POV: Lyra
There was a sigh from the Commander's end before he said, "Lyra, for the infinite time, it's just Clement to you. I swear, if you call me by my title again, I'm going to start calling you 'Your Highness'."
Orion instinctively held me tighter when jealousy crept into his being at how the Commander sounded more flirtatious than irritated. His pathways started shifting from purple to amber—never a good sign.
"Clement, get serious! When was this taken?" I exclaimed with zero humor.
A steady inferno started building in Orion's chest at how close we seemed—this Commander insisted I only call him by name. And he wasn't even part of our alliance. Just how many males were after my match anyway?! Orion's consciousness roared.
Commander Clement began, "First of all, it's good to hear you're okay. Second," his tone matched mine, "this image was taken only a minute ago. I forwarded it as soon as my Sub-Commander sent it. We should be worried, right?"
My eyes never left the image showing several large impact marks on the ground—the kind only Lyrokan combat boots could make when landing from height. These weren't just footprints; these were evidence of a full squadron doing reconnaissance.
My voice was calm when I asked, "Do these lead anywhere?"
Clement's reply was immediate. "The tracks stopped at the atmospheric barrier. They must've crossed it, taken a transport, and disappeared into that asteroid field beyond our station. Our combat specialists await instructions, but I told them I'd ask you first. Should we be worried, Lyra?"
I bit my lower lip. "We should all be, Clement. I'm glad it was just the tracks they found and not the Lyrokans themselves, but I can't help wondering what they were doing there."
"Beats me. I'm all the way over here at the Capital Summit. If they came to terminate me, they must've been disappointed."
"This location is too far from the command center to know you're not there though." I pondered for a moment. "Clement, you might want to ask Sub-Commander Nina to increase security around your station's perimeter. Get families to lock down in their safe rooms from midnight until day cycle for the next ten days. Place more specialists in observation posts to watch for incoming attacks. Blue Crescent should be able to spare some specialists. Mind-touch Juan to get our people to help. Ask for seven, if possible."
"Yup, I'll do that." Clement said before chuckling lightly.
I looked at my communicator in annoyance as Orion's grip tightened further, his pathways now showing definite red streaks of anger. "Clement, this is real, right? Not a joke?"
His chuckles died as he said, "It is real, Lyra. I wasn't laughing because of that. Believe me, I'm worried too. But..." his tone turned flirtatious, "when I hear you speak like that, it reminds me of when we trained and fought together."
I rolled my eyes. "When I bark out orders, you mean?"
Clement chuckled again at our shared memory.
When Orion and his Lyrokan had finally had enough, his deep voice joined the conversation. "When you bark out orders with grace, authority, and clarity was probably what he meant, my love." He emphasized 'my love' for Clement's benefit.
Clement's chuckles stopped abruptly at Orion's cold voice.
The Commander swallowed audibly before greeting, "My King, I apologize for the late acknowledgment. I didn't know you were there."
"Oh, I'm here, Commander Clement." Orion deliberately pressed his lips to my cheek loudly enough for the Commander to hear. "And if you'll allow it, Commander Clement, I can send three of our Lyrokan warriors to stand guard."
"Really?" My eyes sparkled, soothing some of Orion's anger.
"Oh no, Your Highness. We couldn't..." Clement's apologetic voice came through.
"I insist." Orion said before taking a deep breath of my psychic signature and running his fingers through my hair. He gently moved my hair to one side before pressing his nose to my nape, calming himself from the anger of hearing the Commander's voice.
I said, "Clement, just take it. If the threat is Lyrokans, it's safer to have Lyrokans on your side. Besides, you've met some of them on the training grounds—they're not all bad."
There was silence as the Commander weighed his options. "If you say so, Lyra. I trust your judgment. And thank you for the offer, Your Highness. Forest Gloom Station thanks you."
"It's a pleasure to help, Commander Clement." Orion said out of courtesy more than sincerity. His nose moved to my arm, and he started nuzzling my scar while waiting for the transmission to end. With difficulty, I held back my giggles.
"Thanks again, Lyra. I'll mind-touch Juan now. Take care."
"You too, Clement."
As soon as I ended the transmission, Orion's hand went to my nape and pulled me into a deep kiss before parting our lips. He asked in a voice that didn't bother masking jealousy, "Who is Commander Clement?"
My thumb traced one of his furrowed brows. "The leader of Forest Gloom Station and one of Blue Crescent's allies."
His features softened not from my answer but from my touch on his face. "He seemed too friendly for an ally, star-heart."
My hand cupped his cheek, thumb stroking the skin there. "He's friendly with everyone, darling."
"How did you two meet?" Orion asked.
"Juan's eighteenth birthday celebration. He and his family were guests."
"Did he speak to you at the celebration?"
"Yes."
Orion held my hand on his cheek. "How long did you both speak?"
I shrugged. "An hour or so, I guess."
An hour. Orion noted all they would've discussed in that time. "What did you talk about?"
"Station life. His family. He hates his siblings, by the way. That's about it."
Orion's orbs started developing black shades again at those intimate, personal questions. "Did he touch you during the conversation?"
I continued tracing his eyebrows, hoping to soothe him. "Only when we danced, Orion. No—"
"Where did he touch you?" His grip tightened.
I stroked his cheeks. "My hand and my waist, like any normal dance. It was just diplomatic protocol, dearest. It wasn't intimate."
Confusion sparked in Orion. "Care to explain that, my love?" He hoped using those words would reduce the aggression in his question.
I shrugged like it wasn't significant. "His late parents were good friends and allies of Blue Crescent. The whole family came because Commander Clement's parents were stepping down as station leaders the following year to let their first son, Commander Jake, take over."
Suddenly, I snuggled into Orion's chest, making him and his Lyrokan confused. But he held me nonetheless. What the void happened? Why does it feel like she wants to hide?