Andreas stared in awe at the secret cargo's contents, his eyes widening and jaw dropping slightly, as if not quite believing what he was seeing.

Inside a sleek metal containment unit, was a massive biomechanical brain, part cybernetic and part organic. It had the typical shape of a human brain but was much larger, standing at least seven feet tall. The brain pulsed subtly, like a distant heartbeat, emanating a faint thrumming sound that could only be heard when listened to closely.

Andreas moved closer to the brain, but hesitantly and carefully. When he drew near, he cautiously released his right hand from his rifle's handguard and reached out towards the pulsing organ, seemingly mesmerized. Just before his fingers could make contact, the brain reacted violently. It pulsed more aggressively, the thrumming growing louder. Andreas jerked back, startled.

He didn’t ask questions of those who disliked them, especially when doing so risked his survival. Yet now, even his pragmatic mind couldn’t ignore the nagging curiosity. What the hell was this thing? A bioweapon of mass destruction? Some twisted experiment? Or perhaps something beyond his comprehension entirely? And why had the general deemed it necessary to pay him for smuggling it into rebel territory? Whatever its nature or purpose, an unfamiliar unease settled over him as he regarded the grotesque thing.

Andreas stood still for a moment, considering his next move. But a moment later, his expression sharpened, his posture straightening as he refocused. A mystery for another time. I've got a ship to commandeer. He turned around and strode towards the shuttle exit.

*****

Zelana's eyes fluttered open as she regained consciousness. She found herself lying on the floor of her office in a puddle of her own vomit. Clumsily, she pushed herself up. Her head throbbed and her vision swam as she tried to orient herself. Then the horrific images came flooding back. Her stomach lurched again. She scrambled for her communicator with shaking hands, frantically trying to contact Kaz. To her dismay, there was no answer.

Panic gripped her.

She began pacing anxiously, her small hands shaking as she tried to clear her head and determine a course of action.

The horrific discovery warranted Kaz's immediate attention, yet his communicator remained unresponsive. The option of delegating message delivery was too risky; panic could be spread throughout the ship if rumors leaked. Furthermore, no guarantee could be given that the information would be delivered promptly. The necessity of Kaz's immediate awareness was paramount.

Seeing no alternative, Zelana rushed out of her office, her small feet pattering rapidly as she hurried towards Kaz's quarters.

*****

Kaz sat stiffly in his accent chair while Agozi knelt before him, her head between his legs. Despite their intimate position, Kaz maintained a stern, almost detached expression.

Agozi glanced up at him, her eyes narrowing in frustration. Her whiskers twitched in annoyance and her ears lay flat against her head. “I swear, sometimes I think I'm servicing a statute…”

The males kept their libido going even after mating season ended, unlike the females. Agozi could've easily fixed this issue with some oral attention if Kaz would just ditch his captain persona for a bit.

“I regret that my professional conduct fails to meet your expectations for intimate encounters,” Kaz replied, his tone as formal and stilted as if he were delivering a report on ship operations.

Agozi oscillated between laughter and tears.

Before she could decide, the door whooshed open sideways and Zelana burst into the room, her eyes wild. “Captain, I must urgently bring to your attention a matter of—” She froze mid-sentence and Kaz and Agozi likewise stared back, their expressions a mix of surprise and irritation.

An uncomfortable silence followed.

“Not now, Doctor. I have pressing matters that require my immediate attention,” Kaz said eventually, his professional demeanor barely fazed by the situation's absurdity.

“Captain, with all due respect, this hardly qualifies as a pressing—” Zelana cut herself off, presumably realizing the absurdity of what she was about to say given the situation. She fumbled with her datapad, fingers trembling as she searched for something. Finding it, she stepped closer to the pair. “T-This!” she said, her voice quavering. “I-I implore you to examine this data immediately! It's of the utmost urgency!”

Kaz and Agozi exchanged uncertain glances, Agozi peering up from her position on the floor while Kaz looked down at her.

