24. Xandor

Chapter 24

Xandor

Past

W here the void is the Captain’s chambers? I’ve traversed this cramped ship more times than I can count, driven by sheer boredom, yet his specific quarters still elude me. Quickening my pace, I’m propelled by the troubling news from Mod that Tyrxie has left to visit Kaanus. I’ve only seen her lurking in the shadows, her eyes darting nervously when Kaanus is near, so it shocks me she would seek to confront him.

The notion fills me with unease. When I’d brought her back aboard, I could see the surprised glances exchanged between the Captain and his co-pilot. They never expected her to return.

The events of Tier Three remain shrouded in mystery to me, but Tyrxie must have revealed some form of betrayal. What mountain of mischief has my little puffrio gotten herself into, I wonder? Lucky for her, she has me to help clean up the mess. Now If I only could track down the tricksy Tyrxie.

My heavy boots echo through the confined corridors. Its oppressive surroundings are almost enough to make me miss the garish openness of Omega Flux Station... almost. Gods, I never thought I’d ever escape that netherworld-like nightmare, cradling the sleeping Tyrxie in my arms while passing the inspection to enter Tier Two.

The garish guards inspected me with accusing stares like I was carrying the female off to dishonor her! One even dared to touch my chest. He’s fortunate my hands were occupied, or I would’ve crushed every bone in his feeble grip. A mere flash of my fangs and a stern word was enough to frighten them. Their hearts weren’t in it, smart of them to step aside.

I hope Kaanus and his fierce female are also smart. I’d hate to fly this ship myself. It’s so old the controls may be incomprehensible. A deep sigh escapes me as I round another corner, only to halt as an unsettling yet familiar sensation washes over me like an icy wave. Tyrxie’s in danger somewhere to my left. I quicken my pace, almost running, wondering how she keeps getting herself into trouble so often. I’ll have to keep her close from now on.

As I near the door at the end of the cramped corridor, a clamor of raised voices assaults my ears. Something about ‘betrayal.’ It’s a word Tyrxie evokes often, however betrayal is a matter of perspective. I need only align our goals together and she’ll behave herself, right? The wishful thought lingers limp and flaccid as I can almost hear the Gods’ mocking laughter.

The door swishes open at my hurried advance as I dash inside to find nothing other than clothes littered around. Yet I pay it little heed, sensing Tyrxie’s still in danger very close now, which pulls me further into the room. Revealing the infuriating sight of her lifted into the air by Kaanus, his face twisted in fury, threatening to strike her.

Yet my fury is greater as I thunder across the remaining distance with blinding speed. I shove the Captain with such force, he’s propelled through the air like a comet, his pathetic body crashing atop his messy bed. My ears twitch as movement to my left propels me to aim my arc blaster into the corner. Anticipating the fierce Jungarian reaching for her gun as she stalks in the corner.

The female is quick, almost leveling her gun at me, before I’ve beaten her to the draw. “Drop the gun, or I’ll be adding a touch of blue-bloody gore to decorate this room.” My eyes bore into hers. A promise of violence should she defy me, while I extend a hand towards the trembling Tyrxie. The brown-furred Jungarian tosses her automatic ballistic gun onto the floor, yet her eyes remain hard and defiant. A touchy one indeed.

Incredible softness enwraps my hands, shocking me until I realize it’s Tyrxie, clinging to me as she rises to her feet. How can hands be so soft? “Thanks... thanks, Xandor,” she stammers out as her grip lingers for a blissful moment longer than necessary. Why am I letting her simple touch distract me?

“I promised to keep you safe,” I smile, peering into her sad green eyes. Have I ever been this close without fear etched in her eyes? “But next time, come find me before you charge into the hydraliths den, naked.”

Hyanxa scoffs, “It’s us who’s in danger from her! The treacherous little—”

“Keep your yapping muzzle shut, fierce one!” I snap back at the irritating female, noticing Kaanus righting himself on his bed, shaking his head with a pained grimace. “Aren’t you two supposed to be a couple? Why the void are you skulking in the corner like a topless dancer?” I demand with a frown, gesturing with my arc blaster for her to join Kaanus on the bed.

