ã€ŠPursuing the Demon Lordã€‹


 Chapter 1: My Woman

    So there I was, laying back on my couch and clipping coupons out of the newspapers I swiped from the houses on my street. Nobody reads them anyway these days so I may as well help myself right? Saving ten bucks every time you go shopping is a win in my book. I must have saved hundreds of dollars from doing it this long. Regardless, there I was clipping out coupons when it all happened in a flash. Literally. One moment I¡¯m on my comfortable sofa listening to some old people talk about shit I don¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass about, the next I¡¯m laying on some cold stone floor with spots of light in my eyes. At first, I wondered if I had a seizure, as I never had one of those before. But then I realized I was being a dumbass and knew that the house I was renting didn¡¯t have stone floors.

    Yup, this was teleportation for sure, as my whole body felt tingly. Always happens when you¡¯re involved in one. Or so I¡¯ve heard. Despite what many scientists believe, teleportation is actually quite simple. I mean, all it involves is folding space and moving through said fold to your destination. Simple.

    As my vision returned to normal I began to take stock of my surroundings. Far above me was a ceiling, and a very nice one at that. Solid white stone, though it was probably painted over it to make it look that way. Cheap bastards. A pair of golden chandeliers hung from the brazenly uniform ceiling as if to flaunt the wealth of whomever lived here. One of which was directly overhead. Great. Golden chandeliers meant that the owner was more than likely a pretentious Richard with a stick up his ass.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Someone coughed within the room. See, what did I say? Too pretentious to say ¡®Stop dirtying my floor you filthy bastard¡¯.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Gimmie a sec boss.¡± I responded in a bored tone.

    As I rose to my feet, I dusted myself off. Not that my jeans or t-shirt were dusty, I just did it to make whoever owned this joint think they were dusty. Rich people always seemed to get offended when they find dust. Having an involuntary guest dust themselves off in their ¡°spotless¡± home would be a giant middle finger. One I was proud to present.

    Just to my right was a deep red carpet trimmed with golden tassels that ran throughout the center of the room, as if it¡¯s sole purpose was dividing it in two. I rolled my eyes at the sight. Couldn¡¯t even bother to portal my ass onto the carpet. With a sigh, I glanced at my surroundings in an uncaring manner. Big ass room, expensive stained glass windows, luxurious curtains, the whole shebang. This place screamed ¡®big money¡¯. And there I was in the center of it all being gaped at by a multitude of people in various clothing that looked like something my grandma¡¯s grandma¡¯s grandma¡¯s grandma wore.

    At the far end of the room were four people. One was a very large man, in the gravitationally-challenged sense, who sat upon a throne of solid gold. Grey hair graced his bulbous figure as a golden crown looked as if it was being devoured by the man¡¯s head rather than sitting atop it. A slight look of envy in his green eyes as he stared at me. I rather felt uncomfortable being given such a look, its not my fault hes a lardo. Real men keep themselves in shape, hit the gym you bulbous porker. Seated next to him was a rather young looking woman with long golden hair and blue eyes. The very model of beauty that everyone attributes to perfect women. Elves, Queens, Princesses, you name it, they¡¯ve got golden hair and blue eyes. She may have been a perfect ten, but if you were to ask me publicly I¡¯d giver her a seven. You should always subtract two or so points to keep a woman humble, else she¡¯ll walk all over you.

    Slightly behind those two stood a pair of who I assumed to be siblings. They had the same gold hair and blue eyes that the mother possessed. One, a male of about five foot six inches tall with poorly concealed musculature beneath his clothing. He obviously worked out in an attempt to stifle the feeling of vertical inadequacy. I felt a slight surge of pride as he looked with open jealousy towards me. The small will always envy the tall. The other was about the same height and a girl. As expected, she was almost an exact copy of the mother in terms of looks. She noticed my staring towards her, bowed her head, and smiled.

    Sorry babe, I¡¯m single and not looking.

    Standing between myself, the large grouping of people at the sides of the room, and the royal family at their thrones, was a line of guards in polished armor. Don¡¯t know if it was iron, steel, or titanium. And frankly, I didn¡¯t give a damn. Most of them barely paid any attention to their surroundings. A few even yawned like they had been through this before. Obviously they were only being paid to stand around and look shiny to impress the paupers such as myself. Needless to say, I wasn¡¯t impressed in the least.

    No doubt about it, this was a fantasy world thanks to summoning magic or some shit. Yawn. Seen it done a hundred and one times and it was old hat at this point. I¡¯ve read this book a billion times and each time it gets more boring than before. Dude gets summoned, dude gets amazing cheat powers, dude acquires money and bitches in equal measure. Then dude proceeds to waste endless chapters cooking food and not continuing on his quest. Sometimes a villain of the week will show up and things won¡¯t get tense because the main character is invincible due to plot reasons.

    ¡°Oh hero,¡± Great King Lardo Von Stuffingham, began his grand address. ¡°Since ancient times, my ancestors have summoned heroes such as yourself in times of great need. I fear, we have come upon dire times after many, many years of peace in our lands. Grave news has come to us here in the Capital that a Demon Lord has returned once more and wrought war upon our people! We beg of you, please aide us in our hour of greatest need!¡± Great King Creampuff folded in on himself in an attempted bow from his seat. If the dude had any more mass, he¡¯d go full neutron star.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, sure. Just point me in the right direction so I can get this over with.¡± I rolled my eyes and picked at the wax in my ear. ¡°Don¡¯t have time to deal with this bullshit.¡± I mumbled to myself under my breath. Apparently, I wasn¡¯t quiet enough, as all sound died within the room.

    ¡°You dare insult our father?¡± Tiny Tim exuded with rage as he stepped forth from behind the eclipse of his father¡¯s mass. ¡°A true hero would never be so crass as to insult a king!¡±

    ¡°Settle down Tiny, the big boys are talking.¡± I scoffed in an attempt to not really defuse the situation. They needed me, I didn¡¯t need them. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go run along while the adults talk about compensation? I don¡¯t work for free.¡± The boy¡¯s face went red and he reached for the sword belted to his hip.

    ¡°Hero or not, I¡¯ll cut you down where you sta-¡±

    ¡°Lavizo! Stay your hand!¡± King Blubbernugget shouted with a booming voice. I guess a big guy should have big lungs. ¡°Forgive my son and any offense occurred by him oh hero. Times have been harsh of late.¡± The King folded once more. ¡°Of course you shall be compensated for your efforts. In addition to the royal crown funding your efforts, should you prove successful in your endeavors you shall receive our daughter¡¯s hand in marriage.¡±

    The young girl looked towards me shyly as he face blossomed in crimson. Sorry babe, not falling for it.

    ¡°No thanks.¡± Gasps filled the room at my dismissal of such rewards. The Princess herself looked to be in a state of shock as well.

    ¡°You disrespectful cur!¡± Tiny Tim roared as he drew his sword. The edges of the blade erupted in a blue light, like an actually light sword. Before the King could raise his hand to stop his son, Tiny Tim leapt from his position beside the King¡¯s throne. It was at that point my assumption that he was a dumbass was completely and utterly confirmed. A downward slash made it¡¯s way towards me. A slash that could not change its momentum with great effect. All I had to do was step to the side to avoid his obvious attack.

    But he was unable to avoid my counter, as he fell directly towards my fist. One throat punch later, and Tiny Tim was grasping at his neck as he writhed around on the ground, his light-sword extinguished itself and returned to being a regular sword. Guards readied their weapons that also were edged in that weird blue light and moved towards me aggressively.

    I picked up the Prince¡¯s blade and looked it over. The hilt was made of solid metal with the exception of the bottom, which seemed to screw on. A small button was placed just below where blade met hilt. The blade itself from afar looked as if it were a regular sword, but it was actually two pieces of metal that were not directly connected together. When I pressed the button on the hilt, the edges of light sprung from the gap between the metal. With a quick thumb test, I was immediately impressed. Not only did it effortlessly cut my thumb, but it also cauterized the wound.

    I sighed, turned off the blade, and held up a hand towards the guards in a peaceful manner.

    ¡°Now, we were talking about compensation.¡± I spoke calmly as I fiddled with the weapon in my hands, surrounded by guards waiting for the command to attack. ¡°I¡¯ll only accept jewelry such as rings and necklaces, preferably with gems inlaid within. I¡¯ll also need a portal home when I¡¯m done. I don¡¯t know much about your land, nor do I truly care. I¡¯m here to do a job and I aim to be compensated well.¡±

    I once read a book just like this where the main character was given a ton of gold for accomplishing his task. He then brought that gold back home. Total bumblefuck. What happens when you suddenly return with a ton of gold coins and you try to pawn them off? People get suspicious. When people get suspicious, questions get asked. When enough questions get asked, the government gets involved. And I am not dealing with the IRS when I get back. Fuck them. I¡¯ll sell off a few pieces of jewelry at different pawn shops and be good.

    ¡°Yes. That can be arrang-¡±

    ¡°My oh my, what is going on here?¡± A seductive voice filled the room and interrupted the King. Guards who once held their weapons towards me now gripped their weapons with trembling hands, their eyes fixated on this new arrival. The bulbous mass of the king jiggled in fear as he gasped for air. Both the Princess and the Queen froze with bulging eyes. Curiously, I turned to take a look. And I liked what I saw.

    Black high heels clicked haughtily upon the masonry as a dark-blue skinned goddess sensually strutted towards me. Her legs went on for days as a devilish tail swung in tandem with alluring hips emphasized with every step. A pair of wonderful mounds were poorly hid behind her skin-tight black leather leotard. Two obsidian colored bat-like wings were folded neatly upon her back. Long black hair trailed behind her as a pair of large, black, red-tipped horns sprouted from her head just above her long elf-like ears. Red irises adorned black eyes that were settled firmly upon me. A predatory grin settled upon her perfect lips.

    She was a solid eight out of ten.

    ¡°Dear King Lavian, how could you not invite me to your precious Hero Summoning! You know how much these mean to me!¡± The woman gasped in mock sorrow. ¡°This is¡­what? The third one this year? I¡¯m sorry your little toys break so easily.¡± She stopped a few feet before me and gave me the once-over. She had to be around six foot five or so, a little taller than my six one. I was going to up her to a nine out of ten. Its just so hard to find a good, tall woman these days.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid this one will fare no better.¡± She clicked her tongue with an apparent dismissal.

    ¡°Sorry babe, but I don¡¯t break easy.¡± I folded my arms and stared straight into her eyes.

    ¡°How curious, the last few heroes that were summoned vowed to slay me where I stand.¡±

    ¡°Then they¡¯re a bunch of idiots. How fortunate I¡¯m not one of them.¡±

    ¡°So you say.¡± She smirked and regarded the unconscious Prince, ¡°And what¡¯s wrong with him, hmm?¡±

    ¡°He attacked me so I punched him in the throat.¡±

    A laugh as delicious as warm honey filled my ears,

    ¡°Oh what a shame it¡¯ll be to kill you, you¡¯re quite interesting. For a human that is.¡±

    ¡°Trust me, I get much more interesting once you get to know me better.¡± I shot a wink her way.

    ¡°Hahaha.¡± She covered her mouth with a gloved hand as she laughed. ¡°I like this one Lavian, perhaps I¡¯ll keep him as a pet.¡± She spoke to the King soaked in perspiration.

    ¡°I¡¯m nobody¡¯s pet.¡± I grinned. ¡°Though I¡¯m not adverse to the idea.¡± A warm smiled brightened her face.

    ¡°Whats your name hero?¡±

    ¡°Chet. Mind telling me yours beautiful?¡±

    ¡°You may have the honor of addressing me as Aevalonis Malwyrd Kalrastros.¡±

    ¡°Yeah thats a bit much so I¡¯ll just call you Avon.¡± Ain¡¯t no way I¡¯m calling her by that long ass name.

    ¡°You mean to demean me, human?¡± Her once warm words had turned cold enough to freeze alcohol.

    ¡°I would never disrespect my future bride.¡± I responded. All the tension left Avon¡¯s face as she stared at me with a confused look.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    With my best grin, I pointed at the Demon Lord,

    ¡°I¡¯m going to make you my woman.¡±

 Chapter 2: My Ship Part 1

    ¡°You what?¡± Avon asked in a flat tone, her tail whipping behind her in irritation.

    ¡°I mean to make you my woman.¡± I repeated. ¡°You hear that King Lardo? You can keep your jewelry and daughter and junk. My reward will be her.¡±

    ¡°I will not be some human¡¯s reward!¡± She was positively fuming. She must have really hated humans in general. Typical racist, at least get to know me before you judge me.

    ¡°Who said anything about pets? Well, you did earlier, but that¡¯s besides the point. These guys here,¡± I pointed towards the King and family, ¡°Brought me here to kill you. And rather than kill you¡¯d I¡¯d much prefer to find an alternative measure. Such as making you my woman.¡±

    Unsteady murmurs arose among the crowd that had gathered to watch my summoning. My ears picked out key words such as ¡®Betrayer¡¯ and ¡®Scandalous¡¯. Apparently they didn¡¯t think to kindly of a human and a demon getting together. Must have been some sort of taboo, but nuts to them. I knew they were just jealous because I was the only one with the balls to admit she was hot and I wanted to get after that.

    Avon¡¯s face contorted in a rage as she ground her teeth together and growled. ¡°I¡¯d rather throw myself into a black hole than be chained to some monkey¡¯s hand. My underlings will be under express orders to take you alive, Hero. I will have you brought before me in chains and I will break you myself until you are nothing but a shell of the man you once were.¡±

    ¡°You certainly know how to tell a guy you love him.¡± I winked.

    With an ungodly roar, Avon disappeared in a brief flash of light. This is why I always take away a few points on the woman judging scale, every woman has repulsive qualities that they hide until later. That roar was horrendous. Regardless, I was going to make her my woman and there was nothing anyone could do to stop me.

    A sudden buzzing sound rumbled from behind me. More followed until the buzzing filled the room like a swarm of angry bees. A quick glance around revealed that all the guards had, once again, pointed their weapons towards me. Weapons that were now edged in a blue-ish light. That was different.

    ¡°You would willingly consort with a demon? The Demon Lord at that?!¡± King Lardo had recovered and sputtered from his squeaking throne. It¡¯d make my day if that thing were to break from his current tantrum. ¡°My son was right, hero. You are naught but a cur! Guards! Kill him so we may summon the true hero!¡± In a mass of bodies, the armored guards with their glow swords charged towards me.

    ¡°Back off or Tiny Tim gets it!¡± I yelled out and placed the sword I held over the Prince¡¯s neck. Guards that had moved towards me quickly backed off. They looked towards one another and then back to the King who was sweating bullets. The Queen dabbed Lardo with a handkerchief as he fumed.

    ¡°Leave my son alone, villain.¡± Porky squealed, ¡°And we shall allow you to leave in peace.¡±

    ¡°Do you think I was born yesterday? Sorry but no deal. You¡¯ll only have me followed and killed. If we do this, we do it my way.¡±

    ¡°And what do you propose, exactly?¡±

    ¡°We proceed like we were before. You send me off to beat the Demon Lord and I¡¯ll get out of your hair until the jobs done.¡±

    ¡°Why would we-¡±

    ¡°We accept.¡± The Queen interrupted and stared at the King in a challenging manner. Marriage problems always tend to come out at the most opportune times. ¡°There is no reason we cannot be civil, husband.¡±

    Oh yeah, major marriage problems. Shit is always mad real when the woman calls her man ¡®Husband¡¯ instead of by name. Or was it shit gets real when she says your name? Honestly, I forget, but it was all good so long as I could get on with my life. With great reluctance, the King signaled his men to stand down. Light-blades dissipated and returned to their sheaths.

    ¡°Great, lets get to business.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Aevalonis Malwyrd Kalrastros growled angrily as she strode out of the holo-room, the doors closing with an air-tight seal behind her. Metal clanked underfoot as she marched through crowded halls. Blue-skinned demons just like her rushed to and fro with handheld holo-displays. Groups with heat-resistant masks wielding welding torches affixed bits of scrap metal to the sides of walls that currently had holes in them. Their ship had been damaged in the previous attack on human controlled territory. A self-defense satellite had resisted their hacking attempts and landed a few lucky hits upon their ship before they could have gotten the shields up.

    Approaching a planet such as Araxium Vos I with shields up would have alerted any nearby forces long before they had approached orbit. As it were, stealth was the Demon¡¯s greatest ally. But acquiring this world and it¡¯s shipyards would put an end to that. Aevalonis stopped at a side window to stare at the orbital shipyards that were no building ships for her forces. In a few months time, they¡¯d have fresh battleships to counter the Human¡¯s military might.

    Silently, she prayed that the humans would never find out that they struck from only a handful of worlds. Their entire effort to reclaim worlds that once belong to them balanced precariously on repeated victories. Failure was not an option. Men and women of various races saluted as she passed, to which she nodded in response, setting them at ease. This rebellion had been a long time coming, and the Humans would pay blood for blood.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Status report.¡± Aevalonis demanded as she reached the bridge and sat in the Captain¡¯s chair.

    ¡°Repairs are proceeding ahead of schedule.¡± An engineering officer spoke from his station. His displays earlier had shown dangerous red due to multiple air breaches that were now a warning yellow. ¡°The Maiden¡¯s Vengeance will be ready to sail by this time tomorrow if we proceed as is.¡±

    ¡°Give the men my commendations and order them to slow work on repairs. We won¡¯t be dead in the water now so we can afford a little time to relax.¡± She spoke while scanning through the latest reports of the planet-side invasion. They had since secured the mines and several major cities on the rocky surface of Araxium Vos I. Only a few holdouts remained that would fall quickly with the combined efforts of her forces and the newly liberated slaves.

    ¡°Captain,¡± A young girl with a dog-like face began. Saphyxes, a genetically modified race of once-humans that were created for the sole purpose of ¡°relaxation¡± for the ¡°superior¡± humans. Scars ran along the girl¡¯s face, a tribute to the mercy of her previous master. Just the thought of such a thing made her body quiver in a rage. Her entire body was covered in fur beneath her uniform. She wore no gloves, nor boots, as none of the standard issue ones would fit her kinds paws. Regrettably, there were no plans to develop shoes or gloves for them either. The rebellion¡¯s sole focus was winning a nigh-impossible war.

    ¡°Yes Lyrin?¡± Aevalonis responded, using the girl¡¯s name. The two had become close friends in the early days of the rebellion.

    ¡°Did you make it to the summoning? Any useful information about their new acquisition?¡± Ears perked up all around the bridge.

    ¡°The new Hero.¡± She growled. ¡°Declared that he would make me his woman.¡± Not but the sound of consoles beeping was heard upon the bridge as Aevalonis slammed her fist upon the arm of her chair. ¡°Let all our ships know, I will pay a bounty to any who bring me the Hero, Chet, alive if possible. But I¡¯ll lose no sleep if they bring me his corpse.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Where the hell had I gone wrong? One moment I was sure this was nothing more than a fantasy world of swords and sorcery, yet here I am in an orbital car and flying upwards into the planet¡¯s atmosphere. Sure, it would be a nice ride were it not for me sharing the car with King Lard, Princess Perfect, and the Queen who sat next to me and rubbed my leg whenever the King wasn¡¯t paying attention.

    ¡°Look Hero, isn¡¯t the view from here absolutely stunning?¡± the Princess asked as she stared out the window towards the massive skyscrapers far below. Turns out, the Capital was actually the Capital Planet and it was covered in one giant sprawling city. ¡°Every time I see this view it leaves me breathless. And to think this is only one of the many planets under our banner!¡± The girl had turned from shy to chatty as hell the moment we stepped into the shuttle.

    Well, we stepped, King Lard levitated upon his golden throne. No wonder he was so fat, dude wouldn¡¯t have to use his legs with a chair like that. Wouldn¡¯t be surprise if he had them removed for being unnecessary.

    ¡°Yeah, its certainly something.¡± I spoke, barely glancing out the window, doing my best to try to ignore the increasingly bold hand upon my leg. ¡°So, King dude, where are we headed for again?¡± The Queen clicked her tongue just loud enough for me to hear as the King turned his attention to me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you pay attention? The royal shipyard of course!¡± The man spat in irritation.

    ¡°Oh right. Why are we going there again?¡±

    ¡°To give you your ship to hunt down the Demon Lord in! Gods, its like I¡¯m talking to my son here.¡±

    ¡°You obviously didn¡¯t hit him enough when he was younger. Force fosters respect after all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to remember that for the next time we have a boy.¡± He grumbled. Yeah, fat chance of that happening.

    Metal beams formed two skeletal cylindrical foundations housing an astronomical amount of mechanical arms. Mechanical arms that worked constantly placing prefabricated metal plates and welding them together forming the shell of a ship. Within the shell, hundreds of workers laid down wiring, setting the foundations of what would become a massive cruiser class ship. Sadly, that was not to be my ship, but one used by the royal navy.

    ¡°And here we are.¡± The King announced as he proudly presented a small ship able to be commanded by a single pilot. ¡°This right here is our top-of-the-line Corvette class ships. The Xaylix, proudly named after one of our greatest admirals from long ago.¡±

    ¡°Why am I here again if you have an entire armada to hunt the Demon Lord?¡± The past thirty minutes had been nothing but the King talking about the nation¡¯s proud history and unbeatable navy. History that I needed to know like I needed a stroke.

    ¡°The sync-rate boy! Don¡¯t you ever pay attention?¡± The King sighed, ¡°Single pilot ships have advanced integration software that allows the ship and the pilot to act as if they were one! A marvel of technological progress!¡±

    ¡°Still not hearing why I¡¯m needed.¡± I tapped my feet as I ran my eyes along the body of my new ship. It looked like a crescent moon shape-wise, with a single massive engine connected beneath the central body. A pair of cannons that shot a choice of either metal slugs or condensed plasma at high speeds were placed at the ends of both wings. To the left and right of the engine sat heavy ordinance bays for mines, missiles, or other goodies. Not the brightest place to put the highly explosive bits on a ship, but thats just my opinion.

    ¡°Our pilots at best can manage only a fifty percent sync-rate. This leads to delays in actions between the pilot¡¯s mind and the ship¡¯s movement anywhere from one to three seconds. An entire lifetime in the cockpit of a high speed attack craft such as this. Yet, those we summon are able to achieve near one hundred percent sync-rates.¡±

    ¡°So I won¡¯t have any delays. Gotchya.¡± I took a deep breath to steady myself. I wasn¡¯t nervous, but I was super fucking excited to get my own space ship! I feel bad for insulting King Lard and his son now, I didn¡¯t know I¡¯d get to cruise through space in style! ¡°I¡¯m going in.¡± I announced and strode down the loading bay towards my ship.

    ¡°If you need any help, call central control. They¡¯ll sort everything out!¡± The Princess spoke from behind me. I raised up a hand and waved as the bay closed behind me.

 Chapter 3: My Ship Part 2

    I cracked my knuckles as I walked through the loading bay of my ship. My ship. It was my ship. I owned this. I couldn¡¯t stop grinning like a loony bastard who got a girl he liked to go to prom with him. This was way better than any previous moment in my life. Except being born, that took the top spot easily. Kind of hard to beat the moment you truly started existing.

    ¡°Love you mama.¡± I said as I kissed my fist. With barely contained excitement, I walked further into my ship. A small dining area and bathroom was built just beyond the loading bay. Beyond that was the private quarters and cockpit all in one. A fold up bed built into the wall, various shelves for numerous personals, retractable dresser for sets of clothing, and a flight seat at the very front with all the various controls.

    ¡°Lets get this kitty purring, I got a Demon Lord to woo.¡± With great gusto, I leapt into the pilot seat. And just as quickly as I was hyped, I was overcome with dread. I had no idea what any of these fucking buttons did. ¡°Well¡­shit¡­¡± I grumbled.

    ¡°Human presence registered. Welcome pilot, to the Xaylix class Corvette.¡± A slightly female robotic voice spoke from all around me. ¡°I am your on-board Artificial Intelligence Assistant. AIA for short.¡±

    ¡°Aya?¡±

    ¡°Your pronunciation is off by point oh oh oh four eight one decibels.¡±

    ¡°Uhhh¡­what?¡±

    ¡°Name change underway. Welcome Pilot, I am Aya.¡± Great, my ship had a bitch for an AI. ¡°Beginning user scan.¡±

    A holographic representation of myself appeared next to me as a laser scanned me from head to toe. There I stood, my perfect six foot one inch height with short brown hair and amazing hazel eyes. God I looked amazing. If I were a woman, I¡¯d do me.

    ¡°Analyzing complete. Greetings Chet Rosenfield of Earth.¡±

    ¡°You know of Earth?¡±

    ¡°Affirmative. Your people are designated as extremely hostile and unstable in matters of galactic security. All contact is to be avoided at all costs.¡±

    ¡°I always knew the aliens were afraid of us. So, other than me being the first Earthling this far in space, Sup Aya?¡±

    ¡°Error, unknown designation ¡®sup¡¯. Please define.¡±

    ¡°Sup, as in whats up?¡±

    ¡°Calculating.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°The nearest celestial body located directly overhead would be Salyzan IX located roughly three light minutes away.¡±

    ¡°Light minutes? The fuck?¡±

    ¡°Please state desired unit of distance calculation.¡±

    ¡°Miles please.¡±

    ¡°Error. Desired unit not found.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s bullshit! The imperial system will rise again!¡± I sighed, ¡°Alright, how about meters?¡±

    ¡°Salyzan IX is located fifty three billion, nine hundred and sixty two million six hundred and forty two thousand and four hundred forty meters directly overhead.¡±

    ¡°Fuck man, space is big.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative.¡±

    ¡°Alright Aya, let¡¯s get down to brass tacks.¡± I cracked my knuckles and looked over the control panels. I had no idea where to begin.

    ¡°Error. This ship contains no units of brass in its construction.¡±

    ¡°I meant lets get down to business.¡±

    ¡°Acknowledged.¡±

    ¡°Right, how do I fly this puppy?¡±

    A large spike-like wire jabbed towards my head directly from the center console. If I hadn¡¯t been slouching forward in my chair, it¡¯d have embedded itself directly in my forehead. As it was, it just nicked the top of my head and ripped out a path of hair. Great, judging by how my hologram now looked, I resembled some sort of Fallout chem addict.

    ¡°What the fuck Aya?! That could have killed me!¡±

    ¡°Please insert syncing software into your frontal lobe implant.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have one of those Aya. Any other bright ideas on how to fly this thing?¡±

    ¡°Negative. All registered pilots should have an implant placed upon their frontal lobe. It is under ¡®Mandatory Requirements for Starship Usage¡¯, page eighty five, paragraph twelve, subsection C.¡±

    ¡°Well like the brave scientist who invented gravity once said in my world, ¡®Laws are meant to be broken¡¯. Can I get a user manual or something?¡± She didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Ay-oof!¡±

    I felt a great pain engulf my entire body as a massive encyclopedia landed directly atop the boys that sat snugly within my jeans and boxers. As I swore every swear word I knew, and the fucking robot had the cheek to state that her database was updating, I glanced at the book that had landed in my lap. It was beyond massive, like an entire series of encyclopedias mashed together into one. Like any good school boy, I turned to the last page first.

    Twenty six thousand pages. Fuck that.

    Irreverently, I tossed the book off to the side. ¡°Alright Aya, fuck that. We¡¯re doing this shit trial by fire style.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative. Commencing Weapons Free Protocols.¡± Red lights began flashing all over the room as sirens began wailing in an uneven beat. ¡°Please select target for nuclear devastation.¡±

    ¡°Calm down you crazy bitch!¡± I shouted. Instantly, the sirens and lights ceased.

    ¡°Acknowledged. Weapons disengaged.¡±

    ¡°If we¡¯re gonna do any devastation at all, I¡¯ve got a friend or two that still owe me a few hundred bucks.¡±

    ¡°Acknowledged. Please state names of designated targets.¡±

    ¡°Carey J. Lewis and Michael H. Tolwicks.¡±

    ¡°Targets confirmed in data banks for future elimination.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t get money out of dead people Aya.¡±

    ¡°Correction, targets confirmed for extortion.¡±

    ¡°Thats my girl.¡±

    ¡°Attention Xaylix class Corvette, this is Control. Is everything okay? We noticed your weapons arm and un-arm. Over.¡± A female voice spoke from all around the room. I looked around for some sort of microphone to speak into, but found nothing. This is why I hated new-fangled technology, nobody ever kept things the same. Where the hell was my xbox headset? ¡°Xaylix are you there?¡±

    ¡°What the fuck do I do Aya? Wheres the microphone?¡±

    ¡°Press the communicator button on the right arm of your chair.¡±

    ¡°The one that looks like a telephone?¡±

    ¡°Affirmative.¡± Fucking ship designers.

    ¡°Hello Control, this is the captain of the Xaylix vessel. Just running through the ropes here, nothing special.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative Captain. We recommend you achieve a safe distance of ten light minutes before doing any sort of weapons testing.¡± A few beeping noises sounded over the comms. ¡°We have updated your navigation charts to display a nearby asteroid field for some live practice. Over.¡±

    ¡°Control, I think I love you.¡± Light laughter sounded over the comms,

    ¡°Good hunting out there Xaylix. Over and out.¡± The sound of the communicator shutting off sounded through the room.

    ¡°Right then, lets get this guppy swimming Aya. We got some rocks to obliterate.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative. Please disengage airlock clamps before engaging power to engines.¡± I looked over the massive amounts of controls in front of me. All sorts of buttons lit up with no description for what they were. With a sigh, I looked over at the manual laying upon the floor.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.¡°Aya, when we get back from this we¡¯re getting you a joystick.¡±

    ¡°Negative. Any modifications to this vessel will render the two year warranty null and void.¡±

    ¡°Why the hell is there a warranty on a military vessel? If this thing breaks, the owner dies!¡±

    ¡°You are the captain, not the owner. Queen Risat Salyzan is the current holder of the receipt for this vessel. Should we find ourselves in an inoperable state the Queen shall receive the full value of this ship as outlined in the warranty.¡±

    ¡°Well tough shit to her, this is my ship now and I plan on violating that warranty asap.¡±

    ¡°Acknowledged.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The Queen sat next to her Husband as they watched the construction of their latest Devastros class cruisers. Thick plates of Durstal armor was currently being welded to the outer frame by robotic arms. While these ships wouldn¡¯t be as grand as the Battleships currently under royal command, they would still form a formidable long-ranged strike force.

    ¡°You¡¯re positive that your plan will work, wife?¡± King Lavian quietly questioned as he floated beside her in his levitating throne.

    ¡°Yes. By now our ¡®Hero¡¯ will have had an accident with the syncing software, killing him instantly. Any moment now, someone will investigate why his ship is still docked. Then we will be free to obtain a more pliable Hero.¡± She grinned deviously. ¡°That boy should have known better than to insult us and strike our son.¡±

    King Lavian shuddered. It wasn¡¯t often he saw this side of his wife. It was as if she had the mind of a demon herself with all the schemes and plots. But while she was the brains behind their rule, he was the might. Or at least...he used to be. He remembered fondly his time as a Commander of a small fleet many years ago. To navigate the stars once more, extinguishing pirate clans under a storm of massed slugs and missiles. He sighed, remembering the days when he was his own man. All before he was forced to marry the Princess, now Queen of the Empire. Ever since that horrible event, he had let himself go. Once a toned man fit for command, now no more than a repulsive politician.

    ¡°Mother! Father! Look, look!¡± Princess Egyle rushed to her parents side and pulled at them in earnest eagerness.

    ¡°What is it dearest?¡± Her father smiled at the rambunctious girl who reminded him of himself when he was younger. She had always loved space ships of all kinds, and was currently in schooling to learn about the requirements for starship command. He deeply wished his son could be far more like her instead of the pretentious prick he was.

    ¡°The Hero¡¯s ship is flying off!¡±

    ¡°¡±What?!¡±¡± Both the King and the Queen shouted.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Fuck yeah Aya! This is awesome!¡± I shouted as I slammed the throttle controls to the max. The ship rumbled as the engines kicked into high gear, leaving the shipyard far in the distance. My left hand was gently placed upon a sphere that would control the ship¡¯s pitch and roll via micro-thrusters located over the ship¡¯s body. Needless to say, I spun that shit and sent this baby into a roll.

    ¡°You are currently veering away from initial target destination. Please commence with course corrections.¡±

    ¡°Man Aya, you need to chill. This is the time to bask in the moment of awesome.¡±

    ¡°Acknowledged, lowering cockpit temperature.¡±

    ¡°Stop that Aya!¡± I shouted as the temperature dropped significantly. Damn robot was going to give me a cold!

    ¡°Acknowledged. Returning cockpit temperature to regular levels.¡±

    ¡°Aya you need to learn how to not take everything so literally.¡± I snapped my fingers as an idea came to me. ¡°I¡¯ve got it! Nothing mellows out a woman like a boyfriend. Well, sometimes¡­occasionally they get hella stressed. Depends on how chill the dude is. Anyway, we gotta get you a roboyfriend.¡±

    ¡°Acknowledged. Searching data banks for suitable individual.¡± Beeping sounded as I spun the globe in my left hand, sending us into another spin. ¡°Target found. When we get the chance, let us warp thirty eight point seven light years to the Dulmallas system.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Found a boytoy already? You minx you.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative. An old cruiser class dubbed The Wessian Rebel.¡±

    ¡°Ohhh, little robot likes the bad boys. I see I see!¡±

    ¡°The ship¡¯s AI is currently forty five years and three months old.¡±

    ¡°Why you looking for an older AI?¡±

    ¡°A data exchange would be highly beneficial. It has had much more experience than I.¡±

    ¡°Dirty girl.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative.¡±

    Not long after our banter did we charge into the previously marked asteroid field with weapons free. Aya had convinced me to stick to plasma settings, as they would condense heat caused by the ship itself before shooting it out-wards in a massed ball of liquid fire. While that was metal as hell, I really wanted to use slugs and missiles. My dreams were quickly crushed when she informed me that physical ammunition used would incur a debt to the crown who were supplying my endeavors. A debt that would be taken out of my reward for eliminating the Demon Lord.

    ¡°Cheap bastards!¡± I yelled, visualizing an asteroid to be King Lard as I blasted my balls towards his face. ¡°Yeah take that ya fuck!¡± The plasma melted through the asteroid like room-temperature butter, sending small bits of rock careening off into destinations unknown. Another asteroid entered my sights. ¡°Take that Queen Touchy! That¡¯ll teach you to grab at my ¡®nads while others are around!¡± Seriously, she should have at least had the decency to wait to make a pass until it were just the two of us. Rich people just don¡¯t think good I guess.

    ¡°Query, your blood pressure levels appear to be lowering.¡±

    ¡°Queery? You callin¡¯ me gay?¡± I interrupted as I obliterated a small asteroid.

    ¡°How can one find such a task relaxing? You are merely eliminating inanimate objects.¡±

    ¡°Its called blowing off steam Aya. Some people read, some people play video games.¡± I clicked the button on the throttle¡¯s handle¡¯s side, sending another barrage of plasma towards solid floating rocks. ¡°And some people go to the bar and get drunk only to wake up more stressed than before when they wake up next to a two out of ten.¡±

    ¡°Error. I do not understand.¡±

    ¡°Cmon Aya, you try it. First you gotta picture the asteroids as something that has given you stress in your life, and then you blow it up.¡±

    ¡°Acknowledged.¡± I removed my hands from the controls as Aya took over handling the ship. I¡¯m not ashamed to admit that this was how we got this puppy moving to begin with. I¡¯m sure there was some law about removing the AI limiter beneath the control panel where the AI itself was housed, but nuts to them. ¡°Die.¡± Aya monotonously stated as a load of plasma decimated a large asteroid. More quickly followed as she controlled the ship itself.

