Chapter Text
“I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS!”
A loud shatter echoed through the dim hallways of the embassy, as the jug of alcohol that had previously been sitting on Ambassador Ke'lorm’s table now collided with the wall right behind him.
“Calm yourself, Seyrith! I’m doing this for your own good.”
That only seemed to fire up his daughter more as her open hands collided with the large, azure table.
“Don’t give me that Melch-dung! You just can’t admit that you want me out of your way while you handle a war that sweet innocent whittle Seywwith couldn’t possibly understand!”
The pink gills on her head flared up in anger, as she released the table from her grasp to pace around the room.
“Fine, FINE! Yes, I want you away from the war! Is that what you want to hear?!”
Ambassador Ke’lorm was now visibly upset as well. His tail, fitted with brilliant blue, almost translucent fins waved about in a way that clearly facilitated his current emotional state.
“I want you as far away from danger as I can get you. I care about you, Seyrith! You’re the only thing I have left! And so Zibris help me, I will not risk my daughter’s safety while I’m away from home.”
He sighed, before rubbing the four stubby digits crowning his hand against the underside of his chin. Seyrith gave a defeated sigh, before slumping down in the chair in front of her dad’s desk.
“I just…It feels like you’re pushing me away again.”
A flash of guilt appeared on the Ambassador’s face. His tail stopped in place, before crossing the distance between them and embracing his daughter.
“I didn’t mean to make you feel like you didn’t matter to me, my little liziweed. But you have to understand that I’m worried. I probably won’t be back on the planet for at least [1 year]. And I won’t feel comfortable knowing you could be caught up in the war, should the fighting be dragged into our borders.”
Seyrith’s gills curled downward, and her lips pressed together to suppress further spouts of frustration.
“I swear by Zibris that all I want right now is for you to be safe. The thought of hearing about this planet being glassed while I’m multiple star systems away…it drives me out the water.”
Ke’lorm released his daughter from the embrace, before putting a hand on her shoulder.
“I’ll do my best to make you as comfortable as you can be during the trip. And who knows, perhaps you’ll enjoy touring the galaxy with an entire crew at your fingertips.”
Seyrith couldn’t help but chuckle at her father’s suggestion. The idea of having an entire ship crew act as her personal caretakers, listening to her whim was…tempting.
She sniffed, before looking up at Ke’lorm with a faint smile.
“I-I’m still mad at you.”
He let out a hoarse laugh before gently patting her on the shoulder.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from my daughter. Just promise me you’ll try to behave. Or at least not make half the crew abandon ship before you take off.”
The laughter dissipated in the large hallway leading up to the Ambassador’s office.
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[Current Memory Log: Seyrith Emberglow]
[Current Location: Merk KD53 Z, Space port.]
[Current Date: [April 20th], 14 PC]
The crew was almost done preparing for take-off. And sure, Dad’s explanation helped quell my initial anger. But that quickly faded once the realization truly hit that I was going to be stuck on that stupid wanna-be cruise for an entire [year].
Just thinking about it made me seethe with anger.
But there’s not much I could do now. I can hardly tell this group of workers to unpack everything after their actual employer told them the opposite just a few hours ago.
It was tempting…but not realistic, even with the ridiculous amount of money my dad would be sending me every month to make sure all my needs were accounted for.
Speaking of accounted for…didn’t the captain mention that I’d also be getting a personal bodyguard?
Whatever. I’m sure I’ll meet him soon enough. Though the captain avoided any questions I had about him. Didn’t exactly help with my already strained nerves.
Sure, now I feel bad for lashing out at the guy, but to my defense, he was giving me an attitude. I might not be as influential as my dad, but I’m still rich!
A loud whistle from aboard the class B cruiser signaled to everyone that preparations were finished and we were ready to board.
I still can’t believe dad managed to get a military-grade cruiser. Even with his wealth and influence, the Erkrox priesthood usually didn’t just hand these out.
But as far as I know, dad simply called in some favors that were still owed to him.
Not my place to pry. While I’m still pissed that I’ll have to waste an entire [year] on this glorified tin can, drifting through space like a tourist, it was reassuring to know that the tin can I was going to be on was more secure than most space-craft our allies had to offer.
