Home world people. The only thing they know is how to build empires and fight each other. Mix some of that and some cruelty and you have a power-hungry Mastal.

~Audris

I am enjoying the hot springs. It's something I'm growing used to and that is always pleasant.

There's a lot of steam in the tunnel I'm in. The hot spring locations are as complex as the caverns they are scattered in. I hear splashes.

“Really?,” complains my mind. I dropped my lighter by accident and wipe it off. Occasionally, one of the fuzzy things jumps in the water with us too. Some furry cave animal my father used to tell me about.

I shiver, as I get out of the spring for a cigarette and return.

The heat soothes me again. I try to dry my fingers on the shale by wiping them. Cheers to Calissa for the lighter. It's fancy. It burns with a red neon glow. I was getting tired of asking for one. Most locals don't mind if you do. The problem is scarcity. My smoke blends in with the steam. Everything was perfect and clean. Suddenly, a group shows up and starts shouting. It was perfect until they showed up. Those gangsters that I shot a long time ago? They found me again. I hope they saw I made new friends with their duchess.

A group of maybe twenty men enter the tunnel. The eight or so soldiers that were there had already formed up against them. A stillness had overtaken the room. It was quiet. I waited as the gangsters talked and nodded. One of them pointed to me. I look over at Lenoa. Kaloas was already behind a few of them ready to pounce.

“I'll handle this,” says Calissa nervously. She gets out of the hot spring. I admire her body, but now isn't the time for that.

“We have business with that man over there. It's best you get out of the way.... my lady.”

“He's my friend. You cannot hurt him or the girl,” argues Calissa.

A few of the soldiers shove the gangster back. Their bullets jingle on their uniform. They gangsters try to laugh it off and look around. They were in no place to bargain. The soldiers were well equipped and had light armor of their own. I hear static. The radios call for some back up and the soldiers form a line between us and the newcomers. They try to position themselves in front of the other civilians in the room the best they can. The lead gangster speaks. I recognize his voice.

“Don't be sure of yourself duchess,” he seethes.

A devices is pulled out. Some rigged tracker with several additions. It was blinking as if it was waiting for a signal. The lead gangster continues.

“Try me. I push this button. The Mastals know my location. I promised them someone special if I did. Try me.” The lead gangster smiles and the soldier look at each other. Several raise their guns, but lower them. There was more than one of the devices. The group had three of them from what I could tell. Nope. They had more than that.

Steam rises off Calissa's back and she looks back at us nervously.

“Just give me the man. I'll give you all the devices I have. I hate Mastals too. I'll leave. I just want the man who killed my brother and two months worth of rations! The good stuff...for us all,” There was pain in the gangster eyes, only covered by the hatred he had inside. He despised all those who got in the way of what he wanted to take.

“Fine. Take him,” Calissa says.

The lead gangster smiles, when the sound of several rifles sound off. The soldiers weren't having any of it. I hear bodies hit the ground as blood dusts the walls. Shouts and echoes. Several gangsters fall down dead, but not before pulling out guns of their own. I leap out of the hot spring and grab Lenoa's warm arm. Hot water strikes the back of my ankles from a stray bullet. I manage to pick up my revolver as one of the soldiers falls back into the hot spring and dyes it crimson. The shootout was happening fast, almost too fast for me to react to. Seconds later, it's over.

Calissa looks around her. There were two gangster left and she still had seven. Silence. Fear floods Calissa's eyes. I hear a clink as one of the devices rolls on the stone. The button had been pressed. Time passes slowly. I swallow. I look at Lenoa. She calls out to Kaloas. He was covered in blood. He killed about four of the gangsters. I was hardly surprised.

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I spine tingling ring is heard. It starts small and grows big. Someone was landing. There's a crack above me and the tunnel rock collapses. Two of Calissa's soldiers are crushed immediately in a sickening crunch. I watch Kaloas knock Calissa out of the way before a rock splashes in the hot spring from the ceiling above. I cover my face. I feel heat on my face as water hits it. I choke on the water. A Mastal landing pod crashes into the area. There's smoke and chemicals. Gas stings my eyes and I hear shouting. A mechanical door latch hisses with a horrible smell. Suddenly, there is a Mastal with his many soldiers. The heavy footing of his armor grinds the stone beneath him. Next to him is the surviving gangster, who looks down at his dead friend and makes eye contact with me. I watch him run away. I don't think he intended on things going as they did.