*****

Andreas strode confidently through the ship corridor, assault rifle in hand. He checked the magazine, racked the slide, and adjusted various components, ensuring everything was in working order. As a final measure, he activated his personal shield. Aliens he passed recoiled in shock, but Andreas paid them no mind, his stern gaze fixed straight ahead.

He didn’t know the security troops' exact location, but he had devised a plan to lure them in. He would create chaos in the recreational sector to draw their attention, allowing him to eliminate them upon arrival. Their superior numbers would be irrelevant against his advanced weaponry and shield, with the latter being his key advantage.

Before long, he emerged from the corridor into the bustling recreational facility. The vast sector stretched out before him, filled with off-duty aliens engaged in leisure activities and crew members milling about, visiting vendors, and enjoying meals. A sadistic grin spread across his face as he surveyed the unsuspecting crowd.

One of the Mevik workers, a male with brown fur and dressed in a blue engineer's suit, spotted Andreas and marched over, looking ready for an argument. “Hold it right there!” he snarled, fur bristling and ears flat. “You're way out of bounds with that equipment! This is a rec area, not an armory! Explain yourself before I—” The Mevik's words died in his throat as Andreas slowly raised the rifle barrel towards his face.

Andreas let out a low, menacing chuckle. “I appreciate your concern, but I'm afraid there's been a shift in management. I'm instituting some policy changes.” A malevolent smirk twisted his features. “Starting now.”

*****

Zelana, Kaz, and Agozi stood inside Zelana's office, gathered around her desk. Holographic images projected from Zelana's work computer hovered in the air, displaying the gruesome material. Kaz stood at the front, his expression stern and focused as he browsed through the images one by one, never betraying any emotion. Agozi stood nearby, her face a mask of deep concern and disgust. Zelana hung back, visibly uncomfortable and averting her eyes from the display, waiting anxiously for Kaz to finish his examination.

“This review is concluded,” Kaz said tersely. “Deactivate the projection, computer.”

The holographic grid flickered and vanished as Zelana's desk computer shut off the projection.

An oppressive silence fell over the room, thick with unspoken dread. They exchanged worried glances, though Zelana actively avoided making eye contact with either of them.

“These images are disturbing, but we must maintain our objectivity and seek a logical explanation,” Kaz said, breaking the silence.

Agozi's posture stiffened, her eyes flashing with anger. “Oh, I think the explanation is staring us right in the face…” she said, her voice dripping with barely contained rage. “These unhinged alien simians are insane and dangerous.”

“The gravity of the situation is not lost on me,” Kaz replied. “But these images require proper context. I'd prefer to confront Andreas about them before forming snap judgments.”

Agozi's fur bristled, and her voice rose. “You can't be serious!” she protested sharply. “That maniac's been nothing but trouble since he got here—both him and that tagalong of his! What could they possibly say to explain away this nightmare?” she said, gesturing at the desk where the images had been projected moments earlier. Her voice rose to a near-hysterical pitch as she used a Mevik hand gesture to convey deep concern and ridicule. “Face reality, Kaz. We've stumbled onto... something...” She paused, her eyes darting around as if searching for the right words to describe the unspeakable. “Something monstrous... that we're not equipped to handle. We need to get out!”

“I must align myself with Lieutenant Agozi's assessment,” Zelana said, her voice shaky. She wrung her hands, clearly distressed by even thinking about the subject. “These horrific acts are beyond the pale of any rational explanation. I strongly recommend we cease all operations at once.”

Before they could debate further, Kaz's communicator buzzed. He quickly retrieved it. “Captain Kaz speaking.”

A frantic voice crackled through the speaker, punctuated by the sounds of gunfire, explosions, and terrified screams: “Captain, we're under attack! One of the specimens is rampaging through the recreational sector! We've suffered heavy losses, including civilian casualties! It's bloody slaughter down here!”

The communicator's volume was high enough to overhear and Zelana promptly crumpled to the floor in a dead faint.

Though less extreme in their reaction, both herself and Kaz also responded with visible shock. Agozi's eyes widened in horror, and even Kaz's stoic mask cracked. Their gazes locked, the horror in their faces feeding off one another.