Reaching the ramp that led up to the entrance of the ship, I finally got my first good look at the crew. As I expected, it consisted of a wildly mixed-together band of different alliance species.
Though there were some trends. I saw more than a few Scraan who wore technician uniforms. It made sense, given that their small, steady tentacles allowed them to easily slip into cracks and perform delicate repairs on the ship’s internal machinery. The fact that these little critters were also pretty intelligent for their size also helped.
Most of the main bridge’s personnel was made up of Erkrox. They were notoriously militaristic, and made for some excellent tacticians and pilots. But still, I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable around them.
They have a relatively hostile view on “outsiders”, or in other words, anyone who didn’t subscribe to their crazy religious beliefs. And to call these people zealous would be an understatement.
I quickly grew bored of mentally analyzing all of the people I’d be living with, and instead focused on getting on board.
The inside was exactly what I expected: long hallways that lead to living quarters, the ship’s underbelly that acted as storage space for anything you could possibly need. Food for the crew, ammunition, equipment and materials for the technicians, spare oxygen supply helmets, and so on.
I decided to avoid the bridge for now, and instead headed for my private quarters. And sweet mother of the sea, my space on this ship did not disappoint. It included a private washroom with my very own swimming pool, a materializer, as well as a large window that gave me an excellent view of the outside.
I am hard to please. But this…yeah this might just do. My skin’s been feeling a bit dry anyways, and it’s not like they need me to do anything.
I quickly discarded every piece of jewellery I had, before diving gills-first into the pool.
As soon as I broke through the surface and was brought to a slow drift by the water’s resistance, I couldn't help but squeal with joy. This was fresh water! There had to be a drainage system in here somewhere that constantly filtered this pool’s water before letting it flow back in.
I’m in paradise…
I barely registered the ship’s engines starting, as we lifted off the ground. Though I got a really nice view of the city as we ascended into the galactic void.
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Just as I was beginning to doze off, I heard the speaker in my room hum to life. The ship’s AI module spoke, with its usual robotic, emotionless voice.
“Attention all passengers of the 335-Diver: Please head to the main bridge. Your presence has been requested by Captain Zylar Kresh. Please head to the main bridge. Your presence has been requested by-”
Damn it…well, I suppose I couldn’t just lounge in here all day. My tail propelled me towards the surface of the water, and I made a perfect landing on both webbed feet as I touched down.
Yep, still got it.
After shaking off the excess water still dripping off of me, I put my jewelry back on and headed into the first of many white hallways that lead to the bridge.
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This place is built like a damn maze. After what felt like an eternity of wandering around, I finally found my way back to the ship’s bridge. I sighed in relief and my gills finally settled down. The quick dip in the pool hadn’t done much, I was already overheating again.
The air in the hallways was really dry, and was quick to get rid of the moisture that most of my kind need to feel comfortable. Not like it’s gonna kill me, but if I wake up with a rash tomorrow, I swear I’ll throw the captain into the vacuum of space.
As I entered the large room, lined with consoles and three chairs for the captain, vice captain and advisor, I realized that everyone was staring at me.
“Ah, lady Seyrith! We were starting to worry about your well-being. I apologize for the ship’s layout…I admit I still find myself occasionally wandering about, trying to find my way.”
Then why the flark would you people design it like that?!
I let out a sharp sigh, before addressing the captain.
“I’ll manage. Though I fail to see why I need to be present at the bridge. I’m not a member of your crew, I’m just a passenger.”
Despite me not being a huge fan of the Erkrox, I had to admit that they were a sight for sore eyes. Their scales were lined with a brilliant red, which was interrupted by contrasting white stripes. Though I knew better than to get closer than I needed to. Those spines sprouting from their spines were highly venomous, which they often used during their interrogation process.
Just a few drops of their spines’ venom would induce excruciating pain upon the poor soul they injected it into. My gills shuttered slightly at the thought, but I quickly caught myself and straightened them back out.
“While it’s true that you aren’t an employee on this ship, I assumed you’d be interested in this briefing. I won’t steal too much of your time, lady Seyrith, I promise.”
He raised a small disc, which acted as both a projector and also as a means of communication with others like it.
A galactic map appeared before the crew present, plus me. It showed the approximate route we were going to take, as the Erkrox began to elaborate. Though…
“Captain, I’m sorry to interrupt, but why does this map say we’re making a stop on Umindri 526? I was told that the planet is a hub used to access the criminal underworld.”
