Vilantian Warfreighter "Hidepiercer"

Grezzk wondered not for the first or even hundredth time how this had happened. She and Gro'zel had made their way to the spaceport and after making a few quiet inquiries she was able to take passage on this ship in exchange for working in the mess and laundry until they reached their destination, New Casablanca. It was supposed to only be a short trip, but as the hours stretched into a day and then a second it became clear they were not going to where Grezzk wanted to go. It was clear she was going to have to escape the ship at their next port, so she began using her ignorance of the ship layout to go into areas that weren't specifically the mess or laundry. After a few times she was able to locate an emergency escape pod, but not before being caught.

After that incident she was never alone. A large brute was her shadow ever after, ensuring that she went where she was told and only where she was told. The ship was dimly lit, and tracking time became all but impossible with her work and catching sleep by the handful in the moments when there wasn't someone hungry or in need of fresh laundry. How many days had it been? The only other thing she was given was a wrist-screen that showed Gro'zel in a cage, somewhere on the ship. It was hard to track her, the ship-scent was overwhelming with other things that seemed medical and almost sleep inducing. Still she would stop and look around slowly now and again. Her daughter was here, somewhere. She would have to husband her strength for one moment to find Gro'zel, free her, and get both of them into the escape pod.

She had to be dreaming - she would swear she heard her beloved introducing himself as Captain Gryzzk. It made no sense. She paused, feigning a stomach pain and her guard paused. Her mind raced. Gryzzk was an observer for their lord, for this mission with the Terrans. But if Lord A'kifab had betrayed her, Gryzzk may have been betrayed as well. Even now her mind briefly reeled at the sundering of the Clan-Way.

She still heard her husband, imploring the ship captain to stand down and let them on board to look for her. She remembered an old joke, born of their first meeting without chaperones - they had walked in the woods where Gryzzk had spent his youth. As they walked, the twilight roses along the path began to bloom and sparkle as she walked by them. Gryzzk noticed and said that the roses only bloomed when they were competing with true beauty. She laughed and replied that the roses awaited a handsome hand to pluck them. From then on it became their joke - but now it was serious. She had to let him know that she was on board.

She threw the cart down and raced toward the bridge of the ship, howling as loudly as she could that the twilight rose bloomed and awaited a handsome hand. She got half of it out and darkness overtook her.

___________

Terran Mercenary Ship "Voided Warranty"

As soon as the comm channel was dropped, Major Williams slapped his own comm channel to prepare the entire crew for "a ride on the Maverick", and then barked out a series of orders to the helm and a second series to the gunnery controls to load tesla-torpedoes and to aim properly this time. The crew was well trained and latched on to grab handles and harnesses and the ship thrusters responded to send the ship down, sideways, and then up before firing several torpedoes in succession that detonated against the engines of the Hidepiercer, leaving them sputtering and then cold. From there, the helm let the Voided Warranty continue as momentum dictated, bringing the docking hatches alongside and firing several metallic rings that splattered against the hull of the Hidepiercer, while the helm was muttering something about being a leaf on the wind. It was an eternal moment of combat that showed how well the Terrans trained. He'd heard about it a few times, that Terran battles were bloody drills and their drills were bloodless battles. Having seen both ground and ship combat, he would confirm that to any who would listen. And almost as suddenly as it started, the maneuvers and wild pitching were done and the Hidepiercer was locked with both Terran vessels.

"Captain Gryzzk, orders for the troops." Major Williams was looking at him expectantly.

There was a long, long moment while Gryzzks mind looked at the situation and tried to find familiarity. And finally he remembered having to coordinate the whole staff to remove a swarm of silk-hoppers; it was simple in theory, close the windows and give them nowhere to go except where he wanted them to go. He opened a channel to all four squads.

"Aft boarding parties, use gas grenades. Forward boarding parties, stun rounds - move them toward the rear. We want the crew out of engineering but still toward the aft of the ship. Eyes open for any pregnant women, they may be unconscious. Medical teams on standby please." Gryzzk pulled up the close scan to see if he could discern moving life signs from non-moving ones. "Scan shows approximately...twenty moving." He paused for a moment before signing off with "Good hunting."

Gryzzk left the comm channel open, listening to the squads chatter and glancing toward the bridge door more than a few times. Major Williams cleared his throat and leaned in. "Good so far." It seemed to be the highest praise he could have earned at this point.

From his console Gryzzk could see each squad as they moved methodically through the ship, with communications displaying various helmet visuals and carrying the sounds of the boarding parties – their conversational tones were changing from focused to curious to some form of surprise and finally settling on an exceptional disapproval bordering on anger. Whatever the boarding parties had found it had offended Terran sensibilities – which did not bode well for the future health of the crew of the Hidepiercer.

Finally a voice came over the comms that Gryzzk recognized. "Muranaga to Captain Gryzzk, ship secure. Stand by - we are venting the engineering section."

The weight of relief surged through Gryzzk, looking over to the Major for a moment, considering. "Major Williams, I would like to inspect the ship."

There was a nod. "By all means Captain."

