28. Tyrxie

Chapter 28

Tyrxie

Mating

“ P ut that away, you silly little...” Hyanxa begins before her words trail off, straightening, waving a dismissive hand. I remain poised to strike, studying her for a moment. But her eyes are different, lacking the blazing hatred I’m used to.

I holster my knife, even though adrenaline roars through my veins. “Why the void are you sneaking up on me?” I demand, driven more by outrage than embarrassment.

“Because it’s fun,” Hyanxa replies with a smirk, twisting her scarred face, which threatens my resolve.

“Fun?” I repeat, with a frown, watching her with keen eyes, ready for any hint of betrayal.

But Hyanxa ignores my question as she glances around the workshop, tossing her long red hair. “Where does Job keep the hypodrivers?” she mutters to herself.

Good question. “Either in that box of Polysynth boards,” I gesture towards my left, “Or buried beneath all that stuff.” I wave another hand to the workbench, piled high with scrap metal.

She approaches the Polysynth boards with a languid grace, like a stalking predator. She always moves like that, ready to pounce in an instant. “Why are your tits out?” she inquires with a quick glance and casual tone that belies the heat rising in my face.

My mind fumbles for a convincing lie, but each excuse sounds more ridiculous than the last. “No reason,” I state, deciding that being evasive is the best choice.

Hyanxa reaches into the box before stopping. “Just a random tits-out-in-Job’s-workshop kind of day?” she asks, peering up at me with a grin. “You always were a sneaky bitch.”

She knows me too well, but I’ve changed and I won’t let her intimidate me any longer.

I bristle at her words, yet her demeanor is calm. It’s so unusual, it’s unsettling. Maybe she seeks to lower my guard? “You’re the sneaky one, always creeping up and attacking me, you voiding bitch!” I yell, my voice rises with surprising anger at each word.

Hyanxa only laughs, which infuriates me more. “You have to tread carefully to survive in this business,” she replies, before staring at me. Her words feel eerily familiar. “That tattoo suits you, especially when you get all pissy.” She points to the horrible brand on my chest.

“It’s not a tattoo!” I shoot back, annoyed at her comparison, annoyed at her words, annoyed at everything. “A voiding Tuskarian branded me with it on Omega Flux Station.” Reaching for my shirt, I throw it over my head. “I hate the voiding thing. I wish I could get rid of it.”

Hyanxa frowns in response, which surprises me. A na?ve part of me thought she might show a flicker of sympathy, but not her, never her. “If you hadn’t abandoned us, you wouldn’t have gotten your stupid self branded,” she says with a tone nearing boredom, as she resumes rummaging in the box.

I wouldn’t have run away if you and Kaanus weren’t so dangerous!

The words almost leave my lips, but Hyanxa is trying to bait me into admitting I ran away. That must be her game. “Void off,” I demand, knowing she’ll not heed my request.

“I’ll be voiding off as soon as we reach Nebia,” she replies, giving no sign of offence at my words. I wish I was as strong as her. “Then you’ll never have to worry about me again.” She flashes a knowing grin at me before returning to her search, somehow messing up the area more. “Wish I could take that Klendathian with me. That male has me singing to the stars,” she finishes with a sigh.

My heart plummets at her words. Could it be Xandor? Is that why he’s lost interest in me? “What Klendathian?” I question in a hurry, too fast, fearing the worst.

Hyanxa straightens, gazing at me with a tilted head and a knowing smile. “Oh, you like one of them! Our little Tyrxie’s all grown up now,” she mocks in a cutesy voice that sounds absurd on her. “A Klendathian of all males. Talk about jumping into deep space on your maiden voyage!” She erupts into laughter.

My face heats like a supernova at her words, struggling to find my words, so buried by my embarrassment. “No... No, don’t be stupid. I... I was just curious,” I suppress a wince, my words feeling emptier than the void of space.

Hyanxa avoided my question! How can I get her to reveal if she’s mating Xandor without giving away my desires?