*****

Several slugs slammed into Andreas in quick succession, only to disintegrate against his energy shield. “Bloody hell!” he cursed. The large slugs didn't pierce his shields but still caused bruising. It wasn't harmful, but it hurt. Standing defiantly in the center of the food plaza, his shields rendered him practically invincible amidst the chaos.

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Andreas had transformed the area into a violent tableau of death more befitting the aftermath of a terrorist attack or natural disaster. Nearby vendors' stalls blazed, shops had shuttered, and corpses littered the streets like discarded insects. Andreas had even opted to off many of his targets via melee or knifing to conserve ammo. The survivors had swiftly fled or barricaded themselves inside the remaining intact rooms and vendor booths, desperately hoping Andreas wouldn't reach them.

About a dozen feet away, a squad of five Mevik huddled behind makeshift cover cobbled together from overturned tables and food stalls. Two of their number already lay dead, and a third clutched a bleeding wound. As Andreas paused to reload, one brave Mevik popped out from behind a barricade and fired his slugthrower.

The slug impacted Andreas' face, instantly vaporizing against the shield. However, a few superheated fragments peppered his skin, eliciting a brief scream of pain. Andreas' head snapped toward the offending Mevik, his face contorted with rage as he finished reloading. He swiftly aimed his assault rifle at the alien's position. “A valiant attempt, but I'm afraid it's time to bid you a permanent farewell!” Andreas squeezed the trigger, unleashing a torrent of full-auto fire. The entire magazine emptied into the Mevik's cover, utterly obliterating it as a hail of hyperion rounds tore through the barricade and the Mevik behind it, leaving nothing but smoldering wreckage and bloody carcasses.

The poor Mevik's desperate attempts at makeshift cover proved futile; plasma-tipped ammo could transform anything unshielded into burned cheese within seconds. In the end, little remained but a smoldering heap of melted plastic, scorched metal, and gory giblets. This had been quite the poor use of ammunition, but Andreas's unexpected injury, minor as it was, had made him momentarily lose his composure.

“What a waste of ammunition…” Andreas sneered at the smoking carnage that he'd created. He turned sharply on his heel, his face twisted in a bitter scowl.

As Andreas walked down the plaza, a sudden blur of motion caught his eye; a Mevik security guard burst from behind an overturned food cart.

He barely had time to register the attack before the Mevik was upon him, stabbing viciously. Though dazed, Andreas's reflexes saved him from a fatal blow; the blade sliced across his arm, drawing blood but missing anything vital.

Snarling in pain and rage, Andreas seized the attacker by the wrist, and with a savage twist, he shattered the alien's fragile bones. The Mevik crumpled to the ground, howling in agony. Andreas wasted no time. He brought his boot down hard on its throat, and a sickening crunch signaled the end of its life.

Andreas stared at the lifeless body for a moment. The sense of invulnerability granted by the shield and the corresponding power high had made Andreas briefly forget that it offered no protection against stabbing attacks. As a matter of fact, the security force had proven a bigger pain than he'd anticipated, albeit only by a limited order of magnitude.

“Stand down immediately!” a voice barked out.

Andreas turned around swiftly.

Another squad had just arrived through a nearby entry point. Five Mevik formed a firing line, rifles aimed squarely at him. Their squad leader stood at the center, his voice wavering slightly despite his attempt at intimidation. “Comply immediately or face the consequences!”

Andreas stared at the squad with a blank expression for a moment before his lips curled into a mocking grin, which prompted the Mevik to shift uneasily. “Oh dear, I do apologize for the mess,” Andreas said, his tone dripping with false sincerity. “Tell you what, I'll be a good lad and surrender. See? I'm letting go of my gun now.”

His rifle clattered to the floor at Andreas's feet.

“Down on the ground and don't move a muscle!” The squad advanced cautiously, weapons still trained on Andreas.

Andreas raised a hand, halting their approach. “Hold that thought. One last detail requires my attention.”

The squad froze, watching Andreas's every move with tense suspicion.

In one fluid motion, Andreas yanked a grenade from his vest and triggered it. He then fixed the Mevik with a taunting smirk.

