To their credit, neither officer allowed themselves much of a reaction. Area only paused for a moment before returning to his neck, and her first officer only took a moment to recover from his initial shock. Plenty of other officers would have had a more visible reaction, and Calen felt like his choice had been vindicated.<br/><br/>The commander offered a salute as he stopped beside them, then kept his gaze fixed on Calen. The sith returned his hand to Area's thigh as he said, "You've been most impressive since I arrived here commander. I can't help but feel it might make more sense to promote someone from the crew to captain, rather than bring in an outsider. Do you feel up to the task?"<br/><br/>Koran swallowed visibly, but only took a moment to make a choice. "Yes, sir. I serve at your pleasure."<br/><br/>"Then consider this a field promotion to captain. I want a list of officers who would be good candidates for your current position on my desk within the hour. Dismissed."<br/><br/>Again, the commander hesitated for only a moment before bowing, offering his thanks once more, and departing. As he left, Calen spotted him glancing at Area, and he thought he saw lust in the man's eyes.<br/><br/>Once they were alone, he eased Area just a little away from him, stopping her kisses. "Well done. I do believe that man was considering what it would be like to own you. " Of course, that was a pleasure only Calen would know. Few sith were interested in sharing,