Tactical Officer Soren, a yellow-scaled Kraktol, watches silently as Commander Orgon battles against Admiral José Rodriguez in a fight to the death. The two combatants unleash a frenzy of vicious stabs, jabs, and grabs, attempting to beat each other unconscious or throw their opponent to the floor to finish them off.

Orgon's reptilian scales give him a tremendous defensive advantage. Even when José lands a punch and smacks him sideways, the Commander shrugs off the blow and retaliates a moment later. However, while the Commander's strength and defense easily outmatch the Terran's, José beats Orgon in speed and combat proficiency.

Repeatedly, the Kraktol Commander swipes his claws toward the Terran's vitals, only for José to bat Orgon's claws away with a slap of his hand. He counters with a jab to the Commander's throat, stunning the Kraktol for a split second before kicking him against a computer panel.

As they fight, First Officer Megla skulks toward Officer Soren, a look of worry on her face. "Hey. Soren."

Officer Soren watches unemotionally as the Terran elbow-drops Commander Orgon, knocking him to the floor. She flicks her slit-eyes toward Megla for only a moment before replying in a low voice, "What is it?"

Megla's reply, likewise, comes as a whisper. "Help me save the Commander. If we work together, we can ambush the Terran when he gets close. We can kill him and save Orgon from a certain death."

"Mmm."

The Tactical Officer's reply comes back less than enthusiastic.

"I don't know about that."

"Kyargh!" First Officer Megla growls under her breath. "Don't give me that line. We have a duty to the Thülvik. We cannot allow Orgon to die here!"

With a sigh, Officer Soren shakes her head. She glances at her red-scaled superior with a look of distaste. "Megla. Your emotions are getting the better of you. Whether Orgon lives or dies, our crew will go free. If we attack the Terran, but he survives, he'll kill us all. We have no reason to enter the fray."

Megla curls her claws into a fist. "Orgon gave us this post! If it weren't for him, you and me would still be scraping rust off the Borkön's first era junkers! Don't you think we should assist the Commander?"

For the first time in many years, Officer Soren looks at her superior officer, a friend she's served under for decades, in a new light. Her gaze contains a hint of sadness mixed with pity.

"Megla. Like Orgon, you are too much of a hothead. Use your brain, for once. Have you paid no attention to the Terran's physical abilities?"

"Yes, he is quite strong," Megla chuffs. "But Orgon is more than his match. If the whole crew rushes him, with his bio-armor down-"

"That is not what I meant," Soren growls. "It is unlikely the Terran has only the abilities we've seen. What do you know about bio-mods?"

"Not much..." Megla admits. "...why? Do you know a lot about them?"

"No. But, if I had to guess..."

Soren closes her eyes and shakes her head.

"...I wouldn't be surprised if the Terran possessed enhanced hearing. It's likely he's heard every word you've said."

A chill goes down Megla's spine. She jerks her head toward the Terran as he lands another punch on Orgon. An instant later, he glances at her from the corner of his eye.

"H-he can hear us? All the way over here?"

The First Officer's voice cracks from fright as she realizes the Terran's glance was anything but random.

"That's right," Officer Soren chuckles. "And even if he didn't, his synthmind has taken over our ship. I'm sure its audio sensors would have picked up your words and transmitted them to him."

Megla's scales lose some of their color. She sinks into the seat beside Soren, a look of despair upon her face. "Oh... Thülvik, forgive me, for I have doomed us all."

It takes a moment before Soren replies.

"Perhaps not."

Despite the Terran clearly hearing their discussion, he says nothing. José chuckles as he fights Orgon. "Come now, Commander. You can do better than this. Show me the true might of a Kraktol."

Orgon crouches low while skulking in a semi-circle just outside José's range. "Graugh! I must approach you with caution, Terran. You are a fighter most wily and skilled in the art of deception."

"You're not wrong," José murmurs. "I've taken it quite easy on you so far, but you keep holding back. Won't you use your full strength against me and throw caution to the wind?"

Orgon hesitates.

The Kraktol Commander peers into his Terran adversary's eyes, trying to discern something unknown.

"...Against a slippery monster like you, I cannot charge in brutishly. I must wait for the perfect opportunity. That is what makes me a predator."

José smiles. "Is that so? Am I your prey, or an apex predator who will consume you instead?"

"You speak too many words, Terran," Orgon says. "Let your fists do the-"

Suddenly, Orgon attacks!

The Kraktol Commander stops mid-sentence, drops to all fours, and skitters across the floor like a wolf spider. José's smile vanishes due to the Commander's unexpected ploy. He kicks his leg out to knock Orgon away, but the Kraktol Commander slithers to the side with a burst of movement, easily dodging the Terran's leg.