The Jungarian shows no concern for her modesty or anything as she moves with languid grace towards the bed. “Because I heard you coming,” she sneers, her eyes darting to her discarded gun on the floor.

“Eyes on me!” I yell at the fierce female as I fumble for Tyrxie’s pistol attached to my belt. “Here, keep this on that one,” I command, nodding toward Hyanxa while I hand the tiny pistol over to Tyrxie.

“I can do that,” Tyrxie replies with more than a hint of relish in her tone.

“You can’t do shit, you useless ugly—” the irksome furry one spits out, before I interrupt.

“I wouldn’t test her, fierce one. Not unless you want another deeper scar planted deep between your eyes,” I retort. But Hyanxa only scoffs, placing hands on hips whilst tapping her foot.

“Xan... Xandor what in the voiding void are you doing, attacking me in my own quarters!” Kaanus slurs, most likely drunk, obvious now as the pungent smell of alcohol permeates the room.

“I go where I want and do as I please,” I state, switching my gauntlet from arc blaster mode to arc claws. The room fills with a sudden ominous flickering of blue hues, flickering of potential violence. Kaanus recoils and even his fierce female flinches backwards at the sight of the long plasma claws and my towering presence. Good, their precarious situation now dawns on their frightened faces.

“You’re fortunate I need you and this heap of junk you call a ship, or I’d gut you both like rabid hydraliths for attacking Tyrxie,” I assert, glaring between the two. Yet I deactivate my arc claws, unwilling to end their lives if it can be avoided.

Kaanus attempts to rise but winces in pain, clutching his leg as he settles back onto the bed. “Voiding wound!” He exclaims, before addressing me, his aggressive manner now replaced with the fake gracious captain once again. “Listen, Xandor, you paid me to get you to Nebia. And as Captain, it’s my duty to take disciplinary action against disloyal crew members for the sake of the mission,” he states, flashing a smile that doesn’t reach his white eyes. “I’m sure you wouldn’t appreciate me interfering with your affairs,” he adds in a smooth tone, despite his inebriation.

“What I don’t appreciate is your abuse of the female,” I retort, glancing down at Tyrxie, who remains steadfast, aiming her gun at Hyanxa. “She’s under my protection from now on. Any injury to her I will return upon you both with twice the cost,” I threaten, fixing my gaze back on Kaanus.

But it’s Hyanxa who interjects with a bitter chuckle, “You protect the one who stole your mask?” She lets out another mocking laugh. How does she know that? A flicker of doubt almost creases my brow before I suppress it. “Perhaps Klendathians are all brawn, lacking even the common sense of a znat.” The Jungarian jabs an accusing finger towards Tyrxie, who tenses beside me. “She’s a lying traitor. It’s voiding obvious!”

I almost sigh, her words hitting too close to the truth. But for good or ill, Tyrxie’s my liar, and I’m sure I can straighten her out... “Tyrxie never stole my warvisor,” I lie, frowning towards Hyanxa, knowing a few lies mingled with the truth will clear up this mess. “In fact, she helped me track down its location.”

Now it’s Hyanxa’s turn to appear doubtful, as her eyes shift downward for an instant. “It was Triandale, your Security Officer, who attacked us after stealing my warvisor. He offloaded it to a gang on tier three. He was the traitor, driven by a hateful vengeance—a vengeance I tried to warn you about, yet you did nothing!” I shout, driving my advantage home.

Kaanus appears thoughtful as Hyanxa retorts, “That doesn’t make sense, you lie to—”

“Why would I lie? To protect the one who stole my warvisor? You said it yourself, that wouldn’t be very smart of me,” I interrupt. Foolish, indeed, as here I am doing just that.

Kaanus rubs the back of his scaled neck, “Yeah... yeah. He’s right,” he mumbles, glancing toward Hyanxa.

