The Space Spoon novel Chapter 20

The conference room on the 777th floor didn’t impress Tejeda. It wasn’t his first time being there. Even though the white minimalist decor with a long and narrow table and chairs on each side had an interesting ramification pattern etched on its surface that he loved to explore, nothing could change that the humans there soiled the room with their presence.

Grand Admiral Darren Kyel presided over the meeting as usual. He left his spot at the head of the table and extended a hand to Tejeda. The Nubilae looked at it for a few moments before reluctantly shaking it.

When the admiral’s other arm stretched and wrapped around Tejeda’s shoulders, the first instinct the Nubilae had was to step back, but the handshake kept him in place. Darren Kyel smiled and turned to the five Interplanetary Police admirals.

“For those of you who haven’t met him yet, let me introduce you to Colonel Tejeda Hajar from the Surveillance Unit.”

“Colonel?” whispered Tejeda more for himself.

The Grand Admiral grinned, showing off his perfect white teeth. "Sure thing. You got a promotion for multiple mission objectives taken in a short span. I knew you could retrieve Oculus Grandi. But you... " Darren Kyel took out his hand from Tejeda’s and slapped him hard onto the chest. "You took over the Syndicate of Cosmic Freedom’s flagship all by yourself and thwarted Kalden Deltak’s plan of neutralizing the starbase O11 in the Black Directorate’s territory. That means more than a few million lives were saved. It sure does sound like a promotion is at hand, son."

Tejeda gnashed his teeth at the last word and barely got a grip over his urges to snap Kyel’s neck. He decided to let it pass and not consider the millennia in age difference that made his suggestion more than inappropriate.

"Oh, and I nearly forgot." Darren Kyel went on as if he hadn't noticed Tejeda's face, or, better yet, as if he didn't care. He even shook the Nubilae's shoulders as if they were the closest of friends. "This mad lad came to us today wearing the terrorist Kalden Deltak's body as his outfit. I mean, isn't he incredible?"

"It is only civilized to turn madness into magic," Tejeda replied quickly, stepping away from Darren Kyel and sitting in the only vacant chair other than the one the admiral had just risen on.

C1313 walked behind Tejeda's chair, her feet squeaking on the glossy floor. That raised a few eyebrows from the admirals, but the Nubilae gave a dismissive gesture. “Don’t mind her. She is with me. I hope this doesn’t bother you. I want to have someone with whom to share the happiness of my new promotion. Are there any perks I should know about?”

The change of subject worked wonders. A superficial grin lighted Kyel’s face as he sat down on his chair. "Of course! You will have a ship and a skeleton crew. We can’t afford extra expenditure on salaries, so you will have to make do with an impounded vessel and wages for you and six other crewmen."

They were standing inside a sumptuous room, one of many similar ones on the 777th floor of a one thousand story building. Luxury screamed at every corner, but they couldn’t afford a ship or salaries. Tejeda's face cracked a smirk.