, I need to see you in my Ready Room,” I said to him.

I could feel the other Crew members watching us as we stepped into my private area, but it couldn’t be helped. I had to give Cass the medicine in case there was a time dilation. I didn’t want him being sick in my bed that night!

Honestly though, I didn’t want him being sick at all. He’d looked on death’s door the last time—I didn’t like the idea of him being in that much discomfort again.

Why did I care so much about his wellbeing? I shouldn’t feel like this, I argued with myself. And yet, when he came into the Ready Room behind me, I couldn’t seem to stop the deep protectiveness that rushed over me when I saw his face—which was too lovely for a male by half.

“Captain? You wanted to see me?” He started to shut the door, but I shook my head.

“No, leave it open. Let them see what we’re doing,” I murmured, pitching my voice low for his ears only.

“Er…what are we doing?” he asked.

“This.” I pulled the bottle of medicine out of my desk drawer and waved it at him.

“Oh…right. Sorry.” His light brown cheeks went dark with a blush and I realized he’d thought I wanted him for something else—maybe even for something sexual.

“I don’t care what the rest of the Crew seems to think, you and I know you’re not a Catamite, Cass,” I said, loudly enough for the Bridge Crew to hear me. “And I’m not going to treat you like one. Now come here and take your meds—I can’t have you being sick all over my room later if there’s a time dilation in the worm hole.”

“Right. Thank you, Captain.”

He came forward and opened his mouth obediently. I tried not to notice what soft, kissable-looking lips he had as I carefully squeezed out two drops under his tongue.

He swallowed and nodded gratefully.

“Thank you, Captain,” he said again.

“That’s all. You’re dismissed to your post,” I told him.

But of course by the time we got out of my Ready Room, Gurflug was back in the nav chair. It didn’t matter—Yorrin would tell me if he had changed the route. So I said nothing and nodded for Cass to stand beside my seat as we prepared to make the jump.

I took him by the arm again to steady him and then the ship dived into the worm hole.