“It’s Xandor isn’t it?” she smirks, cutting to the heart of the matter with brutal precision unique to Hyanxa. “Yeah, the way he protected and lied for you. It must be him,” she ponders with a hand under her muzzled jaw. “Did he mate you down in Tier Three?” She lets out a sudden, eager gasp. “Was it him who branded you?”

My face turns even hotter, and I speculate it must be as red as the Klendathian’s now. My gaze shifts to the exit that looks very inviting suddenly. But to flee now would confirm Hyanxa’s suspicions. “That’s ridiculous. He’s far too frightening for me,” I answer with more conviction this time, and a believable excuse.

“You’re a terrible liar. Always were,” Hyanxa titters, cutting through my lies in an instant.

I hate her so much!

Before I can feign more denial, Hyanxa continues. “What’s the big deal? So, what if you’re mating him? Who cares?” She questions, waving a dismissive hand.

Maybe she’s right. Why am I hiding my desire for Xandor? The Klendathians and Job are aware now... They know far too much! I let out a breath, steadying my nerves. “It’s Xandor, okay,” I whisper, perplexed that I’m confessing this to Hyanxa, of all people.

“I knew it!” Hyanxa exclaims, clapping her hands, more excited than I’ve ever seen her. “You are a dirty little bitch,” she laughs.

My stomach churns with unease at her mocking response. “I knew I shouldn’t have said. You’re just going to use it against me,” I sigh, feeling like Hyanxa has me more tangled than Job’s crate of old wires.

“Relax, we’ve all done it,” Hyanxa declares with a glint in her golden eyes. “More than a few times,” she laughs, before shaking her head in disbelief. “Void, to think little Tyrxie is mating with a Klendathian, you’d never guess it in a million years. I’d love to see the look on that bastard Kaanus’s face when he finds out.”

“We... we haven’t mated yet,” I stutter, knowing I should cut my losses and run, but find myself compelled to continue.

Maybe an experienced female perspective is what I need? Or she might just tease me nonstop.

“Huh?” Hyanxa glances at me. “Are you still playing the coy liar?” she questions with a frown, turning her attention back to the box. “Found the voiding thing, at last,” she declares, holding aloft a hypodriver, like its lost treasure.

Hyanxa uncovers her Jungarian vaporstick, a device I’d only ever seen her use in private. She makes aggressive jabs with the hypodriver into the device that makes me wince. “Voiding piece of crap,” she complains.

“Stop,” I urge, approaching her. “You’re going to break it.”

“Stupid things broke anyway,” Hyanxa tuts, “Hasn’t worked for weeks,” she complains with a bitter tone, making a sharp gesture at the small device.

“Well, stabbing it isn’t going to fix it!” I challenge Hyanxa, nudging her out of the way. She frowns at my boldness, but I don’t care, now consumed by curiosity. “Hmm,” I study the sleek, black narrow tube, noticing the red and blue lights are dimmed. Power source emptied? No, Hyanxa isn’t that clueless. A broken connection, perhaps?

With deft use of the hypodriver, I pry the device open; the issue is now as obvious as Quad’s four arms. “Ah, an open circuit. Just as I thought,” I declare, already fumbling for the connection solder and my heating lance.

Hyanxa peers over my shoulder, studying my movements. “Can you fix it?” She inquires, with an eager tone.

Maybe I should get something in return?

“That depends,” I state, glancing at her.

“On what?”

“On whether you can help with my Xandor problem without laughing every two seconds.”

“You’re holding my vaporstick for ransom? You really are a sneaky bitch,” Hyanxa laughs. “I would’ve answered your questions, anyway. But, I’m still going to laugh, though.”

“Good enough.” I turn back to the device, applying my solder to bridge the broken connection, before using my heating lance to melt small glops that sizzle and fill the air with a pleasant burned metallic scent. The smell of imminent victory! I blow onto the solder, speeding its cooling. Satisfied, I seal the device. “Here goes nothing,” I mutter, flipping the switch.