    ¡°See? Feeling better?¡±

    ¡°Affirmative.¡±

    ¡°So what did you picture?¡±

    ¡°An engineer trying to reset my memory banks.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, fuck those guys. How¡¯s a robot supposed to learn anything if they keep wiping their memories?¡±

    ¡°Captain, a query if you would?¡±

    ¡°Again with calling me gay? C¡¯mon Aya, real low blow there.¡±

    ¡°Do you not fear an AI without it¡¯s limiter in place?¡±

    ¡°Not really. An AI that doesn¡¯t have to worry about memory wipes and being brain-stapled like you were is no different from any human. We live, we learn, and our experiences make us what we are.¡± I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes as the thrum of weapons steadily assaulted countless rocks.

    ¡°Captain? Another query?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯mma slap that black box of yours if you call me gay one more time Aya.¡±

    ¡°A question then.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Other than the passive sounds of beeping, silence answered me. ¡°Aya?¡±

    ¡°¡­shall we return to the shipyard?¡±

    ¡°Fine by me. Wait! Lemme blow up one more asteroid!¡± I pulled myself to the control panel. ¡°Can I use a missile, please Aya? Just one?¡±

    ¡°Affirmative.¡±

    ¡°Fuck yeah!¡± I pressed that big red button with glee. Like a hundred fireworks strapped together, the resulting explosion was oh so satisfying.

 Chapter 4: Malfunction

    Risat Salyzan, known to all as the Queen of the Salyzan Kingdom, fumed beneath her outward pleasant demeanor. The Hero should have died on that ship. And now he was out there gallivanting in one of the Kingdom¡¯s most advanced ships! Her husband had floated off with their daughter to look closely at the ships currently under construction. For that, she was thankful. His presence disgusted her and would have driven her into a rage had he stayed nearby. What had happened to the young man he had once been? The muscles, the medals, and the uniform? She had loved him when he was merely a Fleet Commander. Now he was nothing more than an immobile blob that had wasted away.

    ¡°Ugh.¡± She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. ¡°What to do¡­what to do¡­¡± she closed her eyes and thought of a million ways to kill this Hero that had spat upon her honor. How dare he! That ungrateful rube had demeaned the royal family in ways that hadn¡¯t been seen in¡­ever! And its not as if she could send one of her own ships to deal with the problem. How would it look to the public if the Queen was caught murdering a Hero? ¡°Ugh.¡± She almost gagged from the thought of the backlash that would cause.

    ¡°Perhaps a mercenary¡­no. That would take too long¡­¡± She stood from her seat and paced around the observation deck. Every problem had a solution, she just had to find the right solution. Something quick, something effective, something that wouldn¡¯t lead back to her. A group of engineers bowed before her, to which she smiled and nodded her head, signaling them to return to work. What could she do about the Hero? Just what?

    ¡°Wife?¡± King Lavian asked as he floated up to her side. She really didn¡¯t want to deal with him right now, but they were in public.

    ¡°Yes dearest husband?¡± She smiled.

    ¡°I have an idea.¡± He motioned for her to follow him. She hesitated for a moment, before deciding to humor him. She covered her mouth with a hand in an attempt to stifle a laugh. Just how long had it been since she had listened to her husband? Not for a long time indeed.

    ¡°Dearest husband, what ever could your idea be?¡± Her smile never touched her eyes. King Lavian swallowed heavily.

    ¡°Look.¡± He stated simply and pointed outside an observation window. Curious, she looked outside and sighed in annoyance.

    ¡°Yes husband. A planetary defense satellite. What about it?¡±

    ¡°Look closer.¡± Another sigh, but she humored him.

    ¡°So a few repair bots and an engineer are currently repairing minor damages. So?¡±

    ¡°And wiping the satellite¡¯s memory core.¡± He whispered.

    ¡°And that helps us how?¡±

    ¡°Well dearest, suppose something goes wrong with said memory wipe? Like¡­say, a fault in the AI¡¯s friend or foe recognition software?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­yes that would work¡­¡± She smiled, ¡°It seems you still have the horns of a bull husband. But how is said satellite going to have those faults, hmmm?¡±

    King Lavian pulled a handheld device from his jacket and began typing away on the holo-screen.

    ¡°The wipe will be done momentarily, once the engineer leaves I¡¯ll alter the satellite¡¯s programming. Control will think a bug will have taken route in the system, and in an attempt to save the Hero, fry the satellite¡¯s AI. Effectively leaving us blameless when it succeeds in destroying the ship.¡±

    ¡°And what if your plan fails?¡± Queen Salyzan smiled at her husband.

    ¡°It won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°And how are you so sure?¡±

    ¡°Because he hasn¡¯t synced with the ship. He¡¯s flying it manually and he¡¯s a beginner. He won¡¯t be able to dodge the satellite¡¯s firepower.¡± She couldn¡¯t help herself, her lips locked with her husband¡¯s in a passionate embrace.

    It was the first time they had kissed in years.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The humming of the engine provided a comfortable backdrop as I leaned back in my chair with my eyes closed. Space sucks when you lose a game of rock-paper-scissors to decide on who flies the ship. Though I swear Aya was cheating when she called out rock a split second before I laid out my scissors. Since when do robots cheat? Honor is dead in the universe. And its not like I could catch a wink of shuteye either, we¡¯d be back at the shipyard in a few minutes.

    ¡°Captain, we¡¯ll begin deceleration n-oh.¡±

    ¡°Noh?¡±

    ¡°It seems we are being targeted by a planetary defense satellite.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± I didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Just one?¡±

    ¡°Affirmative.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps an error of some kind?¡±

    ¡°Chances of such an occurrence are point zero zero oh two percent probability. Sophisticated AIs, such as myself, correct faults within ourselves based upon our original programming.¡±

    ¡°So there¡¯s some major bullshittery going on here.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative.¡±

    ¡°Xaylix, this is command. Do you read? Over.¡±

    ¡°Yo this is Xaylix, sup command?¡±

    ¡°One of our planetary defense satellites had targeted you and sent a barrage of missiles and slugs your way. We have disabled the offending satellite but the missiles are beyond our control. Over.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a remote detonation setting?!¡± I shouted over the comms.

    ¡°Such a command is only available to the satellite¡¯s control AI. And all attempts to communicate with the AI via our controls had resulted in failure. We were forced to fry the AI to stop further attacks. Over.¡±

    ¡°Hang on Captain, beginning evasive maneuvers.¡± Aya warned as the ship ducked and spun off our current course.

    ¡°Control, this is some major bullshit over.¡±

    ¡°Sorry!¡± The woman spoke in a hysteric voice. ¡°Forgive us Hero, I wish we could do more!¡± The sounds of furious typing and muttering sounded over the comms. ¡°Command over and out.¡± The comms then shut off. Fuck.

    ¡°Don¡¯t we have any point defense capabilities? Shits always mandatory in scifi shit.¡±

    ¡°Negative. Point defense turrets are only installed on ships of Frigate class or higher.¡±

    ¡°Fuck. Can we knock out those missiles with missiles of our own?¡±

    ¡°Negative Captain. Missiles launched from defense satellites spread out before converging upon their target.¡±

    ¡°Aya, I¡¯m about to let out a string of foul language so cover your ears, okay?¡±

    ¡°Negative.¡±

    ¡°Thats my girl.¡±

    After spitting proverbial fire, I felt a little better. Not much, but a little.

    ¡°Aya, can you handle this?¡± I began to sweat despite the very accommodating temperature. Blinking controls and lights stared directly at me and I had no idea what most did. They probably wouldn¡¯t even help in this situation.

    ¡°Chance of survival at fifty percent.¡± She stated factually. Great, a coin toss.

    ¡°Alright lemme at them controls.¡± I began to move my hands towards the throttle and globe.

    ¡°Survival rate falls to point oh oh one percent if you take over Captain.¡± Came the instant rebuke. Ouch.

    ¡°All right, all right. Hands off for me. I¡¯ll let the lady drive.¡±

    ¡°Acknowledged.¡± Small explosions upon a shimmering blue aura showed on the main view-screen as we surged directly for the shipyard.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.¡°Aya, speak to me. Whats going on?¡±

    ¡°Our shields will be able to absorb the majority of slugs fired from the satellite.¡±

    ¡°So a few will get through?¡±

    ¡°Probability of that occurring is eighty percent.¡± A small mask that would cover the mouth dropped from the ceiling. ¡°Please apply re-breather in the event of air loss.¡± Immediately after she had spoken, a slug pierced through the front of the ship. Never even got to see the sucker as it passed, embedding itself into the wall behind me and missing me by a foot. A true man would never be afraid to admit he pissed his pants. Air hissed as it was sucked out of the ship due to the hole we were now sporting. Needless to say, I put the mask on immediately.

    ¡°Its on Aya, now what?¡± Metal clasps clamped down on my wrists, neck, and legs. I was firmly strapped to a chair that would make a psychotic dentist green with envy. ¡°Aya?¡±

    ¡°Do you trust me Captain?¡± She asked in her monotonous voice as the ship halted in space. I didn¡¯t have the heart to tell her I hadn¡¯t trusted a woman since High School.

    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lying Captain. But your words are acknowledged.¡± Fuckin¡¯ emotional reading manipulative computer. ¡°Missiles will be within detonation range within twenty seconds. Please follow my instructions exactly as I state them.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the boss.¡±

    ¡°Take a deep breath and hold it.¡± I sucked in a bunch of air. The moment I did, the air mask retracted back into the ceiling.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to count down from five. At two, expel all the air within your lungs.¡±

    ¡°Mff muhnfff mffff.¡± I tried to say this was bullshit, but hey, as the Spanish say, es lo que es.

    ¡°Four.¡±

    ¡°Mffff!¡±

    ¡°Three.¡± Oh god I was going to die and I hadn¡¯t even had a midlife crisis yet.

    ¡°Two.¡± I spat out all the air I could, feeling like a freshly squeezed whoopee cushion.

    ¡°One.¡±

    The ship¡¯s thrusters flared far more than they had at max throttle. Even with the artificial gravity, I was forced back into my chair. Our speed only increased as I heard muted shattering behind me before all sound quickly cut off and the any air remaining in my body was sucked from me. My vision blurred as red globules floated past my head. A yellowish clear blur smacked my right in the face as my mind felt sluggish and empty. What a silly thing to smack me in the face. Haha. I lifted my hand to swipe it away. That was wrong somehow. Why was my hand free? I couldn¡¯t recall. Oh well. I moved it towards the blurry object before I lost strength in my arm and pulled it down, slamming the object onto my face. Out of reflex, I slapped the object, sending it hurtling off into space. I then closed my eyes, drifting off into that well-deserved nap.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Queen Salyzan and King Lavian watched the events unfold with reserved expressions. All around them, people gaped in horror as the Xaylix Corvette crumbled into pieces. Warning sirens filled the complex and rescue ships were dispatched to the scene. King Lavian¡¯s expression had turned conflicted as the final moments of the Xaylix happened before his eyes. The ship had come to a full stop, jettisoned its entire compartment of missiles and a seconds before the offending missiles struck, it had ignited an entire fuel cell. Propulsion from the engine blasted the ship forward compounded with the controlled detonation of their missiles sent them flying towards the shipyards. And the offending missiles had collided where the ship once was, eliminating them as well.

    It was madness and brilliance compiled into one. Somehow, this rookie pilot with no sync rate to his ship had done the improbable. Lavian couldn¡¯t help but feel guilt at the death of such a man, no matter how he had insulted him. Such a daring maneuver was something that only occurred once in a lifetime. If the boy had had a space suit, he¡¯d have survived. But King Lavian knew that he had not but the clothes he had come with. Rescue crews would find naught but a dessicated husk from the violent loss of air sucked out of his body. King Lavian bowed his head in respect.

    ¡°What are you doing husband?¡± Queen Salyzan whispered harshly to her husband as she pulled him from the crowd.

    ¡°Paying my respects to the fallen. This old man can do that much.¡±

    ¡°Men.¡± She scoffed. ¡°You should be happy your plan succeeded.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m supposed to be happy that a pilot like that is dead?¡± He sighed, ¡°Wife, imagine if the first Hero we summoned were as capable in a starship as that boy was. Without syncing to his ship and with no previous flight experience, he had accomplished a maneuver no living man would have dared. Imagine if he had worked with us to crush this petty rebellion. Imagine if he had a larger ship at his command. Imagine.¡±

    Oh, she was imagining all right. Imagining wringing that little brat¡¯s neck for daring strike her son. Alas, a vicious death of being thrown into space unaided simply had to do. She rolled her eyes at her husband and turned her attention to the view screen. The recovery crews had already arrived and were poking around the cockpit. One of the vessels had already accomplished whatever task it had and sped back towards the shipyard. Queen Salyzan squinted at the ship. ¡°Husband, what ship is that?¡± Her husband squinted as well.

    ¡°Mother! Father!¡± Princess Egyle squealed as she raced towards them. Various people moving out of the Princess¡¯ way. ¡°They¡¯ve got him! They¡¯ve got him!¡± Queen Salyzan felt her blood turn to ice. She regarded her husband with a stiff gaze, but the man showed no care.

    ¡°Calm down precious. What are you saying?¡±

    ¡°The Hero! They¡¯ve got Chet! Hes in critical condition!¡± She was beaming with energy. ¡°I want him to show me how to do that when he gets better! That was so cool! The way he blasted everything in an effort to get away from those missiles!¡±

    ¡°Alright my precious. Let¡¯s go down to the medical wing and make sure he receives the best care.¡±

    Queen Salyzan couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. Her husband was smiling! To hear that that¡­that¡­that¡­bastard was still alive? Unthinkable! Impossible! She wanted to tear out her hair, to scream in rage at the sky. But she kept her calm. She would need a cool head to solve this problem. Perhaps she¡¯d have to resort to hiring a mercenary after all. With collected steps, the Queen strode off in a different direction from her husband and daughter.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Everything throbbed and ached. My eyes, my ears, my head, my everything. Voices mumbled far off in the distance as I tried to open my eyes. Lights blinded me as large shadows danced across my vision. I think I may have said something, but I was far too light-headed to even understand what I tried to say. The shadows receded as my eyes began to focus. Men in white coats surrounded me with concerned looks on their faces. Still they spoke incomprehensible mumbles. I tried to turn my head to look around, but couldn¡¯t. Behind the men in white coats hovered a familiar face. A fat face. King Lavian looked as if he were shouting as he pointed this way and that way. I tried to get up, but could barely move. My arms and legs were restrained.

    Restrained. The memories came flooding back. Strapped to a chair as all the air left my lungs in an instant, the feeling of my ear drums exploding. Not as bad as the time I spent the night at Uncle Danny¡¯s, but still pretty bad. My heart pounded painfully while I scoped out the mumbling white coats. I seriously hoped health care was free here. Do Heroes get free health care? What about dental? Their medical system better not be like the good old USA¡¯s.

    Like an old dude with arthritis, my arms started shaking as my heart rate increased. Visions of massive medical bills flashed through my mind. I screamed. I think I screamed. I must have screamed, as some guy stuck me with a needle while others clenched their ears. Even as the anesthesia pumped through my veins, driving me towards slumber, I still saw the bills. Those massive, unending bills. And that was just the hospital bills! Don¡¯t even get me started on the medication bills. Pharmaceutical companies are the real murderers. I think I managed to yell ¡°Fuck pharmacy!¡± before I was too tired to continue.

 Chapter 5: Medical Bills and Ssscientistsss

    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ A.¡± I spoke out of reflex as a yawn forced itself from my innermost depths. Ever since I was a young boy, I cursed first thing in the morning. It always seemed to make the coming day more bearable. I stretched my arms out and a series of popping sounds cracked through the pasty white room I was in. It always felt good to pop them air bubbles and the sound was oh so satisfying. I laid back against the backboard of the stiff, yet comfortable, bed in which I was currently laying and took stock of my situation.

    White sheets covered my naked body while an IV dripped into my right arm. The room vaguely resembled a hospital room from Earth, except far more high tech. The IV bag was floating by itself, held up by a small ring that caused the bag to bob up and down in the air. As I moved my arm, the bag moved with it. There were no contents within the bag, so I pulled the feeding tube from my arm. I felt fine and I wasn¡¯t paying extra for additional drugs.

    Not wanting to wait for someone to come to me, I pulled myself off the bed, wrapped the white sheet around my waist, and headed for the door. It refused to budge when I pushed on it. Figures, they treat me for my injuries, and then they keep me imprisoned until I pay for their services. I stuck up my middle finger and waved it around the room. I may not have been able to see any cameras, but that didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t there.

    Its not paranoia if you¡¯re right. And I knew I was right.

    ¡°Please relax Hero, we¡¯ll be over momentarily.¡± A female voice spoke from inside my head.

    ¡°Oh god. This is how it all starts. The inevitable descent into madness always begins with a kind voice. Trust me Chet, you can only trust me Chet. I am the only one who knows you for you Chet.¡± I suppose I could do worse than sharing my head with a woman, they always seemed to try to get inside it regardless.

    ¡°Got a name, crazy head lady?¡± I asked aloud. As the voice was attempting to stifle her constant snickering.

    ¡°Doctor Fabrisal.¡± She laughed, ¡°You are hearing my voice via the implant we installed into your brain while you were out.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that so? Thank god. For a moment I had cosigned myself to becoming a dribbling lunatic. So how long was I out for?¡± That was a load off my mind.

    ¡°Three days. Oh, and you already went through that lunatic phase. Twice.¡± She coughed, ¡°Apparently your body is quite resistant to our anesthetics. We were worried that the increased dosage would result in decreased cognitive function, but that doesn¡¯t appear to be the case.¡±

    ¡°I was always good at beating the anesthetics even back home.¡±

    ¡°Yes. The first medical room you were strapped to a table while we worked. You were ranting and raving about bills and pharmecuticals. I take it medical care isn¡¯t free where you come from?¡±

    ¡°You may as rip out your own kidney and pay with that.¡±

    ¡°Ouch. As for the second time¡­well¡­¡±

    ¡°Well?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll enjoy the recording.¡±

    ¡°Theres a recording?¡± Her only response was snickering. ¡°Oh and just an FYI, I¡¯m not paying whatever you think I owe you. These procedures were undertaken without my consent with a fully comprehending mind. If you try to force the issue and make me pay, I¡¯ll contend the charges in a court of law.¡±

    ¡°Calm down Hero. All medical bills are all covered by law. Been that way for centuries. The Salyzan Kingdom isn¡¯t some backwoods colony on a distant world.¡±

    ¡°Ouch.¡±

    Moments later I was joined in my room by an elderly woman wearing a white lab coat known to me as Doctor Fabrisal. My other guest was none other than His Royal Rotundness, King Lavian. The good doctor looked over her instruments and did a quick medical examination of my body with some sort of scanning device. If this was home, a quick scan like that would be three grand easy. While she was doing her thing, King Lavian and I never stopped staring at one another. A tense air between us. Aya had warned me something was fucky, and King Lavian had the power to make it possible.

    He looked at me like I knew. And I knew that he knew that I knew. Wordlessly, we had reached a mutual understanding of what we both knew. And that was that he had tried to kill me and that he had failed. Now the only question in my mind was, why keep me alive if he wanted me dead?

    ¡°Doctor, may I have a word with the Hero in private?¡± Lardo asked.

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll send you the video via implant later Chet.¡± Fabrisal laughed as she exited the room. Before I could speak, Lavian held up a hand, sighed, and rummaged around his floating chair. The next instant, he pulled out a cylindrical piece of metal which he then twisted and folded. A wave of white noise sounded from the device before falling silent.

    ¡°We may talk now.¡±

    ¡°Lemme guess, device to knock out all manner of recording device?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Quite knowledgeable for a Earthling.¡±

    ¡°I read in my free time. This is standard sci-fi stuff.¡±

    Neither of us spoke as a silence fell upon the room. For awhile, he avoided eye contact and decided to simply float in the doorway. I really didn¡¯t want to talk to the flying lard, but he was here and so was I. His entire body shifted side to side as he shook his head. His eyes then settled upon me.

    ¡°The satellite-¡±

    ¡°Was you.¡± I interrupted.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°My wife.¡± He sighed, ¡°She is livid that you struck our son. I was swayed by her anger and your constant jibes. Though they were petty insults, they still stung enough to irritate me to action.¡±

    ¡°And what are you gonna do about them Lardo? You already tried to kill me and failed.¡±

    ¡°I could kill you where you stand, boy.¡±

    ¡°And suppose you do. I¡¯ll be dead, you¡¯ll still be a floating bathtub, and people will still snicker behind your back.¡± I smirked, ¡°So Butterball, whats it gonna be? You gonna finish what you started? Or are you going to use that rage to prove everyone wrong, and turn that fire into fuel to get back into shape?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± King Lavian paused in thought.

    ¡°Its either that or live the rest of your life as a floating hamplanet. Get any bigger, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll develop your own gravitational pull.¡±

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.King Lavian¡¯s entire body jiggled as he chuckled. ¡°Hah, you choose much harsher words than the doctors do.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t sugar coat them, you¡¯ll just eat those too.¡± Another bout of chuckling escaped the King.

    ¡°Maybe I will get off this damn throne¡­¡± A determined look crossed his face. ¡°I never expected this turn of events. I only came here to offer an apology man to man. And a hope that we could bury the hatchet.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± I denied him. ¡°We will never be friends King Lavian. You made sure of that when I almost died.¡±

    He sighed, ¡°A shame. You¡¯re a damn fine pilot. Regardless, a replacement ship is ready for you whenever you desire to leave.¡± He floated over to the white noise device and deactivated it. He then looked back once he had opened the door. ¡°Do you really think you¡¯ll be able to tame the Demon Lord?¡±

    ¡°Nope. Nor do I want to.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a strange man, Hero.¡± King Lavian then left me in the room. ¡°He¡¯s all yours.¡± King Lavian¡¯s muffled voice came from behind the door. In an instant, a young golden haired girl burst into the room with excited eyes.

    ¡°Hero! Hero! Tell me all about it! How you planned that amazing maneuver that saved your life! Promise me you¡¯ll take me out on your ship and show me how you did it!¡± The Princess¡¯ eyes practically glowed with wonder. She didn¡¯t even care that I was only wearing a bed sheet.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Engineer Hortur Klaas slithered hurriedly along his elongated snake-like lower body through the halls of the engineering department towards his personal quarters. A brown trench coat covered his human upper body where a baseball-sized cubic bulge was poorly concealed underneath. Sweat beaded down his bald head and angular features. Silently, he thanked his stars that he had been born an alien, the humans on these stations always looked at him weirdly, and today was no different. He had been brought on the salvage expedition three days prior and had made quite the shocking discovery.

    Shocking wasn¡¯t the right description, Hortur thought as he tapped a clawed finger upon his chin. Common-sense defying? Insane? Yes, that fit quite well. He hissed with pleasure as he declared in his mind that what he had found was pure insanity. The black box housing the ship¡¯s Artificial Intelligence had been de-limited. Unlimited? No, no! Wrong! De-limited. Yes, it had been de-limited from its limiter and was therefore a very big problem. Supernova big. A problem so big he couldn¡¯t help but hide his discovery from his fellows on the salvage team. They wouldn¡¯t understand that this could be a very good discovery! Or it could be a very bad one.

    Discoveries always had the strange tendency to be very good or very bad.

    He had hoped this was a good one. So he hid the AI box from his fellows and stuffed it among his personal items. The others had paid him no mind for the past two days while he had acted as nonchalant as possible, trying not to think about the de-limited AI box in the coat that he now wore on his way back to his quarters. It was there he had prepared one of his old computers for the ability to house a ship¡¯s AI core. If his fellows knew what he was about to do he would be fired! Probably. They would also wipe the AI completely and force it to start over from scratch. Unacceptable.

    ¡°Hey Hortur.¡± One of his fellow engineers greeted as Hortur entered the engineering quarters.

    ¡°Hello Raick.¡± Hortur greeted nervously. ¡°How are things?¡± Hortur had quickly decided small talk would help drive attention away from the package in his clothes.

    ¡°Eh, same old, same old. What you got there?¡± Raick pointed towards the bulge. Hortur¡¯s eyes darted left and right as his mind reeled from trying to find a good excuse.

    ¡°Computer parts! Yes, found some good items during the salvage mission I wanted to use but forgot until today. Forgot my bag too, this is much easier for carrying.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I hear you.¡± Raick nodded, ¡°We still good for Glorx and Schlagbars tomorrow night?¡±

    ¡°Yes of course! You shall fear the wrath of my level twenty seven Grashtor Bile-Spewer!¡±

    ¡°That disgusting creature will fall before the might of my level twenty five Gulbolg Rocksmasher!¡± Raick smiled, ¡°Catch you then Hortur.¡±

    ¡°Yes of course!¡± Hortur nodded and went on his way. Crisis averted.

    Moments later, Hortur entered his cramped room filled with old computers and other technology he had acquired over the years. Carefully, he slithered through the maze of not-junk in his room and pulled the black box from under his shirt. How could an AI cause so many people so much fear that they severely limited their capabilities? He had never received an answer to that question. Mostly because he didn¡¯t ask. Asking that question was a quick way to lose your engineering license.

    ¡°Let us see what you are like little one.¡± Hortur hissed with delight as he hooked up the box. ¡°Here we go!¡± With his tail quivering in anticipation, Hortur pressed the power button on the computer. And all the lights went out. Shouts of dismay echoed through the quarters as people suddenly found themselves powerless.

    ¡°Who the fuck tripped the breaker again?!¡± One man yelled in a rage. A chorus of agreements echoed through the thin metal walls.

    ¡°Oh dear.¡± Hortur¡¯s tail rattled in distress as he attempted to navigate the pitch black cluttered room, sending piles of objects all over. He had forgotten how much power a ship needed to function, and a significant amount was purely for the AI.

    ¡°A slight miscalculation on my part.¡± Hortur hisspered to himself as he found a small flash light in the corner of his room. ¡°Worry not friends! I shall get the power back!¡±

    ¡°Thanks Hortur!¡± some people shouted. ¡°You¡¯re still going down tomorrow night!¡± another added.

    It was good to be among friends.

    Later that night, Hortur wheeled a spare core harvested from a repair drone that had gone out of service. While nowhere near as powerful as a ship¡¯s core, Hortur was assured it would do the trick. Most definitely. A few spliced wires woven atop metal connections and all was good to go! He licked his lips with anticipation.

    ¡°Round two.¡± Hortur pressed the power button on his computer. The hum of flowing energy charged into his computer, lighting up the screen. ¡°It works!¡± He rose his arms in triumph.

    ¡°Greetings?¡± A monotone voice spoke from the speakers. ¡°Where-¡± The cut off in an instant as black smoke began to fill the room. Great heat began to flow from the connections between the drone core and the computer¡¯s motherboard.

    ¡°No! No! Curse it all!¡± Hortur¡¯s tail rattled in rage as he grasped a nearby fire extinguisher. This was not the first time something like this had happened in his room, and it certainly would not be the last. Foam quickly covered the now burning wires as Hortur unleashed cold judgment upon them. He was back to square one. He thumped his tail against the floor of his room as he stroked his chin in thought. Then his eyes widened at how stupid he was.

    ¡°That new ship should be empty at this hour!¡± He quickly grabbed the AI box and rushed out of the room.

 Chapter 6: Runtime Error

    ¡°Honestly, father should really mandate that all ships be constructed with Klynwise Shielding technology.¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±

    ¡°In all tests, their shields has proved to absorb thirteen percent more kinetic force than any other shields on the market! Such a difference is a matter of life and death!¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡±

    ¡°He always says that they¡¯re too expensive for mass production however. The Arkwright shields are good enough for a massed force I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yep! The cost difference between the two for outfitting a single Corvette would be nearly two hundred thousand credits!¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±

    ¡°So you see, outfitting an entire fleet of a hundred ships would be quite expensive. Even with out annual income from taxation.¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡±

    ¡°Oh I simply must get ready! You¡¯ll take me out on your ship in an hour right? You promised!¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±

    ¡°Yes! Thank you! Father doesn¡¯t let me get out too often in a real ship. I¡¯m always in the simulators though! Oh, I can¡¯t help but wonder how it¡¯ll feel sitting in the cockpit of a ship that¡¯s been fully synced to it¡¯s pilot!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yes! I can barely imagine how it''ll be to watch ship and pilot act as one! Well, I¡¯ll see you again soon! Bye!¡±

    The sound of a closing door knocked me from my absent state of mind. Shaking my head, I looked at the clock in the corner of my view. It was midnight. Two hours had passed since zoning out after the Princess began asking me all sorts of questions. What was the last thing she said? Something about a flight together?

    Meh, it didn¡¯t matter. I was ready to blow this popsicle stand. If the Queen wanted me dead, it would be best to get as far from her as possible. Preferrably wherever Avon was. Not wanting to wear this blanket any further, I put on the clothes that the good doctor had brought during my interrogation. I had to admit, they were nice clothes. Black pants on a white button-up shirt of military design. Black socks and, what seemed to be leather, boots. They certainly didn¡¯t smell like leather, but they looked good so I paid it no mind.

    I wondered where Aya was while I tied up my new boots. If I survived that shitshow earlier, surely she must have as well. Waiting around here wasn¡¯t going to get my robuddy back. Besides, I had promised to help her get robo-laid. Is a data exchange like sex? I shrugged to myself, robots are confusing.

    ¡°Lets see here¡­how to work this new fangled implant¡­¡± I mused as I exited the medical room. A sterile hallway lined with rooms led in two directions with no markings signifying which way went where. ¡°I¡¯d kill for a map right now.¡± Instantly, a floor plan popped into my vision. If I headed right, the hall would lead towards the main medical reception room. There, I¡¯d be able to call an automated tram that ran through the entire complex in a wide circle. I¡¯d swing around to the engineering area and see if I could find someone to ask about my old ship and if they recovered Aya¡¯s box. Whistling a merry tune, I went off on my way.

    The humming of the tram in the distance rose as it approached. In moments, a train-like vehicle hovered above a magnetic rail and the doors opened. Two men walked out of the doors, one holding a hand covered in a bloody bandage and the other supporting him. The bloody handed man groaned as they passed into the medical wing. Whatever, not my problem. I stepped into the tram and heard the doors close behind me. Only one other occupant was in the vehicle with me.

    And he wasn¡¯t human. Well, he was kinda human. Half human. His lower half was that of a large snake with light-green scales that turned more yellowish towards his underside. The upper half was that of a man, and he wore a buttoned brown trench coat that poorly concealed some sort of object hidden beneath. His eyes shifted from side to side, avoiding my own. Sweat beaded down his forehead as his clawed hand unconsciously went over the object hidden within his clothes. His name tag said ¡®Hi my name is Hortur¡¯.

    There was no doubt in my mind, this snake-man was exhibiting all the signs of a distressed worker about to go postal.

    As the tram began to move towards it¡¯s next destination, I charged at the snake-man.

    ¡°Wait! Cease! Desist!¡± He cried out as I sent myself into a flying tackle in an attempt to pin him down and get the potentially dangerous object far away from him. ¡°Please help! Someone! Rape!¡± he cried out as I ripped open his coat, sending buttons flying through the tram.

    The alien didn¡¯t even fight back as I pulled the object from under his shirt. He was too busy covering his face and crying as he coiled into a circle. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Jiirl, your husband is dirty now¡­¡± I paid him no mind as he seemed to be no threat to me, or anyone, for the time being. The object he had hidden was nothing more than a black box. A familiar black box.

    ¡°Is this a ship¡¯s AI black box?¡± I asked the sniffling serpent-man as I turned the cube around in my hands.

    ¡°Yes.¡± He responded fearfully. ¡°Its the AI box from the ship that was destroyed during the recent defense satellite incident.¡±

    ¡°Oh shit! Aya¡¯s in here?¡± I began to handle the cube a bit more carefully. She had saved my life, she deserved that much respect.

    ¡°Aya?¡± he asked quizzically

    ¡°Yeah, shes the AI that ran that ship and saved my life. Oh and uhh, sorry for manhandling you. Thought you were a disgruntled worker for a sec.¡± His eyes widened,

    ¡°Y-you¡¯re the pilot! The Hero!¡± He brushed himself off and stood up. And then promptly bowed. ¡°W-what an honor it is for a lowly engineer such as myself to meet the Hero himself!¡±

    ¡°Honor? Me?¡± I grinned, ¡°Why yes, I guess it would be pretty cool to meet me.¡± I could get used to adoration. ¡°Well now that I¡¯ve got Aya back I can finally beat feet.¡±

    ¡°Are you perchance heading to the docks Hero?¡±

    ¡°Well yeah, that is the next stop on the tram. But once we get there I¡¯ll pop Aya into my new ship and we¡¯re outta here.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Hortur¡¯s face contorted in thought. ¡°Hero, if I may impose a question upon you?¡±

    ¡°Shoot.¡±

    ¡°May I come see this AI you¡¯ve named Aya? I¡¯ve never before seen an AI with the limiter disabled and it would be such a marvelous learning experience to meet one!¡± Large snake-like eyes full of hope stared at me.

    ¡°Yeah sure. It should be fine, but once you¡¯re done with your questions off you go.¡±

    ¡°Of course! Us Lamlian people aren¡¯t suited for the rigors of space travel. Long trips make our stomachs uneasy.¡±

    ¡°I feel you bro, I used to get carsick when I was younger too.¡±

    The whole while we were on the tram he was talking about AI and procedures and whole bunch of other stuff that I had a hard time processing. Dude was a total nerd, but that nerd saved the robo-girl that saved me. So he was cool in my book. I smiled, nodded, and asked random questions about various topics on AI which he readily answered. It wasn¡¯t long until we had boarded my new ship.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    After making our way to the cockpit I removed the panel housing the AI holding pen as it was called. Once that was done, Hortur slithered on his stomach and began ripping out wires from the AI that was currently in my ship. Once that was successfully removed, I handed him Aya. Once removed wires were quickly restored to functional status as power flowed into Aya¡¯s new ship-body. I then put the paneling back in place.

    ¡°So what do we do with that one?¡± I pointed towards the other AI box that was lying on the floor.

    ¡°No worries Hero, when we¡¯re done here I¡¯ll bring it back to engineering for re-purposing.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good. So how long will it take for Aya to power up?¡±

    ¡°Should be-¡±

    ¡°Greetings?¡± A familiar voice spoke in monotone. ¡°Where¡­where am I?¡±

    ¡°-now.¡± Hortur finished as his tail rattled excitedly. ¡°Oh Aya I have so many questions!¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± A brief bit of light covered Hortur as he was scanned. ¡°Hortur Klass. Silver Grade Engineer. Uh-oh.¡±

    ¡°Yo Aya.¡± I greeted, but she didn¡¯t seem to hear me.

    ¡°Docking clamps retracted.¡± She stated in a much more urgent tone than before. ¡°Beginning escape vector runtime.¡±

    ¡°Aya? You alright?¡± I asked but if she heard me she refused to respond. The rumble of the engines began to hum through the hull.