Snatch!

Orgon grabs José's leg while wrapping his tail around the bottom of a nearby chair. With a sudden tug, Orgon catches José off-guard by yanking his foot out from under him.

José stumbles awkwardly. He tries to land on his hands, only to flinch as Orgon's balled up fist smashes him in the face, sending the Terran rolling to the side. Temporarily dazed, Jose blinks his eyes to try and clear the spots obscuring his vision.

A huge, hideous smile appears on Orgon's face.

"Gotcha."

Like a coiled viper, Orgon pounces at the Terran, now lying on his back. José spots the Kraktol a moment too late, as Orgon's claws lunge toward his exposed chest.

SKRRRRK!

Agony rips through José's body. The Terran opens his mouth to scream, but no words come out as Orgon's claws dig deep into his chest.

RIP!

Orgon yanks his hand out and jumps backward, holding a bloody organ in his grasp.

"Graugh! Foolish Terran! I have won this battle! Behold!"

The eyes of the Kraktol bridge crew light up as they spot the Terran's heart in Orgon's claws. Orgon holds José's heart above his head, allowing its blood to drip upon his face.

"Kuahahaha! What say you now, Terran?!"

Orgon laughs maniacally at José as a massive pool of blood pours from the hole in the Admiral's chest. With several of his ribs shattered and his heart gone, José can do little more than writhe around for a few moments before death takes him.

However.

One Bridge crew-member watches silently, a look of knowing light in her eyes. Soren Mudrose, the Dragon Breath's Tactical Officer, sighs as she stares at the Terran with renewed conviction.

"He is not like us."

While Megla howls with delight along with her Commanding Officer, safe in the knowledge that they have defeated the supposedly unstoppable Terran, Soren shakes her head.

"What... what are you laughing about...?"

A few choked words grab Orgon's attention. He turns to look at the Terran, only to frown. "What? You aren't dead, yet? I... I ripped out your heart!"

Orgon's words catch in his throat. The Commander's eyes widen in horror as the hole in José's chest rapidly seals shut, aided by the nanites inside his body. After a few seconds, José grabs a nearby chair and pulls himself to his feet. He shakes some blood off his hands and coughs.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"My heart? Yeah. You got one of 'em. The bad one. Haha... guess it's my lucky day."

Orgon blinks several times, as if confirming the Terran's still-breathing status. "What... what kind of monster are you?!"

José smiles. "I told you, Orgon. You've menaced the Fifth Spiral Arm for too long, acting as a band of terrorizing warlords."

The Admiral points at Orgon with his blood-covered hand. "There's always a bigger fish. I am that fish."

Rage smolders in Orgon's eyes. He crushes Jose's heart to blood-pulp in his grasp and howls angrily. "You damned Terran! I'll rip out ten of your hearts if that's what it takes!"

José shakes his head. "No. You won't."

A horrible scream erupts from Orgon's mouth. Maddened by his false victory and inability to kill the Terran, he lunges forward like a blood-crazed maniac. The Kraktol Commander rips at José's arms and legs, slashing with his claws to draw as much blood as possible. José knocks away several attacks, and those he can't only tear across his chest and cause superficial wounds. Whenever Orgon draws blood, José's nanites suture his injuries, allowing him to tank a ridiculous amount of damage.

Boom!

Jose's fist smashes across Orgon's face. Before the Commander can shake off the pain, José slinks closer to him, opens his hand into a palm, and shoves forward.

Thump!

He strikes Orgon's chest, flinging the Commander backward. Orgon crashes against a computer terminal, shattering it and ripping it from the floor. He stumbles into a chair, clutching his chest while trying to breathe.

"Huk! Huhhh-hk! Grrk!"

Despite Orgon's scales and much thicker bones compared to Jose, the Terran's palm-strike lands directly on the Commander's lungs, knocking the wind out of him. Orgon tries to recollect his breathing, but José doesn't let up on his attacks. He swoops in like a hawk and begins mercilessly punching and slapping Orgon back and forth, knocking the shit out of the Kraktol commander. It doesn't take more than ten seconds before Orgon stops even trying to block the Terran. His rattled brain simply can't keep up.

"Commander!" Megla cries out, her heart tearing in two. "No! Stop! You're killing him!"

To her surprise, as well as the rest of the crew, José's fists pause their onslaught.

The Terran Admiral turns his head to look over his shoulder. "Would you like to take his place? Should I pummel you instead?"

"Yes!" Megla yells. She runs forward and prostrates herself at José's feet. "Please spare our Commander! Kyargh! I won't fight back at all! Let your anger loose on me!"