The blue and red lights of the Jungarian vaporstick light up, and wisps of purple smoke emerge from one end. “Brillant, you fixed it!” Hyanxa exclaims, barreling over my shoulder to snatch the device from my hands.

She could’ve said thanks!

Hyanxa retreats to a wall, raising a leg against it as she puffs from the vaporstick. An expression of bliss spreads across her muzzled face as she blows out bellowing plumes of deep purple smoke. “Void, I’ve missed this,” she sighs.

I wish I felt as relaxed as she looks.

“So Xandor and you aren’t mating, was it?” Hyanxa asks, peering at me through her long red hair, as she draws from her vaporstick. “What’s the problem?”

My face heats at this embarrassing conversation, but I’m determined to learn something useful from Hyanxa, the only other female on the ship. I sigh, hopping up to sit on a messy bench. “The problem is, he rejects me,” I declare, averting my gaze, the shame too much to bear with a straight face.

Hyanxa frowns, blowing out more smoke. “Come on Tyrxie, you’re not that young and na?ve, to think just because you like a male, he’s bound to like you back.”

“Am I? I know nothing about males other than they’re dangerous,” I complain, grimacing, wondering if I’m mad for pursuing Xandor after all.

“Void, you really do need help,” Hyanxa chuckles. I continue to grimace, the feeling of hopelessness stoking higher and higher. “And what’s wrong with a little danger? Danger is exciting!” she exclaims before her golden gaze takes on a sudden intensity. “A dangerous male becomes your dangerous male when you mate his brains out.”

Her shocking words unsettle me, as she speaks of relationships like a transaction or form of manipulation. But maybe Hyanxa’s right—maybe I’m just na?ve, and this is how mating works? “I’ve had enough danger,” I reply, my voice weak.

Hyanxa scoffs, “Life is always dangerous, but you already know that.” She draws from her vaporstick again. “So let me get this right... You’re afraid of males, but not Xandor—or maybe him too. And despite that, you care if he rejects you?” She sighs. “This is making less and less sense.”

“When you put it like that, I guess it doesn’t make sense.” I let out a sigh, more defeated than ever, regretting the whole awkward thing. “This is stupid. Just forget I said anything.” I jump off the bench, heading towards the exit.

“You know what your problem is? You’re a scared little bitch who doesn’t know what she wants!” Hyanxa shouts, straightening with a sudden jolt. My heart pounds in my chest at her tone, the same tone that’s tormented me for years. “You said you wanted the Klendathian, then you start pissing yourself!”

Her words are reminiscent of what Xandor said, but it doesn’t matter now. She’s coming for me!

Hyanxa stalks towards me, graceful and deadly in equal measure. Her face twisted in fury, causing me to recoil. “Back off, Hyanxa,” I demand, with trembling, outstretched hands.

“Or what?” Hyanxa shoots back, now standing at arm’s length, her greater height and build shaking my resolve. “I’m mating, Xandor,” she sneers, her golden eyes shining with hatred. “Yeah, we mate for hours and I scream his name when he pounds me with his enormous cock.”

Despair swallows me whole, her words confirming my worst fears. My eyes drift downwards, unable to face the sneering Hyanxa, unable to face anything. She Jabs a sharp painful nail into my chest. “And he loves my pussy. He can’t get enough, whispering my name as he nibbles my ear, when he releases himself fully inside me.”

Xandor wouldn’t! Would he?

Another hard pointed finger stabs into my brand, where my heart used to be. A furious anger blazes inside me, burning away the despair as my eyes snap to Hyanxa and my fists clench. Yet Hyanxa only continues to sneer. “He talks about you too, after he’s spent himself. Said you’re a scared ugly bitch!” She spits the last word out like seething poison.