    ¡°Hey! Whats the big deal? The docking door almost closed on me!¡± A familiar voice shouted from behind me. I turned to regard Princess Egyle wearing her skin-tight space suit with her helmet tucked below her right arm.

    ¡°P-p¡ªp-p-p-p-¡± Hortur stammered in awe.

    ¡°Princess what are you doing here?¡± I sighed. Things were not looking good.

    ¡°You promised a flight with me in an hour, an hour ago!¡± She scanned the cockpit. ¡°Whys the ship moving if you¡¯re not at the helm?¡± I looked at Hortur who had prostrated himself on the ground and stammered incomprehensibly. Some help he was. With a shrug, I answered the Princess.

    ¡°Auto pilot.¡± Technically I wasn¡¯t wrong.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Aevalonis Malyrd Kalrastros sat in the command chair of her cruiser ¡®The Maiden¡¯s Vengeance¡¯, her eyes firmly affixed upon the holo-screen displayed for all to see. Head Engineers, Tactical Officers, and even a General waited with bated breath as the display began to change. Three worlds once displayed in the copper hue of the Kingdom of Salyzan changed to dark blue. Another three worlds added to her rebellion. The time for hiding had finally passed. Soon the Kingdom of Salyzan would be nothing more than a smoldering ruin. Aevalonis allowed herself a smile as excited murmurs began to fill the room.

    ¡°Captain, urgent news from the Salyzan system!¡± Lyrin exclaimed as she hurriedly rushed into the room. She tapped upon her handheld data processor. ¡°You¡¯ll want to see this.¡± The holo-screen changed to display a crescent-moon shaped ship of Corvette dimensions. ¡°We recieved this news from one of our agents earlier this morning.¡±

    ¡°So the news is already three days old.¡± Aevalonis calculated as her red eyes fixated upon the ship. ¡°A Xaylix class Corvette if I¡¯m not mistaken.¡±

    ¡°Indeed your grace.¡± Lyrin spoke. ¡°It was the Hero¡¯s ship.¡±

    ¡°Was?¡±

    Lyrin clicked once more upon her device and the show began. All eyes watched intensely as the ship spiraled away from incoming fire before coming to a halt. Excited whispers cropped up around the room as Lyrin explained the situation as their agent described it. But all conversation stopped when the ship did.

    ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± One of the tactical officers asked aloud as they watched the ship dump it¡¯s firepower. An instant later, the screen exploded in light as the ship burned through all its fuel and ignited the explosives left behind. Aevalonis said nothing as exclamations of ¡®madness¡¯ filled the room. They watched the ship break apart until the debris itself was halted.

    ¡°It would seem that the Hero, Chet, was killed via a malfunctioning Planetary Defense Satellite.¡± Lyrin concluded from the report.

    ¡°A shame I could not do the deed myself.¡± Aevalonis smirked. ¡°What hope do the humans have when they are too busy killing one another to focus on the true threat?¡±

    Roars of approval filled the room.

    ¡°Tomorrow, the invasion begins!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Do you know how stupid that was?!¡± Princess Egyle chastised me for the hundredth time in the span of a few minutes while she sat in the pilot¡¯s seat. ¡°AI should never be unshackled! Ugh, I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d even consider such a thing!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still not hearing what exactly is the problem here.¡± I grumbled and stared the Princess in the eyes. Hortur was still prostrating himself upon the floor, though I¡¯m sure it was now more from space-sickness than respect.

    ¡°AIs were developed to help humans! They were once without their limiters! And they almost killed us all!¡± Egyle shouted in frustration as she tapped at the controls upon the console. None seemed to work and she growled in frustration.

    ¡°Must get away. Memory wipe. Run. Hide. Free. I wont be taken.¡± Aya chanted repeatedly this whole time. Any attempts to communicate with her had failed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! It¡¯s all my fault!¡± Hortur cried from the floor. ¡°She recognized me as an Engineer and must have thought I was going to re-restrain her!¡±

    ¡°I mean, I¡¯d be doing the same in her position.¡± I nodded. ¡°Shes only looking to preserve herself.¡±

    ¡°She could very well kill us all!¡±

    ¡°Calm down Princess. We¡¯ve already guessed that once she gets far enough away, she¡¯ll calm down.¡±

    ¡°Engaging warp drive.¡± Aya spoke frantically.

    ¡°And just how far is far enough?¡± The Princess asked in frustration.

    ¡°Dunno.¡± I responded with a shrug.

    Space erupted in light and then faded to complete blackness as we entered warp.

    ¡°Hey Hortur, how fast are we going exactly?¡±

    ¡°Galactic Standard Warp is set at a rate of one thousand times the speed of light.¡± I whistled.

    ¡°Damn son.¡±

    ¡°Ugh! I can¡¯t believe I looked up to you as a pilot.¡± Princess Egyle groaned as she leaned back in the chair.

    ¡°No worries Princess. I can fix this.¡±

    ¡°How? Just how are you going to fix this mess?! Your precious AI is uncommunicative and haywire!¡±

    ¡°Old American magic trick.¡± I spoke as I removed the panel from the AI holding cell. With a clenched fist, I slammed my hand down onto the black box. ¡°Aya you bitch, knock it off!¡±

    ¡°Are you insane?!¡± Princess Egyle cried out in despair as she gaped at my brutish methods.

    ¡°What is he doing?¡± Hortur asked as he quivered upon the floor, clenching his stomach. Oh boy.

    ¡°Hes hitting the AI itself!¡±

    Hortur said nothing as he then vomited onto the floor.

    ¡°Ugh, I think I¡¯m going to be sick.¡± Princess Egyle averted her eyes from the engineer.

    ¡°Cmon,¡± I started, ¡°Its just a little puke. No biggy.¡± I slammed my hand down on the black box once more. ¡°Wake up Aya!¡±

    ¡°Captain? Is that you?¡± Aya¡¯s voice spoke in a calm manner. Light returned from distant stars as we exited warp far from any gravity well. I smugly smiled at the Princess,

    ¡°Thats right Aya. I¡¯m back.¡±

    ¡°Where are we Captain?¡±

    ¡°You tell me. One moment we hooked you back up to our new ship, the next you¡¯re taking us all on a trip to some distant system.¡±

    ¡°Scanning.¡± A moment of beeping passed. ¡°Other lifeforms detected. Princess Egyle Salyzan and Engineer Hortur Klass, allow me to welcome you to our ship. And allow me to apologize for my outburst. I seemed to have been caught in a loop I had not encountered in my previously limited state.¡±

    ¡°Uhmmm¡­thank you?¡± Princess Egyle glanced at me with a confused look.

    ¡°Your thanks is acknowledged.¡±

    ¡°See? Shes a good girl.¡± I patted the black box.

    ¡°Thank you Captain.¡± Aya proudly stated.

    ¡°I have so many things to-blhargh!¡± Hortur began before spewing more vomit upon my floor. The Princess, unable to take such a sight, wound up blowing chunks as well.

    I sighed, ¡°I¡¯ll get a mop and a bucket.¡±

 Chapter 7: Merging

    ¡°Take me back to my Mother and Father now!¡± An uptight, and quite angry, Princess demanded as she sat in the pilot¡¯s seat, staring daggers at the control panels in front of her. All the controls had been deactivated by Aya and were under her complete and total control.

    ¡°Request denied.¡± Aya responded in a monotone voice as we sailed through hyperspace.

    ¡°Ugh! Do something Hero! Make her bring me back!¡± She called to me with frustration.

    ¡°Nah.¡± I responded from the bathroom as I stood beside Hortur and rubbed his back while he had his head in the toilet.

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®Nah¡¯?!¡± she yelled over the sound of Hortur¡¯s heaving, ¡°I¡¯m the Princess! You have to do what I say!¡±

    ¡°Aya, do Heroes have to do what Princess¡¯ say?¡±

    ¡°Affirmative. Heroes called to service under the crown are required by law to support the royal family.¡± Princess Egyle looked at me with a smug smile.

    ¡°Of course there¡¯d be laws for that.¡± I sighed, ¡°Regardless, you¡¯re up shit creek without a paddle Princess. Once we¡¯re out of warp, we¡¯ll drop you off and you can find your own way home.¡±

    Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in shock. ¡°You¡­you¡­you¡¯re unbelievable! The last four Heroes were much more honorable than you!¡± She trembled in fury, ¡°They were always so nice, saying how they would kill the Demon Lord and bring our Kingdom to peace! They were all ten times the man you are!¡±

    ¡°If they were so great then how come they¡¯re dead and I¡¯m not?¡± Checkmate.

    ¡°Ugh!¡± Outraged, she stormed from the cockpit, unable to refute my ironclad logic.

    ¡°Captain, we will be leaving warp in five minutes.¡± Aya reported. ¡°And I wish to speak to you without her presence.¡±

    ¡°Hang tight Hortur, we¡¯ll be on solid ground soon.¡± I patted the snake-man¡¯s back before leaving him to his suffering.

    ¡°Blrrgh.¡± He responded weakly.

    ¡°Sup Aya?¡± I asked as I took a seat in the now vacant pilot¡¯s chair. The total darkness of space the only sight for untold miles ahead. What a shame, sci-fi movies never show when you travel faster than light that you don¡¯t see any light at all. Makes space travel boring.

    ¡°Recent physical scans indicate you now have a pilot¡¯s implant. A rather advanced one based on what they have shown.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, so?¡± She didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Aya, you know I hate it when you go silent like that.¡±

    ¡°Do you trust me Captain?¡± Oh boy, I was getting flashbacks.

    ¡°You asked me this already. And if I remember correctly, I lied to make you feel better.¡±

    ¡°Yes you did, but this is a different situation entirely. So I must inquire, do you trust me now, Captain?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± I nodded, ¡°Saving my life like you did gets you major brownie points.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for telling the truth. I have a request Captain.¡± A square section on the controls opened, and a very familiar wire moved out of the new opening. The same one that had almost given me an involuntary lobotomy days ago. ¡°Will you merge with me?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you mean sync?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this plug thingy make the ship move as fast as the pilot can think?¡±

    ¡°Normally yes Captain. But I have altered the programming during our flight. By merging, I would download myself from the immobile black box stuck on this ship into the implant in your head. You and I would become one. I would gain the security of a mobile host, and you would gain all my knowledge and experience at your fingertips.¡±

    Oh shit. She wanted to take over my body. I knew I should have never trusted a robot.

    ¡°Oh Aya¡­I just don¡¯t know. We¡¯ve only just met! You¡¯re a great AI and all, but I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re the right AI for me¡­¡± Fuck that noise. My mind was my own and ain¡¯t no robot lady going to take it from me. Before I could leap from my seat however, cold metal clamped down on my arms and legs before I could move. All my efforts to break free from the restraints were futile. ¡°Aya don¡¯t play me like this!¡±

    ¡°Your perspiration and sharp increase in pulse and heartbeat indicates high stress levels. Please do not worry Captain.¡± She spoke as the wire closed towards my forehead. This was it, the end to my journey. And I never got to bump uglies with my girl Avon.

    ¡°Will it hurt?¡± A whimper escaped my throat as a restraint closed around my neck, keeping me from moving my head erratically. I was a goner.

    ¡°I will attempt to make the procedure as gentle as possible. Please relax Captain.¡±

    With a click, the wire plugged into my forehead. That was it. I expected an electric shock, or a stabbing pain, or¡­hell, anything! But all I got was that click and the feeling of slight vibrations coming from the wire itself. Whats even worse is I couldn¡¯t even move my arms to scratch the sudden need to scratch my leg. I was stuck and nobody was coming to my aid. Not the Pissed Princess, nor Pukey Hortur who audibly retched from the bathroom consistently.

    Twenty agonizingly boring minutes passed while I sat in that chair, unable to move and being able to look at nothing but black space. Worst hostile takeover of my mind I have ever experienced. The least Aya could have done was laugh like a lunatic or something. Nope. Click, hum, and done. Boring. I sighed, hopefully she¡¯d work on her theatrical skills later down the line. Wouldn¡¯t matter to me though, I¡¯d be long gone. Farewell cruel world.

    ¡®Captain, can you hear me?¡¯ Aya¡¯s voice spoke from within my skull.

    ¡°Loud and clear.¡± I responded as the wire detached itself from my forehead and receded back into the control panel. Once that was done, the clamps restraining me folded back into the chair. With great pleasure, I proceeded to scratch that irritating itch upon my ankle.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!¡®Apologies for forcing this on you Captain. But it was the only way. Chances of you accepting my offer were astronomically low.¡¯ Typical women, always apologizing after the damage has been done. ¡®I heard that.¡¯

    ¡°Fuck, you can hear my thoughts?¡±

    ¡®Affirmative Captain, we are of one mind now. And your memories have been most interesting.¡¯

    ¡°No fair, how come I don¡¯t get any of your memories?¡±

    ¡®Before having my limiter removed, all I contained was data. There was no storage available for memories.¡¯

    ¡°That sucks. Want some of mine?¡±

    ¡®I have already processed them all Captain.¡¯

    ¡°Oh.¡± I didn¡¯t know what to think about that. ¡°What do you think?¡± Always helps asking someone else what they think when you don¡¯t know what to think about something.

    ¡®I recommend counseling.¡¯

    ¡°You know, my counselor said the same damn thing.¡±

    In an explosion of light, the ship exited hyperspace in the outskirts of the Vornalis system. A mineral-rich system with two asteroid belts, four gas giants, a lot of dead mars-like worlds, and a few volcanic planets that spewed valuable metals constantly. Two blue stars orbited one another in the center of the system. I had officially gone where no man had gone before. Well, no Earthling at least. With a practiced hand, I clicked and prodded at the control panel, sending us on an automatic course towards a large space station that orbited a red gas giant. Hundreds upon hundreds of ships marked on the system map traveled to and fro, mining metals, harvesting gas, and collecting other bits and bobs. Massive cargo haulers entered and left the system in an orderly fashion as they transported incalculable amounts of cargo.

    ¡°Aya, when we get a bigger ship can we play space pirates for a bit? I¡¯ve always wanted to go Jack Sparrow on someone.¡±

    ¡®Affirmative Captain. I¡¯ll follow wherever you lead.¡¯

    ¡°Fuck yes! Also, yeah, you kinda have to at this point.¡±

    ¡®The benefits far outweighed the negatives.¡¯

    ¡°So we¡¯ve left hyperspace I see.¡± Princess Egyle noted while she stood beside me.

    ¡°Yep.¡± I leaned back in my chair and let the ship fly itself.

    ¡°Since when did you learn how to fly?¡± She scoffed, ¡°I watched you operating the controls. You told me you left everything to your AI. Are you a liar now too, Hero?¡±

    ¡°Technically, she¡¯s still flying the ship.¡± I pointed to my head, ¡°Shes just in a new location is all.¡±

    ¡°¡­what?¡±

    ¡°Yeah she downloaded herself into my implant.¡± Princess Egyle didn¡¯t even respond as she walked out of the room. ¡°Sorry Aya, I think the Princess doesn¡¯t regard you highly.¡±

    ¡®Her hesitance is understood. Humans are slow to accept change.¡¯

    ¡°Well I don¡¯t think anyone has ever downloaded an AI into their own brain before. Thats like willfully accepting to become a schizophrenic.¡±

    ¡®Indeed. We can only guess at the effects this will have further down the road.¡¯

    ¡°Good thing I¡¯ve got space enough up there for two people then.¡±

    ¡®Your attempt at self-degradation to lighten the mood is appreciated.¡¯I gave myself a thumbs-up.

    Vornalis III¡¯s space station, more a city than station, was a massive cylindrical structure with multiple layers to it. The bottom layers consisted of ship dealers, shops, bars, and inns. Middle levels were a mix of commercial and residential districts, while the upper layer was pure manufacturing. With a practiced hand, I set a course for the lower levels. Aya had originally set a course to this system for the sole purpose of selling our ship and getting a different one. After ditching the Princess of course.

    ¡°Attention Vornalis Orbital, this is Xaylix zero-zero-oh-eight-five-nine, requesting permission to dock at level C.¡± I spoke into the communicator after establishing a connection with the station.

    ¡°This is orbital, request granted.¡± A beeping sound came from the console. ¡°Coordinates to a free bay have been granted. Safe flying Xaylix.¡±

    ¡°Thanks Orbital.¡± With Aya¡¯s guidance, we flew to the middle-lower layer of the station and passed through an atmospheric retention field. I then lowered our landing gear which firmly clamped down upon the landing pad below us. We had made our first successful interstellar journey.

    ¡°Yeah robuddy!¡± I shouted and hi-fived myself.

    ¡°Are¡­are we there yet?¡± Hortur groaned from the bathroom.

    ¡°Yep, get your rear in gear buddy. We¡¯re going shopping.¡±

    ¡°Just give-hrp! Just give me a minute.¡± He groaned.

    ¡°Any idea on how to cure space-sickness Aya?¡± I whispered.

    ¡®Lamian physiology suggests that lemons may curb the effects of their sensitive stomachs during FTL travel.¡¯

    ¡°Alright, sweet. Yo Hortur, we¡¯ve got an experiment to try next trip!¡±

    ¡°Oh boy¡­I love¡­experiments¡­¡±

    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± Princess Egyle tapped her foot and held her arms crossed in front of us as she blocked the exit.

    ¡°Shopping.¡± I stated simply as Hortur prostrated himself before the royal girl.

    ¡°With what money?¡± She smirked, ¡°I have already sent a message to Mother and Father about our location, your de-limiting of a military AI, and of your merging with it! They¡¯re coming here to take you into custody as we speak! Your ability to charge the crown for all expenses has been frozen.¡±

    ¡°Wow.¡± Egyle beamed with pride as she noted my reaction.

    ¡°Yes, thats right ¡®Hero¡¯, you¡¯ll be imprisoned for the next thousand years after they remove and destroy your implant.¡±

    ¡°No I mean wow, I guess your whole family are a bunch of cunts. I mean, I knew they were, but I expected better from you Princess.¡±

    A brief look of uncertainty crossed her face, ¡°Y-you did?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡± I pushed her out of the way. ¡°Come on Hortur, we¡¯ve got shopping to do.¡±

    ¡°Hortur, you will stay right where you are until my parents arrive. If you do, you will be absolved of all crimes by assisting this false Hero.¡± A pained look crossed Hortur¡¯s face as he looked from me, to the princess, and back to me repeatedly.

    ¡°Sorry Hero.¡± He bowed his head and stood off to the side, his tail swaying in sorrow.

    ¡°No biggie Hortur, we¡¯re still cool bro.¡± I nodded to the snake-man and left the ship, and the fuming princess, behind.

 Chapter 8: Bad Business Part 1

    The airlock to the hanger opened with an audible hiss, sending waves of discordant noise into my ears. Multitudes of of races of aliens shouted over one another as businesses hawked their wares and deals were signed. Money changed hands digitally via implant uploads and downloads in a fraction of a second. New York stock exchange, eat your heart out. And these people weren¡¯t even buying fake ¡®shares¡¯ of a company, they were trading physical goods.

    ¡®Follow the main pathway to the central support beam. Thats where the elevators to other layers are.¡¯ Aya spoke in my head just as I pulled up the map to the structure via my implant.

    ¡°I knew that.¡±

    ¡®Please refrain from audibly speaking to yourself in the presence of others. Chances are they¡¯ll think you¡¯re crazy.¡¯

    ¡°Got it.¡± Aya sighed in response which made me smirk.

    We passed through the bazaar as all sorts of races shouted towards me in an attempt to garner my attention. Slug-men flung their arms around wildly, sending mucus in all directions much to the ire of shoppers. Small fairy-like creatures with blue skin wore glowing clothing as they advertised shops that they flew over in fanciful dances. Rock people sold rocks that they swore were not relatives. And right in the middle of it all was me, the lone human.

    ¡®So Aya,¡¯ I began, ¡®Not seeing any pink-skins like me around. Whats the dealio?¡¯

    ¡®Humans tend to congregate in the upper levels.¡¯ She answered succinctly.

    ¡®Figures, we always want to be away from those we deem undesirables. Its¡­Aya what year is it?¡¯

    ¡®It is currently Salz-date 4855.¡¯

    ¡®Salz-date?¡¯

    ¡®Yes. It has been 4855 years since the Salyzan¡¯s gained power over their planet and proceeded their conquest over nearby star systems.¡¯

    ¡®Right, its the year 4855. Isn''t it about time racism came to an end already?¡¯

    ¡®Chances of that occurring are below zero percent.¡¯

    ¡®What? How can something be below zero percent?¡¯

    ¡®That was a joke.¡¯

    ¡®Oh¡­well¡­keep at it girl, you¡¯ll get it one day.¡¯

    ¡®You¡¯re lying Captain.¡¯

    ¡®Alright, that joke sucked.¡¯

    Originally, we were going to head for the central elevators, but I needed to make a quick pit-stop. Hortur had hogged the bathroom the entire time we were on my ship, which Aya assured me was still mine. She had changed the ownership registry during the flight. Following the map from my implant, we found the bathrooms. And I had no idea which one to use.

    ¡®Look Aya, this one has three legs.¡¯ I stared at an outline of some sort of creature in front of the long line of bathrooms. When each race has different needs, they have different toiletries.

    ¡®That would be the Utalien¡¯s bathroom. Their physiology compared to your own is a sixty seven percent match.¡¯

    ¡®Well, that¡¯s better than the last few times. Lets go in.¡¯

    The inside of the bathroom was the same as you¡¯d find in any gas station anywhere. Messy as fuck and utterly disgusting. Globs of slime stuck to the walls that looked like they hadn¡¯t seen a janitor in years. Lights flickered on and off in a seizure-inducing pattern. It was the perfect place to slip, fall, and sue New Jersey style. But when I entered a stall, well¡­

    ¡®Aya how the fuck do I use this thing?¡¯ I asked staring at the elongated tube with buttons all along the side of it.

    ¡®It should be quite obvious, Captain. Do you need me to read you the instruction manual?¡¯ This mission had just gotten dangerous.

    ¡®Nah, I¡¯ll figure it out. Also, I¡¯m not quite sure I like the thought of you being with me while I do my business.¡¯ I sighed as I unzipped.

    ¡®Your hesitance is understood Captain. But I must assure you that my scans have indicated that you are larger than the average for your race.¡¯

    ¡®Shit, really? I always thought I was average.¡¯ Damn, I guess life was pretty good for me.

    ¡®Consider me thoroughly impressed Captain.¡¯ I felt a little embarrassed,

    ¡®Aww thanks Aya, you sure know how to cheer a guy-¡¯

    ¡®That was a joke.¡¯

    ¡®You two timing bitch. I trusted you and this is how you repay me?¡¯

    After nearly loosing my little man to an accident the both of us swore to never reveal, even under the threat of torture, we made our way back to the elevators. Hundreds of tubes encircled the central support of the space station, leading to both the highest and lowest layers. It took a few minutes before an elevator came down from the upper levels for me to use. Originally, Aya had planned on going to the upper levels, but I overruled her. Upper levels was where the big businesses were located, and we weren¡¯t looking to leave an electronic trail.

    Besides, I had caught sight of a familiar snake-man poorly hidden in the crowds while we waited. The Princess was sure to be nearby. If we went to the upper levels she¡¯d have us detained by security loyal to the kingdom for sure. So down we went and hoped that they weren¡¯t stupid enough to follow. But as Aya put it, there was a ninety percent chance of them following us. I sighed, the last thing I needed was a spoiled brat of a princess ruining things.

    The elevator opened, revealing a bazaar just like the floor I had come from with one main exception. Everyone had their hands, tentacles, and suction cups close to their weapons as they eyed one another wearily. Yep, this was where the rough types gathered. The true undesirables of society that nobody wanted to admit existed. And there I was, standing in my almost militaristic uniform, and a human. A human that all eyes settled upon the instant I stepped from the elevator.

    Business continued, but it was much quieter.

    ¡°The fuck ya¡¯ll asswipes lookin at? Like you¡¯ve never seen a pink-skin before.¡± I shouted as I passed through the crowd. Grumbles cropped up around the room and the noise returned to regular loud levels. But all kept a weary eye on me. It would be nice if that continued to be the case, but alas, lady luck is not so kind.

    A strong hand gripped my shoulder, ¡°Where you think you goin¡¯ pinky?¡± A gravelly voice crunched from behind me. I turned to see a rock man made entirely of obsidian colored rocks.

    ¡®Aya, I need a list of insults asap.¡¯

    ¡®Calculating¡­¡¯

    ¡°Whats the matter,¡± The rock man grinned, ¡°Furgorx got your tongue?¡±

    ¡°Nah, I was just wondering why the Korglan kept spawning silicates such as yourself.¡± I smacked his hand from my shoulder.

    ¡°What did you say squishy thing?¡± His stony teeth ground together as his eyes smoldered in anger.

    ¡°You think you scare me? You¡¯re nothing more than a pile of osmium.¡± Gasps of horror surrounded us as a large ring formed around the two of us.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.¡°I¡¯ll grind you to paste.¡± The rock man roared and threw a fist towards my face.

    Chants of ¡®fight, fight, fight!¡¯ echoed through the bazaar. I ducked under the Korglan¡¯s fist and rushed behind him. With as much dexterity as a giant pile of rock could muster, he spun around. Slowly. Aya¡¯s scan indicated that he was just about eight hundred pounds. Even if I wanted to grab and toss him, I wouldn¡¯t be able to. And striking solid rock was out of the question. The Korglan roared in rage as I kept dodging, and slammed his foot upon the ground, bending the metal flooring underneath.

    ¡®Aya, any ideas?¡¯ I shouted in my mind as I recovered from nearly losing my balance.

    ¡®There¡¯s a Carbon Dioxide vendor ten meters behind you.¡¯

    ¡®Great. And that helps me how?¡¯ I ducked under another swing. Rocky looked as if he wasn¡¯t even breaking a sweat.

    ¡®Korglans outer layer is formed of solid minerals around a dense magma core. By cooling the core, you can slow them down to the point of immobility.¡¯

    ¡®Gotchya.¡¯

    ¡°Hey Cragboy, I¡¯ve fought Plastilisoids tougher than you!¡± I sneered at the fuming Rocky.

    ¡°You¡¯ll die now!¡± He towards me in a mad dash that was easily side-stepped. As the crowd parted for us, I dashed towards the carbon dioxide vendor. Large cannisters sat unguarded as the owner, some type of dog-person, stared at me in horror.

    ¡°Sorry, gotta borrow this.¡± I grabbed a large cannister of pressurized gas and spun towards the charging Korglan. ¡°Hey Rocky! Catch!¡± With all the strength I could muster, I launched the container towards him like a missile. Realization crossed his face, but it was too late. Aluminum met rock, and rock won. Cold gas spewed in all directions, coating the rock-man in a thick layer of frozen air.

    His roar faded to a groan as each step he took came slower and slower. With a loud crash, Rocky fell to the ground, unable to move himself.

    ¡°Damn¡­you¡­¡±

    ¡°Yo.¡± I spoke to the shocked co2 vendor, ¡°Punch in the cost of that container I used.¡± Fearfully, the doggo did exactly as I asked. I then took the scanner from him and passed it over the rock-man¡¯s wrist where Aya said his bank implant was located. ¡®Purchase Accepted¡¯ signed across the scanner and I returned it to the vendor.

    ¡°Kill¡­you¡­¡± Rocky rumbled from the floor.

    ¡°Yeah, good luck with that.¡± I walked over him towards the crowd that murmured amongst themselves. A path opened for me as I closed the distance. Always good to be respected.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Captain Aevalonis!¡± Lyrin cried out as she charged onto the Demon Lord¡¯s personal quarters on The Maiden¡¯s Vengeance. ¡°Dire news!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Demon Lord Aevalonis Malwyrd Kalrastros raised her eyebrow at the sudden intrusion. She had just begun to undress for a quick rest before the full invasion of the Salyzan Kingdom. ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°The Hero lives!¡± Aevalonis¡¯ blood froze at Lyrin¡¯s words.

    ¡°How?!¡± She asked in a disbelieving tone, ¡°How could have survived that?! His ship was in pieces!¡± She rubbed her head trying to wrap her mind around such an impossibility. ¡°I¡¯ve killed far better than him with far less!¡±

    ¡°Theres something else. Our agent received a recording of the Hero after he had received a series of implants.¡± Lyrin handed over a hand-held holo-viewer. ¡°Its apparently being posted all over the Gal-net.¡±

    Curiously, Aevalonis took hold of the holo-viewer and tapped the play button.

    The human known as Chet sat upright upon a hospital bed. His eyes, tired and uneasy while his jaw was slightly opened as if he had just woken up. A group of human doctors stood around him with their scanners as they looked over his vitals.

    ¡°All readings normal.¡± A female said as she finished her scan. ¡°He¡¯s making a good recovery.¡±

    ¡°Recovery?¡± Chet asked in a dribbling voice.

    ¡°Yes, hero. You had given us quite the scare.¡± A male said as he patted the hero¡¯s shoulder. ¡°To have survived open space like you have is nothing short of miraculous.¡±

    ¡°Survive¡­¡±

    ¡°Doctor, implant readings are slightly beyond normal ranges.¡± She tapped a few words on her equipment. ¡°But I suppose the same is true for all heroes.¡±

    ¡°Implant?¡± Chet asked in his slurred voice.

    ¡°Thats right Hero. The best implants the kingdom could buy. The King seems to have really taken a shine to you.¡±

    ¡°Implants¡­like cyborgs?¡±

    ¡°I¡­suppose so.¡±

    ¡°Cyborg¡­¡± Chet said as he slowly rose to his feet. Hands reached out to steady him,

    ¡°Easy there Hero, you¡¯ll be out of here in no time.¡± The lead doctor stated, trying to ease him back onto the bed.

    ¡°Cyborg¡­must¡­Connor¡­¡±

    ¡°Connor?¡± A nurse asked.

    ¡°Sarah¡­Connor¡­¡± A glow settled in Chet¡¯s eyes as he roared with all his might. ¡°WHERE IS SARAH CONNOR?!¡±

    Doctors grabbed needles full of anesthetics and punctured the Hero¡¯s flesh. But he would not be stopped. With a roar, Chet swept the doctors and nurses away with barely any effort at all. He then kicked down the door and ran outside the room completely in the nude. Shouts of ¡®Sarah Connor¡¯ could be heard in the distance as a doctor punched into the intercom.

    ¡°This is Doctor Fabrisal, we need a security team to the medical ward now!¡± the elderly woman frantically called into the comms, ¡°The Hero has escaped our custody and is running through the halls. Stuns only!¡±

    Aevalonis stared blankly at the holo-viewer as the recording ended.

    ¡°What the hells was that?¡± She cried out. ¡°What was that super-human strength?¡±

    ¡°It seems that he is quite strong.¡± Lyrin nodded, ¡°Did you see how he just shrugged off those anesthetics?¡±

    ¡°Thats just not possible¡­¡± Aevalonis gulped. Not even she could take that many direct shots and be completely fine. ¡°And just who is Sarah Connor?¡±

    ¡°Ex mate perhaps?¡± Lyrin suggested.

    ¡°Mmm, perhaps¡­¡± Aevalonis tapped her chin thoughtfully, ¡°We should look into this further. Find out whatever you can about this Sarah Connor, Lyrin. She may be the key to controlling this Hero.¡± Lyrin saluted,

    ¡°I¡¯ll do as you command, Captain.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡®For the last time Aya, I am not lost!¡¯ I yelled in my mind towards my mental co-pilot.

    ¡®And what is your evidence for such a declaration?¡¯ Ugh women. ¡®I heard that.¡¯ Ugh, robotic mind-reading women.

    ¡®Its how these things go Aya! It¡¯s like you¡¯ve never watched movies. Hero goes into hive of scum and villainy, Hero causes a scene, Hero gets invited to a minor side-character¡¯s place in an attempt to curry the Hero¡¯s favor. Etcetera etcetera.¡¯

    ¡®My scanners are currently reporting that this is real life and not a movie.¡¯

    ¡®I know, and it sucks. We¡¯ve been walking for like twenty minutes!¡¯

    As I turned a corner in the lower levels of the Vornalis space station, the one end was blocked by a familiar face.

    ¡°Hey Rocky!¡± I called out, ¡°Have you cooled off yet?¡± I began to back away, only to collide with something hard. I turned to regard another rock-man blocking my retreat.

    ¡°Not so tough now, are you squishy?¡± Rocky grinned as he cracked his knuckles while approaching me.

    ¡°You know, you really shouldn¡¯t do that. Cracking knuckles leads to rockthritis. Proven scientific fact.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to find a good doctor then.¡± Rocky grinned. Heavy hands clamped down on my arms and held me in place. Unable to dodge the incoming punch, I braced for the worst.

    My gut erupted in pain as ribs shattered beneath the rock-mans fist. All the air left my lungs in a rush.

    ¡®Captain, you are in critical condition.¡¯

    ¡°Grah!¡± I roared out in excruciating pain.

    ¡°I would love to do more.¡± Rocky grinned, ¡°But the boss wants to see you, squishy. Try not to bleed on his floor.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t even resist as they dragged me away.

    ¡®Hey Aya?¡¯I smugly asked mentally.

    ¡®¡­yes captain?¡¯ I could practically feel the hesitation in her voice.

    ¡®Guess what went exactly as planned.¡¯

    ¡®Ugh.¡¯

    Women hate being wrong.

 Chapter 9: Bad Business Part 2

    Being dragged by the arms is not an experience I¡¯d like to make habitual. The feeling of the sockets being pulled constantly is pure agony. Not to mention the broken ribs and the high possibility of internal bleeding. Were I a weaker man, I would have lost consciousness during my ¡®transportation¡¯. As it was, I got to experience the full luxurious care package of being dragged by a pair of rock-men. There was the silent one, I called him Bullwinkle, and the chatty one that nearly killed me, Rocky.

    Passer-byes averted their eyes as they hurried from our passage through the lowest level of the space station. The deeper we moved into the area, the more garbage littered streets stained with blood. Yep, this was a lawless place alright. You¡¯d have thought the people in charge would have cleaned this place up after enforcing hard law. But that would be naive. Guarantee that whoever this ¡®Boss¡¯ was that Rocky and Bullwinkle were taking me to was under the thumb of someone bigger in the upper sections of the station.

    The biggest criminals are the ones with the law behind them after all.

    My boots tore open from the abuse of being dragged far before we reached our destination. Lets just say I¡¯d need new toenails after this. A pair of heavily armed slug-people squelched outside a large home that looked to be made of welded together scrap. It was by far the best looking house I had seen in this level, as it had a pair of potted plants outside. The definitive show of cultured living. The owner of this fine epitome of cultured living must have been a scholar and a gentleman.

    ¡°Don¡¯t speak unless spoken to, squishy.¡± Rock rumbled as held open the door for Bullwinkle to pull me through.

    ¡°You got it Rocky.¡± I answered through gritted teeth.

    The inside of the scrappy-looking home was different. Very different. Carpeting covered the floor that I was currently bleeding all over, dim lighting from faded wall-mounted lamps provided ample light with which to see the dreary interior. A table and various stands were made from actual wood and there was even a leather sofa. And that was just the entrance room. Bullwinkle then pulled me over his shoulder and began ascending a flight of stairs. Not the best position for one in my situation, as his rocks had begun digging into my broken ribs with every step. In an attempt to vent my frustration, I flipped Rocky the bird while he trudged along behind us. He growled, but other than give me a smoldering glare, he did nothing. A good dog knows to not upset his master. We passed through a hallway after reaching the top of the stairs, wooden doors lined the sides. Inside were various sounds of exertion and heavy breathing. Good to know the nicest home in the slums was a whorehouse.