None of Calissa's soldiers were alive. The two surviving civilians nearby tremble, too afraid to mourn over the death of their loved ones. The Mastal had a small landing party. There were least a dozen coming out of the pod. It was shot from a nearby space station. It had the markings of one.

Before Calissa can get to her feet, the armored Mastal grabs her. I watch him lift her up digging his gauntlets deep into her soldier. I listen to her scream as he pulls her close to him. I watch his icy breathe blow against her face. The Mastal tosses Calissa behind him, still gripping to her body. I was sure he was going to remove her entire shoulder in a mess of blood and loose skin, but his sadism stops. He had a mission and it was completed. The Mastal shoves Calissa into the pod, forcing her through the soldiers behind him. At that moment, one of Calissa's soldiers who was playing dead, fires his rifle.

Blam!... blam blam blam....

Crack crack crack.....tet tet tet tet tet

Calissa's soldier is gunned down quickly. He took out two and injured another, but the door to the pod had already closed – even before all the Mastal's soldiers had a chance to enter it. A new sound fills the broken tunnel. I hear a Mastal space ship screech above me. Its lights blind me. Its engines roar like ferocious beast. Its metal claw attaches to the pod with a grinding shriek and the pod and takes off. The two Mastal soldiers from the landing party finally start to realize they were left behind.

Before I aim my revolver, I watch as Kaloas leaps. I hear the sound of metal being torn. He tears through it like thick cardboard – somewhat difficult, but effectively. I hear the soldier's screams as Lenoa pulls off several rounds. The other Mastal soldier takes cover behind a fallen boulder and I watch him peak out. Crack! Crack!

The other two civilians in the tunnel were dead. I listen to the soldier reloading. He was fast and well-trained. I scurry behind a smaller rock with my revolver. Lenoa was next to me. We were both were out of breath.

“Kaloas should take care the last one, right?” I gasp

Lenoa shrugs. Her dark blue eyes were wide. I hear the soldier call out in some language I didn't know. I could hear is desperation. I wait, feeling uneasy, too scared to look around the corner. I muster enough courage. I could hear some growling, then several gunshots. I watch Kaloas take cover behind some rocks too.

For the next few minutes, there is gradual moving and re-positioning as everyone tries to figure out their new surroundings.

“Is he still there?” I hear Lenoa whisper.

I nod. “Somewhere over there,” I whisper.

I had a pretty good clue of where the soldiers was. His boulder was loosely connected to several other ones. I was fairly sure I saw him move back, and back again. I watch as Kaloas peaks behind a different boulder. He waits patiently. Then, he makes a run on the opposite side of the rock the soldier used to be behind.

Crack! Tet tet tet tet tet.

I jump as several gunshots go off. I manage to gain enough courage to make a run across the distance. I nearly forget about the hot spring and trip along its edge. I quickly regain my balance and hear several echoes. He was closer than I could tell. Closer than I thought! The soldier was still there to my surprise. I could hear him whispering to himself.

Very slowly I peer around the stone. I catch sight of a foot. More of the soldier appears. He was looking out the other side – probably expecting Kaloas to be there.

“Please don't notice me. Please don't notice me,” I think.

I feel the recoil of two maybe three bullets. I fire several more times. The soldier was dead. I felt relieved. I managed to break through his armor without being hit by my own ricochets.

“Is he dead? Audris?” I hear Lenoa cry out for me.

Snow was already falling through the open ceiling. It was already starting to blanket everything inside. I let out a sigh. I was out of breath.

“Dead as my wife.”

Lenoa sighs. She was glad I was the killer not the killed. We were both grateful to be alive. I think Kaloas was to, but part of me thinks he let have that kill. He was already smelling the air with quiet sadness. A Shasi had been killed by the impact and with her, her newfound companion. Another one of his friends had died. He must have know this one. The packs are very aware of each other and he was mourning and pawing at the body.

When my initial joy faded. I wasn't sure what to think. I was worried sick about Calissa, but part of we wondered if she really was willing to give me up to those murderers so easily. Just like that. Things can turn against you. You can miss the trend if you ignore the red flags.