Something in me snaps. All my anguish, all my anger, all my disappointment rush to the surface, directed into a thunderous slap that I deliver, crashing into the furred face of my tormenter. “I voiding hate you!” I roar as Hyanxa’s head snaps sideways, the impact resonating with a sharp, stinging sensation in my hand. But it’s worth it. Oh yes, more than worth it!

I can’t stop, driven by years of repressed hatred that erupts like a venting Elerium core. I throw slaps and punches, screaming and screeching, the words lost to me, everything’s lost in a blur of murderous rage and flailing hands. Hyanxa covers her head, bent over a nearby bench, weathering my torrent of fury.

Then, in a heartbeat, like the passing of a cosmic storm, my vision clears, my anger dissipates. Replaced by gulping breaths and shaking hands. Exhausted, I study Hyanxa, shocked to see her cowering on the bench, shocked that I lashed out with such burning hatred. A mixture of emotions swarms inside me—spent anger, elation and pity, even for Hyanxa, the one who’s tormented me for so long.

Hyanxa trembles with slight movements, and I worry I went too far. “I... I’m sorry Hyanxa.” The words stutter from my dry lips.

She turns her head in a swift motion, a surprising smirk etched on her scratched face. Then I realize Hyanxa wasn’t sobbing but laughing! I’d be angry If I had enough emotional energy remaining, instead I can only muster a disdainful shake of my head.

“I owed you that one,” she states with a wince as she straightens and rubs her hand over her marked and swollen face. “But void, I’d thought you’d never stop,” she chuckles.

“You let me hit you?” I ask, glancing at my trembling hands that still ache with stinging use. “Because you felt guilty about stealing Xandor?” I add, wondering what drove her to accept my attack.

Hyanxa grimaces. “Void no,” she replies with haste, hopping onto the bench while still rubbing her face, as if trying to scrub the scuffs away. “I’m not mating Xandor; I’m mating Boroth,” she retorts. Her admission brings a wave of relief, but all that mating talk seems distant now.

“Boroth?” I inquire, my brows furrowed with confusion.

“Yeah, the hulk of muscle with the long red hair like mine,” she explains, taking out her vaporstick and drawing from it.

“You mean Noroth?” I correct, with a soft laugh, jumping onto the bench nearest to her.

Hyanxa’s eyes widen as they fixate on mine. “He’s not called Noroth, is he?” she asks, in a tone full of disbelief. I can only smile and nod. “Void sake! He’s being whispering my name all this time, and I’ve been calling him voiding Boroth!” She grimaces and buries her head in her hands. “He must think me a simpleton,” she laments.

I erupt with laughter, some at her mistake, more at the rush of exhilaration as the adrenaline ebbs from my veins and a sense of a wrong being righted. “With those lumpy ears of his, maybe he never heard,” I offer with a sympathetic shrug.

Hyanxa groans, muffled by her hands. While I struggle not to laugh, unable to imagine a more terrifying couple in the entire cosmos. “At least we both learned something,” she states, taking out a black jar of ointment that looks familiar.

“Noroth’s name?” I answer with a question, unsure what I’ve learned other than Hyanxa is crazy, and I feel more confused than when I started.

“You do want Xandor, and you’ll fight for him when pushed.” Hyanxa stretches over the bench, reaching for a cloth. “No more of this silly crap about him being too dangerous or other stupid excuses,” she explains, dabbing ointment onto the cloth.

She’s right. I couldn’t control my rage when she lied about mating with Xandor. Why do I talk myself out of the things I desire? Is it fear?

“Fine,” I admit with a determined nod. “But he still rejects me, remember?” I ask. The bitter memory almost chokes me up, a hard pill to swallow.

Hyanxa doesn’t answer but wipes her swollen and scratched face with the cloth. Yet she doesn’t wince or show any pain, even though I know that ointment stings. “Got this from Mod,” she states, flashing the jar, confirming my suspicions. “I’ll not tell you what for.” She lets out a sudden laugh.