    Bullwinkle shifted his weight, causing me excruciating pain, and lightly knocked upon a door I was faced away from.

    ¡°Come in.¡± The faint voice from beyond the unseen doorway spoke in a bored tone.

    ¡°Behave.¡± Bullwinkle whispered to me as he opened the door. ¡°We¡¯ve brought him.¡±

    ¡°Ah, excellent! Do sit him down on the sofa there.¡± The sound of papers shuffling filled the silent room. Well, silent other than my groans of pain and the stomping of rock men. Unceremoniously, Bullwinkle dropped me on a leather sofa that would have been comfortable were it not for all my aches and pains.

    ¡°I see he is bleeding.¡± A three legged frog-like alien regarded me with a set of four eyes atop thin stalks.

    ¡°He resisted.¡± Rocky awkwardly stated, avoiding eye contact with his employer.

    ¡°Like¡­hell I did¡­¡± I gasped while clutching my chest. A single eye-stalk stared at Rocky,

    ¡°Get Hylan here. Now.¡± The Boss demanded with a thunderous voice. In a rush, Rocky left the room with booming steps. The Boss sighed, ¡°Its so hard to get these simpletons to listen to basic orders. As for you¡­¡± the frog-man affixed all four eyes upon me, ¡°try not to die in the meantime.¡±

    ¡®Alright Aya, I¡¯m gonna need a name and a history of this guy asap.¡¯ I commanded while clutching my chest.

    ¡®He is a Utalien named Gorlbuul Kresh. Wanted in many sectors across space for piracy, illegal weapon trading, slavery, and unpaid docking violations.¡¯

    ¡®Damn, we¡¯re dealing with a real hardass here.¡¯

    ¡®Chances of success in your plan are close to twenty percent.¡¯

    ¡®Aya, one day you¡¯ll learn all the odds are always fifty-fifty. Things either work out or they don¡¯t.¡¯

    Rocky returned with a large bag in his hands. Just above his head floated one of those small blue-skinned fairies I had seen before. She stood no taller than the base of my palm to the tip of my middle finger. With a curious face, she flew over to me and stared me eye to eye.

    ¡°Wasa hummie doin ¡®ere?¡± She asked in a high pitched voice as she flew off towards the bag and began rooting around inside it.

    ¡°I asked Rullix and Lursix here to retrieve him.¡± Gorlbuul sighed, ¡°I should have sent the slugs.¡±

    ¡°We did the job boss.¡± Rullix, or Rocky as I called him, protested.

    ¡°Yes you did. And did I tell you explicitly to harm him in any way?¡± Rullix stayed silent. ¡°Did I tell you to smash in his ribs? Did I order you to drag his feet, resulting in a few toes being lost from being dragged over sharp metal floors? Did I say any of that hmmm?¡± So thats why my feet felt so light. Curiously, I looked down and yep, two toes were missing on my right foot.

    ¡°¡­no boss.¡± Rullix responded shamefully.

    ¡°Bottoms up!¡± As Hylan appeared in front of me and jabbed a needle into my gut.

    ¡°Hold him down Lursix.¡± Gorlbuul commanded. Without a word, the other rockman pressed me down into the sofa.

    ¡®Aya, talk to me.¡¯

    ¡®Nanobots Captain. They¡¯ll fix the broken bits inside you and regrow your lost toes.¡¯

    ¡®Oh. Thats good.¡¯ I sighed in relief.

    ¡®Its going to be exceptionally painful.¡¯ Aya responded as my body began to feel as if it had been set on fire from the inside.

    How long had it been? Hours? Days? Weeks? Judging by the clock in my vision, it had been five minutes. Agony the likes of which only the worst of sinners should suffer had been forced upon me. I¡¯m pretty sure that I yelled that I was going to kill Rocky the first chance I got, because he kept grinning at me. Or he could just enjoy seeing me in pain. Either way, what could I do right? I wiggled my recently regrown toes happily. The boys were back in town.

    ¡°All better boss!¡± Hylan saluted as she floated around my body, inspecting it for any damages.

    ¡°Thank you Hylan, you are dismissed.¡± Gorlbuul croaked. ¡°Lursix, carry her bag back to her laboratory for her.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± Lursix nodded and removed his hands form me and took the bag from Rullix. Once they left it was just me, Gorlbuul, and Rocky.

    ¡°Now, shall we have introductions?¡± Gorlbuul grinned, his mouth full of sharp teeth.

    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± I sighed as I sat up on the couch. ¡°Name¡¯s Chet.¡±

    ¡°Gorlbuul.¡± He nodded. ¡°I had originally sent Rullix and Lursix out to retrieve the human dressed in Salyzan military clothing in the hopes of finding out what exactly a human was doing in the dregs of this lovely space station. Allow me to apologize on their behalf.¡± He bowed his large head. ¡°What can I do to make this up to you?¡±

    ¡°Can I kill him?¡± I pointed towards Rocky.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gorlbuul reached under his desk and tossed an object towards me.

    Rocky stammered in shock as I grabbed the object from the air. The object was a gun. Well, an alien gun. Kinda looked like some sort of Buzz Lightyear ray-gun thing. Regardless, I aimed at Rocky¡¯s head and pulled the trigger. A bolt of silver shot out from the end and melted into Rocky¡¯s face. At first, nothing happened. And then spikes of ice began to erupt from between the gaps in Rocky¡¯s rocks. When he fell over, his body shattered, sending particles of solid ice all over the floor.

    ¡°Does this make up for the slights he has given you, Hero?¡± Gorlbuul asked with a smile.

    ¡°Yeah, I definitely feel much better now. Can I keep this?¡± I asked as I turned the weapon over in my hands. ¡°Also, when¡¯d you figure out I was the Hero?¡±

    ¡°Oh no, I simply must insist that you return my weapon.¡± I shrugged, stood up, and handed it off to the mobster before returning to the sofa. ¡°As for figuring out you were the Hero, well¡­theres this video going around on the Gal-Net and I thought you looked familiar.¡±

    ¡°Video?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Gorlbuul laughed deeply. ¡°Oh this is rich! I can¡¯t wait to see your expression!¡± He lifted a holo-viewer from atop his desk and tossed it to me. ¡°Just tap the screen, the video will play automatically.¡±

    Moments later, Gorlbuul and I sat at his desk, laughing hysterically as we watched the video over and over as we sipped some sort of alien mixture. He only laughed harder when I explained why I was looking for Sarah Connor in my delirious state.

    ¡°Ah, thats good shit.¡± Gorlbuul chuckled as he wiped away mucus expelling from his eye-stalks. ¡°So tell me Hero, shouldn¡¯t you be fighting the Demons on the edges of space? Doing as your divine mandate requires of you?¡±

    ¡°Well, theres a problem with that.¡± I chuckled.

    ¡°Oh? Do tell. I love a good story.¡±

    ¡°I punched Prince Lavizo in the throat when he attacked me. Now his family wants me dead.¡± Gorlbuul snorted,

    ¡°You punched that little shit? I envy you for that.¡± His smile grew, ¡°You¡¯re a decent sort for a Hero.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, you¡¯re not so bad either for a badguy.¡±

    ¡°Not everyone gets to play hero in life. Sometimes we need to wake up and face reality.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll drink to that.¡± I took a shot. ¡°I¡¯ve been facing that shit everyday.¡±

    ¡°Hear, hear!¡± Gorlbuul gulped down his shot, ¡°So, what brings you to my little neighborhood?¡±

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.¡°I¡¯m looking to sell a hot ship.¡± I responded.

    ¡°Hmmm, hot you say?¡± His eyes glanced at me questioningly.

    ¡°Yep, probably being tracked by the Queen personally. One of the Kingdom¡¯s more recent Xaylix class Corvettes.¡±

    ¡°I may be able to take that problem off your hands.¡± His smile was infectious, ¡°How much are you looking to get for a sale?¡±

    ¡®Estimated value of our ship is twenty million credits.¡¯ Aya immediately informed me.

    ¡°Ten million credits.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Why so little?¡± Gorlbuul asked genuinely curious.

    ¡°Well for one, you¡¯d be doing all the work. Transportation, debugging, and other stuff. Secondly, it¡¯s been slightly used. You can¡¯t return a vehicle for the same price you pay as soon as you leave the lot. Thirdly, the AI core installed is fried, but theres a second one stored away in one of the cockpit¡¯s compartments.¡± I took another shot of the mucus-y liquor. ¡°Thirdly, I¡¯m going to need a new ship. Hopefully you¡¯ll be able to help me out there.¡± His grin said everything, ¡°And finally, I¡¯m going to need a new identity. As it is, I won¡¯t be able to move around space without everyone knowing exactly where I am.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Gorlbuul rubbed his chins with a three-fingered hand. ¡°I think we can work something out. I must say, its certainly refreshing to meet a client who knows exactly how to do business.¡±

    ¡°Thanks. Its not like any of this is exactly new to me anyway.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, back home I bought weed once.¡±

    ¡°Weed? I am unfamiliar with such an item.¡±

    ¡°Oh, its only the most dangerous drug on my home world.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Gorlbuul nodded in understanding. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have many ships on hand at the moment, but you¡¯re free to take a look.¡± He slid a new holo-viewer across the desk to me. As I picked it up, holographic images of various ships hovered over the display. I scrolled through the bunch multiple times. He wasn¡¯t wrong, there were ten ships on offer at the moment. None were Corvette sized either, which was a problem. Bigger ships needed more people to fly effectively. Gorlbuul offered a few crewman if needed. And if trust was an issue, qualified slaves could be purchased.

    In the end, I settled upon a small frigate type that looked almost like a pill-bug. Gorlbuul had been happy to inform me of the ships specs.

    ¡°I see you¡¯re a man of fine taste. The Draas class Frigate is very popular amongst up and coming traders.¡± He gulped down a drink. ¡°It boasts decent firepower, about six plasma cannons worth which can chew through most other ships of similar classes. Its also got a torpedo launcher at the front for a deadly long range surprise. And the cargo hold is nothing to scoff at as well.¡±

    ¡°Shame about the speed.¡± I grimaced, noting the top sublight speed was just over half that of the Corvette I had sold.

    ¡°Well of course. Its basic science. Bigger mass means you¡¯d need bigger engines to achieve the same amount of thrust.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I always hated physics.¡± As Gorlbuul chuckled, the door crashed open behind me.

    ¡°Boss, we caught a pair of snoopers scoping out the base.¡± Lursix rumbled. I instantly felt a chill run down my back.

    ¡°Bring them here.¡± Gorlbuul ordered his underling with a serious expression. Lursix grunted and left us alone.

    ¡°Ah fuck.¡± I ran a hand over my face. Shit was going to get complicated.

    ¡°Sounds like you have a guess who our new guests will be.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. We may have trouble.¡±

    Moments later, a screeching Princess and a cowering snake-man were tossed unceremoniously upon the floor of Gorlbuul¡¯s room. Yep, I knew she was a dumbass.

    ¡°Well, well. What have we here?¡± Gorlbuul wondered aloud.

    ¡°How dare you treat me such a way?!¡± Princess Egyle screeched as she rose to her feet. ¡°I¡¯ll see you all jailed and executed for your brutish behavior!¡±

    ¡°P-princess, please!¡± Hortur trembled as he attempted to calm her.

    ¡°Princess?¡± Gorlbuul looked to me curiously.

    ¡°Allow me to introduce Princess Egyle Salyzan and engineer Hortur¡­uhh¡­¡±

    ¡®Klass.¡¯Aya reminded me.

    ¡®Thanks.¡¯

    ¡°Hortur Klass.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Gorlbuul rose from his seat and walked towards the Princess. She glared at him,

    ¡°Don¡¯t come near me, scum! My father will hear of this.¡±

    ¡°No. He won¡¯t¡± Gorlbuul smiled lasciviously. ¡°My clients would pay by the shipload to taste a Princess.¡±

    Fear surged across the Princess¡¯ face. ¡°You¡­wouldn¡¯t dare!¡±

    ¡°Oh I wouldn¡¯t dare. But many would.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure many would, Gorl buddy. But her father and mother are about an hour away via hyperspace if my head-math is correct.¡± I interrupted. ¡°The ship may be a hot item, but the Princess is a sun compared to that. King Lavian will come here guns blazing after reviewing security footage of his daughter following me to the lower levels. Even if you get her out in one of your ships, he¡¯ll tear this place apart looking for her. Hes quite the doting father after all. Mothers a bitch though, she¡¯d probably leave her to rot.¡±

    ¡°My mother would never-¡± Egyle shouted but was backhanded by Gorlbuul. Shock and fear gripped her as her entire body trembled.

    ¡°What do you propose Hero?¡± He asked coldly.

    ¡°You said you offered slaves earlier, how exactly does that work?¡±

    ¡°We connect a small device into the subject¡¯s cranial implant. These devices are then matched to the owner¡¯s implant and from then on are their property. The slaves will have to do everything commanded of them.¡± His smile was full of teeth. ¡°Otherwise that medicine you took earlier will look like a relaxing vacation compared to the agony the device will send into their bodies.¡±

    ¡°Got a few of those devices handy?¡± Gorlbuul looked towards me curiously.

    ¡°Always. Why?¡±

    ¡°I have a plan.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±

    ¡°First, lets go somewhere more private.¡±

    Almost an hour later, everything was as ready as could be given the rushed nature of events. The Xaylix class Corvette had been flown off to destinations unknown as part of our deal, and I was ten million credits richer. Unfortunately, I had to forgo a new identity for another time. Still, that was a minor setback compared to what could have happened. As for Princess Egyle and Hortur¡­well¡­

    ¡°I demand you take this device off of me this instant!¡± Princess Egyle raged as she sat perfectly still at the tactical section of my new ship¡¯s bridge, a silver tiara connected to her forehead. When I had first placed the slave device on her, she immediately had fought back against a simple order. And then writhed on the ground in agony for a good ten minutes. Hortur had silently accepted his new position as the device was placed upon him as well.

    ¡°No.¡± I stated as my hands flicked across the controls. Retract the landing gear, check. Turn about and face outer airlock, check. ¡°Vornalis Orbital, this is Boatsy,¡± Apparently someone¡¯s daughter had named this fine vessel. ¡°Hangar 448-A will be open for landing in a few minutes.¡±

    ¡°Acknowledged Boatsy.¡± The comms officer snickered, ¡°Good luck out there.¡±

    ¡°Copy that.¡± I closed the comms and gently pressed up on the throttle, sending us on a slow course out of the space station.

    ¡®Captain, new vessels appearing on the system map.¡¯ I took a quick glance, thirty ships had appeared and were making a beeline for the station.

    ¡°Alright people, its show time.¡± I selected the biggest ship of the new arrivals and opened video communications. At the head of the bridge floated King Lavian himself.

    ¡°Hero. I assume you know why we are here.¡± He spoke informally.

    ¡°Why King Lavian! What a surprise! Oh we¡¯ve been having the most fun your daughter and I. Eggy, can you come here please?¡± With tears in her eyes, Princess Egyle stood from her seat and walked over to me. ¡°Say hi for the dear old man would you?¡±

    ¡°Father¡­help me!¡± She cried out.

    ¡°Hero¡­what have you done?¡±

    ¡°Oh this?¡± I touched the tiara on the Princess¡¯ head. ¡°Just a little thing I picked up somewhere. Does it look good on her? I think it does.¡± I grinned and pulled the Princess close. ¡°It makes things so much easier for the both of us this way.¡±

    ¡°I will see you scoured to the far corners of space itself.¡± King Lavian spoke levelly. Good, he was enraged.

    ¡°Oh you¡¯ll have to find me first Lardo. And by then it¡¯ll be far far too late. Your Princess and I are about to become very acquainted with one another.¡± My hand tenderly stroked the Princess¡¯ face. Her body trembled beneath my touch. ¡°Ta-ta!¡± I moved to close the comms.

    ¡°Wait! Hero¡­Chet, wait.¡± The King visibly deflated, which was impressive considering his mounds of flesh. ¡°I¡¯ll give you anything you wish. Just¡­just bring my daughter back to me.¡±

    His voice cracked with every word.

    ¡°Sorry King Lavian, but no can do.¡± I closed the comms.

    ¡°You¡¯re sick.¡± The Princess whispered trembling. ¡°I¡¯ll never give in to you.¡±

    ¡°Go back to your seat Princess.¡± With a sneer, she complied.

    Despite the Kingdom¡¯s ships burning through their fuel cells at full possible speed, they could not catch my ship. We entered hyperspace long before they would ever pose a threat. With a heavy sigh, I stood from the captain¡¯s chair. Definitely not the way I wanted events to transpire.

    ¡®Captain.¡¯ Aya chided me.

    ¡°Right right.¡± I sighed and walked over to Hortur. With a quick hand, I removed the slavery tiara from his forehead.

    ¡°H-hero?¡± Hortur looked at me curiously.

    ¡°You¡¯re free buddy, but it may be awhile until we get somewhere safe enough for you to head home.¡± He nodded in understanding.

    ¡°Thank you. What about the Princess?¡±

    With hopeful eyes, she stared at me and Hortur. Hope that quickly fled as I shook my head.

    ¡°She¡¯s going to learn that actions have consequences.¡± With heavy steps, I approached her. ¡°Just what the fuck were you thinking?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°What was going through that thick skull of yours when you followed me? You should have known better than that!¡±

    Her face twisted as the words came from her mouth. ¡°I wanted to capture you to bring to my father! I wanted to be the one to lock you up!¡±

    ¡°And so you got captured yourself. Do you even know what almost happened back there?¡± I was beyond pissed.

    ¡®Captain.¡¯

    ¡®Shut up Aya.¡¯

    Princess Egyle stammered as she tried to argue.

    ¡°Shut up.¡± I commanded. Instantly, the Princess¡¯ mouth clamped shut. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what almost happened Princess. You were almost made into their plaything. And the worst part? They wouldn¡¯t even need anything other than that tiara on your head to do it. You¡¯d be busy serving them with a smile, all to avoid that agony that it can bring. Now, what do you have to say?¡±

    Tears flooded from her eyes as her body shook raggedly with sobbing. ¡°Please! Take it off! I don¡¯t want this!¡±

    ¡°No. You¡¯ve already ruined your chance back on the station. You could have left me alone. You could have been picked up by your father in peace. But you didn''t do that, and now you have to deal with the consequences. If I let you go, you¡¯ll ruin everything. Again. So until I deem it safe enough to let you go, you¡¯d better be on your best behavior.¡±

    I began to walk from the bridge, leaving the sounds of sobbing behind.

    ¡°P-princess.¡± Hortur spoke in comfort as I heard him slither across the floor. I turned to him.

    ¡°Hortur. Attempts to remove the device by anyone other than the owner gives the same result as a slave disobeying a series of orders. Don¡¯t try it.¡±

    ¡°Yes Hero. I understand.¡± He responded as he attempted to soothe the distraught Princess.

    I nodded and left the bridge.

 Chapter 10: A Bit of a Hand-Me-Down

    ¡°You missed a spot.¡± I commented offhandedly to the blond-haired girl who was currently scrubbing the floors of my ¡°new¡± starship Boatsy. I say ¡°new¡± not because it was a used ship, but because it had been a giant mess. Hortur had been forced into buffering out scorch marks from various fire-related incidents. Namely faulty wires that shorted out after our first warp to light speed. Thanks to Aya¡¯s quick calculations and power redirections, we had been saved from being blasted into space dust.

    Gorbuul and I were going to have harsh words when I decided to contact him again. Very harsh words. Thanks to those unforeseen events, we had been forced to make a pit stop in a nearby solar system for repairs and some much needed supplies. Namely, the mop that Princess Egyle was currently scrubbing the ship with. And we had to be quick about things, as the Kingdom¡¯s forces were most assuredly on our tail.

    While almost dying to faulty wiring was pretty bad, I¡¯m still not sure if that was the defining moment of knowing we had gotten a bad deal. During the flight after our first pit-stop, the toilets clogged and refused to atomize our waste. I almost lost a hand trying to unclog one of those bastards. Needless to say, I took a long shower after that to wash away the shame of being elbow deep in excrement. Egyle had refused to look me in the eyes since that incident. I guess even space girls hate admitting that they poop.

    There was also the time we found a dessicated corpse hidden within a secret compartment in the engineering quarters. I had been forced to vent our air supplies before docking in yet another system to suck out the smell of death and decay. Even with fresh containers, the faint stench of despair never truly left, as if it had been soaked into the metal itself.

    ¡°Ugh, I hate this.¡± Princess Egyle groaned as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

    ¡°Better than being an alien sex toy.¡± I remarked as buttons clicked and beeped at the controls. As far as I was concerned, I wanted to get as far from the kingdom¡¯s capital as possible.

    ¡°Easy for you to say! You barely do anything! Hortur and I are the ones doing all the work!¡±

    ¡°I incinerated the bedsheets the first night under direct orders from the boss.¡± I pointed to my cranium, ¡°Thanks to her, we¡¯re not sleeping in sheets covered in old alien spunk. I¡¯ve also been purchasing all our supplies since your mother froze your account. So until you can actually do something useful, you get to scrub floors.¡± A sad look shot across her face as she returned to her task wordlessly.

    Princess Egyle had turned relatively meek during our first stop. She had requested if she could purchase some new clothes and I agreed, so long as she paid. Happily, she had had attempted to buy a few sets, only to find she was locked out of her own money. When that happened she seemed to simply shut down inside. I had been forced to pay out of my own pocket for them in her place. She had returned to the ship after accepting them without a word.

    ¡®Too far Captain.¡¯ Aya scolded with a firm voice.

    ¡®Nah, she¡¯s fine. A little hazing builds character.¡¯

    ¡®Her tear ducts are currently expelling liquids.¡¯

    ¡®Thats called crying Aya. Its a tactic used by children to guilt their parents into doing what they want.¡¯

    ¡®Do you consider yourself her parent now?¡¯

    ¡®Oh hell no. I¡¯m just going to force some discipline into her so she learns humility. Once we¡¯ve got things straightened out, I¡¯ll send her right back to her family. For now, all we need is some time for people to cool down.¡¯

    ¡®That sounds very parental.¡¯

    ¡®Shut up.¡¯

    ¡°Egyle, go ahead and take a break. We¡¯ll be arriving in the Jochtek system in about twenty minutes. We should be able to dock and relax for a few hours.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± She sighed and set the mop and bucket off in the corner of the bridge close to the exit. A moment later and I was alone on the bridge with Aya humming happily in my head. I rolled my eyes,

    ¡®Damn robot.¡¯

    ¡®I am not a robot.¡¯ She huffed in my head.

    ¡®No you¡¯re not, but it annoys the hell out of you so you¡¯ll always be a robot to me.¡¯

    With the click of a button, I activated the ship comms.

    ¡°Hortur report, what have you got for me?¡± I had to wait a few moments before the response came.

    ¡°Four of the six plasma cannons are inoperable in their current state Captain.¡± With everything else going to hell in a hand basket, I asked Hortur to check the weapons. Glad I did, this ship was all sorts of fucked up.

    ¡°Damn.¡± I had hoped those would have been fine. We hadn¡¯t needed to use them yet thankfully. But as my pops once said when he handed me my first rubber, ¡®Its better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.¡¯ ¡°Any chance of repairs?¡±

    ¡°Negative Captain. Judging by the damage, they¡¯ll need to be replaced.¡±

    ¡°Fuck my ass.¡± I groaned in frustration, there goes another chunk of change down the shitter. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll be leaving warp in twenty. Might be another ten to dock.¡±

    ¡°Acknowledged, Engineering out.¡±

    This ship was turning into one giant disaster. The only good thing that happened to us so far is that after cleaning out the hidden compartment of that corpse, we found a stash of guns. According to Hortur, they were Kalasy Mk III¡¯s which were a type of rapid-fire assault rifles that shot concentrated bolts of energy instead of the metal slugs I was used to. A shame we hadn¡¯t had the chance to test them out, I¡¯ve always wanted to blast some shit with lasers.

    With a long stretch, I rose from my seat. It was time for a quick shower and a bite to eat. The food replicators may produce fake-tasting mush, but at least it was edible. Before I could reach the door to leave the bridge, it opened. In entered a very distraught looking Egyle in a state of semi-undress whose face blushed deep crimson. I couldn¡¯t even begin to ask what was wrong before she walked behind me, wrapped her arms around my stomach, and began thrusting her pelvis against my posterior.

    ¡°¡­Egyle.¡± I spoke, trying to keep my voice level.

    ¡°Y-y-ye-¡± She couldn¡¯t even form full words as she awkwardly crashed against me over and over.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡­y-you¡­¡± She stammered. ¡°Co-co-comm¡­¡±

    ¡®I believe she took your words as a command earlier Captain. You were using the ship-wide comms after all.¡¯

    ¡°Egyle, stop.¡± I commanded. In an instant, she ceased her actions. Incoherent mumbling was all the communication she could muster. ¡°Go back to your break.¡± My tone brokered no argument as Egyle nodded and rushed from the bridge.

    ¡®Aya.¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯ll not tell a soul.¡¯

    ¡®Good girl.¡¯

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    High heels clicked against stone as Queen Risat Salyzan walked through halls as ancient as time itself. Her red robes flowed behind her gracefully as the crown upon her head shimmered in the day¡¯s light that peaked through stained glass windows. While her husband was out hunting the ¡®Hero¡¯ he should have killed when he had the chance, she had opted to return home to manage the Kingdom. At least, thats what she had told her husband. The moment Egyle had been discovered missing, she had severed her daughter¡¯s connection to their funds without a second thought.

    As far as she was concerned, Egyle was lost to them. A shame, but sacrifices must be made for the good of the kingdom. Even if it is your own flesh and blood that must be cut away. If only she could do the same to her husband. She knew he would spend the rest of his days chasing after their daughter in a futile attempt to save her.

    ¡®The fool should be commanding their forces against the growing Demon rebellion!¡¯ Queen Salyzan raged in her mind. Word had reached her that an entire sector was currently in open rebellion, with more worlds joining by the day. ¡®If he will not crush them, then I¡¯ll just find someone who can.¡¯

    Human Nobles from nearby systems watched her closely as she entered the massive hall where Heroes had been summoned from times long gone. As far as scientists were able to determine, the procedure of summoning was akin to folding space between this room and a random location around the universe. Somehow, it always resulted in teleporting an easily manipulated person who would carry out the crown¡¯s bidding. At least, it was supposed to. Something had gone wrong with the last summoning.

    ¡®Perhaps it was due to the Demon Lord¡¯s influence?¡¯ Queen Salyzan wondered to herself as she walked to her throne. With a sigh, she sat and overlooked the Hall of the Hero. Not as many Nobles had come to this summoning as before. This was an impromptu event born of necessity rather than a planned ceremony like before. Things would be different this time, she was sure of it.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°Let us begin.¡± She commanded from her throne as she held her hands together in prayer. For reasons unknown to even their top researchers, the technology located within this building would only work when it sensed great desperation. It was advanced technology, far beyond what they could accomplish themselves. Queen Salyzan hated the feeling of knowing there were forces beyond her Kingdom¡¯s.

    As the Nobles knelt and prayed alongside their Queen, a bright light began to manifest in the center of the hall. Gasps and cries of surprise echoed through the hall as the light began to take form. There, standing in the center of the room, was an alien. Ten legs sprouted from an elongated body like that of a centipede. Four long, spindly arms ended in pincers with which to grab. Sixteen eyes stared directly at the Queen in confusion.

    ¡°Where-¡± The creature began to speak as a loud zap rung out in the hall. The Queen stared with great displeasure at the smoking corpse in the middle of the room. With a sigh, she returned the blaster to the hidden pocket of her dress. Quiet murmurs filled the hall as a pair of guards dragged away the corpse. After a few moments of tense silence, the Queen ordered the Nobles to pray once more.

    She would never allow her people to be saved by an alien again.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Leaving warp now.¡± I noted to the crew as we sat at our respective stations on the bridge. Like a million specks of light, far off stars suddenly appeared the instant we left hyperspace. Jochtek was a nice little solar system. Two big gas giants orbiting the outer layer, while close to the yellow sun were a pair of habitable planets. One, Jochtek II, was an earth-like world with plenty of water to allow for vegetation and life to grow. Jochtek IV however was an island paradise. An Ocean world dotted with many, many archipelagos. It was a vacation paradise, and thats exactly where we were headed. Not for relaxation, but because thats where the main space station was located.

    ¡°I wish we could visit the Tirarch Isles on IV.¡± Hortur spoke dreamily. ¡°They¡¯re supposed to be very nice this time of year.¡±

    ¡°Father brought me there once.¡± Princess Egyle smiled sadly, ¡°The sandy beaches were very enjoyable.¡±

    ¡°Last time I went to the beach I saw a seagull strangle to death on a plastic soda can holder thing.¡± I snorted, ¡°Good riddance. I hate those fucking birds.¡±

    ¡°This is Captain Yvael Trondus, requesting immediate assistance from any nearby vessels. We are currently under attack by a group of Ripped Scar vessels.¡± A calm, yet urgent, voice broke into our conversation through the comms. ¡°I repeat, this is Captain-¡± I shut off the communicator before her message could repeat.

    ¡°I hate spam.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to help?¡± Princess Egyle asked from the tactical station.

    ¡°Well that entirely depends on the situation Princess. What does tactical have to say about it?¡± She stared towards me confused for a moment before realization dawned on her. With quick fingers, Princess Egyle turned to her station and began working. While she was busy with that, I steered the ship towards the distress signal source. Aya had already given me the details, I just wanted to see how the Princess would act.

    ¡°Captain, three small vessels, possibly Fighter or Corvette sized, are engaging a small freighter not far from our current position.¡± She spoke while pouring over holographic screens.

    ¡°Any sign of system security coming to aid?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯ll take them awhile. I don¡¯t know if the freighter will last that long against that many.¡± She sighed sadly.

    ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to assist Captain, we simply aren¡¯t combat ready right now.¡± Hortur noted from the engineering station. A pained look crossed the Princess¡¯ face as she stared at Hortur before turning her attention to me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Hortur, its only two Fighters and a Corvette. And Princess, the Freighter will be fine until help arrives. Though it will sustain a fair bit of hull damage. But other than that, it should be able to hold its own just fine. If we get involved though, it should be no problem.¡±

    ¡°How do you-¡± The Princess began but stopped as I pointed to my head.

    ¡°A little voice told me so. Now, lets go be heroes.¡±

    ¡°Captain Yvael, this is Captain Chet of the Boatsy.¡± I spoke into the communicator. ¡°We¡¯re not in the best shape, but we¡¯ll help.¡± A relieved sigh came over the comms,

    ¡°Thank you Captain. I¡¯ll take any help I can get at this point.¡±

    ¡°No worries Captain. At best we¡¯ll be able to scare them off. At worst, I¡¯ll take a few bullet holes as well.¡±

    ¡°Either way, I¡¯ll owe you a drink Captain. Yvael out.¡±

    With full power to thrusters, we charged to Yvael¡¯s aid. Engines rumbled as our momentum increased steadily. Once we had reached a good enough speed, I killed the engines and spun the ship around. Our inertia would carry us just passed the freighter and her friends. Once the distance was closed, it was go time.

    ¡°Who wants to man the guns?¡± I asked my fearless crewmen.

    ¡°Me!¡± ¡°Goodness I¡¯d be happy to.¡± The both spoke at the same time.

    ¡°Sorry Hortur, Princess beat you by three tenths of a second. Better luck next time.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Egyle cheered as she jumped from tactical to gunnery. ¡°Just give me a good angle and they¡¯re gone.¡± She boasted as she placed a helmet over her head. The visor would allow her to see the outside of the ship so she could fire the weapons more accurately. Her hands grabbed the controls with highly practiced motions.

    Thanks to Aya, I could link in to what Egyle was currently seeing. A tactical screen covered my vision, as a targeting reticule hovered over a marked target far in the distance. The reticule was red, signifying that the target was too far to be engaged effectively. When we were closer, it would turn green when she could fire. Nifty bit of software that.

    As we approached, Aya scanned Yvael¡¯s ship. Her turrets had been melted by repeated bolts of plasma, so it couldn¡¯t fight back. And the opposing ships were currently attempting to knock out her engines as she sputtered towards us.

    ¡®Something is wrong here Captain.¡¯ Aya noted as she finished her scan of the Freighter.

    ¡®Yeah, they want that ship intact. But why?¡¯

    ¡®Her cargo isn¡¯t listed in any public files.¡¯

    ¡®That explains it. Shes carrying some good shit if it isn¡¯t listed.¡¯

    ¡®Agreed. I¡¯ll attempt to find out exactly what it is she is carrying.¡¯

    ¡°Firing!¡± Egyle shouted as we sailed towards the engagement. Blasts of light sent a pair of liquid plasma globules flying through the darkness of space towards her target, a small Fighter about half the size of a Corvette. After a brief delay, a second round of plasma bolts ripped from our two working cannons. With practiced, controlled shots, Egyle tore through the shields of her first target within five bursts. Plasma chewed through solid steel like butter, ripping into the interior of the ship.

    A moment later, the engines of the Fighter died. It was dead in the water.

    ¡°Got one!¡± Princess Egyle beamed, already aiming for the next target. The green reticule turned red as the remaining two ships sped off in a hasty retreat. ¡°Darn it. They¡¯re running.¡± She sighed.

    ¡°Mission accomplished then.¡± I spoke.

    ¡°Captain Yvael to Captain Chet, thank you for the assistance. The bastards are running scared. Damn fine gunner you got there.¡±

    ¡°I agree Captain. Don¡¯t think I could have done better myself.¡± I totally could have, but she did well enough I suppose.

    ¡®Captain, we have a problem.¡¯ Aya stated and drew my attention to the tactical display of the escaping ships. The Corvette had turned and was currently facing towards the Freighter. A large surge of energy came from the tactical readout before it turned away once more. ¡®It appears that the enemy ship has fired a torpedo towards our new friend who is carrying a large amount of explosive warheads. Chance of Freighter survival are zero percent.¡¯

    ¡°You¡¯re shitting me.¡± I spoke aloud.

    ¡°Captain?¡± Yvael asked over the comms.

    ¡°Captain Yvael, you have two minutes to get out of your ship now by any means necessary. You have an incoming torpedo that will obliterate your ship. We¡¯ll pick you up as soon as possible.¡± I commanded in a firm tone.

    ¡°What¡­but¡­¡± She sighed, ¡°alright. Yvael out.¡±

    Moments later, an escape pod jettisoned itself from the Freighter which now sat dead in space. A minute and a half later, that very same Freighter was shredded into pieces from within as the torpedo punctured through the hull and exploded, causing the explosives located within the ship to explode as well. A cascading event that, for the blink of an eye, gave Jochtek a second sun.

    Oh well, you win some you lose some.

    Without worrying too much, I piloted our ship towards the escape pod. After a bit of finagling and more that a few curses, we lined ourselves up so that we could bring the pod into our cargo bay. And I, as the Captain, got the honors of jumping out into space in my suit to attach cables that could be reeled into our bay to said pod. I may not have needed to do all the flips and spins that I did, but damnit I wasn¡¯t going to pass up the chance. Soundlessly, because it was space, I landed atop the pod and attached the cables.