“You’re all voiding morons!” The Jungarian sneers, shaking with fury, her golden eyes ablaze with hatred directed at Tyrxie. Until after a moment, she releases a loud exhale. “Fine, what do I care? We’ll sell the useless bitch to you. Void, you can even have her for free!” she offers with a sardonic chuckle.

“No!” Kaanus roars, fury twisting his features. His sudden shift is almost shocking if I hadn’t anticipated his reaction. Time for the vipertails to devour each other. “She’s not for sale! She belongs to me, understand?” he glares between Hyanxa and me.

Hyanxa’s face twists with disdain, aimed at the Captain. Yet I remain silent, hoping Tyrxie will speak up, but she remains still. That’s fine, I need only add a little fuel to the fire. It’s time she learned the full extent of the truth, time for her to confront her fears and unleash her inner strength.

“Strange, only a moment ago Tyrxie was a crew member. Now she’s a slave to be bartered and owned. Which is it?” I smirk toward Kaanus as his gaze flicks from Hyanxa back to me, seething with anger.

“Hyanxa should know better.” Kaanus’ tone carries a sharp edge. “Of course she’s a crew member. Sure, I pay you a fair cut, equal to the others. Isn’t that right, Tyrxie?” he asks, almost pleading towards Tyrxie with outstretched hands.

“Yeah... that’s right.” Tyrxie lowers her gun and my heart sinks, fearing she lacks the courage to push through. I place a reassuring arm around her tiny waist, prompting the human to stiffen as if awakening from a trace. “But you never let me leave,” she asserts, her soft voice growing stronger. “No matter how many times I asked, you’d only hit me!” she finishes, almost shouting.

The Captain bristles, shaking his head as if he doesn’t believe the truth of his own actions. “It was for your own protection! I couldn’t have you running around alone—”

Tyrxie rubs something in her pocket as her voice grows louder. “You tried to rape me!” she exclaims, like the memory has just sprung to vivid clarity in her mind. “Two years ago, in my bunk. It was you, wasn’t it?” she accuses.

All eyes turn to Kaanus, who recoils as if stuck by a blow, his scales now shimmering blue. “I...I... Listen, I was drunk, okay, and I merely wanted to wake you up, but you went voiding berserk!” he explains, his words fueled by flustered uncertainty.

“You voiding bastard!” Hyanxa screeches, turning on Kaanus to deliver a resounding slap across his cheek. “I gave you the best years of my life, and all you care about is mating this one!” She points back at Tyrxie. “Well, void you, I’m leaving at the next stop,” the once fierce Jungarian declares, her voice wavering with glistening eyes—a strange sight on the tough female.

Hyanxa moves around the room in a frantic hurry, gathering her belongings and finally covering her exposed breasts with a black shirt. “Hyanxa... I’m sorry,” Kaanus offers, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t voiding touch me! You all deserve each other!” Hyanxa recoils from his touch, tears streaming down her furred, scarred face. I step aside as she barrels between Tyrxie and me. As I meet Tyrxie’s gaze, I raise an amused eyebrow. Yet the human still has heat in her green eyes. Seems she’s not done yet.

Kaanus limps over to pick up a bottle of alcohol, wincing with each painful step. The silence is deafening as he slumps onto the bed, taking a swig before burying his spikey head in his hands. “You never rescued me from slavers, did you?” Tyrxie breaks the yawning quiet, her tone carrying an ominous coldness.

“No.” The Captain now appears a broken male, diminished to a fraction of his former self. “I planned to tell you the truth. To make you understand.” He takes another swig from his bottle, his head still bowed. “But void, I never imagined it’d work out like this.”

I scoff at his pathetic response. How did he ever imagine a pleasant reaction to his terrible secrets? But I choose to remain silent, watching with eager anticipation, hoping to glean more insight into the soul of the female I’m bonded with.

“Why?” Tyrxie questions, her voice soft yet resolved.