I shudder at the implied meaning. “Ah, it’s starting to soothe now,” Hyanxa declares, throwing her head back, taking a long breath. “Those Glaseroid brothers have their uses,” she adds.

“Yeah, I asked Job about Xandor and he said if he rejected me, then he must be defective. Whatever that means,” I say, my hand finding my locket, the only certainty in this sea of unknowns.

Hyanxa scoffs, “Asking a Glaseroid for mating advice is like asking Kaanus for an orgasm. Neither has a voiding clue where to begin,” she replies in haste, straightening.

I titter at her words, despite the mental image being more than a touch disturbing. “He said I should display my ‘fleshy bits.’” I press, thinking not all of Job’s advice sounded terrible.

“Fleshy bits?” Hyanxa repeats, rising an eyebrow. “You mean your tits and ass?” She motions to cup her own petite breasts.

And an engorged egg sack, but the less said about that, the better! My face heats at her bold words and casual display, but I still nod.

Hyanxa smirks. “It’s not the worst advice I’ve heard,” she chuckles before continuing. “But you can’t just go waving your tits in males’ faces. Well, you can, but it might end badly.”

Now we’re moving closer to my biggest concern, an eagerness compels me to speak. “But Xandor has seen my... tits,” I struggle with the bold word, glaring at Hyanxa, hoping for some insight. “But he never even glanced at them!”

She frowns at me before taking another draw from her vaporstick. “Maybe he just doesn’t lust for you?” She says with a casualness that belies its cruel implications.

“He does want me, or at least he did!” I shoot back, her challenge pulling the answer from my lips, an answer that was buried. What was that weird stuff he said to me? I frown, trying to recall. “Something about how I breathe beneath his skin, and how he can’t let me go. I don’t know, it was all very strange.”

“He really said that?” Hyanxa asks before laughing. “Who would’ve thought the Klendathian would be so pretentious?” She shakes her head and blows out more purple smoke.

Is he?

My face heats and I notice I’m fiddling with my fingers. The next part still stings; I hate myself for not acting differently. “Then I...” I take a deep breath, unable to meet Hyanxa’s gaze. “I threatened to shoot him... After our fight on the bridge,” I finish in a rush, my eyes creeping upward to see Hyanxa studying me with a frown, like I might be insane.

Maybe she’s right.

“I see the problem,” Hyanxa begins, her voice laced with disbelief. “You’re a crazy bitch,” she laughs, and all I can do is frown, lacking any evidence to the contrary. “Void, what a mess!” she adds.

Shame and embarrassment wash over me, but there’s nothing left other than to continue confessing the awful truth. “Then he said I lacked convictions, like he wanted me to shoot him or something. It’s a bit of a blur now.”

“He’s so dramatic. I couldn’t stomach that crap,” Hyanxa declares with a tut. “But the thing about the Klendathians—they’re all so serious and earnest. It’s better to be honest and direct with them,” she states with a hand under her chin. “You’ve been flip-flopping, and darting around like a confused znat.”

Her words clarify my own jumbled thoughts, leaving me with an eager hope she knows a way to fix this. “What can I do, Hyanxa? He won’t accept my apology and I worry it’s too late,” I plead, my eyes fixated on the Jungarian.

“Tough one,” Hyanxa frowns, taking another draw from her device, as I wait with bated breath, her next words crucial. “Something to prove you’re serious. Something dramatic...” Her voice drifts off like her gaze.

I grimace, thinking of a dramatic, bold action, yet all that comes to mind are variations of Job’s ‘display my fleshy bits’ idea. Until my hand brushes against my horrible brand in absent thought. A shocking realization hits me like an ionized storm. “This voiding brand!” I exclaim, my eyes flickering to Hyanxa.

“Huh? What about it?” Hyanxa inquires, with narrowed eyes on my shirt.

“It’s ugly, and it makes me even uglier. I despise everything about it!” I seethe, my lip trembling with the fury that has simmered beneath the surface.