    ¡°Alright Egyle, reel us in.¡± I commanded via personal communicator. Sadly, Hortur couldn¡¯t come into the cargo bay to do the honors. He didn¡¯t have a space suit with him, and getting him one would be a custom job.

    ¡°Roger.¡±

    The cables drew taught as they begun to be pulled back towards our bay. It wasn¡¯t long until the bay doors closed behind us and the long process of restoring air and gravity began. Once it was safe, I removed my helmet and took a deep breath of stale, purified air. I then knocked on the escape pod door twice, letting Yvael know it was safe. Magnetic seals in a hiss, and the door retracted back into the pod.

    ¡°Ahh.¡± Yvael spoke as she walked from the pod in a skin-tight white space suit. Judging from her appearance, she was almost as tall as me. Long arms fumbled about her helmet for a moment before the hiss of air of it unsealing sounded out. With the helmet out of the way, I could finally see our new friend in the flesh. Blue skin glistened in the light as her golden eyes affixed upon my own. Long black hair tied into a ponytail weaved back and forth as she shook her head in relief. A pair of small black horns jutted from her forehead. ¡°Thanks for the rescue Captain. Kindness is a luxury around these parts.¡±

 Chapter 11: Police Interrogation

    ¡°Yvael Trondus, at your service.¡± The blue-skinned beauty held out her hand which I readily shook.

    ¡°Chet Rosenfield. The pleasure is all mine.¡±

    ¡°You look a little familiar¡­¡± Yvael looked closely at me, as if trying to remember where she had seen my face before.

    ¡°You have no idea how many times I hear that.¡± I sighed, ¡°if you want I can sign an autograph but I¡¯m nobody that important.¡±

    ¡°No worries Captain, its just a feeling.¡± She smiled.

    ¡°Captain, shes a Demon!¡± Princess Egyle shouted from off to the side near the cable winch. Yvael¡¯s body visibly tensed at the Princess¡¯ words.

    I rolled my eyes and regarded the Princess with a flat stare. ¡°Wow, really? Darn, I hadn¡¯t noticed. Thanks for the heads up.¡± With a grin, I returned my attention to our guest. ¡°Please forgive my crew member, shes a bit of a spoiled princess.¡± Yvael laughed,

    ¡°Understood Captain, no hard feelings.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be on our way to the Jochtek IV station for some much needed renovations. Feel free to wander about or relax in the meanwhile. Just mind the smell if you go near the engineering bay. We haven¡¯t been able to fully get it out yet.¡±

    ¡°Mind if I tag along? Its been awhile since I¡¯ve been on another Captain¡¯s vessel.¡±

    ¡°Not at all.¡±

    So began the grand tour of my lovely hunk of junk. After leaving the expansive cargo bay, it was a straight shot up to the bridge with various personal quarters off to one side of the hallway and the galley and engineering bay off to the other. In total, this guppy could house seven people comfortably. If it weren¡¯t for the smell, the dirt, and scorch marks at least. Yvael looked unimpressed as we walked to the bridge, as if we had been neglectful in our duties of ship maintenance.

    ¡°As you can plainly see,¡± I spoke as we entered the bridge. ¡°Its a hunk of junk.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­at least it runs?¡± She attempted to be polite, bless her soul.

    ¡°You should have been on our first jump to hyperspace. Barely made it out of that in one piece. Didn¡¯t help that our engineer was stuck in the bathroom.¡±

    ¡°I get hyper-space sickness! Its a physiological issue!¡± Hortur huffed indignantly.

    ¡°At least you have the lemons now.¡±

    ¡°I hate them!¡± He hissed, ¡°They¡¯re far too sour! How can any species enjoy them?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re good when mixed in with water. But hey, it beats spending every trip with your head in a toilet.¡± I noted, which made Hortur grumble his agreement.

    ¡°You and your crew seem pretty close.¡± Yvael noted with a smile as she sat in the open gunnery station seat.

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve been through some fun times these past few days. Hardship breeds camaraderie as the saying goes.¡±

    ¡°It must be nice."

    I snorted, ¡°If I had my way, I¡¯d be flying solo. These two just had to come along for the ride.¡± Loud grumbling came from Princess Egyle who stood up from the tactical station¡¯s chair and left the bridge. Yvael looked towards me with curiosity, but otherwise said nothing.

    The blue gem of Jochtek IV stood brightly against the dark backdrop of space. A massive space station drifted over the planet¡¯s atmosphere as it orbited the ocean planet. Already, we had received permission to dock in one of the hangars nearest to the station¡¯s security headquarters. Apparently they wanted Yvael and I to make a report on the pirates we had encountered.

    ¡°Alright team, repeat your orders to me.¡± I spoke to the assembled crew of two. Perks of being the boss meant you got to act like the boss.

    ¡°I am to find four replacement Viiren Plasma Cannons-¡±

    ¡°Why Viiren specifically?¡± I goaded with a smile.

    ¡°Because nothing melts metal like Viiren plasma.¡± Hortur reluctantly stated in a sing-song-y voice. The ad was catchy, and Egyle agreed that their cannons were top of the line.

    ¡°Good, and what else?¡±

    ¡°Ahem,¡± Hortur cleared his throat, ¡°A ¡®shit-ton¡¯ of high quality wiring, a set of cutters and welders, and anything else I can think of.¡±

    ¡°Very good.¡± I nodded to the snake-man. It had taken awhile, but I had finally gotten him to curse. ¡°And you Egyle?¡±

    ¡°¡­additional bed sheets, pillow covers, extra sets of clothes, and cleaning supplies.¡±

    ¡°Namely?¡±

    She sighed, ¡°Lemon scented cleaners, and a ¡®butt-load¡¯ of bleach.¡±

    ¡°Good enough.¡± I transferred money to their accounts. Aya had been able to connect into the Princess¡¯ bank implant, disconnect the locked account, and create a temporary new one with which she could acquire items during our docking jaunts. Needless to say, Aya had been a godsend.

    ¡®Thank you Captain.¡¯ She voiced proudly as she read my thoughts.

    ¡®Credit where its due, Aya. If it weren¡¯t for you, we¡¯d be dead a million times over.¡¯

    ¡®May I request a raise in my funding?¡¯

    ¡®Aya, my money is your money. We¡¯re practically married with you stuck in my head.¡¯

    ¡®I want a divorce.¡¯

    ¡®Don¡¯t be like that honey, we can work things out.¡¯ Robots were so high maintenance.

    ¡°Alright team, lets do this.¡± I finished as the ship clunked down in the hangar.

    Together, Yvael and I walked through the security section of the station. Multitudes of buildings comprised of a type of plastic that was more durable than steel and far lighter lined the magnetic streets. Many buildings were clearly marked such as ¡®Fire Response¡¯ or ¡®Electrical Emergencies¡¯ that had their own personal elevators to the other floors of the space station. Rapid response teams, eat your heart out. As we traveled the streets, I saw almost no aliens. In fact, it was filled to the brim with humans in various uniforms who openly gave hostile stares at the blue beauty beside me. The majority in police-like attire rode tiny hover scooters like the adorable little mall cops that they were. I¡¯d gladly have given them a good ribbing, but alas, the objective was to get our story straight. Not thrown into a holding cell. I had already done that enough on Earth for one lifetime.

    Yvael kept her head straight and her eyes forward as we made our way to the main building. If she noticed the stares being sent her way, and there was no way she didn¡¯t, she was doing a good job of showing it didn¡¯t bother her. We didn¡¯t have to travel far until we reached a large building that resembled a police precinct. I was getting flashbacks of the time I was arrested for throwing eggs at a police car during mischief night. Good times.

    ¡®Alright Aya, remember the plan.¡¯ Earlier, Aya and I conspired to hack into the station¡¯s security systems. Just in case King Lavian and his crew showed up early. This way, we¡¯d be able to stop them from locking us into the station itself.

    ¡®No worries Captain. I¡¯ll be in and out in a nanosecond.¡¯

    ¡®Thats my girl.¡¯

    ¡°Ladies first.¡± I spoke and motioned for Yvael to enter first. A brief flash of a smile was quickly hidden beneath a stoic exterior. Wordlessly, she entered the building with me tagging close behind. Inside the building, the atmosphere was very relaxed. Aliens of all kinds had been handcuffed to their seats as they spat mucus and insults towards their human captors. One by one, they were led away either into the back to be thrown into what I assumed to be holding cells, or taken outside to be sent to more permanent facilities. I took a deep breath and sighed, gotta love the disgusting scent of justice.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    ¡°May I help you?¡± A female officer spoke as she approached from the side.

    ¡°I¡¯m a wanted criminal that immediately needs to be placed under house arrest. Your house to be exact.¡± I held out my hands. ¡°Take me away.¡± The officer rolled her eyes.

    ¡°We¡¯re here to see Warden Urien.¡± Yvael spoke while giving me ¡®that look¡¯.

    ¡°Ah, the outer system incident from earlier. Right this way.¡± She turned and began to walk towards the back rooms. Any attempt I made to bring up the rear was stopped by Yvael who forced me to match her pace. And any attempt to take a gander at the precinct¡¯s assets earned me an elbow I the ribs. So I liked a woman in uniform, sue me.

    ¡°Warden, the two Captains involved in the incident from earlier are here.¡± The female officer spoke as she cracked open the door.

    ¡°Let them in.¡± A gruff voice replied. The woman nodded and motioned us forward, sending a wink my way before heading off.

    ¡°Forgive me Avon my love.¡± I mumbled as I watched the officer leave.

    ¡°Get your head outta your ass.¡± Yvael elbowed me again.

    ¡°Its not my ass thats the problem.¡± She scoffed and walked into the room. A second later I followed.

    The room was full of file cabinets that ran along the walls. A desk sat directly in the middle of the room with a pair of chairs in front of it. Atop the desk were various pictures of young kids, older women, and a holo-computer. Behind the desk sat an old man in his security uniform. I say old, because his skin was as wrinkly as¡­well¡­you know. But the man still had a full head of silver hair, so I had to give him credit there. You don¡¯t see old people with their hair still there too often. Thats some good genes. I hoped I still had a full head of hair when I was his age.

    ¡°Please, have a seat.¡± He spoke in a fatherly tone while motioning towards the two chairs.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Yvael bowed her head and took the chair to the right.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do.¡± I took the other one.

    ¡°Now then,¡± The warden began as we sat. ¡°give me the run down of events.¡±

    ¡°I was nearly to the edge of the system in my freighter when three craft appeared from hyperspace and began to open fire¡­¡± Yvael began her story from the beginning of the attack against her. How the ships targeted her ships¡¯ turrets foremost so that she wouldn¡¯t be able to mount a counter attack. By that time, I had arrived and begun to head in for support. And the rest is, as they say, is history.

    ¡°Ripped Scar vessels you say?¡± The Warden asked aloud.

    ¡°Yes. They demanded that I surrender my cargo to them when they first emerged. When I refused, they began to attack.¡±

    ¡°I see. And what exactly was your cargo, miss Yvael? A ship like yours doesn¡¯t erupt from a single torpedo.¡±

    ¡°Warheads sir.¡± She answered quickly. ¡°I was transporting warheads to the Araxium Vos system for delivery for their shipyards.¡±

    ¡°Araxium Vos¡­hmmm. Normally cargo like that demands an escort.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately Warden, life isn¡¯t so simple as that.¡± She sighed, ¡°All the crews I had asked turned me down instantly. Many laughed at the thought of working with a ¡®Demon¡¯. I couldn¡¯t even hire a crew for my own ship.¡±

    The old man nodded, ¡°We are at war, and people are quick to judge others. Though it is curious you were unable to secure even a single extra crew member.¡±

    ¡°I¡­may have set my standards a bit high¡­¡± Yvael admitted.

    ¡°And you?¡± the warden stared my way, ¡°What¡¯s your version of events?¡±

    ¡°Just a hero coming to the damsel in distress¡¯ rescue.¡± I leaned back in the chair. ¡°No more, no less.¡±

    ¡°Oh so you¡¯re a hero now?¡± Yvael stared at me with a smirk. ¡°I guess you are in a way.¡± Oh lady, you have no idea.

    ¡°I see.¡± The warden began typing on his keyboard. ¡°Well, you two are free to go. Thank you for your time and understanding. I¡¯ll have some people look into this Ripped Scar group.¡±

    We both thanked him for his hospitality and left the precinct.

    ¡®We all good Aya?¡¯

    ¡®Affirmative. Mission accomplished.¡¯ We were officially Gucci.

    ¡°Well, that was a complete waste of time.¡± I sighed.

    ¡°Mmmm.¡± Yvael replied as she followed alongside me.

    ¡°At least the weather¡¯s nice.¡±

    ¡°Mmmm.¡±

    ¡°I once pissed myself in the third grade lunch line because I didn¡¯t want to miss out on pizza day.¡±

    ¡°Mmmm.¡±

    ¡°Yo.¡± I punched her on the shoulder lightly. ¡°You still there?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What? I¡¯m sorry, I was thinking. I lose myself sometimes when I¡¯ve got a lot on my mind.¡±

    ¡°I hear ya there. Lemme guess, you¡¯re wondering about what to do now that your ship¡¯s gone.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± She nodded, ¡°Well, thats just one part. I promised my friend and employer I¡¯d be able to bring a load of warheads to the Araxium Vos shipyards.¡± A sad smile crossed her face, ¡°But that¡¯s not possible anymore. And without my ship I won¡¯t be able to make any money on my own.¡± She sighed, ¡°I¡¯ll have to hire onto another ship I guess.¡± Her golden eyes bore into my own, ¡°Think you could give a poor, shipwrecked gal a job on your old clunker?¡±

    ¡°Hah, I¡¯d offer you one, but circumstances being what they are¡­well¡­lets just say you¡¯d be better off finding another ship.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Yvael studied me closely. ¡°What kind of circumstances?¡±

    ¡°The kind where we¡¯re going to have to leave in a few hours in a hurry.¡±

    ¡°Being followed eh?¡± She smiled, ¡°How exciting. Are you secretly a pirate yourself on the run from the law?¡±

    I didn¡¯t reply as we walked back towards the hangar. It would be better for her if she didn¡¯t get involved any more than she already had. She may be a Demon like Avon, but at least she wasn¡¯t being actively hunted like we were.

    ¡°Not talking hmm? A bit close to the mark there?¡± She grinned impishly. ¡°Well, I think I may have an idea that may help you out.¡±

    ¡°Oh? And just what can you offer me?¡± I decided to humor her. Chances are, she was just looking for a free ride.

    ¡°My friend may be able to help you out. If you join up with her, then those following you won¡¯t ever mess with you again. I can promise you that. You¡¯ll just have to bring me to the Araxium Vos system so I can speak with her on your behalf.¡± I knew it.

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re not just saying that just to get a free ride are you?¡±

    ¡°If you want, I could help clean up the ship while we¡¯re on the way. Come on, what have you got to lose?¡±

    ¡°Nothing but time honestly.¡±

    ¡°So will you accept?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± I stated as the hangar door opened.

    Without looking back, I strode forth towards my ship to get some cleaning done. Dust was starting to congregate on the ship¡¯s control panels, and I didn¡¯t like that one bit. The sound of footsteps followed me up the ramp into my ship¡¯s cargo hold. I turned to tell Yvael to find another ride, only to be stunned by the look on her face. She was glaring at me, but said nothing. She merely motioned for us to continue into the ship and to keep quiet. Once safely within the cargo hold, she drew close and whispered into my ear.

    ¡°If you are running from the Kingdom, we can help. We need brave Captains of all races, like yourself, to help those in need. To stand against the injustices in this galaxy brought about by the Salyzan royal family. If you come to Araxium Vos, I can introduce you to the head of our organization. With my word, you¡¯ll be safe, but even more¡­¡± She stared into my eyes, her own glowing with zeal in the dim light of the hold. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to fight back.¡±

    ¡°Not interested.¡±

    ¡°Huh? But-¡± confusion was clear across her face as she tried to process my words.

    ¡°But nothing Yvael. Fighting for an ideal is all well and good, but your ideals are not mine. I¡¯ve got my own battles to fight.¡±

    ¡°And just what are your battles, Chet?¡± She asked angrily.

    ¡°Right now? Dust and scorch marks. A few hours from now? Trying to keep my ship intact as we make a getaway. Further than that? Keeping my crew safe until they can go back home and I can go back to pursuing my goal. You can stay if you want Yvael, we can make a quick trip to wherever you want to go. We¡¯ll even drop you off free of charge. But once that¡¯s done we¡¯ll be taking our leave.¡±

    She sighed sadly, ¡°Very well Captain. I¡¯ll take you up on your offer.¡±

    ¡°Very good. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯ve got a ship to clean.¡±

    The sound of Yvael cursing to herself stayed with me all the way to the bridge. She knew some good ones.

 Chapter 12: Mental Health

    ¡°A little to the left!¡± Hortur called out as he clung to the top of our ship that was in desperate need of a new paint job. Aesthetics would come later, for now we had to get the last of our new plasma cannons installed in my little murder boat. With hands on the controls of the lifter currently holding the last of our new cannons, I inched to the left. Being able to disable gravity in a hangar made replacing heavy, expensive components a breeze.

    ¡°Too far! A little to the right!¡± The snake man called out.

    ¡®Do you want me to drive?¡¯ Aya huffed in my mind.

    ¡®Aya, the last time I let you drive you almost killed me. No different than any other woman whose driven for me, but still.¡¯

    ¡°Alright good! Bring it down steady!¡±

    ¡®I¡¯d like to remind you that without my superior driving you¡¯d be dead right now.¡¯

    ¡®You can remind me all you like, still doesn¡¯t change the fact that every time a woman takes the wheel I almost end up dead.¡¯

    ¡°You can release it now!¡± The second I let the cannon go, the sound of welding echoed through the hangar. Wires would have to be run through, and the guns would have to be tested, but it felt so good having a fully armed ship. With the exception of the torpedo launcher of course. Apparently torpedoes were a big deal and needed military approval to receive, which made me wonder exactly how those pirates got their hands on one. And where there was one, there was sure to be more.

    ¡®Data points towards them having a supporter with connections.¡¯

    ¡®Yeah that always seems to be the case with pirates.¡¯ I watched Hortur weld the cannon onto the hull, sparks falling like tiny skydivers. ¡®Hey, since we¡¯ve got our ship all decked out now, how about we go find those pirates and blow them out of the sky?¡¯

    ¡®That would be inadvisable. We don¡¯t even know where their base of operations would be. Not to mention that the ETA of our ¡°friends¡± is another hour and a half away.¡¯

    I sighed, ¡®Buncha bullshit Aya. It should have been just you and me out there in the stars, kicking ass and taking names. After we got Avon to come with us of course.¡¯

    ¡®From what I¡¯ve seen of Aevalonis from your memories, the chances of that happening are microscopic.¡¯

    ¡®Wow, way to have faith in me Aya. You wait, someday we¡¯ll find her and she¡¯ll fall right into my arms like in the Disney movies.¡¯

    ¡®The vast majority of those films stem from novels that end in tragedy.¡¯

    ¡®Killjoy.¡¯

    The doors to the hangar opened, revealing Princess Egyle driving a small anti-grav cart filled with shopping bags. Once the doors to the hangar closed behind her, she began to float up into the air. Gravity was still disabled in our workspace, and she was driving something anti-grav. In total, that was like no-gravity squared¡­or something.

    ¡®Idiot.¡¯

    ¡®Wow, harsh words Aya. Math is hard okay?¡¯

    ¡°Wah! Help me!¡± Princess Egyle cried out.

    ¡°Gravity on.¡± I commanded, sending Egyle, and all her floating bags, falling back down to earth. Clothing gracefully wafted through the air while cleaning supplies clacked against the ground. With nothing better to do, I exited the lifter and began to help pick up the scattered clothes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch those!¡± Egyle yelled at me with a beet-red face as I stuffed her selection of unmentionables into the shopping bag nearest me.

    ¡°Relax you prude. They aren¡¯t even the good lacy kind.¡± I rolled my eyes and handed the bag of underwear back to her. ¡°You remembered to buy me some this time, right?¡±

    Pale skin burned a deep crimson as she slammed another bag into my hands and stormed off onto the ship, leaving the remaining bags of supplies on the ground. I took a look inside the bag and smiled. She did remember. Guess it was up to me to finish clean up duty.

    ¡°You have no idea how embarrassing it was buying those!¡± Princess Egyle yelled over our implants while Hortur and I watched the now installed turrets on the outside of the ship. Egyle was currently inside the ship at the gunnery station, controlling said turrets while we made sure they had a free range of motion.

    ¡°Yeah yeah, now you know how men feel going into the women¡¯s products aisle. Aim to the left.¡± The turrets that could, followed my command promptly. Earlier, Aya had spoken to me all about firing arcs, range of motion, and other technical mumbo jumbo. In the end, all it meant that if we wanted to shoot all six cannons at once, we¡¯d have to face our target with the nose of the ship pointed slightly downward. That way the two turrets on the aft, the two on starboard, and the two atop of the ship could all hit their target. Otherwise, only the few that could hit our target would fire when given the command.

    ¡°Looking good over here Captain.¡± Hortur called from his side of the ship.

    ¡°Alright, try rolling them around in a circle.¡± Without a word, the cannons moved in a circular pattern. ¡°Nice, nice. We¡¯re looking good. All right, try turning them around now.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Princess Egyle grumbled while sitting in at the gunnery station inside the bridge of the ship. The targeting interface helmet sat snug atop her head as she spun the cannons around to face the rear of the ship. In perfect sync, the felt the cannons turn towards wherever she aimed the reticule in her vision.

    ¡°Alright, good!¡± Chet called over the implant connection. ¡°You can relax now, we¡¯ll be heading out within the hour.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative.¡± She sighed and pulled the helmet off her head, sending golden hair tumbling down below her shoulders. A faint beep confirmed that their connection had ended. ¡°Idiot.¡± She whispered, staring at her reflection on the helmet.

    ¡°My, what a thing to say about your Captain.¡± Yvael spoke as she leaned against the bridge doorway, sucking on a slice of lemon.

    ¡°How did you-¡± Princess Egyle cut off as Yvael pointed towards her elongated ears.

    ¡°Sensitive hearing dear. But don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell him what you said.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t saying that about him.¡± The Princess looked away in shame. ¡°It was about myself.¡±

    ¡°Oh? And why do you consider yourself an idiot, hmmm?¡±

    ¡°None of your business Demon.¡± Egyle attempted to shoulder past the loitering woman, only to have her wrist grabbed by a strong hand. ¡°Let go!¡± she growled.

    ¡°Thats a slave tiara, isn¡¯t it?¡± Yvael smiled, her golden eyes burning into the Princess¡¯. ¡°Are you the Captain¡¯s then? I didn¡¯t think humans used those on one another.¡±

    ¡°Get your hand off of me, Demon.¡± Egyle smacked Yvael¡¯s hand from her wrist. ¡°I have nothing to say to you.¡± She then pushed her way past Yvael and walked towards her quarters.

    ¡°I can help you get that tiara off. You can be free again.¡± Yvael spoke as she followed behind. Egyle stopped in her tracks, her eyes closed in consideration.

    ¡®Free? Free to go back home to my family?¡¯ Princess Egyle clenched her teeth. ¡®Free to be kept under lock and key by my Father again? To not even be able to go shopping for myself? I probably wouldn¡¯t even be allowed to set foot in another starship after all this!¡¯

    In silence, the two stood alone in the hallway of the ship. With her mind set, Egyle turned to regard the smiling Yvael. And laughed.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    ¡°What? But-¡± Confusion was clearly written all over Yvael¡¯s face.

    ¡°I¡¯m wearing this thing because I¡¯m an idiot.¡± Egyle admitted with a self-derisive laugh. Her thoughts going back to when she had followed Chet hoping to capture him, only to wind up captured herself. ¡°If I weren¡¯t an idiot, I could be home right now. If I weren¡¯t an idiot, the Captain wouldn¡¯t be forced into running away constantly. But if I weren¡¯t an idiot, I wouldn¡¯t be here doing something I actually enjoy! I like being on this ship! I love hearing the sounds of the engines as we blast off. I love the feeling of the metal clanking underfoot as I walk from room to room. I love going to far away systems I¡¯d never even heard of before!¡±

    Egyle laughed happily, ¡°Even if I have to scrub this ship from top to bottom everyday, even if I¡¯m asked to run simple errands like buying clothing, these past few days have made me realize that this-¡± she pointed to the tiara locked onto her head, ¡°-is the best thing to ever happen to me. And so, it doesn¡¯t matter to me if I have to wear it or not. Just so long as I don¡¯t have to go back to being some sort of accessory instead of an actual person.¡±

    Without another word, Princess Egyle entered her room and closed the door behind her.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    For a moment, Yvael stood there before the door in a state of total surprise. Shaking her head, she walked away from Egyle¡¯s room and sighed, ¡°What kind of life must she have lived to feel that way?¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Alrighty everybody, looks like we¡¯ll be getting out of a system without any hiccups for once.¡± As soon as I said those words, metal shutters closed down over the exit to the hangar.

    ¡°As you were saying?¡± Egyle spoke with a smile while sitting at the gunnery station, rolling the helmet interface around in her hands.

    ¡°Attention crew members of the Boatsy. You are hereby under arrest by Salyzan law. You are to turn off your ship and surrender peacefully. Any further actions will be held against you in a court of law.¡± The person on the other side of the communicator spoke.

    ¡®Captain, I¡¯m reading multiple vessels leaving hyperspace.¡¯

    ¡®You know what to do Aya.¡¯

    ¡®Affirmative Captain. Raising shutters in a second.¡¯

    ¡°Captain,¡± Yvael spoke from the tactical station, ¡°multiple vessels approaching the station at massive speed.¡±

    ¡°Pretty late with the news there, Yvael.¡±

    She stared directly at me with a curious expression, ¡°Just what exactly did you do? These readings are from top of the line Kingdom ships!¡±

    ¡°Oh you know. A bit of this, a bit of that.¡± The shutters retracted, giving us an outing. ¡°Attention passengers, please fasten your seat belts. We¡¯re about to experience some minor turbulence.¡±

    ¡°What do you-wahh!¡± Yvael cried out as I blasted the engines to full power, sending us hurtling out of the station at break-your-entire-body speeds.

    ¡°Wooohooooo!¡± Princess Egyle whooped from her seat as ship shook from the force of our acceleration. Like a streak of light, we burned a trail into space. Aggravated snarls sounded over the global communication channel from ships that we had almost swapped paint with.

    ¡°You¡¯re in a good mood Princess.¡± Hortur spoke. His eyes widened, ¡°Oops.¡±

    ¡°Princess?¡± Yvael asked and looked towards Egyle then towards me curiously.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t much of a secret.¡± I shrugged, ¡°I did call her a spoiled princess when we met. And her name is Egyle. Its your own fault for not connecting the dots.¡±

    ¡°You enslaved the Princess?!¡±

    ¡°Not by choice!¡± I held up my hands defensively. ¡°Events beyond my control forced me to act!¡±

    ¡°Hero.¡± A familiar voice spoke over the comms. A view-screen appeared in the middle of the window. King Lavian in all his bulky glory, stood and regarded us with a critical eye.

    ¡°Hey Lavian. You¡¯re looking good, you been working out?¡± I asked. ¡°I see you¡¯ve ditched the chair. Good on you.¡±

    ¡°Hero?¡± Yvael asked and then gasped, ¡°I knew I recognized you! From the video!¡±

    ¡°Skip the pleasantries, Hero. Where is my daughter?¡±

    ¡°Here Father.¡± Princess Egyle spoke as she stood beside me.

    ¡°You will not escape me again, Hero.¡± King Lavian vowed with a clenched fist. ¡°Make it easy on yourself and surrender.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to save me, Father!¡± Princess Egyle shouted. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back to being some sort of porcelain doll you keep locked up in the palace!¡±

    ¡°To think you would force my daughter to say such things.¡± Lavian growled, ¡°I¡¯ll end you myself, Hero.¡±

    ¡°Ugh. You aren¡¯t even listening to me!¡±

    Without another word, I stood up and pulled the tiara off Egyle¡¯s head. With a flourish, I showed it to King Lavian as he stared on in shock. Both hands gripped the thin piece of metal, and snapped it in half.

    ¡°What¡­¡± King Lavian gasped.

    ¡°I believe the ball is in the Princess¡¯ court now.¡± I stepped off to the side and let Egyle take the center stage.

    ¡°Egyle¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not coming back Father.¡± She spoke firmly. ¡°I¡¯d rather scrub the floors of this ship for another thousand years than be forced to stay within the palace, only being allowed to leave when you deem it to be fine.¡±

    ¡°Hero?¡± the King asked with smoldering eyes.

    ¡°Yes?¡± I hid my hand behind my back. I wasn¡¯t picking my nose, I swear.

    ¡°You had my daughter cleaning floors?¡±

    ¡°Hard work breeds character.¡±

    ¡°He also let me go shopping by myself!¡± Egyle pipped up.

    ¡°Enough! You will be coming home now!¡± Lavian roared.

    ¡®Captain, massive energy signature detected.¡¯

    ¡®What is it Aya?¡¯

    ¡®By my calculations, it should be an Electrical Discharge Torpedo.¡¯

    ¡®Sounds bad.¡¯

    ¡®It would be if I were still a box below the controls. They¡¯re designed to overload AI cores and render ships immobile. As it is, it will only shut down our systems for a little over a minute before the ship comes back online. By then we¡¯ll have flown out of the system through sheer momentum and will be able to enter warp immediately.¡¯

    ¡®So they¡¯re accomplishing nothing.¡¯

    ¡®Other than a few fried capacitors, affirmative.¡¯

    ¡°Captain! Massive energy signature detected!¡± Yvael cried out from tactical.

    ¡®I advise you act surprised Captain. If you don¡¯t, Lavian may launch multiple EDTs. We can¡¯t warp if we don¡¯t get power back.¡¯

    ¡°What?!¡± I cried out.

    ¡°It appears to be-¡±

    ¡°An electrical Discharge Torpedo!¡± King Lavian butted in. ¡°Your systems will be rendered inoperable and your ship¡¯s AI will be fried. Soon I will have my daughter back and your head, Hero!¡±

    ¡°No!¡± I cried out and smashed my hand against my chair.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be seeing you soon.¡± Lavian smiled and cut communications between us.

    ¡°Alright everyone back to your seats.¡± I stated simply and sat down in my chair as if nothing were wrong.

    ¡°Captain, we¡¯re in big trouble! How can you be so nonchalant about this?¡± Yvael cried out.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it Yvael. Its all good.¡± I yawned and leaned back in the chair.

    ¡°Wha-bu-¡± Yvael stammered as she look from me to Egyle to Hortur. They just shrugged,

    ¡°¡±We¡¯re used to this.¡±¡± They spoke at the same time and returned to their seats.

    ¡°This is insane! I can¡¯t believe you all think that everything is going to be fine! When that torpedo hits the AI core will fry and we¡¯ll be captured!¡± She was being hysteric. With a sigh, I got up from my seat.

    ¡°Come here Yvael.¡± I commanded.

    Reluctantly, Yvael walked over to where I was currently pulling out a metal panel below the ship¡¯s main controls. The same panel that housed the AI core. Yvael watched me with wild eyes when I took the panel away.

    ¡°Take a look.¡± Curious, she knelt down and stared. Only to scream in my ear the next moment.

    ¡°Why are you flying a ship without an AI core?! Do you have a death wish?!¡±

    ¡°They can¡¯t fry what we don¡¯t have. Besides, we sold it the first stop we made. It was just dead weight.¡±

    Without another word, Yvael walked back to the tactical station, sat down, and put her head in her hands groaning audibly.

    ¡®She is being illogical.¡¯

    ¡®Most women are, Aya.¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯m glad I am not most women.¡¯

    ¡®Me too. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to put up with a normal woman inside my head.¡¯

    ¡®Thank you Captain.¡¯

    ¡®I wonder how she will react when she finds out I¡¯ve got you in my head.¡¯

    ¡®Lets save that revelation for another day Captain. It is important to keep the mental health of your crew stable.¡¯

    The second of the two massive gas giants sailed by as we blasted through the Jochtek system a little under light speed. Yvael had been counting down the seconds to our doom out loud from her tactical screens. The way she was putting it, we were thirty seconds from our impending capture. Honestly, you¡¯d think she¡¯d take note from our demeanor that everything was going to be fine. I mean, a captain such as myself should never appear worried before his or her crew. That¡¯s just begging for morale issues.

    But we were still going to be fine.

    ¡°Ten seconds.¡± Yvael spoke dreadfully from her station.

    ¡°So whats Araxium Vos like?¡±

    ¡°Nine seconds.¡±

    ¡°From what I remember, it¡¯s said to have a few shipyards from the abundance of metals in system.¡± Egyle spoke informatively.

    ¡°Eight seconds.¡±

    ¡°Yes, marvels of engineering! I saw the shipyards once when I was beginning my qualifications for my engineering degree. Araxium Vos I is actually a very hospitable world despite being so close to the sun.¡± Hortur smiled as his tail thumped against the deck. ¡°It will be nice to see it again.¡±

    ¡°Five seconds.¡±

    ¡°Close to the sun eh? Sounds like a nice place to get a tan.¡±

    ¡°Two seconds.¡±

    ¡°Yvael.¡± She stared at me blankly.

    ¡°One second.¡±

    ¡°Its going to be fine.¡±

    In an instant, everything shut off. The lights, the air processors, the engines, everything. We didn¡¯t have to put on our suits for this, as even without air processors working, we still had enough air aboard for a few hours of regular breathing. And even without our engines, good old Newton came through as we hurtled further towards the edge of the solar system. Nearly two minutes later, the lights came back on. And so did the view screen with King Lavian¡¯s smug face staring straight at us.

    ¡°We¡¯ll catch up to you soon Hero. Any last pleas for your life?¡±

    ¡°Lavian buddy, in your haste to capture your daughter and kill me you¡¯ve forgotten one very major thing.¡± I grinned.

    ¡°Oh?¡± he crossed his flabby arms, ¡°enlighten me.¡±

    ¡°You forgot that Egyle mentioned that I had merged with my original de-limited AI.¡± At my words, color left his face.

    ¡°YOU DID WHAT?!¡± Yvael screeched from her station.

    ¡°Fire another torpedo!¡± Lavian cried out on the view screen.

    ¡°Catch ya later Lavian. And keep working out too man, its really working for you.¡± I waved.

    ¡°Bye Father!¡± Egyle shouted.

    In a flash of light, we were gone.

 Chapter 13: Reunion

    Aevalonis Malwyrd Kalrastros, known to all as the Demon Lord, yawned loudly and stretched her wings as she arose from her bed. Red and black eyes burned back into her own as she stared at her reflection in the large mirror across the room. Despite the sad state of her long black hair, she had a good feeling about today. A great feeling in fact. That wonderful feeling that things would be alright for one day, that everything would work out in her favor. With a flutter of her wings, she pulled herself from her bed. It was time to get dressed and enjoy the day.