Gryzzk straightened his beret and went to the forward docking hatch, where First Sergeant Brooks was waiting with the Learning Stick. "You'll be needin' this I think, Captain" was all she said as she handed it over to him.

"Thank you, First Sergeant." Gryzzk took the weapon and pushed off hard to float through the boarding tube to the Hidepiercer. Along with him were several other teams that were lightly armed – they also appeared to be carrying containers and equipment that would aid in inspecting and securing the ship.

The lighting and gravity were comfortable, the scene was not. A medic had made it onboard and was attending Grezzk with exceptional caution as she stirred slowly. Several other personnel were busy throughout the ship making sure it could be moved again once they were done with the crew. Meanwhile, there was a cleared area of twenty Vilantians arranged neatly with hands behind their head with a general air of defeat about them. The reason for their general air was the ten Terrans milling about with weapons drawn and focused - the weapons themselves were different from what he'd seen, appearing to be made to deliver shock-darts or other projectiles that weren't immediately lethal. Around that was the reason for the earlier cries of dismay - rows of racks, each carrying various supplies and a Vilantian with an intravenous needle feeding them something - given their state, they were probably in a medically induced stasis. A small placard at their feet announced their name, Clan affiliation, and crime. On the whole, the entire ship reeked of activities that were not even remotely legal.

The priority here was obvious - Gryzzk darted toward Grezzks' form and stopped short. The medic glanced up. "Light concussion. She'll be awake soon, looks like the kids'll be fine." There was a pause. "Captain?"

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

"As soon as she can be moved, take her to medical bay on the Warranty." Gryzzk knelt down, giving his wife a gentle nuzzle to her ears and whispering gently to her "A handsome hand waits for the twilight rose to bloom."

Then he stood and began advancing toward the captives, who seemed to regain something of themselves at his approach, their scent migrating from defeat to defiance.

Gryzzk paced for a moment, rolling the shoulder that carried the Learning Stick. "Who struck her?"

Silence was his response as the circle of Terrans made a passage for him. "Nobody? Was it the dead gods? The dead gods came from their lands and struck my wife, is that what I'm understanding? Or is that I stand before cowards too feeble to claim their sins and would only claim glory? Who thought it wise and proper? Pitiful wretches."

Finally goaded, the largest took a step forward. For a Vilantian, he was tall – almost as tall as a Terran. "I was the one. What say you now, Nameless."

Gryzzk didn't say anything as he launched forward, taking the Learning Stick in both hands and swinging the mace in a downward arc, then bringing it up to connect with the most valued real estate. The effect was immediate and frightening, eliciting gasps of horror from the captured crew. The Terrans had a slightly different take on it, with most giving nods of approval. The barbs from the Learning Stick had bitten in deep, so Gryzzk was forced to give a yank to free the Stick back into his sole possession. Proper form in this situation would be to confirm that a yield had in fact been offered, but Gryzzk felt safe in presuming that there was no further fight left in his opponent. With that particular item sorted, it was on to item number two. He stalked the line until he found Captain Kotria, who knelt in sullen defiance.

"Supplies for the war effort?"

There was a snort. "In case you weren't aware, the war goes poorly and sacrifice is needed by all Vilantians. The Great Lords are paying quite handsomely for supply deliveries and prisons are being emptied for troops to form the Militia of Vilantia. Given their state, a few may have been declared dead upon arrival and then sent elsewhere to find gainful employment - and also deny them the opportunity to commit more crimes against the Clan-Way and Vilantia." He stood to look down at Gryzzk, causing a few Terran weapons to point at him. "The proper words from a proper Vilantian would be 'thank you, Captain.' If you were a proper Vilantian."

"A proper ship captain would have a proper manifest. A proper ship captain would transmit that manifest upon request, per the agreements that Vilantia is signatory to. A proper ship captain would not conceal what is truth. You are no proper captain, and therefore you have no proper ship. You now have one opportunity ahead of you to speak truth and thereby gain a small measure of favor from those who will be providing statements to your actions. My wife had a child with her. Tell me the precise location of that child, along with any requirements should she be in some manner of captivity."

"And I should do this for you why?"

In reply, Gryzzk lifted the Learning Stick and flicked a small amount of the blood and gore from it onto the captains' chest. "I will count to six. If I am not hearing an answer by the sixth count, this weapon will find a new resting place. You will not like it. Then I will count to six again, and the process begins anew. In case you had any thoughts of being stubborn, there are teams of Terrans sweeping this ship. If one of those teams is able to find my daughter first, my kindness to you will be at an end. Now that you know the scent of this fur – one."

The captains' face was contorted with rage. "Do what you will, Nameless. I live in the light of the living gods."

"Two."

"The Great Lord Aa'porti will know of this and there will be no reprieve for you or your line."

"The Great Lord Aa'porti has greater concerns. Three."

"You will be made Forever Nameless, no reprieve for you or your line until the Final Darkness!" There was a hint of desperation in Captain Kotrias' voice, and his scent began exuding fear.

"My line will know of my actions, and they will be content. Four."

"Great Lord Aa'porti will call a Clan-hunt for your fur, the fur of your line and your allies." The desperation was real as Captain Kotria played out his last argument.