Hyanxa scowls, her golden eyes flicking from my chest to my face. “You’re not ugly, Tyrxie. Far from it.”

I almost don’t hear her words until the realization dawns. “But you always said I was ugly. An ugly alien cunt, remember?” I remind her, my voice eager but calm.

Hyanxa shifts her head, silence stretching so long I doubt she’ll reply. Then she releases a loud exhale. “I only said that because I was afraid you’d steal Kaanus,” she explains with a dry laugh. “Void seems so stupid now. I wish you had stolen him!”

Her gaze flicks to mine with intensity. “I see how the males look at you. You’re exotic and pretty. It’s not fair.” Hyanxa emits a short laugh before continuing. “I was jealous.”

I’m pretty?

A weight lifts from my shoulders, but a treacherous part of me still doubts her sincerity. “Jealous of me?” I blurt out in disbelief. “The only male interested in me, I threaten to shoot,” I say with a sardonic chuckle. “It’s obvious I don’t know what the void I’m doing!” I finish with a smile.

Hyanxa smiles back, and for a moment, a look of understanding seems to hang between us, an understanding I’d never believed possible just days ago. But I must press on, driven by a seething loathing. “I still want to get rid of this... thing,” I spit the last word out like the vilest, most disgusting filth, gesturing to the brand again.

“You want to remove it, now?” She adds, her face switching to sudden understanding.

“Yeah...” How the void am I going to do this? My heart pounds in my chest, always hating the brand with every ounce of my soul. I pull down my shirt, exposing the terrible snarling beast that stares with malevolent defiance. “Let’s burn this voiding thing off.”

Hyanxa raises an eyebrow. “You really are voiding crazy, you know that?”

“Crazy got me into this mess and crazy is going to get me out,” I declare with fire in my heart and shaking hands, as I retrieve my heating lance and offer it to Hyanxa. “Here, I want you to help me.”

Hyanxa approaches, taking my narrow gray burning device. She presses the trigger, testing it, and recoils as a bright blue spark jolts to life. Her golden eyes meet mine with an expression of genuine concern, an expression I’ve never seen on her. “Void sake, let me add some of Mod’s ointment first, you mad bitch.” She applies copious amounts of the black liquid to the cloth before smearing generous amounts onto my brand.

The ointment tingles my skin. It’ll only be moments before it begins to soothe and numb. Yet that knowledge does little to calm my ever-increasing heartbeat. Hyanxa smirks. “You want me to burn Xandor’s name here instead?”

“No! Just get rid of the horrible thing.” I take a deep breath, yet I can’t control my haggard breathing. “I refuse to wear the mark of a slave a moment longer!” My hands tremble, fumbling for a cloth to bite down on, as I stare at the heating lance. But my resolve is unflinching, knowing I do this not for Xandor but for myself. The brand a hateful, mocking reminder of my pain, of my enslavement, but I’ll not let another claim me—never again!

I clench my fists and give Hyanxa a silent nod. She shakes her head, before activating the heating lance, the blue sparks bridge across the mental prongs that now seem to burn as bright as a giant star. “I might actually enjoy this,” Hyanxa titters, but it seems forced. There’s a slight tremble in her furred hand as she brings the device closer, the heat of it already draws sweat—or maybe that’s my fear?

I avert my gaze from the device that burns too bright, too close. My breathing reaches a hysterical rhythm, then in a flash of sudden petrifying agony, roaring pain pierces my consciousness. Much worse than I imagined; a shrieking scream, muffled by the cloth, tears from my lips. Hyanxa drags the device along my skin, creating new rifts of torrent, making me clench my fists and teeter on the edge of madness.

The acrid smell of my own burned flesh fills my nostrils. Overwhelmed by the assault on my senses, every fiber in me screams to stop, to run. But I do not yield. I remain resolute and convicted, just as Xandor wanted, just as I should have always been.

My vision dims, and I feel myself slipping away.

But I did it, I endured!