Page 62 of Uncovered By the Alien Commander
“I wouldn’t test her, fierce one. Not unless you want another deeper scar planted deep between your eyes,” I retort. But Hyanxa only scoffs, placing hands on hips whilst tapping her foot.
“Xan... Xandor what in the voiding void are you doing, attacking me in my own quarters!” Kaanus slurs, most likely drunk, obvious now as the pungent smell of alcohol permeates the room.
“I go where I want and do as I please,” I state, switching my gauntlet from arc blaster mode to arc claws. The room fills with a sudden ominous flickering of blue hues, flickering of potential violence. Kaanus recoils and even his fierce female flinches backwards at the sight of the long plasma claws and my towering presence.Good, their precarious situation now dawns on their frightened faces.
“You’re fortunate I need you and this heap of junk you call a ship, or I’d gut you both like rabid hydraliths for attacking Tyrxie,” I assert, glaring between the two. Yet I deactivate my arc claws, unwilling to end their lives if it can be avoided.
Kaanus attempts to rise but winces in pain, clutching his leg as he settles back onto the bed. “Voiding wound!” He exclaims,before addressing me, his aggressive manner now replaced with the fake gracious captain once again. “Listen, Xandor, you paid me to get you to Nebia. And as Captain, it’s my duty to take disciplinary action against disloyal crew members for the sake of the mission,” he states, flashing a smile that doesn’t reach his white eyes. “I’m sure you wouldn’t appreciate me interfering with your affairs,” he adds in a smooth tone, despite his inebriation.
“What I don’t appreciate is your abuse of the female,” I retort, glancing down at Tyrxie, who remains steadfast, aiming her gun at Hyanxa. “She’s under my protection from now on. Any injury to her I will return upon you both with twice the cost,” I threaten, fixing my gaze back on Kaanus.
But it’s Hyanxa who interjects with a bitter chuckle, “You protect the one who stole your mask?” She lets out another mocking laugh.How does she know that?A flicker of doubt almost creases my brow before I suppress it. “Perhaps Klendathians are all brawn, lacking even the common sense of a znat.” The Jungarian jabs an accusing finger towards Tyrxie, who tenses beside me. “She’s a lying traitor. It’s voiding obvious!”
I almost sigh, her words hitting too close to the truth.But for good or ill, Tyrxie’s my liar, and I’m sure I can straighten her out...“Tyrxie never stole my warvisor,” I lie, frowning towards Hyanxa, knowing a few lies mingled with the truth will clear up this mess. “In fact, she helped me track down its location.”
Now it’s Hyanxa’s turn to appear doubtful, as her eyes shift downward for an instant. “It was Triandale, your Security Officer, who attacked us after stealing my warvisor. He offloaded it to a gang on tier three. He was the traitor, driven by a hateful vengeance—a vengeance I tried to warn you about, yet you did nothing!” I shout, driving my advantage home.
Kaanus appears thoughtful as Hyanxa retorts, “That doesn’t make sense, you lie to—”
“Why would I lie? To protect the one who stole my warvisor? You said it yourself, that wouldn’t be very smart of me,” I interrupt.Foolish, indeed, as here I am doing just that.
Kaanus rubs the back of his scaled neck, “Yeah... yeah. He’s right,” he mumbles, glancing toward Hyanxa.
“You’re all voiding morons!” The Jungarian sneers, shaking with fury, her golden eyes ablaze with hatred directed at Tyrxie. Until after a moment, she releases a loud exhale. “Fine, what do I care? We’ll sell the useless bitch to you. Void, you can even have her for free!” she offers with a sardonic chuckle.
“No!” Kaanus roars, fury twisting his features. His sudden shift is almost shocking if I hadn’t anticipated his reaction.Time for the vipertails to devour each other.“She’s not for sale! She belongs to me, understand?” he glares between Hyanxa and me.
