The Technician's Fight, Draft 1, CH11

The male fell in step with Gralgiran, then leaned against him. “How much trouble am I in?” Toom asked. Gralgiran placed an arm around his

The male fell in step with Gralgiran, then leaned against him.

“How much trouble am I in?” Toom asked.

Gralgiran placed an arm around his friend’s waist. “None. Jer said we can have sex.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to come between you two.”

“We talked about it. He said he’s okay with it.”

“The others? I’m pretty sure the Engineer misses you.”

Gralgiran chuckled. “I think I’m still in trouble with him for the Earther’s wreck. But I’ll talk about having sex with the rest of my friends after shift. If you aren’t busy, you could go talk with him. I think he’d appreciate knowing you aren’t going to stalk him again.”

“What if he isn’t ready after what we did?”

“Be a little courageous, this time, Toom. The worse that can happen is Jer will tell you he needs more time.”

He rested his head on Gralgiran’s shoulder. “And where are you going? People on adjudication have to stay on the station.”

“Once I know when Jeremy needs to be there, I’ll figure out when we go. I’m heading to the bridge to get some work done since I’ve had to spend yesterday on the station. How about we get together after me and Jer have our talk, even if you don’t need to be comforted from your confrontation with him?”

Toom rubbed his muzzle against the side of his head. “I’d like that.”

*

The notification from the comm officer contacting him pulled Gralgiran’s attention away from the report. “Yes?”

“Captain, Adjudicator Baristarimal Forterioa Grimar is asking to speak with you.”

He sent the report back to the folder. “Transfer him.”

The older male appeared, seated, on the other side of his desk.

“Adjudicator Baristarimal Forterioa Grimar, how can I help you?”

“The Earthers have lodged a complaint about you not returning to your assigned quarters on the station.”

He rubbed the top of his muzzle. “How about you tell them to go fuck themselves?” He realized he said that out loud. “Using less offensive language.”

The adjudicator laughed. “I’m sure you can come up with something more plausible.”

He sighed. “Tell them there was a ship emergency I needed to deal with.”

“The one with your Heart and the other male?”

“I don’t think they’d accept that.”

The older male snorted. “Then they can go fuck themselves.”

Gralgiran stared.

The male laughed again. “I’m home. I’m not required to be politic in what I say. But this falls within Family Law, so they’ll have to accept it, no matter how they feel about it. You must have pleased Xeniila Haran, to have such an energetic Heart.”

“I take it you are the one who requested a copy of the security feed, then?” The request had come from the adjudicator’s office, and he’d wondered why.

“Well, after the Earthers made the claim it could be falsified, I had to make sure it was authentic.”

“Falsifying a live feed,” he replied dryly. “Of course.”

“I hear there’s an Earther on the station who isn’t as small minded as the others. I’ll have to see if I can get in contact with him.”

“He’s still there?” They hadn’t discussed his plans for once the formalities were done with, but Gralgiran had gotten the sense the Earther wanted to return to space.

“Hopefully? I’m not so old I no longer want to experience new things.”

“All I ask is that you keep the feed private. My Heart is only now starting to get used to our ways when it comes to sex. I don’t think he’ll take it well if the entire station is aware of what he did.”

“I promise you this feed will not leave my possession. But I’ll also point out that it was broadcasted in the adjudication chamber with people in the audience. You should prepare him for the fact people will know he has had sex with that male.”

He rubbed the top of his muzzle again. Something else to talk about while they ate. “Thank you for the reminder, Adjudicator. Out of curiosity, why you? There isn’t usually a change in adjudicator mid-shift,” he added at the tilted ear. “And I expect you have the seniority not to have to be a last moment replacement.”

“When the Earthers asked, they were informed that Jarmikal’s podling had an accident they needed to attend immediately. The records show that my proximity to the chamber made me the best choice to ensure a speedy continuation of the session. It’s simply Xeniila Haran’s Meddling that caused all of this to line up so I was there for your session. Not that the Earthers will believe that.”

“And the real reason?”

“The leadership wanted someone there that represented us, and with the experience to counter whatever the Earthers might attempt. I was an ambassador in the early days of shepherding them within the Federation. While I didn’t witness the level of machination they seem capable of now, I did get a sense of their cunning as they tried to manipulate the system. Every species does this to some extent. From my reading, the Kersosterans had a fight on their hands, trying to get us to abandon what they considered our more barbaric behaviors. I couldn’t be there from the start of the shift, in case they complained that my opinion was be biased.”

“Thank you.”

“I am simply protecting one of our citizen from another species’s meddling.”

“I’m still grateful. Jer’s not looking forward to dealing with them and knowing he has an ally among the adjudicator makes the situation easier for me.”

“He has more than one, I assure you, or at least, the Earthers have none. They did not make allies of anyone on this station when they allowed a Kelsirian citizen to be kidnapped and another to be killed. And this brings me to a last thing. The session for your Heart to confront the Earthers is set for tomorrow. You can’t be present.”

He kept his tone neutral. “He’ll be there.”

“I have no doubt, Captain.”

Outline section 

No Outline

Addition 

No Notes

Whatever my notes on what the plan was for this, I forgot to transfer them so I could comment on that.

But here goes.

This is, in part filler, and in other part establishing the restart of Toom and Gral’s sexual relationship.

The outline called for what happens to Jeremy in the next chapter to be at the end of the previous one, but that was before I made changes, so this is needed.

I also wanted to use the opportunity to establish why there was a change in adjudicator, since Gralgiran had commented on it when it happened.