Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
SLAVIC
Prowling around the helm, I catch Bikar glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.
“ What has you so riled up this rising, Slavic ?”
“ Something feels off. I can’t pinpoint it, but my spines have been aching since I arose, and the walls feel like they are closing in on me this rising. We have been sitting around brooding far too long. I am in need of some excitement.”
He swings around in his chair. “ Well , this might put you in a better mood. While you were slumbering away last darkness, dreaming about the naughtiness we experienced on that last Pleasure planet, I have been looking for our next victim. Our cargo bay is starting to get bare, and we need extra credits to get fuel on the Navale .
A small ship popped up on my monitors earlier. I didn’t say anything originally because I soon realized it was a Velgriddix ship. I was simply going to maneuver us out of their range, but something told me to hold off a moment. Since then, I have been keeping a close eye on them just in case their swarm ships followed, but it looks like luck may be on our side this rising. They are having thruster issues and if my scanners are correct, they have a full cargo hold.”
“ Can you tell how many of the abominations are on board?”
“ It would be impossible for a cargo ship of that size to hold more than fifteen or twenty.”
“ Ahh , a couple for each of us to obliterate and then tear into tiny little pieces, one scream at a time. Perfect , a good fight is just what I need to take the edge off! Cloak the ship, head to their coordinates and rouse our brothers.”
Speaking into the comm, Bikar turns with a smile on his lips. “ Awaken one and all, we have a new target on the radar, and Slavic wants all of you on the bridge. So , get your lazy backsides up here with haste.”
Plopping down in my chair, I grin as I hear all the grumbling as he talks to each one of them separately. If we had more time, I would have enjoyed meeting them all at once in the sparing chamber. If for no other reason other than to solely remind them why the gods made me the eldest brother. I take pride in being the oldest and looking out for my brothers, but that doesn’t mean I do not enjoy beating them to a pulp either.
Thankfully , the ship we acquired when we freed ourselves from the mines is capable of holding our massive bodies easily, or our opulent yet rough way of life would make them even crankier. The Zenith , once known as the Vespira , has plenty of space for all six of us to loiter around and not bump into one another unless we want to. It even has a few places to hide when we need our space. My mind drifts for a moment as my hearts are saddened by thoughts of Our Life Giver , Mam . She preached constantly the importance of family, of how much stronger we were together than apart. From the time I was a youngling, she made it known that I had a responsibility to my brothers, and I have done my best to fulfill that role, but there are times when we all need some quiet time alone.
The helm’s door slides open, jerking me out of my dark thoughts, and I watch as everyone takes their usual spot around me. It doesn’t take long until all five are present on the bridge, staring out at the holographic screen Bikar has projected on the control panel.
Seated in his normal spot, Bikar is working in the comms chair to my right, his fingers flying across the controls on the console. Falon walks up on my left, his massive legs spread to keep his balance as the Zenith moves aggressively one way then another as Bikar dodges the few asteroids in the vastness of the space surrounding us.
Murgul takes up his regular spot, leaning against the wall across the room as he avoids physical contact with any of us. His arms are crossed and he looks bored as usual. I can feel Ruarc’s quiet presence as he walks up slightly behind me. My second oldest brother takes his responsibilities as my next in command seriously, maybe even more intensely than I do at times. Glancing around, I snarl when I don’t see Einar . Just as I’m about to tell Bikar to comm him again, he stomps into the room.
“ Nice of you to finally join us, Einar ,” I growl out.
“ I would not have been late Slavic , had someone, I am not mentioning any names here, but I am assuming the culprits were Bikar and Falon , not completely demolished my med-bay. If I had not been wasting my time reorganizing things, again, I would have been here when you first commed”, he barks back at me, frustration heavy in his voice.
“ For future reference, in an emergency situation Slavic , we cannot afford for me to not know where my things are, and you know this. They should know this! ” They all duck their heads when he points a stubby finger at each of them, but their smirks only make me angry.
