This might be a bit dark and a tone shift. I'll put it in spoilers and let you decide from where to continue.
After she had given the Parat her report, Cloud had made her way to the crew area. It was more packed than usual. Partly because of the evacuees of Gora had not been distributed amongst the departments of Tempest and so had free time and partly because this was the most interesting place on the ship right now.
That suited Cloud fine. All the chatter proved a nice distraction from the bland meal she had in front of her.
"I bet my next dessert that a bridge officer will get to him first."
"No way, he'll lose it with one of the Doranzers during his 'regular checkups'."
"Yes, think about it, he'll have privacy in the medical wing."
At a particular piece of fruit, Cloud paused. Ever since she had to clean that jail cell, some dishes had lost their good taste for her. At least Tempo had appreciated her provoking penal duty to get info on that alien.
"You slack-ears have no idea. Wait until he sees that the showers are communal."
"Two desserts that he showers in the corner for a week!"
Busy laughing few paid attention to the Listel that made her way through the hall. Cloud saw Tozet Beryl steer a straight line across the room. Her face a careful effort, her eyes staring ahead. When Beryl went dark a few minutes later, Cloud knew what the cause was.
Tempo hammered the button to open her office with the flat of her hand. The briefing has been bad. Usually she was able to deal with the Lashret. Because Tempo was good and because Stillstorm found politics boring.
But this time Stillstorm had been prepared. As Tempo let herself fall on her desk chair,she had trouble keeping herself from screaming.
Tempo had been sure she'd find a way to solve her security problems elegantly. At least one of the angles she prepared had always worked.
She recounted grimmly key points of the briefing. After Stillstorm had been brought up to speed on Enzin, they had discussed further steps.
Of course Tempo pushed to have some limitations put back into place. But Stillstorm had an answer for everything. Worst part of it was, that Tempo herself had given her the material to work with here. Or worse, Tempo had laid the foundation, Alexander Jardin had built the case for Stillstorms decision.
Health concerns?
Tempo had argued with this in her official request for Stillstorm to rescint her mating rights. So Stillstorm had handed the matter to the Doranzers who naturally advised Stillstorm to allow Alex to socialise with the crew. Meaning he got access to the crew area.
Diplomatic concerns?
Meeting the crew and learning about Loroi customs was exactly what a diplomat would be expected to do.
Security concerns?
Tempo herself had recognized Alex as a military attachee. Now that he had expressed his desire to ally with the Loroi several times, he counted as fighting personnel. Of course, he lacked the security clearance to get access to vital areas.
Concerns of secrecy?
As military attachee reglementations were more relaxed. He also lacked any specialized access to their computer systems. These concerns were therefore very minor. Especially considering the success he has had against the Shells.
Besides, Stillstorm reminded her that now, with a way around Enzins Lotai, Tempo could make sure he wasn't a threat. Stillstorm assured her that the means were unimportant to her, but that she expected Tempo to make certain.
Tempo let out a heavy breath. It was covert surveillance then. She would need to inform the lower ranking Mizol on board of this. They needed a program to catch any video feed showing Enzin and they needed personel to check up on him, discreetly, regularly. A nightmare of work. Just making sure the operatives surveing weren't uncovered would be a major task.
Even the respect Jardin had won with the survivors of Gora would work against her now, as that would prove to be a possible motivation for a leak. The same respect she had been so pleased about before would also trouble her personally soon.
On top of all that, she was now again saddled with her ordinary heavy workload, with all the addage of enemy action and their latest trick.
Enzin couldn't have made her situation worse. She wondered if he was aware of that. Tempo rested her head on her hands for a moment. Aware or not, it wouldn't matter anymore after today.
After a while she felt Brightshield approaching. At least the Mizol Sosat was polite enough not to mask her presence as she approached.
When the blue eyed Loroi entered, Tempo had uprighted herself again.
"Sosat Brightshield. You send me something quite astonishing earlier."
"I did, Parat. We received a top priority duty." Tempo was put off by the complete lack of rivalry Brightshield displayed all of a sudden. She was all professionalism. This was serious then.
"Received how, Sosat?"
Handing her a data slate, the Sosat explained: "A sealed data vault opened on Gora as we uploaded Jardins DNA results into the computer."
Now there were two opposing angles to work and two Mizol to do so. Brightshield would need to take care of this latest thing. Tempo had to burn a bridge.
Alex stared at the ceiling, flaoting on a wave of warmth. Next to him lay Beryl, her head on his chest. They didn't need language to know what the other felt. Lowering his Lotai had been the best thing to happen to him since his acceptance into the scout corpse. Beryls joy at that radiated into him and he gladly sated her curiousity by showing her his whole initiation ceremony. He dug up as many details as he could, for her.
A polite knock on the door tore them out of their dreams. Beryl looked at him for a moment and reminded him that while touching him, she couldn't sense other Loroi well. So he grudgingly let go of her.
