Kiti, stood at the edge of his game window, still wearing that slinky outfit. She looked incongruent next to the fuzzy back of his avatar's head. "He's in the lift, Ha'Vathion," she breathed, thick eyelashes dipping. "He just got out. His current heading is for the Rec Room."

Glowering, Vathion sighed, "Tell me if he goes anywhere else. Where's Gatas?"

"Ma'Gatas is in his quarters with Fae'Erekdra. You look tense. Are you sure you don't want a back rub?"

Flushing, Vathion shook his head. "Notify me if he leaves... or has contact with anyone else."

Pouting, Kiti sighed. "Alright, Sexy Beast." She blew a kiss at him. "Anything else, oh King of the Bedroom?"

Vathion was sure he was going to pop a vein in his nose if she kept it up. "Uh. No. Nothing right now. Thank you... you can go put clothes on now."

She laughed. "My I cannot carry out that order in your quarters." It sounded more like a personal choice. She did at least turn and sashay off his wallscreen.

Sighing, Vathion shook his head. "I'd like the surveillance logs on I'Savon since the twentieth as well."

Those appeared on his screen in another column from Natan's files. Scrubbing his face, Vathion settled back in the bed and crossed his ankles, resettling the keyboard on his lap. "It's amazing the springs in this bloody bed aren't broken. Dad, you were a whore." Given Natan's previous exploits with whatever females he came across. "Open Natan surveillance from the twentieth, o-eight-hundred."

He was not prepared for the sting in his eyes. His father, alive and healthy, appeared on the screen, munching toast as he checked his mail in the study. "Full screen," Vathion ordered. The background of the game disappeared. At this size, he could see over Natan's shoulder. It was the same view from his game.

Onscreen, Natan muttered softly, then flailed a fist in a sudden fit, "Damn those Baelton's! You cost me money!" the page on Natan's screen was the readout from the latest Imperial Graviball Championship Tournament. Swiveling his chair around, Natan heaved a sigh, toast hanging from his mouth. He stared at the ceiling with an expression that indicated he was talking to Paymeh mentally. Natan rescued his toast before it fell and turned back to stab a key on his keyboard.

Natan's screen changed. "What?" the man slapped his desk, "Points off? In Language?" Natan's toast hit the floor. Daisybots scurried in and carted it away. "What was he up to this time?"

Natan fell silent again, then sighed, "Oh, I see. Finishing his hacking project. Fine, so I guess it isn't enough to get pissed about. But just this once!" Natan rested his chin on his palm. A small smile touched the admiral's lips. "But he's my son. I want him to do his best. No matter if it's boring. Paymeh!" He brought a fist out to slam on the desk. "Why's life so bloody unfair? I meet the woman of my dreams and I can't stay with her. But what's she do? Begs me for a child anyway!"

Paymeh oozed out from beneath Natan's shirt and dropped to the floor, shaking his head. "She did it because she knew she might never get to see you again. At least she had a piece of you for a little while anyway." The Hyphokos lifted a finger as he pointed out, "She's done well with the boy. You're too hard on him. He's not your clone." Turning, the lizard scurried out of the room. Natan drew circles on his desk with a finger.

"I guess you're right, but I can't help it!" he called after his Bond and switched to the next mail. "Oh! There's Rebel activity in the Marak System! Wonder how much Gatas will gripe this time?"

"If he does, you can kick him across the bridge!" Paymeh called from the other room.

"That was your dream!" Natan chuckled. "Though I have to admit I'd like to as well." He returned to silently reading the report. "Ouu! Hasabi sent me a letter!" He spun his chair, arms in the air.

Vathion lifted his arm and scrubbed his tears away on his sleeve. It wasn't fair. He was sitting on Natan's bed but still only got to see his dad on a wallscreen.

Natan looked at the next file and shrieked with joy again. "Vathion got another level! He needs an upgrade!"

Paymeh stuck his head in the room again, "What's he up to now?"

Quickly, Natan scrolled through the message, "He's sixth-level Admiral. Ouu, he's hacked it too! Kiti! Run this code on Battle Fleet."