"My allies are Terrans. If a Clan-Hunt is called, a new clan will take the place of Clan Aa'porti. I will pray that they are wiser than their predecessors. Which limb do you value least? Five." Gryzzk raised the Learning Stick to his shoulder, taking a two-handed grip.

Seeing Gryzzk preparing to take a swing and having seen where the last blow had landed, the captain finally broke. "AA-23. She is being held there, now."

"I'm glad you see reason, Captain." Gryzzk turned and sought out the two guards with officer tabs like Muranagas'.

"Whatever the normal process is for dealing with captured pirates, do that please." Gryzzk kept his voice low so as not to betray his ignorance of Terran protocols. With that he darted through the ship, tapping his rank twice.

"Captain Gryzzk, status?" The Majors' voice was tinged with curiosity.

"Sir, moving to section AA-23, my child is there. The ship has been successfully taken, and there are criminals in stasis along with supplies." There was a pause. "I would recommend that we maintain that stasis until we can reach New Casablanca and then we can awaken them with additional personnel to attend and process them appropriately."

"Agreed. We're sending additional personnel over to assist and take stock."

Gryzzk raced to the upper deck, looking rapidly through the room designations and finally reaching AA-23 and slapping the door control to open it.

Inside there were almost a dozen children cramped into a small space; they reeked of purest fear as only a child could. Gryzzk had a memory-flash to meeting Nhoot and held up a hand. In spite of this, a small voice began shouting and clambering over her fellow captives.

"PAPA! PAPA!" Gro'zel launched herself onto Gryzzk and nuzzled herself deeply into his neck and shoulder fur, crying her joy into his shirt. The other children seemed stirred by this and began to slowly move toward Gryzzk, and that brought a new worry to him. He spoke to the remaining children as best he could.

"Please. Do not be afraid, we are here to help you. We will be traveling a bit more, and when we arrive at our destination we will reunite with your parents. Please don't run - " he was ignored as the children sensed that freedom was theirs and began running wildly up and down the ship shouting with sudden joy and happiness.

There were many concerns now on Gryzzks mind, but for the moment there was only one duty. He held Gro'zel tightly, singing to her softly. He heard chatter on his comm about wrangling the young ones, and getting them safe. It seemed the Terrans had things well in hand. Or as well in hand as they could be with a dozen children running amok aboard a freshly captured vessel.

He walked down the ramp to the mid-deck and through the ship, glancing at the slumbering captives and their offenses. It seemed that many of these were trivial in nature; among them were such things as "Improper driving", "Improper walking", and several were simply "Did not volunteer for Militia duty when asked." All in all, it painted a bleak picture and made Gryzzk almost happy that events had transpired as they had.

After his brief inspection, Gryzzk went back to the boarding tube to lazily float with Gro'zel across, letting her enjoy a view she had never seen before. He found himself looking out at the stars a bit himself, looking at where they might go next. Along the way across, Gro'zel murmured happily and promptly fell asleep in the safety of Gryzzks' arms.

First Sergeant Brooks was waiting for him once he arrived on board the Voided Warranty. Her face was darkly amused as he awkwardly handed the very dirty Learning Stick back to her almost sheepishly.

"I saw and heard, Captain. You'll be wanting more lessons in how to handle that thing. Y'cannae just swing for the fences like you're Babe [bzzt]'ing Ruth all the time. Your bairn?"

Gryzzk nodded. "Gro'zel, our first."

The look on the First Sergeants' face softened as she leaned in to whisper to the sleeping Gro'zel. "Your Pa's an absolute mad bastard. Look after him." Then she straightened to speak to Gryzzk. "Major's wanting to see you on the bridge. Your wife's asleep in Med-bay for now, she'll be fine."

Gryzzk walked to the bridge, Gro'zel secured closely to him. Nobody he passed commented, but they all seemed to have the same softening of their faces that happened with the First Sergeant as he passed. It was a good feeling, even as he stepped onto the bridge to find the Major.

"Captain Gryzzk. We've got reports coming in, and not a one of them bad. Charlie and Delta companies had a similar encounter to ours, and they've got their prize in tow at the moment. It's being sent to the auction block as we speak. As for this one we're attached to, its got an overpowered plant, decent weapons, and room to spare. The boarding breaches are being sealed, and Engineering thinks we'll be able to have it underway within the hour. Reports have been transmitted, and there's enough underhanded junk on that ship that 7th Cav is going to be able to claim it as a prize." There was a pause. "She needs a new coat of paint though - she got scratched from hell to breakfast from torpedo fire. On top of that, the name and registration came up blank when we checked it for some reason. She needs a new name - what do you want to call her, Captain?"

Gryzzk blinked for a moment, realizing that he had passed whatever test had been put in front of him. "It may not be in keeping with the conventions of your 7th Cavalry, Major but I would like to call it the Twilight Rose."

The Major nodded. "New unit, new traditions. Done." His face cracked a smile. "Once the paperwork goes through, we'll be dropping the Brevet part of your rank. Your life's about to get busy." There was a slight pause. "Dismissed. Go see to your wife, Captain."