The first 4 days of their 2 weeks of travel passed in relative peace, as they were still outside of the Kloxna empire. Tensions rose on the morning of the 5th day. They all knew the danger they would be in, performing this sort of infiltration. They were not pulled out of FTL for another 2 days, but on their 7th day of travel, they were pulled out of FTL and saw a small scouting force waiting for them.
David did his best to fulfill the role of a smuggler Captain, and the boxes they had stolen served their purpose of convincing the Kloxna scout Captain of their right to be there. In a moment of clarity, David asked if she could provide him with a written letter of passage, to *avoid any further inconvenience to the Kloxna military forces*. That sentence, along with a few compliments about the vigilance of the Kloxna soldiers, had secured him said letter.
Heads would probably roll after they were done doing what they had come to do, but it was of little concern to them. Eirik took the written letter down to the prison as soon as they were back underway, to antagonize Sai'Lonis, who was still a prisoner of his.
"Isn't it amazing how a scout force Captain is so willing to accommodate some random smugglers just by seeing a few crates and hearing words of praise?" Eirik said after the initial angry outburst from the imprisoned Kloxna senior commander, "Maybe if you treated the common people better, this would not be the case?" Eirik was taking obvious, almost perverse delight in his prisoners' frustration.
"I will, however, still keep my word. I promised you I would let you review the contents of Tai'Tanu's smuggling goods." Eirik drew his pistol and aimed it at Sai'Lonis before calling out to the guard at the entrance to the prison, "OPEN THE CELL!"
"Step out and walk 3 steps in front of me," Eirik commanded of Sai'Lonis. The Kloxna had a panicked look on her face, "Where are we going?" She demanded, almost hysterical in fear.
"To the cargo bay, so I can fulfill my promise. This is just for my own safety. As long as you do not attempt to flee or attack, you will be perfectly safe." Eirik reassured her. The last thing he needed was a jumpy prisoner on the loose.
"Is there no way we can go without you having a weapon pointed at my back?" She pleaded.
Eirik thought for a moment. "BRING THE CHAINS!" He shouted to the same guard as before. A moment later the rustling of metal chains could be heard and the guard was rushing towards him with a set of ankle and wrist chains that were interconnected, making movement difficult and restricted. With that on, He would gladly walk with her, unarmed.
Sai'Lonis froze as she saw the chains, but another look at Eirik holding the gun and she willingly held out her arms to have the chains attached.
2 minutes later they were walking through the ship, Eirik matching the pace of his prisoner. He had enough time and there was no need to rush her. "I am sorry about this, but security measures should not be neglected." He said to the silent Kloxna walking in the chains beside him. They attracted many looks from crew passing by, but none of them said a word.
"If only the Scouts you mentioned had done the duty and searched both the ship and the contents of your cargo!" She finally growled, still angry with the way things were going.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"Would you have searched me once you heard I was transporting cargo for another high caste?" He simply asked, and the silence that followed was answer enough. "Didn't think so." He said after the silence had become uncomfortable.
Down in the cargo storage, Eirik pulled out the crate containing steroids and plagues and opened it.
"What am I looking at?" Sai'Lonis sneered, unable to make sense of the contents of the cargo crate.
"What you are looking at, are diseases, in the vials, and artificial muscle growth hormones, in the pills. It would seem the Tai'Tanu did not gain her size as naturally as she likes to claim. And it would also seem she is more than willing to wage dishonorable wars. I have gone over the notes that followed these crates. They detailed Terran population centers of almost exclusively civilian population. These plagues were to be genetically engineered, to increase lethality rates, and then released unto unsuspecting civilian populations all across the territory of the United Terran Government."
Eirik's words hung in the air and he watched his prisoner's face go through an almost never-ending amount of emotions. Several months with Las'Tai and now Trasti had cued him in on most of their expressions. He saw burning rage, unending sadness, rightful fury, steeled resolve, hopeless despair, bold refusal to believe what she was hearing, grim acceptance of the recipient's name on the shipment manifest, and many more.
Several minutes passed in silence before she finally spoke up. "Even though I am your prisoner, I thank you for exposing this cowardly and dishonorable Kloxna for what they are. Should I ever be returned to my people, I would request both this crate and the shipment manifest be left in my possession, so Kloxna justice can be served!!"
Eirik bowed his head and replied "It will be done as you have requested"
Sai'Lonis stared at him for a long moment. "So this is what the ancient Kloxna talked about when they spoke of respect between enemies. Despite your dishonorable way of fighting, your personal honor is great, and I will speak its praise to my people. Should diplomatic talks ever come to be between our people, I will request that you be present."
Eirik smiled a tired smile and replied "Respect your enemies, because, without them, you cannot grow. That is a Terran quote. We Terrans thrive in adversity. It is our natural state to be struggling against SOMETHING. Now, that something is the Kloxna empire. Good, bad, it's not for me to be the judge of that. I just join the struggle and thrive.
Historically, our greatest scientific achievements have always been during wartime. We went from the first powered flight to interstellar rockets in a mere 66 years-"
"Preposterous!! No species advance that fast!!" Sai'Lonis interrupted.
"2 world wars will do that to Terran society and technology."
"Who could your world have been at war with if you did not have interstellar flight, Terran?" Sai'Lonis thought she had caught Eirik in a lie, but the empty look in his eyes made her ponder a possibility that could simply not be true.
"You didn't fight a world war between yourselves, let alone 2!!" She protested, refusing to believe the implications of his silence.
"I am going to grab a history book for you on the way back. A book about the 2 world wars, in horrifying and graphic truth. Some of our greatest legendary soldiers were from that time period. You will appreciate that I think." Eirik finally said as he turned around. "Now come, back to the prison with you!"
He did indeed stop and get her the history book on the way back. She was already flipping through it before he had closed the cell and the noises she made at some of the images made him feel sorry for what she was about to endure. For a race that never had an intraspecies conflict on such a scale, this would be akin to being introduced to the concept of cannibalism. Most aliens were repulsed by the thought of large-scale slaughter of their own people. Terrans were different. It just took a differing opinion and genocide was a possibility.
Eirik had the guard lock the cell before he left and then headed towards the bridge to keep things on a short leash. So deep within enemy territory, they needed to be ready to respond at a moment's notice, and the more people on the bridge, the better. Besides, he had things to think about, now that he had planted the seeds of a civil war amongst the Kloxna. The bridge was a good place to think things over. His room had...Distractions... present.