"Of course, Stud Muffin!" Kiti breathed. Natan's screen changed to a view of Vathion's fuzzy blue avatar in the Rec Room. The Graviball menu was open. All the normal choices of colored balls had been replaced with minis of particularly detestable people, including the siren beetle second in command.

Natan started laughing. "Paymeh! It looks like you got your wish!"

"Stop," Vathion choked out, unable to put up with any more. "Jump to eighteen hundred hours."

The scene skipped. Natan walked into his sitting area and stretched his arms over his head with a broad yawn. "I feel... like I sat on my butt all day, Kiti." He slumped and scratched his rear.

"Aww, want me to rub it?"

"Only if you've suddenly turned into Hasabi," he sighed.

Kiti pouted at him from one of the wallscreens. She was wearing something lacy and red. "I should be jealous. You haven't played with me in years."

Natan turned a charming smile toward her and shrugged. "You still give great back rubs, which I think I might have. After I do something."

"What is it?" Kiti asked.

That was exactly what Vathion wanted to know.

"Write my will," Natan said with a hint of something dangerous in his voice, "And I'm gonna make Gatas send it. He's up to something, but I need proof. He's not a siren beetle. He's an eel! I wish I knew whether it was him trying to off me or some fly on the wall I didn't know about." He smirked as he dropped into the chair at his desk.

"Stop," Vathion ordered. "Save all of this in a new folder. Call it BF-four-four-three." Hopefully, that would make it look like one of his game files. Another pause, and he added, "Kiti, has anyone else been in the surveillance files?"

She pondered this as she stepped onto the screen to the right of the one he was using. He tried to ignore what she was not wearing. "Ma'Gatas on the twenty-second, twelve-hundred: accessing the files on Ha'Natan's death. Se'Valef on the twenty-second, oh-one-hundred: accessing Ha'Natan files. Anonymous access from Brig Security station on the twenty-first time deleted."

"Wait, what did that last one look at?" Vathion asked.

"Unknown. I was told to forget that."

Vathion shifted. "No one on that station should have that kind of clearance. Did you really forget it? Password: Fruit Salad."

The sexy AI shifted her weight to her other hip. "Clearance accepted. No, I did not forget it. I don't forget anything."

"Then who it was and what they were looking at?"

Kiti smiled. "Ha'Natan accessed the login files at sixteen hundred on the twenty-first."

Vathion frowned, unsure why Natan would be looking at security login entries just as shift changed. "Kiti, is my accessing these files visible?"

"No, Sexy. Battle Fleet is running."

Laughing softly, Vathion shook his head. "So long as it's through the game, it just looks like I'm playing?"

Kiti nodded.

"Alright. Save the records of these accesses in my new folder. Can I have the login files he was looking at saved in those folders, too?"

Smiling, Kiti shifted, "Done, Stud Muffin."

Vathion sighed. "Okay, what about the autopsy report? Put a copy in my folder. Save game." Save early, save often was his motto when working on important things. "Open surveillance from the twenty-second, the point when Natan was found dead."

Again, the video picked up. The lights flicked as people entered for their shift. The Fleet had just gotten to Baelton. The cargo bay needed to be made ready for the upgraded parts they would be receiving. Paymeh was sitting in a pool of blood next to the crate, expression vacant. All that was visible of Natan was a bloodless hand sticking out from beneath the crate.

Vathion felt incredibly sorry for the crew woman who rounded the corner and nearly stepped into the blood before she realized. Her scream echoed through the bay. Others came to look. Vathion rubbed his face in silent agony. He didn't want to watch.

The cargo crew tried desperately to call Natan. Gatas showed up and looked genuinely upset. He told the cargo crew to return to their rooms. Savon burst into tears on arrival. She and her medical team scraped the gummy remains from the bottom of the crate and the floor and then vacuumed up the blood. On her way out, she turned and spoke softly to Gatas, then strode off, Paymeh in her arms.

"Back up ten seconds," Vathion interrupted, "Increase volume."

I'Savon turned to Ma'Gatas. "You won't be in charge for long."

"Back up four hours," Vathion said.