José's expression shifts, ever so subtly. He straightens his posture while flicking his eyes between the sputtering Orgon and his First Officer, offering herself to save him.

After a few seconds, Jose's shoulders sag. He sighs.

"Officer... what was your name?"

"Megla! I am First Officer Megla!" She says, not daring to raise her head.

"Right. Megla. Stand up. You've mistaken my intentions."

"I won't!" Megla weeps. "I will stay here until you let loose your anger upon me! Please spare my Commander... he is someone we all trust and revere!"

Megla twitches involuntarily as she feels the Terran's hand suddenly touch the back of her head. She squeezes her eyes shut, waiting for his inevitable beatdown.

Instead, José merely stoops down, squeezes the scales on the back of her head slightly, and lifts his arm. "I told you to stand up, First Officer."

Immediately, Megla jumps to her feet. She bows her head contritely while folding her hands in front of herself. "Forgive me. I... I did not mean any offense, Admiral."

Admiral Rodriguez nods. He rises to his feet as well and glances at the other Kraktol. "All of you. Do you think I have come here to vent my anger on Orgon? Do you think the same thing as Officer Megla? That I hate you all, or that I hate Orgon, and that is why I wish to fight him?"

Slowly, all of the Kraktol nod. Their eyes speak their thoughts, giving José the honest answer he seeks.

However, among the crew, one Officer rises from her seat. "No. That is not your intention, Admiral Rodriguez."

José turns to look at the red-scaled female. "Who are you?"

"Kyargh! I am Tactical Officer Soren, third-highest ranked aboard this ship."

The Admiral glances at Orgon, who has managed to recover some of his wits. Orgon sits in the chair where José left him, too scared to move. Giving no thought to the Fleet Commander, José turns and walks toward Soren.

"Why do you think I've come?"

Soren folds her left fist behind her back while pressing her right fist against her heart. "Admiral. I cannot pretend to know your thoughts. However, I have several hypotheses."

"Speak," Jose says.

"My first theory," Soren says, "is that you might be a battle-maniac, someone who acts like an intellectual on the surface, but secretly thirsts for nothing more than brutal, unarmed combat."

"That is a distinct possibility," José says, his emotions unmoved. "What else?"

Soren pulls her fist away from her heart and raises two claws. "My second hypothesis. You are suffering from a mental imbalance caused by some unknown trauma. This is making you express your inner turmoil by engaging in combat. Perhaps you even aim to release your pent-up emotions by fighting someone of comparable strength, such as our Commander. This would explain why you came to our ship, rather than choosing to activate a self-destruction mechanism to kill us all. You are venting your frustration on Commander Orgon."

A faint smile appears on José's face. "Haha... I've never liked psychologists, but you've piqued my interest. What other wacky ideas have you thought up?"

Despite the smile on the Admiral's face, Soren expresses no emotion. "Third. You are here purely to teach us a lesson. You have some reason, misguided or otherwise, that compels you to treat us as hatchlings. You wish for us to learn a fundamental truth about the universe, and thus, abandon our pirate way of life."

José nods. "Indeed. It seems you do have an eye for this sort of thing. You're much smarter than the others here."

Soren shakes her head. "No. I merely seek to keep my emotions in check while searching for truth."

Admiral Rodriguez doesn't reply. He turns around and walks away, returning to Orgon. After hovering over the beaten Commander, who shrinks back in fear, José glances at Megla. "Megla. I hold no negative feelings toward Orgon. Officer Soren is right. I came here to teach you all what it means to fear the wrath of someone stronger than you."

Sweeping his gaze around the bridge, José raises his arms. "Did I succeed? Do you now understand how the Kessu felt when your ships attacked their world, killed their people, and burned their villages?"

Megla's contrite expression melts away, replaced instead with a simmering anger. "The Kessu have nothing to do with this."

"They are all of the reason I chose to come here," José counters, as he leans down and grabs Orgon by the throat.

Seeing her Captain's pained look, Megla's expression turns to shock. "W-wait, Admiral, please punish me instead of-"

"I can't do that, so stop asking," José says, cutting Megla off. "Everyone. Take a good look. Your captain led you all to attack and scorch the Kessu's homes. Had he repented and shown me the error of his ways, I would have let him off with a promise of restitution. Instead, Orgon chose the path of lies and deception, all because he thought I was a weakling who couldn't fight back."

With a violent whiff, José throws Orgon to the floor, making him crash against the steel tiling hard enough to break his wrists. "Aaargh!"

José walks forward and stands above the shivering, beaten Commander. His shadow dominates Orgon like a rabid dog facing down a trembling hare.