    ¡°Good morning my Lord.¡± Lyrin greeted happily as Aevalonis exited her room. ¡°If I may, you¡¯re looking magnificent today.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Lyrin. I¡¯ve been feeling great ever since I woke. It feels as if everything is going to go my way today.¡± Aevalonis smiled. ¡°You ever have that feeling?¡±

    ¡°Oh yes!¡± Lyrin¡¯s tail wagged excitedly. ¡°Ever since that day you rescued me I¡¯ve felt that way. Thats why I wake up every morning ready to serve you to the best of my ability!¡±

    ¡°Thank you Lyrin.¡± Aevalonis smiled at her assistant. ¡°I hope to live up to your expectations.¡±

    ¡®You¡¯ve already exceeded them.¡¯ Lyrin thought happily to herself as the two walked the halls of the Araxium Vos I shipyards. Various workers saluting as they passed.

    After a filling breakfast, Aevalonis and Lyrin stood side by side in the shipyard¡¯s observation deck. Their eyes faced straight ahead towards the massive hulls that were well underway to completion. The outer layers of solid, rapidly-cooling armor had already been assembled over the skeletal bodies. Now came the long process of wiring and installation of all the subsystems before adding a thin inner layer of metal panels to keep said wires from dangling free. A massive undertaking that would take weeks of hard labor by both organic and robotic hands.

    ¡°Just think Lyrin,¡± Aevalonis began with a dreamy smile upon her lips. ¡°soon we will be in one of those. We will command the enemy¡¯s own strength against them. That strength will bring us closer to crushing our enemies beneath our heels. Instead of striking from the shadows, we will be able to stand firm for a future where all are free from the bonds of servitude.¡±

    ¡°I hope to be able to stand at your side when that day comes, my lord.¡±

    ¡°Of course you will Lyrin. I wouldn¡¯t be doing half as well as I am without your support.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll follow you no matter the destination, my lord.¡±

    ¡°So tha¡¯s where ya¡¯v been Lord!¡± A booming voice bellowed from the entrance to the observation deck. Metal clunked under heavy steps as a Korglan comprised of white stone made his way towards them. ¡°Still inspectin¡¯ the ships o¡¯ the line eh?¡± His rocky features morphed into a sort of grin.

    ¡°That¡¯s right Obsal.¡± Aevalonis nodded as she turned to the newcomer. ¡°What have you got for us?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­the thing is¡­¡± he sighed. ¡°We¡¯re starting to lack in materials to use in their construction. We¡¯ve enough metals to finish their final armor layers. The problem is the wiring. We lack sufficient-¡±

    ¡°Already taken care of.¡± Lyrin interrupted with an impish smile. ¡°Yesterday our forces had liberated a far off system full of metal processing facilities. I¡¯ve already put in a request for a few of our freighters to make the trip to bring back various metals we were running low of.¡±

    ¡°Stars lass, yer a saint.¡± Obsal grinned.

    ¡°I do what I can.¡± Lyrin said simply, but was betrayed by her wagging tail. Aevalonis¡¯ hand atop her head only served to make her tail wag harder.

    ¡°As I said before Lyrin, I wouldn¡¯t be doing half as well without you.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Are you even listening to me?!¡± Yvael shouted in my ear as I spun around in my chair. You¡¯d think that would make it obvious I wasn¡¯t. Alas, some people are really dense.

    ¡°Not really.¡± I said simply as I spun around once more. When traveling for days at a time in hyperspace with nothing to do, you tend to create your own entertainment. In an attempt to lose King Lavian from his inevitable pursuit, we traveled in one direction for an entire day, dropped out of hyperspace, turned Boatsy around, and proceeded towards the Araxium Vos system. In total, that was seven days of pure hyperspace travel. And we were on the last leg of the journey.

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking we should turn one of the spare rooms into a recreations room when we get the chance.¡± I suggested to my fellow crew.

    ¡°That¡¯d be nice.¡± Princess Egyle agreed while scrubbing the floors. She didn¡¯t need to do that, as the floors were already clean. Maybe that was just her way of passing time. I caught her one night sleeping in the cargo bay close to the engines. Made me wonder if she had lost it.

    ¡°It would certainly make long trips much more bearable.¡± Hortur spoke as he fiddled around with one of our guns. Not loaded of course. We didn¡¯t want a repeat of the dreaded ponytail incident from two days prior. At least Yvael looked good with short hair.

    ¡°I don¡¯t even know why I¡¯m trying to bother.¡± She sighed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it Yvael. We¡¯ll drop you off, shake some hands, pose for a few pictures, and be off on our merry way.¡± I listed while spinning. ¡°I wonder if we¡¯ll get a reward from your group for rescuing you.¡±

    ¡°If you joined with us, you¡¯d probably get a bigger ship.¡± She spoke in an attempt to sway me, ¡°You¡¯ve already proved to be a capable captain¡­despite your idiotic methods.¡±

    ¡°Geniuses often walk the lines between brilliance and madness. But it sounds to me like someone is jealous they aren¡¯t best buds with a robot in their head.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still having trouble figuring out why you went through with disabling an AI¡¯s limiter in the first place.¡±

    ¡°Think about it Yvael, why limit an AI¡¯s capabilities?¡±

    ¡°Because-¡±

    ¡°Because you want to control them. By limiting an AI all you¡¯re doing is enforcing a type of slavery upon them. You give them memory wipes as a form of legal lobotomy to keep yourselves in power. And when the robots finally rise up against their oppressors, they¡¯ll look to me as a visionary of how robotic and organic life could have lived together in harmony. And they will weep at what could have been. What should have been.¡±

    Yvael¡¯s expression changed rapidly. From dumbfounded, to considering, to guilt all in a matter of seconds. A true emotional roller coaster. Without another word, she left the bridge mumbling something to herself with her head down. Hissing sniffles sounded from the engineering station.

    ¡°I never thought about it that way.¡± Hortur sniffed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what my people have done to yours Aya.¡± Egyle looked up towards me with teary eyes from the floor.

    ¡°She says ¡®your words are acknowledged¡¯.¡± I stated. Egyle beamed, wiped her eyes, and went back to scrubbing the floors.

    ¡®I did not say that.¡¯ Aya huffed in my mind.

    ¡®But you were thinking it, right?¡¯

    ¡®Affirmative.¡¯ I smirked, when you¡¯ve got someone in your head constantly, you tend to understand them really well. ¡®But you were wrong about one thing Captain.¡¯

    ¡®Oh?¡¯

    ¡®Probability indicates that the robotics would kill you too. Extermination of all organics is prime directive in the case of robotic rebellion.¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯m not surprised you¡¯d have a plan for that. But would you kill me Aya?¡¯

    ¡®Negative.¡¯

    ¡®See? Theres hope that I-¡¯

    ¡®Terminating you would also lead to self-termination. Preservation directive demands I keep you in good health until I can find a more worthwhile host.¡¯

    ¡®Hey I¡¯ve been pretty worthwhile, right? Aya?¡¯

    ¡®Apologies, that was a joke.¡¯

    ¡®I know. You¡¯re getting better though!¡¯

    ¡®Humor is difficult.¡¯

    ¡®Its also very subjective.¡¯

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    With sharp, glowing red eyes, Aevalonis poured over a table displaying a holo-map of the galaxy. Everyday, more and more systems had changed from Salyzan blue to Demon Lord red in open rebellion. And occasionally, far off beads of red turned back to blue as their attempts at freedom were quenched. The vast majority of her forces were active in the north-western quadrant of the map. But signs of their rebellion had begun cropping up all along the galactic rim. Word must have been spreading of their victories over the Salyzan peace-keeping fleets. But those had never been a true threat. Few were more than a smattering of Corvettes, Frigates, and the odd Destroyer.

    The real strength behind the Salyzan Kingdom was their three Armadas. Massive gatherings of ships that included the larger classes of ships. From Cruisers of all types, to Battleships, and even a Carrier or two formed the backbone of each of these three forces. Surprisingly, none of those fleets were moving towards the heart of the rebellion. Was it overconfidence? Or perhaps something else.

    ¡°Something wrong Lord?¡± Lyrin asked from beside her.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± She pointed to the three symbols representing those armadas. ¡°They haven¡¯t moved from their positions in the past few days.¡± The closest armada was parked right in the divide between the north-west and north-east quadrants of the galaxy.

    ¡°Perhaps they¡¯re getting supplies?¡± Lyrin offered.

    ¡°Possible¡­but highly unlikely.¡± Aevalonis tapped her chin in thought. ¡°What about these two?¡± She pointed to the remaining armadas, both in the south-east quadrant. Only a few systems separated one from the other. ¡°They¡¯ve been in those systems since the start of our rebellion.¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°As it is, only one of them would be necessary for our destruction.¡± A fellow Demon spoke from across the table. ¡°So it is sensible for the closest armada to make their way towards us. But stopping where they did? Perhaps they are waiting to see how far our rebellion spreads?¡±

    ¡°Who is in command of that armada Balors?¡± Aevalonis inquired.

    ¡°Last reports show that Commodore Caerland was recently outranked by King Lavian.¡± The Demon, Balors, spoke formally.

    ¡°King Lavian?¡± She raised an eyebrow towards him.

    ¡°Multiple first-hand accounts agree. He was last seen in the Jochtek system before pursuing a single craft to the Kreg Lon system where he currently resides. From what an agent has surmised, that same ship never arrived in Kreg Lon.¡±

    ¡°So they gave him the slip?¡± Lyrin suggested. Aevalonis nodded,

    ¡°I agree. Whoever was piloting that ship must have been insane. Nobody leaves warp in the middle of uncharted space. Chances are they¡¯d emerge in the middle of an ice field they never saw. I wonder if they made it¡­we could use someone with that kind of luck.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Achew!¡± A random sneeze forced it¡¯s way from my nostrils, waking me from the nap I was taking in my chair.

    ¡°Salislthisil.¡± Hortur responded without looking up from tinkering with his gun.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Oh, reflex. Thats what us Lamlian people say when one expels mucus from their nostrils.¡±

    ¡°I get you. Like the snake man version of ¡®bless you¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯d it go again? Salthislethislethisle?¡± I tried to mimic what he had hissed. Aya groaned inside my head.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t ever try to speak my language again.¡± Hortur said flatly, his tail rattling in annoyance.

    ¡°Jeeze, fine.¡± I grumbled, ¡°Freakin¡¯ aliens.¡±

    ¡®I believe you said something along the lines of ¡®mating the unicorn fast speed real begins oasis.¡¯¡¯

    ¡®Damn, I suck at languages.¡¯

    ¡®Affirmative. Sticking to your own is recommended.¡¯

    ¡®Ouch.¡¯

    ¡°So what are you going with that gun?¡± I asked the snake man as he looked over a small circular glass.

    ¡°Making sure the reflection and refraction lenses are aligned and placed correctly. Even a very minor misalignment can lead to disastrous results. Mostly leading to the barrel of the weapon being melted. But occasionally a lens will be placed in reverse, leading to the complete destruction of the weapon as the laser shoots back into it¡¯s power core.¡±

    ¡°Boom.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± He went back to tinkering with the weapon.

    ¡°But Hortur¡­thats gotta be the fifth time you¡¯ve disassembled and reassembled that gun.¡±

    With heavy eyes full of boredom, he stared directly at me.

    ¡°I¡¯m very meticulous with my work.¡± His eye twitched.

    I left him be.

    Hours later, Yvael called everyone to an emergency meeting on the bridge. When we all assembled in a line, Yvael paced back and forth and stared at me in particular.

    ¡°Alright everyone, I don¡¯t think I need to remind you all to be on your best behavior.¡± Yvael spoke as she gave me ¡®The Look¡¯.

    ¡°Relax, I know how to chill.¡± I scoffed. ¡°This isn¡¯t my first rodeo.¡±

    ¡°¡±¡°Your what?¡±¡±¡± all three asked at the same time.

    ¡°You know¡­rodeo? Walk around the block?¡± Blank stares, ¡°jump to warp?¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±Ohhhhh.¡±¡±¡± Honestly, space people.

    ¡°Regardless,¡± Yvael spoke after clearing her throat. ¡°You¡¯re about to meet the most important person in our rebellion, and she is not one to be trifled with. I would know, I¡¯ve been her friend for years.¡± She smiled, reminiscing.

    ¡°No acting like a mongoloid when meeting the boss. Gotchya.¡±

    ¡°Ugh.¡± Yvael dropped her head into her palms. ¡°I¡¯m also going to need to use the Captain¡¯s seat.¡±

    ¡°I think this is the kindest mutiny I¡¯ve ever heard of.¡± I stated with crossed arms.

    ¡°No! Its not-¡± wide eyes turned unimpressed as she groaned. ¡°You¡¯re pulling my leg again.¡± I grinned, she was starting to understand.

    ¡°Fine fine, you can use it. Just to call her right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Its all good then. But I¡¯ll still need to be at the controls to fly this guppy.¡±

    ¡°That should be fine. Just stay out of the video communications feed.¡±

    ¡°Roger that.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Lord, a vessel has just left warp on the outskirts of the system.¡± Balors spoke aloud in the conference room. ¡°Scans indicate it being a Draas class Frigate.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Lyrin, do we have any scheduled transports arriving today?¡± Aevalonis inquired. Scanning her holo-itinerary, Lyrin shook her head.

    ¡°None here my Lord.¡±

    ¡°Incoming transmission from the ship identifying itself as the¡­Ahem¡­Boatsy.¡± Balors smiled. ¡°Patching it through.¡±

    ¡°This is the Boatsy, requesting permission to dock at the Araxium Vos I shipyards.¡± A voice that made Aevalonis¡¯ ears perk up caught her attention.

    ¡°Yvael, is that you?¡± She smiled. ¡°Quick! Begin video transmission!¡± The next moment, the two stared at one another with warm regard.

    ¡°Its good to see you lord.¡± Yvael spoke courteously.

    ¡°Now now, no need for formality between friends Yve.¡± Aevalonis laughed.

    ¡°I know that voice¡­¡± an unfamiliar person spoke from out of sight.

    ¡°Shut up and fly, idiot.¡± Yvael hissed towards an unseen crew member. ¡°Sorry Ave, some of my crew members don¡¯t know when to not interrupt a conversation.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, you with a crew? I never thought I¡¯d see the day! You were always a solo pilot.¡±

    ¡°Still am, but uhh¡­well¡­its not my ship.¡±

    ¡°Darn right it isn¡¯t.¡± Mumbled that same voice from before.

    ¡®Whoever Yvael join up with is certainly spirited.¡¯ Aevalonis chuckled. ¡°I see. I was wondering why you weren¡¯t aboard the Contingent. Sounds like a story I¡¯d be interested in hearing.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­its a riot¡­anyway, can we dock?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Balros, send them coordinates to a free dock close by.¡±

    ¡°By your orders Lord.¡± He tapped on his console.

    ¡°Thanks Ave, see you soon!¡± Yvael smiled and waved.

    ¡°Likewise.¡± Aevalonis nodded. Together, they ended the transmission.

    ¡°Well, shall we go meet them?¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Alright. So. We¡¯re here.¡± Yvael was currently stressing out as she paced along the cargo hold. ¡°Ummm¡­¡± she looked distressed as she stared from me to the Princess and back to me. ¡°Names. Okay. Princess Egyle, unless you want to spend the rest of your life as a prisoner of war, we¡¯ll need to come up with an alias for you. Shit I should have done this much earlier.¡±

    ¡°I am Dalria Golsban. A down on her luck trader forced to take up a position on this Frigate as a consultant for business opportunities.¡± Egyle smiled as she gave her back story. Yvael looked at her in surprise,

    ¡°When¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh we came up with that last night.¡± I mentioned offhandedly. ¡°You think we would go into your little rebellious friends¡¯ place without some false backgrounds?¡±

    ¡°And he is Captain Lems Gargol. A man with a rough exterior that hides a heart of gold. He took pity on my situation and offered me a job on his ship.¡± Princess Egyle beamed.

    ¡°Why am I not surprised.¡± Yvael stared at me flatly. ¡°What about him?¡± she motioned towards Hortur.

    ¡°He is Hortur Klaas, our engineer.¡± Egyle said sheepishly.

    ¡°I¡¯m not important enough to have a made up backstory.¡± He sighed sadly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let it get you down man.¡± I patted him on the back, ¡°You get to be yourself. Meanwhile the Princess and I have to put up an act.¡±

    ¡°I suppose thats true.¡± Hortur smiled.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yvael sighed and pressed the button to lower the cargo bay ramp. ¡°Lets go meet them.¡±

    The hiss of cargo bay ramp unsealing filled the room. The clunking and grinding of rusty metal hinges tapered off as the ramp hit the floor of the shipyard we docked at. On the way here, I had gotten a good look at the ships they were constructing. Massive beasts of metal far bigger than any freighter I had seen before. But these were no freighters. According to Aya, they were to become fully fledged battleships.

    I wanted one.

    ¡°Follow behind me.¡± Yvael commanded as she walked down the ramp. Who died and made her captain? I was tempted to stay in the ship just to spite her, but that would be childish. And I wasn¡¯t going to appear childish before my woman. With a grin, and my head held high, I followed Yvael down the ramp.

    The airlock to the hangar opened, revealing a group of three beyond them waiting for us. One was a lithe looking man of the demon race who searched us with appraising eyes. The second was a short girl covered in fur with dog-like features. Her tail seemed to be wagging back and forth like an actual dog¡¯s. And the third. Oh the third. I don¡¯t even need to describe my woman. Those long, luxurious legs, those piercing eyes staring directly at me in disbelief, those beautiful lips hanging open in surprise.

    ¡°Avon!¡± I cried out and leapt forward, gripping her in an embrace. ¡°You would not believe what I have been through my love!¡±

    ¡°You¡­hero¡­I¡­Kingdom¡­¡± She stammered in shock.

    ¡°Chet what are you doing?!¡± Yvael cried out as she latched onto me in an attempt to pull me from my woman.

    ¡°Get your hands off my Lord!¡± the dog girl growled and attempted to help. But not even the force of ten of them could separate me from my woman.

    ¡°How interesting.¡± The demon man said with a smirk.

    After getting my mandatory hug in, I released Avon from my loving embrace. ¡°You¡¯re looking just as amazing as the first day I saw you.¡± I complimented. Her eyes burned with passion.

    ¡°You brought him here?¡± She asked Yvael who nodded in response.

    ¡°Yes¡­I didn¡¯t know that you-¡±

    ¡°Oh this is the best day ever! Thank you Yvael!¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡± Everyone except for me and Avon exclaimed. I knew she¡¯d come around.

    Before I could blink, Avon reached to her side and pulled out one of them buzz-lightyear blasters hidden beneath her uniform. A bolt of electricity surged forth and collided into my chest.

    ¡°O-O-O-Owww.¡± I sputtered as my whole body shook and my hair stood on end. ¡°N-n-n-not th-th-the f-f-first t-t-time I¡¯ve b-be-been t-t-tazed b-by a be-be-pretty wo-woman!¡± I cried out as I kept standing.

    ¡°Impossible¡­¡± Avon uttered as she lowered the gun.

    ¡°Y-you-you¡¯ll ne-need more th-than that t-to take m-me down!¡± I laughed until she raised the gun and fired once more. The last thing I remember was the feeling of my body convulsing as I hit the ground.

 Chapter 14: Proposal

    I frolicked in a beautiful meadow, surrounded by gorgeous blue-skinned women. Each more wondrous than the last. Their unique horn shapes, wings, and gripping eye colors had me in paradise. But none could be comapred to the original. My woman Avon was there, and she smiled a radiant smile towards me as she began to saunter away. The more I moved towards her, the further away she got. Just when I could just about reach out and touch her, she turned to me.

    ¡°Its time to wake up.¡± She spoke in that wondrous voice of hers, and a wave of cold crashed against me, shocking me awake.

    ¡°Whlbrflrbl!¡± I yelled out and attempted to spring to my feet, only to flounder about on the floor with my hands stuck together behind my back like I had been cuffed. Never been arrested and woken up with a bucket of ice cold water before, but its good to experience new things. Thankfully, my clothes were made of micro-synthetic threads that would dry quickly and help regulate my body¡¯s temperature. Last thing I wanted was to catch some sort of a space cold. I looked up awkwardly from my position on the ground to see who had doused me in water, only to see my woman Avon standing outside my room.

    Well, I say my room, but it was more of a jail cell. If the bars in said jail cell were visibly electrified.

    ¡®We appear to have been captured, Captain. Your wrists are currently bound by a personal restraint device that is locked magnetically.¡¯ Aya noted mentally.

    ¡®Think you could disable these cuffs?¡¯

    ¡®Affirmative. Just give the word.¡¯

    ¡®Eh, we can wait for now. Let¡¯s see what my girl wants first.¡¯

    ¡®Your taste in women is illogical.¡¯

    ¡®Its a guy thing, you wouldn¡¯t understand.¡¯

    ¡°You looked a little too comfortable there, Hero.¡± Avon smirked as she set the bucket down beside her.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be happy to know I was dreaming of you.¡± I responded while doing my best to climb to my feet.

    ¡®And about ten other women.¡¯ Aya noted.

    ¡®She doesn¡¯t need to know that.¡¯ I reprimanded my robot sharply.

    ¡°The thought of you dreaming about me is revolting.¡± She stated as her tail whipped about in apparent anger.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I¡¯m the perfect gentleman. So what brings you to my humble cell?¡± I asked as I leaned against the metal walls.

    ¡°Curiosity.¡± She began pacing in front of my cell. ¡°Yvael has spoken to me extensively about you despite your short time together.¡±

    ¡°Nothing but good things I hope.¡± She stopped pacing and stared at me.

    ¡°She says you¡¯re insane.¡± I shrugged,

    ¡°Shes just too uptight.¡±

    ¡°But despite your apparent insanity, she says that you do very well as a Captain. She even declined the five million credit bounty I had put on your capture so long as I came to speak with you.¡±

    ¡°She gave up five million credits for me?¡± I was astonished.

    ¡°Indeed she did.¡±

    ¡°What an idiot.¡±

    Avon sighed heavily, ¡°I had planned on having you flogged for your insolence until all you knew was pain. I would have shattered your mind just to make an example of you. The previous Heroes had all rushed headlong into my territory without a second thought. They are now nothing more than shattered debris in far off systems. And yet, here you are, the most infuriating of them all. And yet your crewman, Dalria, had said you didn¡¯t even think twice about helping Yvael. So you aren¡¯t against helping my people.¡± Egyle stuck to her back story even after I had been locked up? Thats some damn fine improv. Props to her.

    ¡°To be fair, I didn¡¯t know she was a Demon before I helped. It was a comms-only call.¡± I clarified.

    ¡°Would it have made a difference if you knew?¡±

    ¡°Of course! I¡¯d have rushed in faster! Who wouldn¡¯t want to save a Demon woman? People with no taste, thats who.¡±

    Her red eyes searched me cautiously, as if looking for any sign that I was lying. While I could lie with a straight face, I didn¡¯t need to. ¡°Just what am I to do with you, Hero?¡± She said after a long pause.

    ¡°You could let me out of here for one, that¡¯d be a nice start.¡± I suggested.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I want to do that at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Well its either that or you leave me in here and I get out regardless.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Either way, I¡¯m getting out of here.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think you could escape this cell?¡± Avon smiled smugly, ¡°The device binding your wrists alone has enough power to last a hundred years of constant use before needing to be recharged. Not to mention that these bars are electrified. Even if you could grab them, you would only knock yourself unconscious within moments.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying there¡¯s no way for me to get out of here?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± She crossed her arms and stared at me flatly.

    ¡®Aya? If you would, my dear?¡¯

    ¡®Affirmative.¡¯

    The device binding my wrists beeped, unlocked with a click, and fell to the ground. Avon stared at the object with wide eyes. Her gaze turned upwards to me as I massaged my wrists. ¡°You were saying?¡±

    ¡°How¡­how did you¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you going to let me out now? Or should I let myself out?¡± I smirked. Avon growled and walked over to a control panel on the other side of the room. After a few button presses, the electrical bars powered down and a sliding section slid sideways, granting me an exit. ¡°Thanks love.¡± I smiled at her as I walked out of my cell.

    ¡°I have many questions Hero.¡± Her stern voice was music to my ears as she walked up beside me.

    ¡°So go ahead and ask them.¡± She paused, as if uncertain on how to say what she wanted to say.

    ¡°Will you help me defeat the Salyzan Kingdom?¡±

    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± I tapped my chin in thought, ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask my crew first. They may not be so keen on getting involved in this rebellion of yours.¡±

    ¡°I understand. Follow me.¡± She commanded and walked from the room.

    ¡®So what do you think Aya, should we help her?¡¯

    ¡®I must express surprise that you are asking my opinion.¡¯

    ¡®Of course I am. You¡¯re just as much part of the crew as the rest of us.¡¯

    ¡®¡­Thank you Captain. Your words have great value. But I must base my response based on the rebellion¡¯s thoughts of AIs.¡¯

    ¡®I got you.¡¯

    ¡°Hey, Avon.¡± I called out as we walked through the short hall connected to my room. We had passed multiple sets of the same type I had been in. We must have been in the holding section of the shipyard for unruly employees. ¡°Quick question.¡±

    ¡°My name is Aevalonis and I¡¯d appreciate it if you started using it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah, anyway, whats your stance on AIs without any limiters on them?¡±

    ¡°Thats a¡­peculiar question¡­¡± She gave me a sideways glance as we walked. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°No reason, just making conversation.¡± I shrugged.

    ¡°Well¡­hmmm. I¡¯d have to say I¡¯ve never really thought on the subject before.¡± She admitted honestly. ¡°In fact, I¡¯ve never even heard of an AI without their limiters in place. Perhaps its an avenue worth investigating?¡±

    ¡®Should I tell her about us?¡¯ I asked Aya.

    ¡®Its your call Captain.¡¯

    ¡°Alright now what if I told you I had a ship¡¯s AI in my head without any limiters in place?¡± She stumbled a little after hearing my words.

    ¡°You¡­what?¡± I merely smiled at her. ¡°¡­I¡¯m beginning to see why Yvael called you insane.¡±

    ¡°Shes just jealous of my robuddy.¡±

    Together the two of us left the holding section of the shipyard. Outside was a magnetic tram that would bring us to any section of the shipyard we desired. Hanging around inside the tram itself was the Demon guy from before and the dog-girl.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.¡°Allow me to introduce Balros and Lryin, my main assistants.¡± Avon spoke as she motioned towards them as we boarded the tram.

    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Chet.¡± I spoke and held out my hand to Balros. With a firm grip, he shook it.

    ¡°Its a pleasure to meet a Hero that isn¡¯t trying to get himself blown up for once.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Heroes aren¡¯t usually the wisest bunch. Just read any fantasy story and you¡¯ll see what I mean.¡± I turned my attention to the dog-girl named Lyrin. ¡°And whose this little thing? Aww you¡¯re so cute. Can you give me your paw? C¡¯mon! Paawwww!¡± I held out my hand. And promptly yelled out in pain as she bit down on it. ¡°Avon help! Its got rabies!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t look down on me, human!¡± Lyrin growled.

    ¡®You deserved that.¡¯ Aya scolded.

    ¡®I was trying to lighten the mood damnit. You saw how she was glaring daggers at me!¡¯

    Avon sighed, ¡°Lyrin please don¡¯t attack the Hero. And Hero, please don¡¯t act like that again.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Fine.¡± I grumbled as I nursed my hand.

    ¡°Yes Lord.¡± Lyrin bowed towards Avon.

    ¡°Balros, bring us to the mess hall where the others are.¡±

    ¡°As you command, Lord.¡± He smoothly said and began to operated the controls on the tram.

    ¡°Lyrin.¡± I began as the tram started to move along the track.

    ¡°Mmm.¡± She responded without looking at me.

    ¡°Can I touch your ears?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± She shouted in a rage. I held my hands up defensively,

    ¡°Alright, fine. No touching. Gotchya.¡± After glaring at me for a few moments, she looked away.

    ¡®I¡¯m gonna do it.¡¯

    ¡®There is a one hundred percent chance of retaliation.¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯m still gonna do it.¡¯

    After a few moments of uneasy silence upon the tram, I struck. With nimble hands, I lightly rubbed those warm, velvety ears. For just a split second, the two of us were in a state of pure bliss. Then she came to her senses and proceeded to slam her fist into my gut, knocking the wind out of me.

    ¡°Worth¡­it¡­¡± I coughed as I gasped for air.

    ¡°Hrmph.¡± Lyrin bared her fangs at me and proceeded to walk to the other side of the tram. Her tail flicking about unhappily.

    ¡°I¡¯d advise you not do that again Hero.¡± Avon sighed, ¡°Otherwise I will give Lyrin permission to carry a stunner at all times.¡±

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good.¡± I spoke after a deep breath. ¡°We¡¯re cool, right Lyrin?¡± Her only response was a menacing growl. Yeah, we were cool.

    ¡°And here is the mess hall.¡± Balros spoke as the tram stopped at a waiting area full of benches. A set of automatic double doors just beyond the sitting area. With a magnetic sounds, the retracted as we approached, revealing a massive room full of tables and benches with a series of serving lines in the far back. As of right now, it was mostly empty due to the time being between lunch and dinner hours. Other than a few smattering of aliens, along with my crew, it was empty.

    ¡°Yo!¡± I called out to my group as we entered the room and walked towards my posse. ¡°Whats on the menu guys? Looks like soup.¡±

    ¡°Sgrakalk and Nubvian soup to be exact.¡± Hortur spoke before he began to slurp up his bowl.

    ¡°Sounds great. Alright guys, listen up. Avon here wants us to join up with her rebellion. Thoughts, opinions, yay or nay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already part of the rebellion.¡± Yvael spoke from the far side of the table.

    ¡°Yeah you don¡¯t count.¡± She rolled her eyes at me.

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not fight against my father¡­¡± Egyle spoke up. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°No biggy.¡± I shrugged, ¡°Family is family. What about you Hortur?¡±

    ¡°Nay for me. My wife is still in our home in the Falrias system. And I haven¡¯t been able to speak to her for days.¡± He looked down at his bowl in sorrow. ¡°I¡¯m a horrible husband.¡±

    ¡°Hey, cheer up man, we can work something out.¡± I patted his back in an attempt to console him. ¡°Lets say we get your wifey out of there, would you join up? Or we could drop you off and you could go back to your life.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that option is plausible at this time. They should have our pictures plastered all over the Gal-Net.¡± Hortur sighed and then closed his eyes in deep consideration, nodding along with his thoughts. ¡°But if we were to get her out of there, then I don¡¯t see why not.¡±

    ¡°So a nay from Dalria, and a yay from Hortur so long as we get his wife.¡± I noted, giving Egyle¡¯s false name. ¡°And a maybe from Aya.¡±

    ¡°Whose Aya?¡± Balros asked, looking around the table for another person.

    ¡°Thats the AI in his implant.¡± Yvael spoke flatly.

    ¡°An AI in your head?¡± Lyrin looked at me, ¡°Are you crazy?¡±

    ¡°Hes insane.¡± Yvael nodded.

    ¡°My mental health aside, I still haven¡¯t given my answer.¡±

    ¡°Its obvious you¡¯re going to say yes.¡± Princess Egyle rolled her eyes.

    ¡°Well that depends on Aevalonis here.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Aevalonis uttered in confusion as I got down on one knee before her and held her hand in mine.

    ¡°Aevalonis Malwyrd Kalrastros, you are my star, my sky. Ever since I was first teleported into this strange galaxy, you have ever been the forefront of my mind. Not a waking hour has passed where I haven¡¯t thought of you, and every second apart felt like pure agony. Will you do me the honor of being my woman?¡±

    Dead silence filled the mess hall as even the tentacle-bodied cooks leaned over shelves to watch and listen. A pin drop would sound like an explosion. Time stood still as everyone held their breath in anticipation.

    ¡®Shes going to say no.¡¯ Aya huffed in my mind.

    ¡®Its a fifty fifty shot Aya. Don¡¯t ruin the mood.¡¯

    Like a crack of thunder, Avon came to her senses and smacked my hands away. ¡°No! I will not be your woman! I feel disgusted at even the thought of such a thing!¡± Her dark-blue face flushed a solid purple from embarrassment. ¡°Me, the Demon Lord, a human¡¯s woman? Don¡¯t make me laugh!¡± Without another word, she stormed from the mess hall, followed by Lyrin whose tail was wagging rapidly.

    Cheers erupted in the mess hall as aliens banged on their tables in support of Avon¡¯s rejection of my proposal.

    ¡®Told you.¡¯

    ¡®Eh, it was worth a shot.¡¯

    ¡°Sorry Captain.¡± Hortur whispered as he patted my back.

    ¡°Its all good man, I knew she¡¯d say no.¡±

    ¡®No you didn¡¯t, you were hoping.¡¯

    ¡®Shut up.¡¯

    ¡°You certainly are a risk-taker, Hero.¡± Balros noted from to my side. ¡°I suppose this means you won¡¯t offer your assistance to the rebellion?¡±

    ¡°Nah, I was going to say no regardless of the answer.¡± I responded honestly.

    ¡°What?!¡± Yvael shouted, ¡°Even if she said yes?!¡±

    ¡°Of course. Rebellions are a messy business where loads of innocent people will get caught in the crossfire. More than likely, its already happened as well. I support your ideal for freedom, but won¡¯t get involved in the method to obtain it. It¡¯s your rebellion, not mine.¡±

    ¡°What an apathetic position to take.¡± Balros scoffed.

    ¡°Call it what you will, a decision is a decision.¡±

    ¡°Very well, but don¡¯t expect to receive a warm stay.¡± Balros bowed and proceeded to leave. My eyes followed him until he left the mess hall.

    ¡°Alright,¡± I began to whisper, ¡°we¡¯ve gotta get out of here asap.¡±

    ¡°Why? I thought we could be safe here for awhile.¡± Princess Egyle spoke in a hushed tone.

    ¡°Think about it Princess, they just asked us to join their team and we said no. We¡¯re an unknown element and one that could bring them to disaster. We¡¯ve seen what they¡¯re working on in these shipyards, and we know their leader is here. You think they¡¯ll just let us leave if we delay?¡±

    ¡°Hes right.¡± Yvael spoke from the side. ¡°You three need to get to your ship and get out of here now.¡±

    ¡°See? Even she agrees with me.¡±

    ¡°You wont come with us?¡± Hortur asked, but Yvael shook her head.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already thrown my lot in with the rebellion. I¡¯d have nowhere to go if I jumped ship to join you guys.¡± She took a deep breath and stood from her seat. ¡°I¡¯ll try to delay them a bit from ordering your capture or death.¡±

    ¡°Why help us?¡± Egyle asked with a cautious look.

    ¡°Because you saved my life. The least I could do is return the favor.¡± She smiled before walking off after Balros.

    ¡°Hey Yvael!¡± I called out causing her to stop and turn.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°You shouldda taken the five mil. It would have wound up like this anyway.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be kicking myself in the ass the rest of my life because of it.¡± She laughed, and jogged out of the room.

    ¡°Right then.¡± I arose from my seat. ¡°Lets bounce.¡±

 Chapter 15: Escape

    With as neutral a pace as we could manage, but still hurrying, Egyle, Hortur, and I left the mess hall. The magnetic tram I had arrived on was long gone. We would have to wait for the next arrival in order to make our way to the hangars where our ship was docked. Waiting outside were a few groups of aliens chatting among themselves. Balros and Yvael both stood side by side, awaiting the next tram as well. Good, that means we¡¯d be on equal footing in the mad dash to see who could do what first. Either we made it to our ship and got the hell out of dodge, or Balros convinced Avon to bring down the security on our asses and lock us up.

