“I am sorry,” Azan whispered regretfully. Veral’s furious snarl almost drowned out the female’s words as he stiffened, his vibrissae rattling as he began to turn toward them. It was only the firing up of her blaster that made him halt.
“I know. And if he kills you, I’m sorry too.”
“Fair enough,” Azan replied.
“It seems her tech does not immediately recognize the threat of a blaster. Must not have been in its programming. A pity. All for the best,” Egbor continued. “I am sure you are also aware that my ship will still not hesitate to shoot you down before you even manage to leave the atmosphere. With this in mind, I would not react foolishly if I were you. Nothing has changed. You are still very much under my control.”
“As you say,” Veral growled. “I will remember this moment on the day I tear you apart with my claws.”
“I suspect you might, if you had such an opportunity,” the pirate agreed with a tight smile. “For now, however, you defer to me. Now get some rest, everyone. We move out at sunrise.”
18
As calculated, the creature departed just before the first rays of light filtered down through the canopy. No one had been able to sleep after the attack. Although it had made it difficult for Veral to pick off another male from the group, the creature had managed to kill two males.
A reasonable trade.
It did not escape his notice that the planet was doing most of his work for him when it came to thinning the crew. So much so that, as they continued to trek further into the forest, he abandoned all immediate plans to kill the males.
Statistically, it was logical to keep what was left of the crew alive so there were extra bodies between Terri and anything else that might hunt them. Even armed with a symbiont that would likely react to the presence of the creatures, despite her current lack of skill in utilizing it, Veral wanted bodies between her and the creations of the Elshavan.
One way or another, they would all die.
The captain, however, he would particularly relish killing in slow, painful ways. He would make certain that the punishment was great enough that the male would regret even in the next world that he had forced Veral to take his mate to theEvandra.
The only good thing to have come from recent events was that fear of attack from the bio-tech creatures kept everyone together. That Egbor encouraged it was telling. The male did not even send Veral out to scout further ahead, wanting to keep his protection close by.
The pirate did make one concession, perhaps to ensure that Veral remained near. Other than a few stern reminders about the foolishness of taking his mate and fleeing, Veral was no longer forced to remain separate from Terri so long as the human remained close to Egbor. It provided comfort to him and reduced the continuous strain to his systems that Terri was now between him and Azan at the fore, despite the captain and his guard following close behind them.
Veral clicked to himself as he cut a quick glance at the males pushing through the thick green fronds surrounding them. Garswal stood just off to the side, the blade he carried too large in his hands, as he cut away growth at the captain’s orders. His small body and blade kept most of the brush from directly touching Egbor, who peered at the wild surroundings with a distasteful curl of his lip. That male did not appreciate being out in the wilderness. It was just another thing that distinguished him from the few pirate captains Veral had known or heard of in passing.
Egbor did not willingly touch anything that had not been sterilized. The male constantly smelled of high-quality disinfectants. Even his blaster, he regularly wiped down. Though he surrounded himself by those who did the unpleasant, unclean work for him, he still managed to wield complete control over his crew.
Veral had long noted that the captain ruled not by might and ability as a pirate, but rather through cunning and manipulation alone, reinforced by a ruthlessness that kept his crew working under his orders. Keeping Veral in close proximity now was just another part of that. On a planet where they would have to battle both bio-tech creations and a local wildlife full of deadly predators, Egbor’s primary concern was to assure his own safety in pursuit of theEvandra. He would sacrifice every one of them to accomplish his means, even if he was the only one to survive.
A movement in the path ahead zipped through his awareness along his sensory input, a reminder of the hazards that threatened them. Veral swept his arm out, knocking away the creature that stalked them in the low hanging vines with the branch he had armed himself with upon leaving their shelter.
Since the captain forbade him from having a blaster or any of the weapons utilized by the crew in concern that Veral would use it upon them, he was forced to improvise to protect his mate as they walked deeper into the forest. The thing snarled with a trembling shriek as it drew back up onto its numerous thin legs and scurried forward.
Veral’s muscles tightened as his eyes tracked the predator, Terri’s muttered curse close at his side as she too watched it. It raised the front of its body, its front legs spread, exposing a mouth full of hooked fangs as it let out another shriek. The front of its body was long and stick-like, providing the perfect camouflage for its bulk, despite being nearly as large as Veral’s leg. The body, however, tapered down into a long, thin, prehensile tail that was also raised in the air just behind its head, the forked end jerking forward in a subtle stabbing action. Venomous barbs no doubt tipped both points of the fork.
An agitated growl left Veral’s throat, his claws sliding out just as a blaster raised in the air beside him. Azan fired at the thing, the single shot hitting it amidst the tight cluster of its three eyes. Another shrill sound left it upon contact before it dropped into the dark grass surrounding it.
“Excrement-eating filth, what wasthat?” Azan snarled as she lowered her weapon.
Veral considered wresting the blaster from the female, irritated that she was the one to deal with the threat rather than himself. He did not even attempt to disguise the displeased glower that he leveled at her.
Noting his expression, the female smirked and holstered the weapon. “What is wrong, Argurma? Feeling a little… inadequate?”
Lips curling back into a snarl, he rounded on her and took a step just as Terri pressed her hands against his chest. Although he could have easily brushed by her, he yielded to his mate’s touch.
That did not stop him from narrowing his eyes threateningly at the Blaithari female.
“I did not request your assistance. Your interference is a direct insult to my ability to protect my mate. Attempt to do so again, and I will merely move her to safety and allow the next predator in this forest eat you.”
Azan cocked an eyebrow. “Is that so? That is not very nice.”
A hard smile lit up the Blaithari’s face, and while it was possibly fearsome to some beings, Veral was neither impressed nor frightened. It was nothing more than the challenge of a rival, as far as he saw it.