"Orgon, as your leader, will pay the price for his sins. I will let off all the rest of you with a warning, but he must die for his violence and deception. Such is the way of Ramma's Chosen. Next time, the rest of you will not be so lucky. Next time, if I find out the Kraktol have committed another horrific act against a species who can't fight back, I will use the full might of my Terran heritage."

The Admiral finishes with one last, cold glare. "I will exterminate your species."

Before anyone can even think of stopping him, José's leg pulls back and winds up, coiling all of the Terran's power into one explosive movement. He launches his foot forward with a mighty kick, aiming directly for Orgon's head.

WUMP.

Jose kicks Orgon's head to the side and snaps his neck, proving in one move that he had the power to do so all along, even without his dermal armor.

"Noooo!" Megla shrieks, her scales turning white with grief. She drops to her knees and cries out in horror at her Commander's lopsided head as it lolls to the left at an unnatural angle. Orgon's body sags to the floor lifelessly, while his eyes flutter shut, one last time.

Admiral Rodriguez, the last Precursor, turns away from the other Kraktol and heads for the exit.

"Do not forget my warning. Farewell, Kraktol. I hope that if we should meet again in the future, it will be under better circumstances."

As José starts to leave, a calm voice from across the room halts his footsteps.

"Wait. Admiral Rodriguez, please do not leave just yet. Take me with you."

With a pause, José turns to look over his shoulder. Officer Soren trots toward him, looking like a lost puppy.

"Soren? You wish to follow me to my ship?"

The third-ranked Kraktol officer nods. "Yes. I have observed your actions today and have concluded I would like to work underneath you. I bear no ill intentions toward you, despite what you've done to my Commander."

Behind Soren, a different Kraktol, Chief Navigator Gorlax Stormfang, cries out in anger. "Officer Soren! How dare you try to defect to the Terran's side! When the Thülvik hears of your treachery-"

"She will do nothing to me," Soren says, not even bothering to look at Gorlax. Continuing, she says to José, "Please, Admiral. I have witnessed your superb use of logic and wish to become one of your subordinates. Even if you deem me only worthy of scrubbing the walls, I will feel no shame."

The earnest words coming from Soren's mouth visibly move José's heart. He turns to look her up and down, before nodding slowly. "I see. You impressed me earlier with your deductions. Very well. You may follow me if you wish."

José starts to turn away, but Soren holds up her hand. "Wait. I would like to make one additional request."

Surprised, the Terran raises his eyebrows. "Uh... uh-huh? And what would that be?"

"Please bring Officer Megla along with us as well. She is the only Kraktol I consider my blood-bonded relative. We have been together since shortly after emerging from our eggs, and therefore, I would feel regret if we left her behind."

With tears in her eyes, Officer Megla jerks her head away from Orgon's cooling body. "What?! No! Soren, you filthy Füth! Don't you dare drag me into this! I'll never follow that Terran!"

Jose opens his mouth as if to agree, with Megla's rebuttal. However, he cocks his head slightly and glances at the ceiling for a moment, as if listening to someone else's words.

"Officer Megla," José says. "Is it true that you and Orgon both guessed my identity as a Precursor?"

Megla's eyes bolt open. The rest of the crew mirror her reaction as well. "Y-you... how did you know? Is it true?!"

José shrugs. "Yes. Your guess was correct. It seems you're smarter than I thought."

Gorlax Stormfang, as well as several other crew members, glance at one another with tongue-tied shock. Their gazes drift back to the Terran, now filled with a mixture of admiration and terror.

"A Precursor..."

"It all makes sense now!"

"By the Thülvik! No wonder his ship is so advanced! He's a living Precursor!"

"A death-god! The legends were true! They even understated his terror!"

The Admiral shakes his head helplessly at seeing everyone's shock. "Alright. I will allow Megla to come with me as well. Come along, both of you. Since neither of you can survive the vacuum of space, we'll grab a shuttle on the way out."

José turns around to leave the room. Megla tries to open her mouth to protest, but the shock of José's casual admittance regarding his heritage freezes the blood in her veins.

Even when Soren appears at Megla's side and hoists her up by her arm, Megla only manages to follow her companion's lead with wide-open eyes and limp legs.

As the two of them leave, Gorlax offers one last plea. "Soren... if you leave with the Terran- I mean, the Precursor, the Thülvik will never let you return to our society. You'll be ostracized forever!"

Soren pays him no heed.

"So be it."

The second and third-ranked Kraktol aboard the Dragon's Breath vanish into the distance, leaving the others to sit in numb shock.

Once they disappear, Gorlax, now the highest-ranked living Officer, rests his face in his hands.

"What are we to do? We've made an enemy out of a bloody Precursor."