Hyanxa’s face twists with disdain, aimed at the Captain. Yet I remain silent, hoping Tyrxie will speak up, but she remains still.That’s fine, I need only add a little fuel to the fire.It’s time she learned the full extent of the truth, time for her to confront her fears and unleash her inner strength.
“Strange, only a moment ago Tyrxie was a crew member. Now she’s a slave to be bartered and owned. Which is it?” I smirk toward Kaanus as his gaze flicks from Hyanxa back to me, seething with anger.
“Hyanxa should know better.” Kaanus’ tone carries a sharp edge. “Of course she’s a crew member. Sure, I pay you a fair cut, equal to the others. Isn’t that right, Tyrxie?” he asks, almost pleading towards Tyrxie with outstretched hands.
“Yeah... that’s right.” Tyrxie lowers her gun and my heart sinks, fearing she lacks the courage to push through. I place a reassuring arm around her tiny waist, prompting the human to stiffen as if awakening from a trace. “But you never let meleave,” she asserts, her soft voice growing stronger. “No matter how many times I asked, you’d only hit me!” she finishes, almost shouting.
The Captain bristles, shaking his head as if he doesn’t believe the truth of his own actions. “It was for your own protection! I couldn’t have you running around alone—”
Tyrxie rubs something in her pocket as her voice grows louder. “You tried to rape me!” she exclaims, like the memory has just sprung to vivid clarity in her mind. “Two years ago, in my bunk. It was you, wasn’t it?” she accuses.
All eyes turn to Kaanus, who recoils as if stuck by a blow, his scales now shimmering blue. “I...I... Listen, I was drunk, okay, and I merely wanted to wake you up, but you went voiding berserk!” he explains, his words fueled by flustered uncertainty.
“You voiding bastard!” Hyanxa screeches, turning on Kaanus to deliver a resounding slap across his cheek. “I gave you the best years of my life, and all you care about is mating this one!” She points back at Tyrxie. “Well, void you, I’m leaving at the next stop,” the once fierce Jungarian declares, her voice wavering with glistening eyes—a strange sight on the tough female.
Hyanxa moves around the room in a frantic hurry, gathering her belongings and finally covering her exposed breasts with a black shirt. “Hyanxa... I’m sorry,” Kaanus offers, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t voiding touch me! You all deserve each other!” Hyanxa recoils from his touch, tears streaming down her furred, scarred face. I step aside as she barrels between Tyrxie and me. As I meet Tyrxie’s gaze, I raise an amused eyebrow. Yet the human still has heat in her green eyes.Seems she’s not done yet.
Kaanus limps over to pick up a bottle of alcohol, wincing with each painful step. The silence is deafening as he slumps onto the bed, taking a swig before burying his spikey head in his hands.“You never rescued me from slavers, did you?” Tyrxie breaks the yawning quiet, her tone carrying an ominous coldness.
“No.” The Captain now appears a broken male, diminished to a fraction of his former self. “I planned to tell you the truth. To make you understand.” He takes another swig from his bottle, his head still bowed. “But void, I never imagined it’d work out like this.”
I scoff at his pathetic response.How did he ever imagine a pleasant reaction to his terrible secrets?But I choose to remain silent, watching with eager anticipation, hoping to glean more insight into the soul of the female I’m bonded with.
“Why?” Tyrxie questions, her voice soft yet resolved.
“Credits, why else? The demand for them never stops.” Kaanus swirls his bottle around in his scaled hand. “A few decades ago, the jobs dried up, a rare period of peace in the universe. I was desperate, with no other choice but to turn to smuggling and slaving.” He pauses for yet another draught from his beverage before continuing. “Void, their faces still haunt my dreams. I hated it, hated myself. Still do, for what I did back then. But I can never atone for the past.” He lifts his head to glance between Tyrxie and me. “It always catches up, eventually.”
“And what about me? About my parents?” Tyrxie asks, as she trembles, emitting an ice-cold fury that seethes beneath.