Said captain clearly heard the doubt in my voice, as he zoomed in on the planet we were discussing.
“My sincere apologies, lady Seyrith. I could not elaborate earlier until we were off-planet. You questioned me on the whereabouts of your supposed bodyguard before we took off. Your father instructed me not to answer your questions in that regard until we were within jump-distance of Umindri 526.”
My amber eyes narrowed on the captain, as he began to stumble over his words. At least I know that I’m just as imposing as my father.
“W-We will be making a brief stop to pick up your protector from the planet, before ascending again.”
…Okay, I expected a lot of things, but certainly not that. A few questions immediately came to mind.
1. What the actual fuck was wrong with my dad to hire a bodyguard that resided in one of the most dangerous star systems on our maps?
2. What kind of creature could possibly live on there that wasn’t a no-good crook?
3. Why did my dad tell the captain to keep this information from me until it was too late to object?
Actually, I knew the answer to that last question after pondering it for a few seconds.
Of course. He knew I would throw a fit and request a new bodyguard the second I heard where this crew member was from.
“I…see.”
The venom dripping from my words could be felt throughout the room, as multiple of the other crew members immediately took a step away from where I stood.
Great. This was just FLARKING PERFECT! Umindri 526 was infested with Ucrils…one of the very few obligatory carnivore species in the galaxy. Muddy green in color, razor sharp teeth with long snouts, claws that could gut you like a fruit, notoriously trigger-happy, hard to read and predict, and to top it all off, their people had committed some of the worst atrocities the galaxy had ever seen before they joined the alliance.
And since these freaks of nature were pretty much the only species who could thrive on that backwards dunghole of a planet, I had to assume that my bodyguard was going to be one of those very freaks.
I looked back at the captain, before taking what little of my patience I had and putting it on display.
“I will excuse myself for now. I have heard everything I need to hear. Do not come to my quarters. I will return when I no longer feel the urge to-”
I cut myself off. No matter how furious I was, threatening the captain wouldn’t help anyone. So instead, I let my gills do the talking. They vibrated in a way that clearly indicated how pissed I was.
The captain swallowed, before nodding.
“I-I understand, lady Seyrith. Again, I apologize profusely for keeping this vital information from you. Y-Your father offered me too much to refuse.”
I spun around and took a few steps towards the startled Erkrox.
“I do not remember asking you to make up excuses. I do not want another word out of you until I’ve left this bridge. Do I make myself clear?”
He just nodded weakly, as I walked towards the door.
I need to let my anger out on something, and fast.
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[Current Memory Log: Zylar Kresh, Erkrox captain of the 335-Diver]
[Current Location: Umindri 526, landing zone.]
[Current Date: [April 20th], 14 PC]
I’ve heard stories of just how difficult the Ambassador’s daughter can be. But experiencing it first-hand just knocked the wind right out of me.
After she had stormed off the bridge, I was forced to take a seat. Tskatsa…what possessed me when I agreed to babysit that crazy woman for an entire [year]?
But moping about my current situation was not going to get me anywhere. We were in the process of landing, and my pilot gave me a wave with one of his fins as affirmation that touch-down had been successful.
I collected myself, before rising from the chair and clearing my throat.
“I need Xylox, Krelis, Vorthan and Phylak, and you four with me. Make preparations to depart for the surface.”
Upon seeing the unsure looks of the crew, I sighed before straightening out my back. My spines bristled up as a result, as an attempt to get the attention back on me. And it worked wonders.
“Get yourselves together. We’ll only be on the surface for a few [minutes]. Our contact said he’d be meeting us by the entrance to our landing pad. Once we’ve confirmed his identity and he signs off his part of the contract, we’ll depart from the system.”
That seemed to calm most of them down, though some of the crew, particularly the single Throdax sitting by the communications panel seemed to still be on edge.
I hadn’t expected much, and still found myself disappointed. That’s exactly why I prefer to pick my own crew. I don’t want to waste my time around snivelling cowards who hide their heads the second things get a little risky. But we all signed our contracts, we were all made aware of the potential dangers we would be facing, and he accepted still.
No matter. I’d have to root this issue out later, for now, we needed to retrieve our final asset.