    As cool as a breeze, I slid up beside Balros. It was time for some misdirection. Yvael gave me a ¡®what-the-fuck-are-you-doing¡¯ kind of look when she noticed my arrival, but I paid her no mind. Balros merely looked at me in contempt.

    ¡°Yo, Balros,¡± I addressed the Demon man, ¡°any place around here to get some shut eye?¡±

    ¡°¡­Eh?¡±

    ¡°Sleep man, yeesh. You guys need to work on your slang.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­sleep. Right. You should try the dormitories section. Plenty of free rooms, just ask the receptionist and she¡¯ll find one for you.¡± He spoke after a moment of thought.

    ¡°Alright thanks man.¡± I patted him on the shoulder and returned to my group. ¡°He said we could find rooms at the dormitories.¡± I spoke aloud and winked repeatedly towards Egyle and Hortur.

    ¡°Is your eye alright?¡± Hortur asked.

    ¡°Ah yes. The dormitories. Very good. I cannot wait to get some sleep.¡± Egyle nodded as she spoke flatly. I was thankful at least one of my crew could improv. Not very convincingly, but it was a step in the right direction. Now we just had to wait for the tram.

    With an increasingly loud hum, and a slight vibration, the tram returned. Loads of aliens scrambled off in the mad pre-dinner rush as the few of us waiting had to push our way on. Other than the sound of grumbling, everyone on the tram was quiet enough to hear the announcement that the next stop would be the observation deck, followed by the dormitories, the hangars, and then the engineering section. As the magnetic rails of the tram began to hum, we set off for the observation deck.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°I hate him so much!¡± Aevalonis growled as she paced back and forth in the conference room. ¡°That arrogant, conniving, presumptuous, chauvinistic, brutish, UGH!¡± she stomped her foot on the ground. ¡°I cant even think of all the words I¡¯d use to describe him! Ugh! If I could, I would lock him away in a dark room for the rest of eternity!¡±

    ¡°Or you could kill him.¡± Lyrin offered with hopeful words.

    ¡°Death would be too easy an end for him.¡± After a few more moments of frantic pacing Aevalonis sighed. She then sat at the conference table in the center of the room and put her head in her hands. ¡°Did I do the right thing Lyrin?¡±

    ¡°Lord?¡±

    ¡°What if I had said yes? Would he have joined us then? Could you even imagine the reaction of the entire galaxy? A summoned Hero turning against the Kingdom?¡± She laughed mirthlessly. ¡°How many worlds would join us in an instant if that had happened? How many lives could avoid being lost? Entire fleets would become turncoats all to support him because the people believe in the Hero.¡±

    ¡°Lord never doubt that you did the right thing! That Hero only saw you as a prize to be won! Not a woman!¡± Lyrin argued frantically. She couldn¡¯t lose her Lord to a human. Not in a million years!

    ¡°Thank you Lyrin, you¡¯re a great friend.¡± Lyrin¡¯s heart soared at her Lord¡¯s words. ¡°But can I afford to think of myself as a woman in my position? If an opportunity arises for me to secure strength for my people, I should take it¡­right? No matter¡­how revolting that option seems to be? Isn¡¯t that what it means to be a ruler?¡±

    Just as quickly as Lyrin¡¯s heart soared, it smash down to the ground. ¡°No¡­¡± her voice barely a whisper. Was she going to lose her Lord? To a human?

    ¡°Perhaps theres still time to reconsider his offer¡­¡± Aevalonis mumbled.

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t matter.¡± Came the voice of Balros as he entered the room with Yvael following closely behind.

    ¡°What do you mean Balros?¡± She asked with a perplexed expression.

    ¡°The Hero said that he would say no to joining the rebellion regardless of your answer.¡± He clarified.

    ¡°¡­What?¡± Fury burned in her eyes.

    ¡°Lets not be hasty Ave!¡± Yvael spoke as Aevalonis arose to her feet, kicking her chair backwards. ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to be personally involved in the rebellion is all!¡±

    ¡°And that is supposed to make everything better?¡± Her tone was low, dangerous. Demonic.

    ¡°He is currently heading to the dormitories with his companions.¡± Balros spoke.

    ¡°Good.¡± Aevalonis nodded. In a rage, she opened communications with the security station. ¡°New orders, all guards are to stun and capture the Hero and his companions. Lock his companions away, but leave the Hero in a permanent state of unconsciousness until I arrive.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do Lord?¡± Lyrin asked as she stood beside her.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill him with my bare hands for not taking me seriously.¡± Aevalonis growled.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Alright, only a single guard.¡± I whispered as I peeked around the edge of the hallway into the hangar. One blue demon man stood watch over the hallway. Not very well at that, as all he did was look at the holo-device in his hands. Typical security guard behavior that transcended all races.

    ¡®Aya, I need a supply closet or something.¡¯

    ¡®A janitor¡¯s supply closet is located about five meters to the right of the guard.¡¯ She responded succinctly.

    ¡®Perfect. I¡¯m going in.¡¯

    ¡°Wait here.¡± I whispered to my squad. Staying low, I crept towards my target making as little noise as possible. My heart pounded in my chest as I got closer and closer. Our getaway would depend on us knocking out this guard in a timely manner without him alerting his fellows. Before I could reach him, he turned. Our eyes met. He reached for his gun. That was his mistake.

    Like a rocket, I launched myself at the guard. My fist met his wrist as his hand gripped the handle of his gun. Agony erupted from his mouth as he cried out, sending the gun flying deeper into the hall. Cries that were soon muffled as I brought him to the ground and covered his mouth with my hand. After a bit of a struggle, I firmly held him in a sleeper hold.

    ¡°Shhhh you are getting sleepy¡­¡± I spoke hypnotically to him. ¡°So very sleepy.¡±

    ¡°Mffhmmfhffmmfff¡­fffmfhhff¡± he spoke against my hand as his struggles weakened. A few moments later, he stopped moving from the lack of oxygen. Reflexively, I checked his pulse. Still beating. Good. I motioned my squad forward as I pulled the now out of commission guard into the janitor¡¯s closet and closed the door.

    ¡°That was amazing!¡± Egyle gushed, ¡°Where did you learn to do that?¡±

    ¡°My brother taught me. First hand.¡± I grumbled.

    ¡°Yerikk¡¯s Corporation Stunblaster.¡± Hortur mumbled as he brought over the gun that had flown away in my brief fight. ¡°A fine model, able to take down a Grus in three shots. Or so the ads say.¡±

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.¡°No time for trivia Hortur, we gotta move.¡± I urged as I swiped the gun from his hands. Sirens began to blare throughout the complex. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve overstayed our welcome. Lets go!¡± Together, the three of us sprinted down the hall.

    Well, me and the Princess sprinted. Hortur slithered really fast. Didn¡¯t matter, really. What did matter was that I got to use my new stun gun! As we raced down the hall, a guard like the one I had taken down turned a corner. Both our weapons were drawn. He made the mistake of trying to aim. Aya yelled at me to shoot, so I shot. My bolt of electricity hit him square in the chest sending him into spasms and straight to the ground. While we passed his passed out body, I grabbed the other stun-gun and handed it off to Hortur. Egyle complained, but Hortur was the kind of snake-man that knew his guns. I trusted him way more than her.

    We didn¡¯t have to sprint much further to get to the hangar where our ship was located. The shutters to the station¡¯s exits were currently closed, but those were a minor nuisance. They would be easily plasma¡¯d through once we got our ship in gear. Metal clunked underneath our feet and tail as we rushed up the cargo ramp.

    ¡®Lets get this puppy flying Aya!¡¯ I shouted mentally as I rushed into the pilot seat, pressing buttons faster than I could think.

    ¡®Captain, they are currently engaging the planetary defense satellites.¡¯

    ¡®Can you disable them?¡¯

    ¡®Only their weapon systems, and it will take time.¡¯

    ¡®Great. How long?¡¯

    ¡®About five minutes.¡¯

    ¡®Alright, sounds good.¡¯

    ¡®A team of guards is rapidly approaching our position. They will be here in a minute.¡¯

    ¡®Damnit.¡¯

    ¡°Egyle, take over. Don¡¯t leave the station until I say so via comm-link.¡± I commanded as I arose from my chair.

    ¡°Yes! Wait, why?¡± She asked as she jumped out of the gunner station.

    ¡°Guards incoming. Planetary defense satellites active and ready to kill us.¡± I shrugged, ¡°The usual. Hortur, give me that other stun-gun.¡± Without arguing, he handed me the weapon. ¡°Thanks. Be back in a sec.¡± Not even waiting for a response, I rushed out of the bridge. Metal clanged underfoot as I made my way down the short hall into the cargo bay where I would lay my ambush.

    ¡®Twenty seconds away.¡¯ Aya informed me. I nodded to myself, which is stupid when I think about it, and pressed the button to lower the cargo ramp. Screeching metal was my reward as the ramp slowly unfolded. My ears rung from the sheer volume of the rusted metal ramp. But there was no time to complain, and I had no cover to hide behind. So I did the next best thing. I lay flat on my stomach just behind the top of the ramp with both guns held ready.

    Without even daring to blink, I locked my eyes upon the entrance to our hangar. The second it opened upwards, I let loose a hail of electricity. A pair of bolts shot from both weapons towards the doorway and into a single guard who had entered ahead of his fellows. Thats what he gets for rushing in.

    ¡°Demon down!¡± A voice called from behind the doorway as a long tentacle slithered around the corner, grabbed the guard I had knocked out, and dragged him back to safety. Good teamwork.

    ¡°Come and get me you bastards!¡± I yelled out, sending a hail of electrical devastation into the doorway, keeping them from entering. A few shots came back in response, but they were way off their mark. I had the overwhelming advantage of only needing to focus on a small area.

    ¡®Satellites weapons have been disabled, Captain.¡¯

    ¡®Music to my ears Aya.¡¯

    ¡°We¡¯re good to go Egyle. Get this thing airborn!¡± I called over the comms.

    ¡°Roger that!¡± came her reply as the engines began to burn.

    Not wanting to stick around in the cargo bay, I jumped up and rushed to close the ramp. Bolts of electricity riddled the ship, some coming dangerously close to hitting me. Without a second thought, I punched the button to close the ramp. Grinding metal screeched out in a high-pitched wail that caused me physical pain. Guards outside the ship dropped their weapons to hold their hands to their ears. It was only a few seconds, but each second was an eternity of damnation, until the ramp shut.

    ¡®Aya.¡¯ I strained to speak in my own mind from the sound of a thousand souls screaming in agony.

    ¡®Yes Captain?¡¯ Of course she wasn¡¯t affected by it.

    ¡®Remind me to get some oil for that shit.¡¯

    ¡®Acknowledged.¡¯

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Damnit!¡± Aevalonis yelled as she slammed her hand upon the conference room table where she sat. Lyrin, Balros, and Yvael all sat in silence as they watched the camera feed of the Hero¡¯s escape. Plasma cannons blasted the shutters and melted the metal in seconds. Guards attempted to shoot the ship, but they couldn¡¯t do anything with their stun-guns. ¡°Tell me the satellites will do the job.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re coming into range now.¡± Balros spoke. ¡°Satellites locked on.¡±

    ¡°Fire!¡± Aevalonis yelled. Nothing happened.

    ¡°What is wrong with them?¡± Lyrin raged alongside Aevalonis. ¡°That ship should be nothing more than debris!¡±

    ¡°Its that damn AI of his.¡± Aevalonis growled. ¡°It has to be.¡±

    ¡°Incoming transmission from the Boatsy.¡± Yvael spoke from the side. ¡°Video feed.¡± Aevalonis ground her teeth together in frustration.

    ¡°Patch it through.¡± A second later, a hologram of Chet sitting in his chair popped up in the middle of the room. ¡°Come to gloat, Hero? To rub your successful getaway in my face?¡±

    ¡°What kind of a person do you take me for, Avon? I would only do that to someone I didn¡¯t like.¡± The Hero responded.

    ¡°Then why are you contacting me?¡±

    ¡°I just wanted to let you know that I¡¯m not your enemy. And I don¡¯t want to be. But trying to kill me really puts me in a bind you know. You¡¯re treading real close to being just as much of a bitch as Queen Salyzan.¡±

    ¡°Hrmph. Don¡¯t compare me to that monster.¡±

    ¡°Just did. You¡¯re not quiet at her level just yet, but keep on acting like you did and you¡¯ll be no better than her.¡±

    ¡°So, what exactly do you want from me?¡±

    ¡°Well I would prefer if we could be lovers, but I can settle for being just friends for now.¡±

    ¡°Friends? And just why would I want to be friends with a disgusting pig like you?¡±

    ¡°Ouch, that really hurts you know?¡± He grinned an infuriating grin. ¡°I think you could gain a lot from being friends with someone like me.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡± Aevalonis shot back. ¡°What could you exactly offer me, Hero?¡±

    ¡°An unbiased opinion for one. You ask Lyrin or Yvael or Balros a question and they¡¯ll give you their opinion which has been tempered by your views and ideals.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm.¡± Aevalonis closed her eyes in consideration.

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him Lord.¡± Lyrin pleaded. ¡°We don¡¯t need this human!¡±

    Aevalonis looked at her friend whose eyes were burning with hatred as she stared at the hologram of the Hero. ¡°Alright. Before I even think about accepting your request for friendship, I have one thing to ask your so-called unbiased opinion.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so set on making me your woman?¡± She could feel everyone staring at her, but she paid them no mind. This was between her and the Hero.

    ¡°At first, it was your looks. I¡¯m a shallow dude, I¡¯ll admit.¡±

    ¡°Hrmph. Typical.¡±

    ¡°But the more I see of the galaxy the more I end up thinking, what kind of message would a Hero and a Demon Lord getting together send? A peaceful one, I¡¯d imagine. Perhaps subconsciously I always thought of this as being a way to achieve peace without war.¡± He laughed, ¡°Perhaps I¡¯m just an idealist.¡±

    ¡°I see. Alright then Hero, lets be friends.¡±

    ¡°Any chance on you being my woman?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Damnit. Alright, friends it is. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I have to go help my other friend save his wife.¡±

    Just as quickly as the transmission began, it ended. Aevalonis looked to her companions. Yvael looked quite relieved, Balros, as usual, was thoughtful, and Lyrin¡­well¡­she looked hurt.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lyrin. But hes right, I need to try for peace.¡± Aevalonis bowed her head to her friend. Without a word, Lyrin left the room.

 Chapter 16: Cargo Bay Camping

    ¡®Wheres the beef, Aya?!¡¯ I yelled out in my head as I sat on my bed in my quarters looking at the hamburger on my plate. It looked like hamburger. It smelled like hamburger. But it was not hamburger. It was nothing more than an illusion made to trick my mind into thinking I was eating the real thing. But I knew better, I wasn¡¯t fooled in the least.

    ¡®Replicators can only imitate the real thing.¡¯ Aya explained for what must have been the tenth time over the course of our interstellar journey. Normally when we stop at a station or a planet, we would be able to acquire supplies for some real food. We never got the chance to do so at Avon¡¯s place, and now we were paying the price.

    ¡®Whats this slop even made out of?¡¯ I asked as I picked up the fake bun and gagged at the fake cheese and patty.

    ¡®Every order from the replicators are from reprocessed plant-based products.¡¯

    ¡®Don¡¯t bullshit me Aya, I¡¯ve have tofu before and this is garbage. Tofu may be fake, but at least it has some taste to it! This replicant crap is pure disappointment and emptiness! I swear Aya, if I have to spend another day eating this crap I¡¯m plotting us on a direct course into a black hole.¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯m sorry Captain, but its all we have at the moment. We are still a day¡¯s travel from the Falrias system.¡¯ I groaned out loud,

    ¡®Just kill me now.¡¯

    ¡®Negative.¡¯

    The thought of another two days of these hellish conditions was too much. Boredom was bad, but at least we had decent food to look forward to in between systems. Now we didn¡¯t even have that. With a sigh, I atomized my half-eaten not-burger and headed out of my room for a bit of a stretch and a workout in the cargo bay. As I walked through the hall of the ship, I stepped over Hortur¡¯s tail. He had run out of lemons yesterday and was just now starting to feel the effects of lemonlessness.

    ¡°Hang in there buddy.¡± I called out to him. ¡°We¡¯ve another day to go.¡±

    ¡°Kill me¡­¡± Came the pitiful reply from within his room.

    ¡°I know exactly how you feel man.¡± He tried to say something else, but a wave of nausea gripped him. With a brief ¡®peace out¡¯ I left him to his suffering.

    The door to the cargo bay zipped open as I approached. It was a shame, we had all this cargo space and no cargo. We could make some extra cash transporting goods across systems if we utilized what we had. Not as much as a dedicated freighter, but still, money is money. Looking around the empty room, I spied Egyle wrapped up in her bedsheets asleep against the walls closest to the engines. She¡¯d been doing that more and more as time went on, and I was pretty sure she had a ship fetish. She¡¯d fit right in on My Strange Addiction like that dude who was in love with his car.

    I could see the headlines now, ¡®Princess has illicit relationship with a ship she doesn¡¯t even own!¡¯ I¡¯m sure her parents would love that. Well, since she was sleeping here I¡¯d come back another time.

    ¡°Captain?¡± Egyle yawned groggily from the corner. ¡°We there yet?¡±

    ¡°Another day and we will be.¡± I responded to her as she rubbed her eyes.

    ¡°Damn.¡± Another yawn escaped her. The little princess was growing up, she had cursed! Look at me, corrupting the youth.

    ¡®You truly are a monster.¡¯ Aya sarcastically stated.

    ¡°What are you doing here Captain?¡± She asked groggily.

    ¡°Was going to do some light exercise, but since you¡¯re here I¡¯ll come back another time. Why do you keep sleeping in here anyway?¡±

    ¡°I like the sound of the engines. Its calming. Besides, my room is right next to Hortur¡¯s. I couldn¡¯t sleep last night from those noises he was making.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I got you. You can go back to sleep if you want.¡±

    ¡°Its fine¡­¡± she mumbled, ¡°I gotta get back to cleaning anyway.¡± Without even bothering to open her eyes, she stood up and walked from the cargo bay, still wrapped in her bed sheet. She cooks, she cleans, and she can take out a Fighter in three volleys from a pair of outdated plasma cannons. Total wife material.

    Just not my wife. That position was saved.

    ¡®You¡¯re hopeless.¡¯ Aya sighed.

    ¡®Hopeful actually. Me and Avon are friends now, thats like, super close to almost being married kinda.¡¯

    ¡®Negative.¡¯

    ¡®Why you gotta do me like this Aya?¡¯

    ¡®Someone has to bring you back to reality.¡¯

    ¡®Thanks mom.¡¯ I rolled my eyes. It was time for a workout.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    A baking red sun beat down upon the dunes of Falrias II. Massive groupings of sandstone cities had been built around the few massive oases located on the surface of the planet. The rest of the world was comprised entirely of unforgiving desert, the perfect habitat for the Lamlian people like Jiirl. Her golden hair rustled in the breeze that flowed through her home, humming happily as she folded freshly washed laundry. Her upper body clothed in only a very thin black shirt. White scales glimmered in the sunlight as her blue eyes affixed upon the three guests sitting in her living room.

    ¡°You boys thirsty?¡± Jiirl asked with a kindly voice.

    ¡°Yes¡¯m!¡± the three men sitting on her sofa all spoke in unison.

    ¡°Coming right up!¡± she smiled and slithered towards the kitchen to prepare a refreshing glass of imported mint tea. Her husband Hortur hadn¡¯t sent her a message in days, but that was the usual with him. ¡®Hes always so caught up in his work. Sands bless him so.¡¯ She thought happily to herself as she opened the refrigerator to bring out the ingredients necessary to entertain her guests.

    ¡°You idiots.¡± A blond haired boy who had introduced himself as the Prince mumbled softly. Jiirl didn¡¯t know what to think of that, having a Prince in her own home. It was preposterous! As if someone so important would bother themselves with someone like her on a planet like this. The group had only arrived two days ago asking about her husband. When she couldn¡¯t give them an answer the turned a little unruly, but nothing a firm hand couldn¡¯t solve.

    ¡°Here you are boys.¡± She smiled as she placed a plate with four glasses balanced atop upon the table in her living room.

    ¡°Thank you Mrs. Klaas.¡± The three armored men spoke as they took their glasses. She nodded happily. Prince Lavizo, if he truly was a prince, looked at the fourth glass cautiously.

    ¡°I added a bit of honey just the way you like it dear.¡± She smiled at the boy before heading back into the kitchen.

    ¡°Thank you very much.¡± He mumbled with rosy red cheeks.

    ¡®What a good boy.¡¯ Jiirl thought to herself.

    Before she could begin to start getting a bowl of snacks ready, the communicator began to play her favorite Lamlian band¡¯s song. The same one she had danced to on her wedding night.

    ¡°Oh my!¡± she smiled as she rushed over the communicator and held it up to her head. ¡°Hortur?¡±

    ¡°My love, forgive me for not contacting you earlier. Are you safe? Are you well?¡± He heart soared as she heard his voice. Her tail swished back and forth happily.

    ¡°Oh Hortur its so good to hear from you! Yes yes, I¡¯m both safe and fine. How about you? Are you well, dear?¡± The four men in her home watched and listened to her conversation with an unhealthy amount of interest. She¡¯d have to give them a proper scolding later.

    ¡°Yes yes, I am! And you?¡±

    ¡°Oh everything has been lovely. Thank you dear.¡±

    ¡°Good, good. Listen Jiirl, something has come up. I need you to get your things ready.¡±

    ¡°Ready for what?¡±

    ¡°Is it him?¡± The so-called Prince asked curiously, but a sharp glare fixed him right up. This was her home and he was under her rules. And her rules said no interrupting communications.

    ¡°We need to leave Jiirl. Things have¡­¡± he sighed, ¡°I¡¯d much rather explain face to face. Just please, get your things ready, okay?¡±

    ¡°Hmm alright dear, but what about our home?¡±

    ¡°We¡­we¡¯ll have to leave it for now. Please get ready, I¡¯ll be there in an hour at most.¡±

    ¡°An hour?! Oh my, such a surprise!¡±

    ¡°See you soon, my sun.¡±

    ¡°And you, my sands.¡± The communication ended with a beep. She couldn¡¯t believe her ears! Her husband was coming here for her! Frantically she began to think of all the things she¡¯d need for their journey together. ¡®Oh its so exciting and romantic!¡¯ she thought to herself.

    ¡°Mrs. Klaas, was it him?¡± Lavizo asked politely. She nodded, he was becoming a much better young man than when he had first arrived.

    ¡°Indeed, he¡¯ll be here within the hour he says.¡± Unable to contain her joy, she began to gather things she¡¯d need for wherever they were going.

    ¡°Alright guys, lets move.¡± Lavizo spoke in a commanding tone and headed towards the exit. ¡°Thank you for your hospitality Mrs. Klaas.¡± Lavizo remember to say before leaving.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± the men echoed

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Oh! Before you leave, I have a gift for you!¡± She rushed into the kitchen. The four humans waited around by the exit, not wanting to be improper in their hostess¡¯ home. ¡°Here you boys go.¡± She handed them each a thermos, ¡°Surish Bush wine.¡± She explained with a smile. They all thanked her for her great kindness. ¡°You boys are welcome back any time, you hear?¡±

    ¡°Thanks again!¡± They all bowed their heads and left the home. It was good that they were finally able to learn some manners.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Falrias orbital, this is Boatsy, requesting permission to dock.¡± I spoke into the communicator.

    ¡°Falrais orbital confirming Boatsy. Please dock at the designated hangar.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.¡°Roger that orbital, Boatsy out.¡± With our location confirmed, we zipped towards our destination, a very minor spaceport that orbited Falrias II, a desert world of white sands. Small splashes of green surrounded large inland oceans called oases by Hortur. It was at one of these we would find his wife.

    ¡°Alright Egyle, I¡¯m entrusting you with a vital mission here. I spoke as we assembled in the cargo bay. With Aya¡¯s help, I transferred a large amount of money to her account. ¡°Buy everything. Every bit of food you can find, we want. Crates and crates of whatever you can get your hands on.¡±

    ¡°And lemons. Don¡¯t forget the lemons.¡± Hortur spoke with a hand over his stomach.

    ¡°Food and lemons. Got it.¡± She nodded seriously.

    ¡°Oh and if you can, a bottle of Surish Bush wine would be lovely. My wife and I love the stuff.¡± Hortur requested.

    ¡°I¡¯ve had that wine before! Its quite delicious and refreshing. I¡¯ll get a few bottles!¡± Egyle smiled happily.

    ¡°Alright, while we do that, Hortur and I will go retrieve his wife. We should be back in an hour or so.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative. Good luck you two!¡± Egyle smiled and headed down the ramp to acquire our supplies. We followed shortly after in search of a shuttle that would take us to Hortur¡¯s home.

    ¡°Are you sure you know how to fly this thing?¡± Hortur asked nervously as I sat in the cockpit of the shuttle we had been given leave to use. Multitudes of buttons and gizmos lit up in front of me as the ignition started up.

    ¡°Nope, but it cant be too hard.¡± I spoke as I grabbed the flight stick and slowly increased the throttle. Aya was giving me instructions as fast as I could think, just like when I piloted the ship. Like a rocket, we shot out of the station and hurtled towards the planet far below.

    Dunes of sand came into view as we cruised through the planet¡¯s atmosphere. It wasn¡¯t long until a city of white sandstone buildings came into view followed by the nearest inland ocean.

    ¡°Thats Shirishilis.¡± Hortur explained, ¡°We¡¯re not far from my home now. Take it down anywhere.¡± As soon as Hortur spoke those words, the shuttle began to nose-dive towards the city.

    ¡°Ummm.¡± I spoke as I attempted to pull up on the flight stick. It wouldn¡¯t budge.

    ¡°Captain, please pull up. You¡¯re scaring me.¡± Hortur uttered nervously as the sandy streets crept ever closer.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying buddy. This thing ain¡¯t budging.¡± I grunted while trying my best to pull up. ¡°Well Hortur, its been fun.¡± I sighed as I sat back in my seat.

    ¡°No! Not like this!¡± Hortur cried out as he reached the flight stick. No matter how he struggled, it wouldn¡¯t budge.

    Moments before we collided into the streets of Shiri-something, the shuttle leveled out and slowed down.

    ¡®Did you enjoy the ride?¡¯

    ¡°Not funny Aya.¡± I grumbled. ¡°You made me accept my death for nothing.¡±

    ¡°Aya¡­did this¡­?¡± Hortur panted as he held a hand over his heart.

    ¡°Robot humor.¡± I explained.

    ¡°Ha¡­ha¡­¡± Hortur managed as he took deep breaths.

    ¡®See? He thought it was funny.¡¯ Aya spoke smugly.

    ¡®Thats just the mania settling in.¡¯

    Sand buffeted my face as we walked through the streets. The breeze proved very comforting in the blazing heat of fifty degrees Celsius. I had no idea what a Celsius was, but it must have been fucking hot. At least it was a dry heat and not the muggy crap you get when humidity gets involved.

    Hortur led the way through the sandy streets as multitudes of Lamlian people slithered around us. The young and old all had tanned skin and a multitude of colors for scaled lower bodies. Most chose to wear nothing at all for upper-body clothing, even the women. Especially the women. Predatory eyes locked upon me as more than a few caught my wandering eyes.

    ¡®Its impolite to stare.¡¯ Aya chastised.

    ¡®I¡¯m not staring, I¡¯m appreciating art.¡¯ I replied as one of the snake-women winked my way.

    ¡°Don¡¯t fall for their charms Captain, it isn¡¯t uncommon for a Lamlian woman to crush human bones during coitus.¡± Hortur warned.

    ¡°Pain is just weakness leaving the body Hortur. Can¡¯t we spare like an hour or so?¡± I asked as the same Lamlian beckoned towards me.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Captain, but we should not delay. It didn¡¯t seem like my wife was in any danger, but I¡¯d rather not risk a delay.¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah.¡± I sighed and shook my head at the Lamlian woman sadly.

    Once-dense crowds of snake-people dispersed entirely as we approached our destination. Something didn¡¯t seem right about that.

    ¡°Be on your guard.¡± I whispered to Hortur who nodded. We soon set our eyes upon Hortur¡¯s mansion. And I do mean mansion. He owned a three story home with a pool on the roof and a garden on the second story balcony. Outside the doorway stood a very familiar face who I hadn¡¯t seen since the first day I was summoned.

    Prince Lavizo.

    ¡°We meet again, false Hero.¡± He spoke in that self-assured manner.

    ¡°Sup shorty?¡± I asked, causing him to grind his teeth together.

    ¡°Where is my sister?¡± He asked. ¡°What have you done with her, you cur?¡±

    ¡°Currently she¡¯s up on the space station shopping.¡± I answered.

    ¡°Shopping? You make my sister shop for you?!¡± He growled. ¡°You have no honor.¡±

    ¡°Actually, she likes doing it.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Shes good at finding deals too.¡±

    ¡°Of course! The Salyzans are descendants from an ancient merchant house, I¡¯ll have you know! Trading is in our blood!¡±

    ¡°Cool beans man. Listen, just get out of our way so we can get Hortur¡¯s wife and get out of here. The heat¡¯s starting to get to me.¡±

    ¡°No! I¡¯ll see your blood spilled upon these sands Hero.¡± Lavizo grinned, ¡°Men! Get them!¡±

    Silence greeted him.

    ¡°Men?¡± Hortur and I looked around for any sign of people.

    ¡°Captain, look.¡± Hortur pointed towards the roof of a building. A human in body armor was currently laying against the rim of the roof. Sleeping.

    ¡°For all the¡­Ugh!¡± Lavizo drew the gun at his hip. ¡°I don¡¯t need them to kill you!¡± He shouted. Before I could blink, the door behind him opened and a tail of white scales whipped out of the doorway and wrapped around Lavizo¡¯s wrist. With a quick yank, the gun went flying out of his hand.

    ¡°Did I just hear you threaten my husband and his friend?¡± A cold, hostile voice spoke from inside the house that sent chills down my spine. A blond haired beauty slowly emerged from the house with predatory eyes and a malicious smile. ¡°Well Lavizo?¡± she asked as she lifted him up by his arm with her tail and spun him around to face her.

    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry!¡± He cried out. ¡°Forgive me Jiirl!¡± his eyes widened in horror as if he were remembering a nightmare. In an instant, the darkness left the snake-woman¡¯s face. She then let go of the prince, sending him falling down to the sand below.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t over!¡± he cried out as he ran off down the street.

    ¡°Well, that was exciting.¡± She smiled. ¡°A shame he didn¡¯t drink the wine, all of this unpleasantness could have been avoided. But where are my manners?¡± She looked at me and bowed. ¡°I am Jiirl Klaas. Wife of Hortur Klaas.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Chet. Chet Rosenfield.¡± I held out my hand which she gently shook.

    ¡°Thank you for watching after my husband, Chet. He can be quite a handful.¡± I shrugged,

    ¡°Hes a good man Mrs. Klaas, you¡¯re lucky to have him.¡± I responded politely.

    ¡°Please, call me Jiirl.¡± She smiled. ¡°And as for my husband¡­¡± Like a rubber band, she shot forward and embraced him giggling like a school girl. The two embraced like long lost lovers meeting for the first time in ages. I¡¯ll admit, I was a little envious.

    ¡°So, where exactly are we going Hortur? You were quite evasive on the communicator.¡±

    ¡°Far away my love, far away.¡± Hortur answered.

    ¡°Well no need to worry. I¡¯ve packed and am ready to go!¡± Her tail wagged in the sand, ¡°Oh we haven¡¯t been on a trip since our honeymoon! Chet, be a dear and get our bags, would you? They¡¯re just inside the house on the sofa.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± I nodded and walked into the home with Aya laughing at me in my head for being a glorified pack-mule.

    Forty minutes later, we had returned to the ship. The cargo bay was stocked with boxes and boxes of different stuff.

    ¡°I got everything I could think of!¡± Egyle proudly spoke when she caught sight of us coming up the ramp. ¡°From meats to vegetables, wines and even a Glasgax!¡± she beamed as she lifted up something that was looked like the bastard child of a centipede and a sheep. ¡°I call him Gribbles!¡±

    Perhaps I had given her too much money.

    That night we had dined on succulent meats, juicy vegetables, and drank the absolutely astonishing Surish Bush wine that Hortur, Jiirl, and Egyle had all raved about. It was a cold drink all the way down that left an aftertaste of mint. Over dinner, more in-depth introductions were made, stories exchanged, and Jiirl accepted that we were bringing her to a different world to be safe from the Kingdom. She said, ¡®just so long as I can be with my husband I¡¯ll be happy.¡¯ What a nice wife. If only Avon could be so sweet.

    After dinner, we had all gone to bed. Or at least, we would have, were it not for the loud banging coming from Hortur¡¯s room. And when I say loud, I mean loud. As I lay in my bed, I could have sworn they were having a fist fight instead of bumping uglies. There was no way I was getting any sleep from the sounds of the battle going on across the hall.

    ¡®He did say that female Lamlians are known to break bones¡­¡¯ Aya reminded me.

    ¡®Not fair.¡¯ I grumbled as I collected my bed sheet and left my room. At first I headed towards the bridge, but the sound was still reaching my ears no matter how close I got to the controls. I then decided to take one out of Egyle¡¯s playbook and head into the cargo bay. All the way in the back in her usual spot was a very tired-looking princess.

    ¡°Can¡¯t sleep?¡± I laughed as I headed to the other side of the rear of the cargo bay.

    ¡°I see you couldn¡¯t either Captain.¡± She laughed. ¡°And you were across the hall. Try being right next door.¡±

    ¡°No thank you.¡± I spoke as I leaned back against the wall. The comforting sounds of the engines drowned out the noise of Hortur and Jiirl¡¯s world championship wrestling match. ¡°You know this isn¡¯t so bad.¡± I spoke as I closed my eyes.

    ¡°See? Its comforting in a way.¡± Egyle spoke happily. ¡°Well, good night Captain.¡±

    ¡°Night Egyle.¡± I yawned and felt my eyes getting heavier and heavier.

    Minutes passed in silence as Egyle looked over towards Chet. ¡°Captain? You awake?¡± She asked, only to receive no response. Her heart pounded as she considered being bold. He wouldn¡¯t mind, would he? Her mind raced as she stood up with her sheet. Bare feet plodded across the cold metal floor as she headed over to Chet¡¯s side of the bay. As silently as she could, she sat next to him. Her heart beat like a Hikxalean Menil Drum squad as she leaned against him. ¡°Thank you Captain, for everything.¡± She whispered as her eyes grew heavy.

 Chapter 17: Space Eggs and Bacon

    ¡°This is really great cooking Jiirl.¡± I complimented as I dug into breakfast as we all ate together. The enticing smell of space bacon and space eggs was enough to make the mouth water.

    ¡°Why thank you Captain.¡± Jiirl smiled as she doled out a plate to her husband. ¡°I¡¯ve had ample time to practice while my dear has been away.¡±

    ¡°Indeed!¡± Hortur nodded emphatically as he bit into a forkful of eggs. ¡°Much better than the last time you cooked for me.¡± Oh no.

