Her Commanders - M.K. Eidem Page 0,57

already know all the relevant facts," she said, hoping that would soothe him. She should have known better.

"Then fill me in on the irrelevant ones. Like you being personally involved with this Pilot. Your report said nothing about that."

Cali sighed and took a fortifying sip of her wine before responding. "I didn't include it because I knew it would look like retaliation. Which.It.Wasn't!"

"But you had been involved with him," he pressed.

"Do you really want to know about my sex life, Dad?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"No," Paul immediately denied, "because you're not old enough to have one."

"I'm three hundred and twenty-five years old, Dad," she reminded him. "By the time Mom was my age, she'd already had three offspring."

"I hate it when you do that," Paul grumbled.

"Do what?" Cali asked innocently, sipping her wine to hide her smile.

"You know what. You logic your way out of an argument just like your mother does." He glared at her for a moment then released a heavy breath. "Alright, I know you're old enough to have sex. I just don't want to know about it, but in this situation, I need to know."

Cali sighed, "Alright. Yes, I was involved with Nox, but only briefly. He'd been coming into The Brink for about six months, always flirting and making suggestive comments. I knew it was because he thought I was Earthan, but it had been a long time since I'd had sex, and with their tail, well, Phocs are supposed to be skilled lovers." She shrugged her shoulders at his incredulous look. "I was bored, so I decided to find out. The experience was disappointing, to say the least. I only gave him a second chance because I thought it could only get better. I was wrong. I planned on telling him it was over when I got back from signing the ownership transfer for The Brink, but when I returned, I discovered what he'd done and the rest, you know."

"How did he get your worker’s chip?" Paul asked quietly.

"It must have fallen out of my pocket. Triz refused to set up the secondary security I wanted on them, so all Nox had to do was use it. I never permitted him to do so." She could tell her dad believed her. "But I had used it to purchase drinks for him in the past, which was all the Base Commander needed to hear to side with Nox."

"It never takes them much," Paul grumbled. "Still, you should have included that in your report."

"Did Triz when he banned Iantha?" she countered.

"Iantha?" Paul gave her a puzzled look.

"The Bix female Triz banned," she reminded him.

"What does that have to do with your situation?"

"She was banned because she attacked any female Triz fucked after he got tired of her."

"They were involved?" Paul frowned, knowing Triz had never told him that.

"Yes, and I can tell by your expression that he failed to include that in his report."

"He didn't. It seems I'm going to need to start digging deeper into the reports my children give me."

"I don't think that's necessary," Cali quickly said. "It will only draw attention to us if you take a bigger interest."

"That's true," Paul hummed.

"So, we're good?" Cali gave him a hopeful look.

"To a point," he hedged.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I won't inform your mother or the Paramount about this on one condition."

Cali released a heavy sigh. She'd learned long ago that her dad's 'conditions were often a punishment in and of themselves. "What's the condition?"

"That you allow Xanto to stay at The Brink with you for a while," he said and could tell he had shocked her.

"What?!" Xanto was an old family friend who was like an Earthan uncle to Cali even though he wasn't Zagreus. Having him living with her would be like living with her parents again. "Why?"

"Because you were nearly kidnapped!" Paul's rage returned with a vengeance. That was unacceptable.

"But I'm fine," she soothed, hoping to calm his anger because an angry Supreme Chairman was never a good thing. "I can take care of myself, Dad. You made sure of that."

"I'm still not taking any chances. Xanto will stay with you, or I inform your mother and the Paramount."

Instead of arguing, because she knew it would be pointless, Cali asked, "For how long?"

"Until I can be sure the threat against you is gone. Now tell me about your Commanders?"

"My Commanders?" Cali didn't understand the sudden change in topic. Had her dad developed a Zagreus ability of which