“A small parting gift, gentlemen. Catch!”

The grenade arced through the air, landing with a soft thud near the squad leader's feet. It bounced once, twice, rolling to a stop at the center of the group. For a heartbeat, the Mevik stared at it in confusion.

Then it exploded.

The blast tore through the squad, shredding flesh and shattering bone. The squad leader simply ceased to exist, vaporized in an instant. His comrades fared little better, their bodies ripped apart by shrapnel or flung like ragdolls by the concussive force. Andreas stood untouched, his shield flickering as it absorbed the blast.

“Oh my my, looks like somebody's career has just concluded rather explosively.”

*****

Honorary-Lieutenant Snikers sat in his private office, focused intently on his work. His fingers moved swiftly across the holographic interface of his personal computer as he finalized a set of documents, mostly reports for the council. His brow furrowed in concentration, the usual smugness in his expression replaced by a rare look of genuine focus.

Suddenly, a blaring alarm shattered the silence, causing Snikers to nearly jump out of his fur. “Warning! Warning! Level zero emergency! All non-security personnel must seek shelter immediately!”

Snikers looked around the room, his eyes wide with confusion and anxiety. He hesitated for a moment, unsure how to react. Finally, he closed his work documents and rose from his chair. With quick, nervous steps, he approached one of the room's ornate walls.

Snikers pressed his palm against a seemingly ordinary section of the wall. A soft beep sounded, and a hidden panel slid open, revealing a state-of-the-art cryo-pod.

Snikers lacked comprehensive knowledge of the ongoing situation, but he refused to expose himself to unnecessary risk. His opulent office, far more than a mere display of wealth, stood prepared for such unforeseen emergencies - a contingency his brilliant mind had anticipated, if not expected to utilize. The cryo-pod would preserve him in stasis, ensuring his safety and concealment until the crisis passed. Upon his emergence, Kaz would be required to provide a thorough accounting of these lamentable events.

*****

“Where is Andreas now?” Kaz asked in a barking tone, leaning over the shoulder of a shaken Prol staffer operating the ship's camera system.

“R-Recreational sector. Already in lockdown.” The Prol's digits manipulated the controls, bringing up multiple camera feeds.

“Any survivors?”

“Scanners detect some vital signs. Most survivors have already departed sector. Those still left… mostly dead.”

Kaz's eyes darted between screens, taking in the carnage Andreas had left in his wake. One monitor showed live footage of him stalking through the facility, while others replayed scenes of earlier destruction. Kaz's expression hardened, a muscle in his jaw twitching. “Give me control of the speaker system. I need to address this maniac directly.”

*****

What's taking you so bloody long? Andreas mused irately.

He knew they would implement some type of lockdown procedure once the killing began and that being the cowards they were, they would try to negotiate with him when it became clear they couldn’t subdue him by force.

Yet, they were taking longer than he had the patience for.

At this point, they ought to have reached out… he mused again while standing still, weapon at the ready. His fingers drummed impatiently against the rifle's stock, eyes scanning for any sign of movement.

A moment after making the observation, the sector speaker system activated.

“This is Captain Kaz… can you hear me?” the voice crackled through the speakers.

Andreas's face split into a smug grin as he looked up towards the ceiling. “Well, well! It's about bloody time you called! I was starting to think you'd lost interest in my little soiree.”

The speaker fell silent for a moment before Kaz's terse reply came through. “No.” He paused momentarily. “Whatever this is, it's imperative that we obtain a peaceful resolution to it.”

“How noble to seek peace now that your ability to fight back has been eliminated,” Andreas taunted. A cold chuckle escaped his lips, his eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.

There was a long pause, until finally, Kaz's voice returned. “What do you want from us?”

Andreas executed a sweeping gesture with his hands, as if to claim everything in sight. “Everything, my dear lad," he replied quickly, smug as ever. “Everything. I want everything. Your ship, namely.”

There was another pause before Kaz replied.

“You'll need to elaborate,” Kaz replied eventually. “What possible use could you have for a Union exploration vessel?”