“ You need to keep them out of my med-bay, Slavic , or I swear I am going to start retaliating”, Einar growls out in a menacing voice.
I sigh wearily. “ You fracking dumbasses, I am not your babysitter. STAY - OUT - OF - THE - MED BAY !” Smacking Bikar upside his head, I reach over and punch Falon , knocking him sideways, the walls practically shaking as I roar out my anger. “ I will not discuss this with you two again. Einar is correct. If something happens to one of you idiots, he needs to be able to find his things so that you do not die. How would any of you explain your death to our Life -giver in the afterlife? Do you really want to tell her the reason Einar could not save you was because you hid all of his shit again! Wipe those damn smirks off your faces before I do it for you!” I have to take a deep breath in order to calm down before I can continue on. “ Now as to why I needed you all here, Bikar tell them what you found.”
We all watch as he tweaks a few knobs before turning his massive form around to face us. “ You guys know the drill. I always have the Zenith’s instruments looking for our next haul. She notified me early this rising when a small ship came within our sensors with a full cargo hold. Unfortunately , it is a small to medium-sized Velgriddix ship. I cannot seem to get an exact head count on the nasty ass bugs because of their exoskeleton, so we are going in blind. Now because of the ship’s size, there should only be a handful of them onboard. However , I am picking up some odd readings in several other parts of the ship. It is possible they may have slaves on board, and you know what that means.”
“ More credits for us”, they all yell out.
A low growl from across the room causes Bikar to pause. All eyes glance over at Murgul , checking to see if he is going to be able to keep his shit together while we invade this ship.
My brother was captured by the insectoid species rotations ago as a youngling. When we finally located the planet he was being held on, his mind was so damaged we had to restrain him to even get him off their ship. The things they did to him though, … no being could ever truly heal from, and it is easy to see by the wildness of his electric blue gaze that he is barely holding on to his sanity.
Anger instantly infuses me as memories thoroughly grip my mind. I grasp the chair’s arms so tightly I can hear them cracking. I will always carry the burden of not being able to protect him or our Life Givers when they needed me most. The only joy I get from remembering that rising now is knowing I personally destroyed every hand that ever caused him pain. Nevertheless , when he sees us all staring at him, he snarls out.
“ I’m fine, proceed. I have no intentions of losing it this rising.”
The words are harsh, almost as if he has to force them from his throat. Which is probably true, since his vocal cords were irreparably damaged according to Einar . I have always assumed their damage was caused by his screams and I cannot imagine the amount of torture it took to make a Rukuhk as tough as Murgul break, even as a youngling.
Once we are reassured that my youngest brother is not going to slip his leash and destroy the bridge with us all on it, they turn back to me. “ Brothers , what say you? Do we go give them a traditional Rukuhk , uninvited guest greeting?” An evil grin graces my features.
Their boisterous voices echo off the walls as they scream out. “ Frack yeah!”
“ Einar , you have not been off the ship lately, so grab one of the smaller shuttles and I’ll take the other. Bikar , as usual, you have the comms. Falon get to the engine room, I do not want any mechanical malfunctions on this run. Ruarc , you are in command while I’m off the ship, and Murgul , keep our weapons hot. You know better than anyone these bugs rarely travel alone. Once Einar and I have the ship secured, you all are to hard dock the Zenith near their back cargo hold.
After the ships are sealed securely together, you know the drill. Bikar , instead of helping load the cargo this time, I would prefer you stay here on the comm’s at all times. Unless the Velgriddix detection system is down, you know they can probably see our ship as clearly as we can theirs. They might merely be trying to lure us closer in order to claim the bounty on each of our heads.”
Orders issued, I rise out of my chair, stretching my large frame before exiting the room, ignoring Bikar’s boisterous shout as he hates to be left behind. I head toward my personal quarters to retrieve my double-edged swords. My spines are still trembling, warning me not all is as it seems.