“Never been aboard a Lamarr before.” RJ whistled softly, looking around as Mason led the way down the corridor toward where he assumed the briefing room was. “Never seen a ship quite this sexy.”

Mason slid him a sideways look but didn’t comment as they stepped into the turbolift. Rennox, the young yeoman who followed Mason around like a puppy, felt the need to fill the silence.

“They’re kinda rare. But Captain Murphy is an admiral’s brat,” he said as the doors slid shut. “No doubt that’s why.”

Mason grumbled in the back of his throat, massive arms folded over an equally massive chest. The lift was bigger than any on the Resolute but Mason still managed to all but fill the available space. RJ did a couple of mental calculations about Mason and the Resolute’s equally huge CEO in the small space at the same time. It was a good job they didn’t have a third llanarian on the crew. They’d never all fit.

“What have I said about calling Murphy that?” Mason chided the young yeoman in a voice like a landslide.

“But that’s what he is?” Rennox sounded confused and RJ had to resist the urge to facepalm. Sometimes the kid was a few nacelles short of a starship. Like all of them.

“He might be, but there are more polite ways to refer to someone,” Mason replied, his expression severe. Then he winked suddenly. “Save a shot like that for when you want to insult someone, but…” The amusement in his eyes disappeared again. “I wouldn’t advising insulting our Division CO.”

“No sir,” Rennox said quickly. “Wouldn’t dream of it, sir.”

The doors swept open, and Mason strode out, RJ and Rennox trailing after him like baby ducks after their mama. At least, Rennox did. RJ had a little more self-esteem and followed at a sedate stroll. He winked at a pretty ensign who passed, and then grinned to see Mason already at the meeting room door, looking irritated. Well, the big llanarian’s face had that ‘side of a mountain’ look he usually wore, but RJ had been around and pushing the big guy’s buttons long enough to recognise the slight tightness around his eyes as irritation.

“Welcome aboard the Canterbury, Captain Mason… yeoman,” the deep voice issued from inside the room. RJ hurried up, half jogging the last part of the corridor.

“Holy shit, you could fit the Resolute’s whole bridge in here!” Rennox blurted out, which nicely covered the fact RJ slid in through the door just before it shut.

“I apologise for my yeoman,” Mason said, offering his hand to the other captain. “We’re a little rough and ready on the Resolute. I’m working on his manners.”

“Not a problem, I like people who speak their mind,” the other captain said with a smile, shaking Mason’s hand. RJ cast a quick look at the other guy in the room. Red uniform, commander’s pips and an implant around his left eye that said he was a whole lot more dangerous that he looked on first glance.

“Might I introduce my XO, Commander Vann?” Captain Murphy half turned to indicate the XB, who offered a small nod but didn’t speak.

“A pleasure to meet you, Commander,” Mason nodded, somehow managing to layer his gravel-like voice with a level of charm RJ had never been able to replicate. And he’d tried.

His answer was another simple nod. Okay, XB-XO wasn’t a talker. RJ cleared his throat slightly.

Mason half-turned his head. “And this is Captain Reese-Riggs, currently assigned to the Resolute for observation purposes.”

“Ahh, okay. That’s a file I haven’t come across yet,” Murphy’s look of confusion disappeared within a nanosecond as he turned to RJ and offered a smile. It was wide and honest, no guile lurking in the back of those bright blue eyes.  “A pleasure to meet you, Captain.”

“Likewise, nice ship you have here.” RJ bit back a sigh in favour of an answering smile and a polite reply. What the hell was a nice guy like this doing all the way out here, in command of a Lamarr of all things? At least he had the XB, otherwise the wolves out here would eat this guy alive.

“Well, shall we get to it?” Murphy asked, indicating the table in the middle of the room. “We’ve had some intelligence passed down the chain to us from the Fleet Outpost Corps, that they want us to check out… and I have a plan.”