“Let's just say I have an urgent appointment elsewhere, and your ship is my ticket,” Andreas replied matter-of-factly. “Any competent spacecraft has autopilot functionality. I expect yours is no different, alien or not. As for the 'why' - that's none of your concern.”

Suddenly, a new voice cut in, female and seething with fury. “Like heck it doesn't concern us!” it barked over the speaker system “There's no way we're giving up this ship to a murderous lunatic like you, no matter your reasons or who you claim to be!”

Andreas's eyebrows shot up in momentary surprise at the interruption before his expression settled back into one of amusement. “Your lovely Lieutenant, I take it?” His demeanor quickly shifted, eyes narrowing dangerously as his voice turned cold and sharp. “I'd love to chat, but I'm afraid I just don't have the time. So here's how this is going to work…

“You're going to plot a course to coordinates of my choosing and grant me unrestricted access to all ship systems. If you refuse, I'll slaughter every last survivor hiding in this sector. He paused, allowing his words to sink in, then his voice shifted to a tone dripping with false sweetness. “As a gesture of goodwill, I'll then allow your crew to abandon ship via escape pods before my departure.

“I presume your vessel is equipped with such basic safety measures. You'll likely encounter Terran patrols eventually. Beyond that point, your fate is of no consequence to me.”

*****

The bridge fell into a deathly silence following Andreas's ultimatum. Kaz and Agozi exchanged deeply concerned glances, their postures rigid with tension.

After a moment, Kaz's voice crackled over the speaker. “We’ll require a moment to consider your offer.”

Andreas's demeanor shifted, his face contorting with irritation and impatience. “This isn't a negotiation,” he snapped, his voice dripping with menace. “You'd better give me what I want… unless you want more blood spattering the walls of this facility.”

Startled by the threat, Kaz quickly switched off the microphone and turned to Agozi, but she spoke first.

“What are we supposed to do?” Agozi asked, her fur bristling anxiously. “We can't just hand over the ship to him!” Her lips curled, revealing a hint of her teeth. “Especially not to him.”

“I concur,” Kaz replied. “But this situation is extremely difficult. We need to buy more time.”

They continued talking for another minute, desperately trying to come up with a solution. Suddenly, Agozi's eyes widened in horror as her nose and whiskers twitched frantically, and she pointed at the security feed.

Kaz's gaze locked onto the screen, and he, too, reacted with visible shock.

While they had been busy debating their options, Andreas had taken a hostage—a young Mevik teen. The human held the frightened catten at gunpoint, his finger poised over the trigger.

Agozi recoiled, her whiskers quivering with shock and disgust. “How could he even...? A catten like that? No!”

On the screen, Andreas motioned impatiently with his gun, clearly demanding they re-enable communication. Kaz's hand hovered over the controls for a moment before he reluctantly switched the microphone back on.

Andreas's voice filled the bridge, seething with irritation. “I don't like being ignored, and I'm sick of waiting. This is your last chance to do as you're told, or I'll blow this brat's head off. Agree to my terms. Now.”

The young catten, despite not understanding Andreas's words, looked utterly terrified. “What's happening?!” it sobbed, its nose leaking mucus and trembling hectically. “Please, make it stop! Please!”

Kaz and Agozi shared one final, defeated glance. There was no choice left.

Kaz's voice was heavy as he responded. “We agree to your terms. Just don't harm the little one.”

*****

The sea of escape pods drifted through the void of space, glinting occasionally in the starlight, floating serenely against the backdrop of Terran space stations.

It was anyone's guess what would happen now. The ship was gone, commandeered by the Terran specimen Andreas and taken to places unknown, to be used for who knew what purpose. Dozens of crew members lay dead or were critically injured following the monster's rampage. And now, they floated in space, where no doubt they'd soon be discovered by the rest of his kin, their escape pods offering no means of avoiding detection.

At the very least, they had avoided further loss of life, and, interestingly, Andreas had kept his promise to let everyone leave. The key word, however, was 'let'; there had been no time to verify if everyone had actually made it off the ship in time.

Put in the bluntest of terms: The mission had gone to scat.