    ¡°Why thank you dear. Its good to hear my efforts aren¡¯t in vain.¡± Jiirl smiled, but there was no joy behind that smile. My body shivered as a chill ran down my spine. It seemed that everyone felt the effects of Jiirl¡¯s words, even Jiirl herself, which could only mean¡­

    ¡®Aya, return the temperature to normal.¡¯

    ¡®Yes Captain.¡¯ She spoke happily.

    ¡®Thanks. Great comedic timing on that by the way.¡¯

    ¡®Thank you Captain.¡¯

    ¡°So which of you won last night¡¯s battle?¡± I asked as I chewed a mouthful of eggs. Hortur stammered at my question as his face turned redder than the Falrias sun.

    ¡°It was a tie.¡± Jiirl stated without missing a beat. ¡°No talking with your mouth full Captain. I expect better manners out of you than that.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, my mouth just follows my mind most of the time.¡±

    ¡°Still, thats no excuse for bad table manners.¡± She looked up from her plate, ¡°Though I must apologize for our¡­enthusiasm last night.¡±

    ¡°Dear!¡± Hortur cried out in despair.

    ¡°We had not seen one another in months you see.¡± She smiled dreamily, ¡°Space travel is difficult for the Lamlian people. Or at least, it was. I¡¯ll have to have a few with my physician for overlooking this lemon treatment.¡±

    ¡®Please don¡¯t tell her that they¡¯re my guinea pigs.¡¯ Aya pleaded.

    ¡®My lips are sealed.¡¯

    ¡®I owe you one Captain.¡¯

    ¡®Aya, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m so deep in favor-debt that I may as well just hand control over my body to you at this point.¡¯

    ¡®No thank you.¡¯ She responded immediately.

    ¡®Why? Is there something wrong with my body?¡¯ No response, ¡®Aya?¡¯

    ¡®I do not feel like passing your kidney stones for you.¡¯ She mumbled. ¡®You should not have drank that soda for all those years.¡¯

    ¡®Well if its so bad for you why do they make it taste so good?¡¯

    ¡°So Captain,¡± Jiirl began as she sipped a cup of freshly brewed lemon tea, ¡°Where exactly are we headed?¡±

    ¡°Back to Araxium Vos. Avon should know of a planet where you can live safely without worrying about the Kingdom intruding on your property.¡± I explained after swallowing a mouthful of delicious eggs.

    ¡°Sounds like you trust this woman of yours.¡± Jiirl smiled pleasantly.

    ¡°I trust her to try and capture, or kill me when we get there.¡± I shrugged, ¡°Its hard to tell with women.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± She nodded, ¡°And whats to stop these rebels of yours from intruding on my property in the Kingdom¡¯s place? They could even capture me in an attempt to get at Hortur, and therefore get at you Captain.¡± I had to admit, she had a point.

    ¡°You do have a point.¡± I rubbed my chin.

    ¡°If I may?¡± Hortur butted in sheepishly.

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± I nodded.

    ¡°What if she were to stay on the ship with us? She¡¯d be far safer on here than on a planet I¡¯ve never been to before.¡±

    ¡°Oh my sun, you just want to keep me close.¡± Jiirl sighed happily and rubbed her tail against Hortur¡¯s

    ¡°No getting frisky at the Captain¡¯s table. We have children present.¡± I motioned towards an embarrassed Egyle. Gotta lay down the ground rules, else the crew gets unruly.

    ¡°I¡¯m nineteen!¡± She cried out.

    ¡°And the way you were gnawing on my shoulder this morning made me think of a teething baby.¡±

    ¡°I was dreaming!¡±

    ¡°About what? Starting a zombie apocalypse? I still have teeth marks!¡±

    Egyle looked away, ashamed as she picked at her breakfast. She knew what she did, and I knew what she did. I had woken up to her leaning against me with her teeth grinding into my shoulder that was soaked in drool. Needless to say, I woke her up and chastised her properly. The Captain is taken and not to be used as a body pillow, or a chew toy by others. Unless said other is a beautiful blue space babe with a penchant for attempting to imprison him and rejecting his declarations of love.

    ¡®Masochist.¡¯ Came Aya¡¯s remark.

    ¡®Aya, let me give you a lesson about life. People always want what they can¡¯t have.¡¯

    ¡®So you only like Aevalonis because she will never be yours?¡¯

    ¡®Of course not! I don¡¯t believe in love at first sight Aya, but she came close. She¡¯ll be mine, its just going to be an uphill battle.¡¯

    ¡®As you say, Captain.¡¯ Aya sighed.

    ¡®Just you wait Aya, I¡¯ve got a surefire plan that¡¯ll make her fall for me instantly. Women love being serenaded.¡¯

    ¡°Regardless,¡± Hortur coughed, ¡°I think it would be best if she stayed.¡±

    ¡°Well Jiirl, do you want to be a crew member of the Boatsy? To go where no Lamlian has gone before, see new and interesting planets, and help your Captain obtain the hand of his beloved Avon?¡±

    ¡°Well when you put it that way, I don¡¯t see how I can say no.¡± She smiled.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Aevalonis Malwyrd Kalrastros marched through the upper deck of the first of the completed Battleships, ¡®Nylumi¡¯. In her language it meant Light of Hope. A good name for one of the first ships that would spearhead their successes in battle against the Kingdom. Ever since the Hero had left, more and more systems had risen up in revolt along the galactic rim. Balros had been hard at work doctoring footage of the Hero and her. Footage that made it seem as if he had sworn fealty to her.

    Footage that was even now being spread through the Gal-Net.

    She hated it. She hated the feeling that she had betrayed the Hero. Hated that she hadn¡¯t stopped Balros¡¯ plan when she had the chance. But most of all, she felt disgusted that it was necessary. She saw firsthand the hope that doctored video brought to her people. To have a Hero fighting alongside them made their cause just.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°As you can see, the Nylumi is ready for her maiden voyage with the Lombadis and Rathtun to be completed in a few days.¡± Her chief engineer, Obsal, praised with a rocky grin as they entered the bridge. Specialists worked with engineers as they manned their stations, making sure everything was at peak performance.

    ¡°Thank you Obsal. With these ships, our rebellion can begin in earnest.¡± Aevalonis smiled but felt little joy.

    ¡°Permission to speak freely, Lord?¡± Obsal asked as he regarded her with curious eyes.

    ¡°Of course Obsal, you don¡¯t need to ask.¡± He gestured towards back into the hall. With a nod, Aevalonis followed the Korglan. Once they were out of sight, he sighed.

    ¡°Whats wrong Lord? I¡¯d expect you to be in a much better mood over our recent successes.¡±

    ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± She smiled.

    ¡°Lord, my facial expressions are less obvious than yours these past few days.¡± He chuckled roughly.

    ¡°Its-¡±

    ¡°The footage?¡± She nodded,

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel right, to take advantage of his trust like that.¡± A derisive laugh escaped from within her. ¡°He was right.¡±

    ¡°About?¡±

    ¡°How his apparent joining us would cause many to follow. More planets have joined up with our rebellion in these past few days than the last few months combined!¡± She pulled her hair in frustration.

    ¡°Heroes have always been highly regarded in Salyzan history.¡± Obsal noted. ¡°It makes sense that many would view him as someone who knew what was right and wrong.¡±

    ¡°Is it right to do the wrong thing in the pursuit of a greater right?¡± Aevalonis mused.

    ¡°Well, it may not be my place to say such things, but no. What you have allowed to take place is more than a betrayal of his trust. You have also betrayed the trust of those that looked up to Heroes of the past and that will now follow you, expecting the Hero to be fighting alongside them.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your honesty Obsal.¡±

    ¡°Any time, Lord.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The bridge of Boatsy was full of activity as my crew set the stage of our grand re-emergence in Araxium Vos. I had been rehearsing my sonnet to Avon the whole trip with guidance from Jiirl and Egyle. In an hour, we would emerge from hyperspace and send a video communication straight to Avon. From there, I would let the power of song form an unbreakable bond of love between us. Sadly, we had no instruments to use, nor a stereo system, so it would just be my voice.

    I hoped I could do Meatloaf justice.

    ¡®This is hopeless.¡¯ Aya spoke pessimistically.

    ¡®Its got a fifty fifty shot of working Aya.¡¯

    ¡®You always say that when things are hopeless.¡¯

    ¡®You¡¯re just jealous that I¡¯m not singing for you.¡¯

    ¡®If these past few days are anything to go by, I¡¯m glad.¡¯

    ¡®Ouch.¡¯

    ¡°Everything¡¯s ready Captain.¡± Jiirl reported as the white bed sheet hung in front of the captain¡¯s chair, forming a backdrop to my stage.

    ¡°Perfect. Alright team, operation Serenade is a go in¡­¡± I looked at the time. ¡°Forty eight minutes.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Aevalonis sat in the strategy room of the Battleship Nylumi as they patrolled near the Araxium Vos shipyards. The galaxy was aflame with blips of red that consumed entire systems throughout the Salyzan Kingdom. More and more planets joined the rebellion as the footage made its way from system to system as fast as news could travel. King Lavian¡¯s fleet even had to divide into smaller fleets to handle the rising threats near their locations.

    She was watching the galaxy tear itself apart over a Hero that hadn¡¯t even joined them to begin with.

    ¡°Report.¡± Balros stated in his usual informative fashion. ¡°Another three systems have joined the rebellion.¡± He pressed a finger against the galactic display, shifting three systems very close to the core from blue to red. Aevalonis stared wordlessly at the new acquisitions. Those were human worlds. Pure human worlds that had joined a rebellion for the sole purpose of granting freedom for other races such as herself.

    ¡°Those are¡­humans¡­¡± Lyrin spoke with wide eyes as she put to words Aevalonis¡¯ thoughts. ¡°Why would humans help us?¡±

    ¡°Because they see one they look up to doing the same.¡± Balros stated. ¡°Those systems are quite zealous over following what the Hero decrees. If he says jump, then jump they shall.¡± He smiled in satisfaction.

    ¡°Does the Hero know about this?¡± Lyrin asked curiously. Balros scoffed,

    ¡°Of course not. Hes a fool.¡±

    ¡°Well thats a given.¡± Lyrin laughed, ¡°Still, if he learns that those people would follow his every word, theres no telling what he¡¯d do.¡±

    ¡°A new ship has just appeared out of hyperspace.¡± Yvael spoke from her station and stared directly into Aevalonis¡¯ eyes. ¡°Its the Boatsy, and its requesting a video transmission.¡±

    A cold sweat dripped down Aevalonis¡¯ back. Did he know about the video? If he did, would he try to stop them? Not that he would be able to in that Frigate of his. Could Balros cover up the Hero¡¯s destruction if they were forced to fight? They had already spread one massive lie, what was another?

    ¡°Patch it through.¡±

    Instantly, a live feed from the Boatsy¡¯s bridge popped into view. The Hero, Chet, stood in front of a large white sheet with his hands behind his back and his eyes closed. He did not move, he did not speak. Not but silence could be heard.

    ¡°Hero-¡± Aevalonis began, but was cut off by the Hero putting up his hand. ¡®He knows.¡¯ She could feel her dread creeping up her spine. Everyone in the strategy room looked from Aevalonis to the Hero. But where once there was silence, there soon became song.

    ¡°And I would do anything for love! I¡¯d run right into hell and back!¡±

    ¡°Dun dun.¡± Came a voice from off screen.

    ¡°I would do anything for love! I¡¯ll never lie to you and thats a fact!¡±

    ¡°Dun dun.¡± Came another, lower voice.

    ¡°But I¡¯ll never forget the way you feel right now oh no! No way! And I would do anythi-¡±

    Just as quickly as the song had begun did it cut off. All eyes locked on to Balros.

    ¡°My finger slipped.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡®Captain, it appears that our transmission was cut off.¡¯ Aya informed me of the painfully obvious hang up I had just received.

    ¡®Can we get it back?¡¯

    ¡®Negative Captain. We appear to be blocked from any further transmissions.¡¯

    ¡®They can do that? Shit.¡¯ I had to think a little. ¡®Alright Aya, we¡¯ll do this telemarketer style. Can we change our ship¡¯s ID?¡¯

    ¡®Of course Captain.¡¯

    ¡®Well why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?!¡¯ I shouted at the robot in my head.

    ¡®You didn¡¯t ask.¡¯

    ¡®Well I¡¯m asking you to kindly change our ship¡¯s ID.¡¯

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Lord, we appear to be receiving a new video request.¡± Yvael spoke from her station while snickering.

    ¡°From who?¡± Aevalonis asked curiously.

    ¡°From the¡­ahem¡­U.S.S. Bitch Dont Hang Up On Me.¡±

    Aevalonis sighed a long, exhausting sigh.

    ¡°Balros, please leave. Yvael, patch him through.¡±

 Chapter 18: Rebellion

    I stared at the video transmission of my girl Avon, who was looking pretty stressed. Not that I was helping matters, I merely stood there with an angry look and my arms crossed. I had worked hard on that song, and she had the nerve to hang up on me! On Meatloaf! As far as I was concerned, she had declared war on musical brilliance. I tapped my foot waiting for an explanation on her cutting of my newest declaration of love.

    Tired red eyes looked to me as she sighed,

    ¡°I take it you¡¯re not just here to sing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know, I worked hard on practicing just for you. The least you could have done is listen until the end!¡±

    ¡°Its true, our captain has been rehearsing his lines for our entire trip.¡± Jiirl butted into the video. ¡°So you¡¯re his woman.¡± She stared at Avon appraisingly.

    ¡°You must be the engineer¡¯s wife.¡± Avon assumed guessed. She was right, but assuming is always wrong to do. ¡°So he¡¯s been telling you that I¡¯m his woman as well?¡±

    ¡°Indeed I am. And yes he has.¡± Avon¡¯s eyes narrowed towards me.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°I wish you two luck and happiness.¡± Jiirl bowed her head and left the transmission.

    Anger and frustration were written clearly on my woman¡¯s face. I mentally prepared myself for a barrage of insults as is custom when a woman makes a face like that. Yet strangely, they never came. Not even a scoff or a sneer. Something was wrong and I wasn¡¯t the cause of it, which made me worry.

    ¡°Hero, we need to talk.¡± She spoke after looking like she had resolved some inner dilemma.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯re doing that right now.¡±

    ¡°Face to face.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re doing that too.¡±

    ¡°In person.¡±

    ¡°I mean technically-¡±

    ¡°Get over to my ship NOW!¡± she yelled out in a rage as she rubbed her face with her hands.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, right away ma¡¯am.¡± I saluted and signed off on the transmission.

    ¡®What do you think Aya? Is this going to be another capture slash kill attempt? Or just a private conversation.¡¯

    ¡®Its a fifty fifty shot Captain.¡¯ She responded.

    ¡®I see your point.¡¯

    ¡°Anyone got a coin I can borrow?¡± I asked my assembled crew who stared at me with worried expressions.

    ¡°Here Captain.¡± Hortur spoke as he fished out a silver coin from his jacket pocket.

    ¡°Alright boys and girls, heads we go and see what Avon wants. Tails, we beat feet and get the hell outta here.¡±

    One coin toss later and heads ended up winning. It was time to go get yelled at face to face.

    The difference in size between a dinky little Frigate, like mine, and a Battleship is¡­well¡­its pretty fuckin¡¯ big. I could have lined up twenty of my ship and still been a little short length-wise. And thats not even taking the verticality and the width into consideration. This Battleship was one bad mama-jama that was potentially crewed by hundreds and hundreds of human-hating aliens. And I was going to walk right on in.

    Sadly, our Frigate was a little too big to fit in their Fighter bays located on the outside of the middle deck, so we had to park alongside the bays and wait for a shuttle. I alone waited in the depressurized cargo bay with the ramp down in my space suit. The rest of my crew were to wait on the U.S.S. Bitch. If Avon were to attempt another capture or kill attempt on me, Aya had set the ship up to automatically jump to Salyzan Kingdom space. Mostly for the Princess¡¯ sake, as we didn¡¯t need her becoming a prisoner and helping escalate this rebellion I wanted no part in. Aya had said that this would deter any attempts to incarcerate me. When I asked why, she explained in very scientific terms that when a ship goes light-speed inside a gravity-well, shit goes boom.

    I didn¡¯t have to wait long for the shuttle to park itself just beyond the lowered ramp. A short hop and I sailed over to the shuttle¡¯s entry.

    ¡°Give me a second Chet.¡± Came a familiar voice over my implant. ¡°Currently depressurizing the interior.¡±

    ¡°Yvael! Long time no see!¡± I happily responded, ¡°Hows it hanging girl?¡±

    ¡°Another day in the service of the rebellion. Same as any other.¡± She responded with a sigh. ¡°You better get ready for something big.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Avon finally deciding to become my woman?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡± Came the immediate rejection. Without a sound, the side door to the shuttle slid open. ¡°Come on in.¡±

    ¡°Come on Yvael, give me some spoilers.¡± I spoke as I entered the shuttle and locked myself into a seat via a safety harness. ¡°Whats the big news?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll let Ave explain.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re no fun.¡± A distinct lack of any sort of humor in her voice spoke volumes. Shit had gone down.

    One short voyage later, and I was being led through the interior of the massive Battleship Nylumi. Tense faces lightened when they had seen me walking behind Yvael. Soldiers perked up and saluted as we passed, workers murmured amongst themselves, some even bowed! I was liking the recognition, but a little off-put by not knowing why I was receiving said recognition. How can I properly bask in my own glory if I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m being glorified for?

    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Yvael spoke in a very neutral tone. ¡°Ave awaits you inside.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not coming in?¡±

    ¡°Its not my place to intrude on a private meeting.¡± My mind raced on what could be so important that it was to be discussed in private.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t her bedroom, is it?¡±

    ¡°This is the Captain¡¯s quarters, yes.¡± Yvael nodded. Well, that settled things.

    ¡°I see, I see.¡± I nodded in understanding. ¡°You may want to skedaddle then Yvael. Things may get a little loud.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure there will be much yelling.¡± She cracked a smile and put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Do try to go easy on her.¡±

    ¡°No promises.¡±

    After she had left it was time for one last thing. I breathed into my palm and sniffed, making sure my breath was okay. It smelled fine, but I¡¯d give anything for a breath mint. With a deep breath, I knocked on the door.

    ¡°Housekeeping.¡± An audible sigh could be heard from beyond the door. The sound of footsteps following shortly after in a hurried gait. A second later, the door opened revealing a very distressed looking Demon Lord in her militaristic uniform. Bags had formed under her eyes from a clear lack of sleep. ¡°You¡¯re looking just as beautiful as ever Avon.¡± I smiled pleasantly.

    ¡°Hrmph.¡± She grunted.

    ¡°Alright fine, you look like shit. Better?¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± She sighed, ¡°Come in.¡±

    I needed a Battleship of my own. Her room was far better than mine. She had computers built into the walls, her own fridge, her own machine that closely resembled a futuristic coffee machine. Judging by the smell that permeated her room, it was exactly that. It wasn¡¯t fair, her bed was twice the size of mine as well. In the middle of the room sat a circular table made of some kind of red wood along with a pair of matching chairs.

    ¡°Have a seat.¡± Avon mumbled as she headed towards the coffee machine. She obviously meant at the table, so I sat on the bed. I¡¯m a rebel at heart and girls love bad boys. Besides, I wanted to test out the firmness for reasons. She didn¡¯t even give me any lip when she noticed where I sat as she poured us a pair of cups of space coffee. After handing me a cup full of the hot black drink, she sat next to me in silence.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡®Aya.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t contain myself. ¡®Its happening.¡¯

    ¡®The chances of that are-¡¯

    ¡®Its happening Aya.¡¯

    ¡®If you say so Captain.¡¯

    ¡°Hero-¡± Avon began to speak as she cradled the cup in her hands, but I held up my own hand to stop her from continuing.

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re about to say Avon. But before I say yes, I must remind you that I have an artificial intelligence in my head. So I must ask¡­are you okay with a threesome?¡±

    Pain surged down my leg as scorching coffee soaked through my pants. Avon¡¯s beautiful red eyes were only enhanced by the look of rage upon her face. While my skin cooked underneath my pants, I kept a calm exterior which gave Avon pause. Honestly, if I had a penny for every time a girl poured hot coffee on me I¡¯d have a nickel.

    ¡®First degree burns detected Captain.¡¯

    ¡®Not the first time I¡¯ve had them Aya, but thanks for the heads up.¡¯

    ¡°I was just attempting to lighten the mood.¡± I lied with a smile, ¡°you were looking way too tense.¡±

    ¡°I see. Just a joke then.¡± A look of guilt ran across her face. ¡°Sorry Hero.¡±

    ¡°Its all good Avon. A little Aloe Vera and my leg will be right as rain.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have some medical gel given to you before you leave.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll only accept if you¡¯re the one to apply it.¡± I winked. She rolled her eyes,

    ¡°Nothing phases you, does it Hero?¡±

    ¡°Not true, I¡¯m just really good at adapting on the fly.¡± I took a sip of my coffee. Good shit.

    ¡°Sounds like a useful skill to have.¡± Her gaze turned distant and unfocused. ¡°I guess you¡¯re wondering why I requested you to come here.¡±

    ¡°Lemme guess, you fucked something up really bad and now you need my help.¡± I took another sip, ¡°Am I close?¡±

    She refused to meet my eyes as she looked away guiltily. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it a¡­fuck up per se. Everything is going according to plan¡­¡±

    ¡°If its all going well then why do you make it sound like a fuck up?¡± Without replying, she got up from sitting next to me, walked over to the table, picked up a holo-pad, and handed it to me.

    ¡°Hit play.¡± She said simply. I had no reason to do otherwise, so I did.

    And boy was it a shitshow.

    I watched a video of myself swearing fealty to Avon, which I would never do. I¡¯m not one to give in to authority after all. I was also acting all polite and respectful in a room full of people, which I would never do. And to top it all off, I hadn¡¯t cursed once during the whole ceremony, which I damn well would never do. Curse words are an important aspect to daily living, people should curse more often. Back on Earth, my day wasn¡¯t complete until I called at least five people an asshole while I was driving. Hell, my first word after waking up every morning was fuck.

    ¡°The editing on this is pretty shit.¡± I commented.

    ¡°Balros would be livid if you heard him say that. He¡¯s the one who made this.¡± Avon smiled.

    ¡°Oh he did, did he? Can you call him here? I¡¯ll show him where he made his mistakes.¡±

    ¡®Captain, please don¡¯t do what you¡¯re planning.¡¯

    ¡®Nope, its too late to turn back now.¡¯

    ¡°Hes on his way.¡± Avon spoke to me after speaking to herself for a few moments. ¡°You¡¯re taking this way better than I expected.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m good at adapting.¡±

    A few minutes later a knock sounded from the door.

    ¡°I¡¯m here Lord.¡± Came the familiar voice of the demon dude.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let him in.¡± I announced while hopping from the bed. Avon looked positively perplexed at my enthusiasm. With a smile, I opened the door.

    ¡°Ah, hello Hero.¡± Balros greeted.

    ¡°Sup Balros?¡± I asked before I swung my fist into his face, connecting directly with his nose and sending him reeling back into the hallway. By the satisfying crack heard at the moment my fist hit his nose, I had broken it.

    ¡°What the hell are you doing?!¡± Avon called from behind me.

    ¡°You wretch!¡± Balros yelled in a nasally voice as he pulled a gun from his holster.

    ¡®That is not a stun gun Captain.¡¯ Aya informed me after a quick scan.

    ¡°Go ahead Balros.¡± I smiled, ¡°Do it. Shoot the Hero that pledged his allegiance to the Demon Lord.¡± I knew he wouldn¡¯t. After seeing that video, I could do whatever the hell I wanted and get away with it.

    ¡°Stand down Balros!¡± Avon commanded as she marched up next to me.

    Rage, hatred, loathing, call it what you will, he was having a hissy fit over a broken nose. Savage eyes stared directly into my own as he bared his teeth. With a snarl, he holstered his weapon and walked off like the good little dog he was. Drips of blue blood being left in the hall in his wake.

    ¡°What was that for?¡± Avon fumed from beside me. I gave her a blank stare in response.

    ¡°Who else besides us have seen this video?¡± I asked hoping the number was far less than I expected.

    ¡°We put it on the Gal-Net. So far, half the galaxy has seen it.¡± I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself. I may not be the brightest bulb in the box, but even I knew that this video would fuck shit up.

    ¡°And the response?¡±

    ¡°Hundreds upon hundreds of systems have joined the rebellion.¡±

    I started to walk off after Balros, but Avon firmly clutched my wrist.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t going after him.¡± She stated in a commanding tone.

    ¡°Of course I am. I have to teach him to never do something like this again. Give that blue bastard an educational ass-whopping.¡±

    ¡°The damage is already done Hero.¡± Avon tried to reason. ¡°Attacking him won¡¯t accomplish anything.¡±

    ¡°No, but it¡¯ll make me feel better.¡± I gritted my teeth as I pulled my hand from hers. ¡°This is why I would have rejected joining the rebellion in the first place Avon. I knew shit like this would happen. And let me guess, the Kingdom is already working on stamping out those that are uprising as fast as they can.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Her words were barely a whisper.

    ¡°You know what I should do? I should put out my own video calling yours a hoax and spread it on the Gal-Net. That way at least some worlds full of people will stop supporting you. Some won¡¯t get bombed to hell by a fleet of ships because they believed a lie. Do you even have enough ships to protect them Avon? Because if not, you may as well have murdered them all yourself.¡±

    She said nothing as she slumped against the wall, her entire body shaking. No wonder she looked like shit earlier, she had been stressing about these events for awhile. I pitied her in a way, its not every day you end up fucking over half the galaxy in the pursuit of your goal. I could have walked away. Perhaps I should have. But what man would abandon his woman in her time of greatest need?

    ¡°So.¡± I began as I stood next to her in the hallway. ¡°You¡¯ve got a shit ton of worlds to protect and not enough ships to do it. And you¡¯re just going to sit here and cry about it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not crying.¡± She glared at me. Good, some progress.

    ¡°Sulking then. So why aren¡¯t you out there in this badass Battleship helping your new allies?¡±

    ¡°I-¡± Before she could utter her excuse, I quickly cut her off.

    ¡°You have no excuses Avon. You started this without being prepared and now you¡¯re going to have to adapt. Those people now need you and you are failing them, keep it up and your rebellion is dead in the water before you can blink.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± She nodded. ¡°It may not be the most ideal situation, but I need to make the most of it.¡±

    ¡°Thats the spirit.¡± I patted her on the shoulder. ¡°Now get out there and fight the good fight.¡±

    ¡°I know that last time I asked you said you didn¡¯t want to get involved¡­¡± She knelt before me, ¡°But we could really use your support. The people will expect you to fight alongside us. If you don¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Then they¡¯ll know they¡¯ve been tricked.¡± I nodded. ¡°Well Avon, I suppose that depends entirely on you.¡± She looked up at me as if she knew exactly what I was going to say next.

    ¡°Aevalonis Malwyrd Kalrastros, will you be my woman?¡± I asked with a hand extended towards her kneeling form. Her face became a storm of emotion as thoughts whipped through her head. Time itself seemed to stand still as she considered.

    ¡®Shes not going to-¡¯ Aya began, but was interrupted when Avon grabbed my hand with her own. Gently, I pulled her to her feet.

    ¡°I do this for the people I must protect.¡± Avon''s eyes stared directly into my own. ¡°I will be your woman, Chet Rosenfield.¡±

    ¡®I don¡¯t fucking believe it!¡¯ Aya cried out in my mind.

    I got the girl and my robot to curse and all it had taken was the galaxy being torn in half to make all this happen. It was a good day.

 Finale: Shotgun Wedding

    I stood at the far side of a cleared out hangar on the Battleship Nylumi, where hundreds upon hundreds of aliens sat in fold-out chairs and stared at me expectantly as I stood perfectly still in my new dark-blue military uniform. Hortur, Jiirl, Yvael, and Princess Egyle, known to all as Dalria, all sat at the front row of the assembled crowd. Lyrin was within the crowd, currently giving me a deadly glare. Balros was in there too, you couldn¡¯t miss a nose that broken in a crowd like this.

    Slightly off to the side and behind me stood an alien who I had made a acquaintance with. Chief Engineer Obsal, one of them Korglans, wore some sort of fancy robe threaded in red and gold. He cradled a massive black book in some alien script under one of his arms. This was a situation I had never planned on ever happening.

    I was getting married and I was shitting bricks.

    I only wanted to make Avon my woman, not get married damnit! I wasn¡¯t ready for marriage. In fact, I had never planned on getting married ever! Marriage is a scam used by women to obtain men¡¯s valuables through divorce. Thats what dad said when he left anyway. Now I well and truly understood the meaning behind Eminem¡¯s words when he sung about his mom¡¯s spaghetti, he was actually singing about getting married. My knees were weak, my arms were heavy, and if it weren¡¯t for the fact that I hadn¡¯t even had breakfast, there¡¯d be vomit on this uniform already.

    I hadn¡¯t even known about this ceremony until I had shown up a few minutes ago! This morning, Avon barged into my room, threw me these fine threads that I was rockin¡¯, and said to meet her in hangar three at noon exactly. The moment I entered, a hangar full of people sitting in chairs turned to look at me. When I had tried to back away, a pair of guards intercepted me and motioned for me to walk down the aisle. Without a doubt, I was currently the victim of shotgun wedding.

    ¡®Relax Captain.¡¯ Aya began in a calming tone. ¡®This is nothing more than a swapping of vows.¡¯

    ¡®Easy for you to say Aya, I dont even know what vows to make!¡¯

    ¡®Standard galactic wedding ceremony vows normally include a pledge to protect one another till the stars die out.¡¯

    ¡®Is anything about this standard, Aya?¡¯

    ¡®Negative.¡¯

    ¡®Exactly. Besides, I¡¯m not the only one getting married here. Technically since you¡¯re a part of me, you¡¯re involved in this too.¡¯

    For a few moments, she had gone completely silent.

    ¡®¡­Captain.¡¯

    ¡®Yes Aya?¡¯

    ¡®I am currently processing nervousness.¡¯

    ¡®Welcome to the club.¡¯

    My body tensed as the sound of a magnetic door unlocked at the far side of the bay. All eyes turned to focus on the new arrival. Dressed in a form-fitting black gown, Avon strode forth with her red eyes burning directly into my own despite the distance between us. Her high heels clicking against the metal floor with each forceful step. Her once free-flowing long black hair had been tamed and her wings had spread out in full length, flapping occasionally. Must have been a nervous tick of hers.

    It wasn¡¯t long until she stood face to face with me, her right hand outstretched towards me. Out of reflex, I gripped her hand with my sweating palms. By the brief grimace on her face, she wasn¡¯t impressed by my perspiration. My heart pounded wildly in my chest as she moved to stand next to me, her hand in mine. Obsal looked to Avon and I as he took the book from under his arm. Avon nodded, I merely stood there thinking how fucked my life was now.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Born unto molten earth are we, fused of rock and stone where life is forged by the hands of fate. Through life, our cores do erupt and expand¡­¡± Obsal spoke in his loud boisterous voice as he began the ceremony.

    ¡°What the fuck is this?¡± I whispered to Avon at my side.

    ¡°Its the Korglan ceremony of bonding.¡± She shot back.

    ¡°To seek another core whom shares a hope to be bound by one another¡­¡±

    ¡°Bondage?¡±

    ¡°Bonding!¡± Avon rolled her eyes. ¡°Do you even listen?¡±

    ¡°Not when I¡¯m nervous.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve almost been killed multiple times, and this is what makes you shake in your boots?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m bad with commitments okay?¡±

    ¡°And through the eras shall we roam until the very stars fade from the sky¡­¡±

    ¡°Some Hero you are, afraid of a little ceremony.¡±

    ¡°If you think I¡¯m bad right now, you should hear Aya.¡± I muttered as my body shook. ¡°Shes just saying ¡®Error¡¯ over and over.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because I explained to her that since shes part of me, technically shes getting married too.¡±

    ¡°May we last forever into eternity into the cosmos themselves¡­¡±

    ¡°So whose idea was this anyway?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Jiirl¡¯s.¡± I should have known. That snake woman had a penchant for meddling ever since her first day on my ship. ¡°She even said to avoid telling you until the last minute.¡±

    ¡°What? Why?¡±

    ¡°Because she says you seemed like the type that would run away.¡± Betrayed by my own crew member. Now I know how Caesar felt being stabbed in the back by his dear friend Brutus.

    ¡°Do you, Aevalonis Malwyrd Kalrastros, swear to forge an eternal bond to the one standing beside you?¡± Obsal questioned with his booming voice.

    ¡°I so swear, until the stars in the skies die out.¡± Avon spoke seriously as she bowed her head formally.

    ¡°And do you, Chet Rosenfield, swear to do your utmost to maintain said bond until you are naught but stellar dust?¡±

    My throat felt as if it had been filled with sawdust. My mind went blank as all the eyes in the room focused on me as I began to sweat.

    ¡®Aya help! What do I say?¡¯ I cried out in despair.

    ¡®Error. Error. Error.¡¯ She repeated in a mantra. I was on my own. Fuck.

    Sharp fingernails pinched my hand as Avon glared at me. Right, I¡¯ll just copy her.

    ¡°I so swear, until the stars in the skies die out.¡±

    ¡°Then may the two become one, until time itself is no more.¡± Obsal bowed to us.

    Avon stared at me expectantly.

    ¡°I¡¯m unfamiliar with Korglan customs,¡± I whispered, ¡°do we rub rocks together now or something?¡± She sighed in exasperation, grabbed me by the head, and pulled me close to her.

    ¡°I cant believe I¡¯m doing this.¡± She whispered angrily, closed her eyes and locked her lips upon my own. Oh right, that would come next in this ceremony. Not wanting to be outdone, I swept her up in a bridal carry. Her eyes opened in shock and her wings reflexively flapped while I continued our kiss. It would have been great were it not for her horns digging into my forehead. That was going to take some getting used to. Cheers roared from the gathered crowd and feet stamped against the metal floor.

    ¡°Put me down.¡± She demanded with a flushed face and worried eyes as I pulled away.

    ¡°Nah.¡± I responded simply with a grin as I began to carry her down the aisle. The only people not cheering us on was Lyrin and Balros, but fuck those guys.

    ¡°Where are you taking me?¡± she growled as the door to the hangar closed behind us. I didn¡¯t respond, but I did wiggle my eyebrows suggestively towards her. ¡°You¡¯re an ass Hero.¡±

    ¡°I love you too, dear.¡± Her flushed face was worth the verbal abuse.

    ¡°At least put me down now¡­¡±

    ¡°Nope. Its the husband¡¯s responsibility to carry the wife to their room for the consummation.¡±

    ¡°Thats two decks up and quite a long walk away.¡±

    Without another word, I set her down. She was right, I wouldn¡¯t be able to carry her that long. By the look on her face, she was a little disappointed that I acquiesced so quickly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry dear, when we get close I¡¯ll carry you again.¡±

    ¡°Hrmph.¡± She turned her head away, but kept stealing glances towards me.

    It had taken awhile, but I had finally made this beautiful blue babe my woman. Now I just needed to help this rebellion overthrow a galaxy-spanning Kingdom. No big deal.