Her face turned sour, then angry, then worried.
"Enzin, we need to get dressed. Tempo needs to see you in her office."
"Everytime we get interrupted."
"It's on official business, Enzin." she added.
Having given the message, Cloud didn't return to the rec hall. Duty called. She had only dark ideas of what would happen, but Tempos tone had set a mood her curiousity couldn't miss.
After a few minutes Beryl and he stood before a door. It looked more official than the door to Stillstorms quarters. For one the door was adorned with the Imperial Logo of the Loroi Union. The sign next to the door was set in a dark red and read: "Mizol Parat Sedel – Office "
Alex entered with Beryl. Tempo sat behind a large desk with slots for data disks neatly arrayed. A large display was drawn out of the desk. Behind her was a viewscreen that showed space. A few potted plants were placed in the office. A single chair stood in front of the desk, a bench on the side of the room. Cabinets were set into the walls. On one wall hung a large banner, too martial for Alex tastes. It was also quite dark in here.
If Tempo was surprised to see Beryl with him, it didn't show. Her voice was level and perfectly polite. If anything she sounded untypically uninterested.
"Captain Jardin, please come in and take a seat."
A cold sidelook to Beryl sent her to the bench. Then Tempo continued.
"With us back on Tempest there have come up some duties I am charged with. I am pleased you have found the time to meet me in person, Captain."
"Thank you, uh, Parat Tempo. I am surprised at the formality." Alex tried.
"This is a formal matter, Captain. Please be advised that for protocols sake, we are being recorded."
A sharp breath from Beryl made Alex turn his head. She did not meet his eye, instead she stared intently at Tempo.
Puzzled Alex asked: "What is the occasion, Parat Tempo?"
Tempo made a dismissive movement with her left hand and leaned back a bit.
"Formalities of a technical nature in due process of your status as diplomat and military attachee. With that comes freedom of movement to a degree on Tempest, which requires a security clearing for you, Captain Jardin."
That made sense, yet something made the hair on his neck stand up.Why would Tempo be this formal, even downright cold to him over this?
"I'll gladly help you in this matter, Parat."
"Thank you, Captain Jardin. Your cooperation is appreciated. As chief Mizol it falls on me to ascertain that you are not in any way a security risk."
Beryl rose, agitated: "What? You can't do ..."
Tempos head swivelled around, fixing Beryl. The Listel stopped its rise, grew sluggish and sacked back on the couch. She then slid to the side and started snoring softly.
Unbelievable as it was to Alex, Tempo had apparently put Beryl to sleep in a matter of seconds. She looked back at him. After a terrible second his eyes darted to the door. The lock turned as if by a ghostly hand. A pressure on his cheek turned his head back, making him look straight into Tempos red eyes.
"Please roll up the sleeve on your right arm, Captain." she said just as she deattached the sleeve of her left arm on her uniform.
As she grapped him by the forearm Alex desperately concentrated on his Lotai. His hope of his natural ability shutting her out was squashed.
She simply sent: "Not anymore."
When she was done Alex knew a lot more. The worry that Tempo had implanted a subliminal message to mindwash him had been completely unreal. She needed no such parlour tricks. Alex also knew now what it felt like when the Gestapo kicked in the door to your brain.
As soon as she had let go of his arm, Alex had hastily rolled down his sleeve again. Sweating profusely he had pressed himself as far back in his chair as possible. An animalistic panic in his bones. Now he mustered the Parat warily through squinted eyes.
She was entering something into her data terminal. It took a while, but Tempo typed one handed and took her time.
He recognized her typing in population numbers, size of ships, capabilities of ships, Arcturus, Vega and finally Sol. Alex had been a pilot on the Bellarmine. He knew the coordinates to earth by heart and now the Loroi had the precise way.
At last she stopped typing. Tempo turned her chair to him and gave him a pitiful look.
"Captain Jardin."
No reaction from him, so she continued. "Thank you for your cooperation. The Loroi Union is aware of the gross indiscretion this procedure can be perceived as. Please be assured that this was an entirely protocolar matter required for the high security position you have as military attachee to the 51th Strike Group of the Imperial Fleet."
Her tone was apathetic and she avoided his glare. Alex didn't care that she looked very tired all of a sudden. With the tingling in his arm subsiding, still he said nothing.
"I will inform Torrai Lashret Dellasoni that you can be trusted."
With clear bitterness Alex at last found his voice: "Trust? You think there is trust between us?"
Tempos voice grew strained: "No, I don't think you will ever trust me again, Captain Jardin."
The door behind Alex opened and Cloud came in. Tempo folded in her viewscreen and stood up to leave.
"Paset Cloud will stay with you until Tozet Beryl wakes up again."
"Excuse me, Captain Jardin."
I know, I posted two parts in a row...but this idea had to be posted.