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directly from his own housing.
    Payton fought back a wince—he hated lying about who he was—and smiled instead.
    “At ease.”
    Lieutenant Tavis’s coppery eyes danced with merriment as his stance eased. The man was very cheerful, Payton noticed it last night as well. “Good morning, Lieutenant.”
    He stepped aside, allowing Payton to exit. “Did you sleep well?”
    “I did, thank you. I appreciate you showing me to my office.” Payton turned back to the desk where his black com-pad bag lay. “Just a moment, I need to get my computer and I’ll be ready to go.” He grabbed his bag, slinging the strap over his shoulder. After letting the door close behind him, he pressed his thumb to the scanner on the door and locked it.
    “Have you eaten breakfast, sir?” Tavis dipped his head to a fellow soldier in passing before glancing at Payton.
    On Regelence during the season, breakfast began at ten o’clock or later. Payton wasn’t accustomed to eating so early. Nor was he accustomed to getting up so early.
    There were times when he and his brothers were just getting home from a ball at five in the morning. “Please, call me Payton. I’m not much of a breakfast person. I’m supposed to meet Admiral Hawkins for lunch later.”
    “Then please call me Edward. Mind if I ask you a question, Payton?” Tavis sounded so serious. His gaze darted around and the look on his face grew hesitant.
    “I can’t say until you ask me.” Payton grinned, trying to ease the tension and encourage the man to talk. Anything he learned and any friend he made while here on Englor could potentially benefit him.
    “Yes, I suppose you’re right.” He chuckled and continued to lead Payton outside the glass doors at the end of the hall and into the bright sunlight. It was chilly and windy out, 34
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    The Englor Affair
    though thankfully the uniform was nice and thick. If he went a great length he’d need to get his coat, but judging from last night’s quick observation when they’d arrived, his office wouldn’t be far. Tavis wasn’t wearing a coat.
    Payton tried not to look at Tavis, not wanting to pressure him, but he was curious what the man was so reluctant to ask. Since it was daytime, Payton took the time to look around for anything he might have missed last night. There was a sidewalk meandering around a grassy campus. Each of the buildings were a good twenty to thirty feet apart and connected by the wide cement sidewalk.
    Finally, the lieutenant broke the silence, nodding like he’d come to a decision. “What is he like? The admiral?”
    Payton had expected something like that. Nate, being a native Englorian and one of the most powerful men in the IN, would definitely be a source of curiosity. Not to mention the soldiers thought Nate was here to inspect their base. Which he was. It just wasn’t the only reason they were here. “He’s a good man, fair, just don’t get on his bad side. But most of the time he has a good sense of humor.”
    Tavis pointed at a set of brick buildings with several men going in and out, all in uniform, some blue, some white. “That’s the mess hall.”
    Good galaxy, all the men were so big. Payton suppressed the urge to grin. It was always nice to have pleasant scenery. What, was it some rule you had to be over six foot and musclebound to be on this base? Not that Payton was complaining, he preferred big men, but it made him feel… Maybe he’d take advantage of the gym while he was here.
    Shrugging his bag up on his shoulder, he made himself stop gawking. Heck, he needed to workout just to be able to haul his bag around. It was getting heavy. “Are you Englorian, Edward?”
    Tavis nodded. “Yes. Admiral Hawkins is a bit of a legend around here. Did you know his family is part of the peerage of Englor? His father is the Duke of Hawthorne.
    Englorians are quite proud to claim him as one of our own. Most of polite society isn’t even aware of his unfortunate