The scene blipped. Natan stepped into cargo bay four with a serious expression. "Back up five minutes."

Again, the scene blipped. Natan paced his quarters. Kiti announced that it was time. He abruptly turned and headed out the door.

"Wait, where's Natan's guard at this point? Who's watching security?" Vathion asked.

It took a moment, but Kiti finally answered, "Se'Valef is in cargo bay four. Se'Zandre and Se'Logos are sleeping. Se'Mel is in the brig at his post."

Frowning, Vathion pulled his legs in, crossing them. He resettled the keyboard on his lap. "I'll have to talk to Se’Mel about anything he might have heard. I also want the surveillance on Se'Valef from the twentieth to today." Vathion rubbed the edge of his jaw. "Save Valef's surveillance files in my folder. Add the report on the deaths today, too."

Thinking a moment longer, Vathion said through an unexpected yawn, "Continue playback."

Natan resumed motion, walking purposefully toward the lift. When the doors opened again, he headed straight down the hall to the cargo bay, ignoring the door to the brig. The lights did not come on. Once inside, a man stepped out from beside the door. Natan didn't seem surprised and asked, "What's the word?"

The man shook his head silently. Turning, the two walked further into the bay. They stopped. The silence had persisted for nearly a minute before the unknown man patted Natan's shoulder. Unexpectedly, the admiral toppled over. The man turned and left. Behind him, Natan rolled over slowly, flopping limply. He called in a wavering voice, "Valef!"

The sound of the cable snapping made Vathion jump.

Natan's body convulsed as Paymeh sped away, narrowly avoiding getting hit as well. The boom of the crate hitting the floor echoed loudly in Vathion's room.

"Stop." The recording halted again. Vathion needed a moment to recover. But something was bothering him. "A pat on the shoulder couldn't make someone jerk like that. Who was that with Dad?"

Kiti had disappeared from the screen, but her voice issued over the speakers, "Face match to Se'Valef."

"That was too easy. Why didn't anyone look for him before this?"

The paused view of the dimly lit cargo bay shrank back into a window at the corner of the screen on Vathion's game, showing the save folder once more. The list of collected files was growing, except... "Where're the files on Se'Valef?"

Kiti stepped out onto the screen again. "I'm sorry, Stud Muffin, but there are no files of Se'Valef since oh-one-hundred on the twenty-second."

"Then, where was he between then and when station found him on the docks?" Vathion demanded.

Kiti shook her head and shrugged again.

"Where was the fleet on the twenty-second?"

Smiling seductively, Kiti sat on the edge of the game-view's desk and petted Vathion's avatar's head. "The Natan Fleet was at Baelton Station. Cinnamon, Seven, and Episode 34 were docked; all other ships were on patrol of the system."

Sighing gustily, Vathion stretched again. "I just don't get it. Wasn't Valef someone Dad trusted?" He rubbed his eyes. "So, what do I have in my folder?"

On the screen, the folder opened, showing the list: Natan's surveillance, I'Savon's, Valef's, and the autopsy reports on Natan and the four that died in the 'brawl.' Vathion was steadily beginning to think was a cover-up or a silencing.

Vathion nodded, "What time is it?" he asked.

"Nearly midnight, by Heartland time," Kiti answered.

Sighing, he stretched. "Remove surveillance files on I'Savon from the folder as well as those of Dad's clone," he ordered and they disappeared. "Send Daharn the remaining contents and replace the surveillance files. Save game." Vathion did not like the idea of withholding information from Daharn, but Savon's behavior was baffling. He wanted to know why she was breaking the law by creating a full-body clone first.

"Sent."

Heaving a sigh, Vathion rolled over and set the keyboard on the nightstand. "Where's Paymeh?"

"Just leaving the Rec Room. Ma'Gatas' guest has left."

Vathion yawned again. Reluctantly, he climbed out of bed and left his clothes on the floor. The Daisybots scuttled out and carried them off. "Save game. Shut down. Lock my bedroom door. Paymeh isn't allowed."

"Yes, Stud Muffin. Good night."

The room went dark.