Page 10 of Coveted

It didn’t take long for him to shake it off.

Standing, he reached for his tablet to double check the time of his first meeting, but was met with a view of the profile he’d looked at the night before. The picture was still missing, as well as the personal information, but the bid had almost doubled.

Shaking his head, he closed the browser and opened his calendar. Even after a few hours’ sleep, he still couldn’t make a clear decision about bidding on the omega. There were too many things pulling him in different directions to focus on something that wasn’t necessary.

He tossed the tablet onto his bed and went to shower, washing and dressing with brisk efficiency. There was a tub in the opposite corner of the room that was large enough for two of him, with a bench beneath the water to lie on as the jetsmassaged that he’d love to indulge in, but he couldn’t even excuse himself the time for that.

He’d barely taken a seat in his office when Varner arrived, slipping through the door to stand by the corner of his desk. It was rare that Varner decided to pop in without scheduling himself an appointment, so Vax immediately focused on the man.

“Bad news?”

Varner met his grunted question with a twitch of yellow lips.

“I am not the harbinger of doom. I occasionally have good news as well.”

Vax snorted, pulling out the papers with the layout of the potential new mines printed on them. They had all kinds of fancy technology he could view them on, but he’d always preferred simple paper he could hold in his hands.

“We have the required permission from the Council to open a new mine, pending a review of the final plans once a site is chosen and details confirmed.”

Huffing, Vax rolled his eyes. He’d known they’d be given the permission. He could say he wanted to drill ten more mines and terraform the mountains, and he’d likely still get approval for it.

The Council was there to protect planets from resource stripping and things that left behind an unlivable wasteland. They were supposed to weigh the good of the planet, its inhabitants, and the Federation, against the consequences of proposed plans. Even for something as minor as drilling a new mining shaft on a mining planet. It was a process that could take a long time, but when the Chancellors wanted something, it was amazing how fast it got done, even outside their regularly scheduled meetings.

“We have an experienced crew coming from Kisheen, expected to arrive in a week once their current project wraps up, and I found a few people to bring in for training at the refinery.”

Nodding at the good news, Vax met Varner’s gaze, noting the lopsided grin on the man’s face. Brows drawing together, he checked to be sure nothing seemed out of place before looking back up at his Chief of Staff.

“What?”

Varner looked like he wanted to laugh at Vax’s bark, but he swallowed it.

“Leir left a message since you weren’t available when he stopped by. It wasn’t sealed, but I didn’t mean to read it.”

He trailed off with a shrug, biting his lips as he passed over the scrap of paper. Scowling, Vax unfolded the note, growl ready, knowing he wasn’t going to like what it said.

There’s an etiquette coach named Punket who would gladly come teach you some manners. Otherwise, there’s an omega on the Market you should look at. Maybe if the reward is getting you knot milked, you’ll actually pay attention and learn to be polite.

Grumbling, Vax crumpled the note, glaring up at Varner as the man tried not to laugh.

“It’s a good option. If the omega is properly educated, she could be an asset to Farcon and lighten your load.”

A snarl escaped before Vax could clamp down on it.

“She would be a distraction from what’s truly important.”

Varner sobered, looking at him with a serious expression.

“Maybe you could use a distraction. You’ve given everything since the rebellion, and you’ve done so much good, but you’re not a machine. You need a break. Some joy in your life. If you keep going the way you are, you’re going to self-destruct, and then you’ll be no good to anybody. You’re important.”

Turning, the beta left Vax’s office without looking back, leaving Vax staring after him in surprise. The man wasn’t stingywith praise, but only when it was earned, and it felt good for Varner to say he’d done well.

But the rest of what he’d said showed Vax wasn’t hiding the strain as well as he’d thought.

Massaging the bridge of his nose to stave off a headache, he was reaching for his tablet when someone knocked on his door. It was time for his first meeting.

Shoving all other thoughts aside, Vax concentrated on the head of Farcon 1’s agriculture. While their planet was rich in crystals and even had a fair share of other mineable elements, they were lacking in farmable land, and Chancellor Osmel hadn’t cared about conservation during his reign, allowing people to hunt the planet’s animals to frightening levels.

“We lost the crop on the Southern-face,” Cha announced as he dropped into the chair across from Vax.

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