“Credits, why else? The demand for them never stops.” Kaanus swirls his bottle around in his scaled hand. “A few decades ago, the jobs dried up, a rare period of peace in the universe. I was desperate, with no other choice but to turn to smuggling and slaving.” He pauses for yet another draught from his beverage before continuing. “Void, their faces still haunt my dreams. I hated it, hated myself. Still do, for what I did back then. But I can never atone for the past.” He lifts his head to glance between Tyrxie and me. “It always catches up, eventually.”

“And what about me? About my parents?” Tyrxie asks, as she trembles, emitting an ice-cold fury that seethes beneath.

“Tyrxie... I—” Kaanus begins, concern etched on his scaled features.

“Answer me, you voiding bastard!” Tyrxie screams, interrupting him, leveling her pistol at the Captain.

I know Tyrxie is very capable of killing, recalling her cold execution of the Tuskarian that tormented her. Yet I remain steady, folding my arms, content to leave the matter in the hands of the Gods.

“I killed them... Void, I killed them all. Every last one of them,” Kaanus exhales, looking to the cold, hard arcweave ceiling, finding no solace. “Some primitive planet I raided many years ago.” He shakes his head, sadness in his voice.

“Earth,” I answer, lingering on the strange word.

“I don’t know. Perhaps,” he replies, unaware or uncaring of how precarious his life dangles before the furious female.

“My parents, what were they like?” Tyrxie demands, her voice now betraying emotion.

“Just people,” Kaanus states, offering nothing more as he takes another swig.

“Just people?” Tyrxie repeats, bitterness and resentment infused into her words. “Tell me something. Anything, or I swear I’ll blow your voiding brains out, right here, right now.”

Kaanus’ gaze now glistens with moisture, the only hint of emotion from his blank Argorian eyes. “They must have loved you fiercely. Pictures of you plastered on every wall,” he whispers with a downcast head.

Tyrxie erupts into sobs, her tiny shoulders shaking as the gun trembles in her grasp. My heart aches at the sight, yet I remain firm. “Why me? Why didn’t you sell me?” her voice quivers between tearful breaths.

Kaanus glances at Tyrxie, his features etched with sadness, a mirror of hers. “When I reached into your bed, you grabbed my finger with the tightest little grip. You smiled at me then with your bright green eyes. Eyes the opposite of mine. I couldn’t let the bastards have you. Not you. So, I raised you like a daughter... I’m sorry, Tyrxie, I truly am.”

“Daughter?” Tyrxie spits the word like a rancid poison. “Void your empty words!” She steadies the gun with both her hands, peering down the sights. “I want my life back. The one you stole from me!” she screams.

“Pull the trigger. I deserve it.” Kaanus rises on an unsteady leg, taking a final swig from his bottle, resigned to meet his fate.

Time stretches into what feels like an eternity, the air heavy with tension. Tyrxie’s labored breaths betray her hesitation, and I know without her saying a word—she can’t pull the trigger.

“Xandor, I’m lost,” Tyrxie pleads, her voice and hands shaking.

“Only you hold the answer,” I reply, divulging nothing, not wishing to influence her decision.

“I can’t do it,” Tyrxie admits, lowering her weapon. “You stay the void away from me, you hear? And when we reach Nebia, I’ll be leaving with Xandor,” she adds with a relieved breath, before she turns to exit the room, like an angry shadow.

I linger to hear Kaanus whisper, “Farewell, Tyrxie.” As I gaze at the Captain, who shows no sign of relief at his spared life, slumping onto the bed. He appears broken, staring into his bottle, like some useless thing cast into the void. But a broken captain serves me no purpose.

I grasp his robe, hoisting him to his feet. “Look at me, Kaanus,” I demand with a jerk. “Look at me!” I repeat until his head snaps to attention, coming out of his shock. “You’ve been gifted your life. You can still atone for your dishonor from his day forth.” He nods his head in slow motion. “Get us to Nebia.” I snatch the bottle of alcohol from his weak grasp, crushing the polymer vessel in my grip. “Sober up, and captain this ship,” I command with a stern expression.

“Yeah...” Kaanus nods his head with increasing intensity. “Yeah, I can do that,” he declares as he regains his senses.

Excellent.