Draxar
Anesthetics were a strange thing, one moment Astarte had been lying within the Toy Man’s sanctum, nervous she would never wake again once she closed her eyes, and the next she was in her childhood room. It wasn’t like going to sleep where you could feel your mind wandering deep within itself, it was my like one moment she closed her eye and the next moment she was somewhere completely different. Supposedly most people felt groggy and out of it after waking up, but Aster never got that. The moment she opened her eye she was fully aware of her surroundings and could deduce exactly where she was, and could somehow sense that there was someone lurking in the corner of the room just out of sight.
Rather than alert the figure to her consciousness she pretended to still be asleep as one hand strayed to her side to find the knife she had always kept stashed just below her mattress.
“Don’t bother” a mysterious woman’s voice said in the corner “I found all the knives you had stashed around this room, including the razor blades you hid within your porno stash.”
Aster cringed and turned her head to see the disapproving stare of her mother, her real mother. The women who had changed her diapers, taught her how to read and write, and showed her the perfect way to break an attackers grip and exactly where to stab them afterwards. Saint Mary the Maiden. “Hello mom.” Aster said sheepishly.
A fire lit within her mothers eyes “Don’t ‘hello mom’ me, you lose your eye in a surprise attack, wage war on the greatest monster this galaxy has ever seen, nearly die in the process, and I get to learn all of this from that poor Torweni doctor rather than my own daughter’s mouth. When you told me you needed a place to crash after your visit to the Toy Man I thought you were just getting another body mod, not a brand-new eye!”
Aster shied away from her mother and looked at herself in the mirror to her left, white bandages covered the whole left side of her face. She reached up and was about to try and remove them when her mother’s hand appeared out of nowhere and prevented her from even touching the gauze.
“Not until Doctor Djani wakes up” she said exasperatedly.
“What time is it” Aster asked.
“Ten or so in the morning.”
Aster frowned “She should be up by now then.”
“She had a long day yesterday, a funeral for her friend, a tour of the Dark City, and an afternoon of unplanned brain surgery.” Her mother scolded. “She needed a drink and I wanted to know what happened to my daughter since the last letter you sent me half a year ago.”
“How much did she have?” Aster asked
“Three tumblers of scotch, that girl’s been to hell and back from the sounds of it.”
“We all have,” Aster grumbled as she leaned back into her bed. “But her especially, should have seen her a year ago. All doe eyed and innocent, its actually really impressive to see how far she has grown.”
Her mother smiled “Yes, I could definitely see how life amongst you and your ruffians has changed her, but there’s still a core of innocence in her heart. She seemed like a nice girl, are you and her…” her mother trailed off suggestively.
“No, no, she’s just the best doctor we have on hand besides Bachir, and you know how Bachir feels about the Toy Man. I did fuck her brother though” she said flippantly, pushing past the little tug on her heart strings as she remembered their parting.
Her mother smacked the back of her head “Language” she chided gently.
“I’m in a brothel, its not like I’m cussing in church” She complained as she rubbed at the spot her mother had smacked. Her mom had been careful not to hit the bandaged area, but still put enough power in it to sting.
“Oh I remember, Father Pool likes to remind of the time you actually did curse in church, middle of a sermon and you were cussing like a sailor.”
“Beno put a spider down my shirt” She complained.
Her mom harumphed “And we didn’t need to guess who had taught you to swear like that, not when you called Beno a ‘clarty pig fuckin whoreson’.”
Only a few minutes with her mom and she was whining like she did when she was a teenager. They both realized it at the same time and laughed, her mother’s laugh was exactly as Aster had remembered it and she felt deep regret over not visiting as often as she should have.
She was still ashamed of how she had tried to leave her without any goodbyes. When she was younger she didn’t really care about her birth mother, but as she grew older Aster felt a desire to meet the woman who had been arrested when Aster could barely remember her. She had been excited when she heard that her birth mother was going to finally be released with all charges against her dropped. Criminals released from Union jails weren’t allowed to return to Sol in an effort to keep crime and gang violence down in the already volatile system, but if all charges against her mother were dropped then she could return home.
Aster waited day after day for her birth mom to stroll through the front door, and when she didn’t show up Aster had begun to grow bitter, and then angry, very angry. She heard from an old friend of Lucile’s that she had joined up with a crew of space pirates and decided that if she were going to get revenge on her mother for abandoning her, then she would also need to join a pirate crew. She studied up the murky politics of piracy and trained herself endlessly, she became less of a street tough bruiser and more of a refined fighter. She became tough, tough enough to run with the roughest pirate gang out there, or so she had thought.
She turned fifteen and knew that waiting any longer would just be wasting time, she had finished her last growth spurt and was tall enough to pass for a grown woman. Though she would later learn that age didn’t really matter to Greyson, the man hired twelve-year old’s to work as dumb, easily manipulated grunts. She was all ready to leave and already had a place waiting on the Black Saint, but before she left she wanted to shed her virginity before becoming a space pirate. At the time it had seemed very important, like shedding the last bit of her old life and innocence. Her mom had hired a new girl who was just desperately trying to feed her little brothers, but the girl was nervous and terrified about taking the first step. So Aster had charmed her, put her at ease, pretended to be older and more experienced. And when the girl, who was actually older than Aster, offered her a free night; well, who was she to say no.
But that one night was all the clues her mother had needed to figure out that Aster was going off planet. The next morning she was ambushed by her mother as she was sneaking out her window with only a bag of clothes and a couple of spare knives. Her mother had been sitting just outside her window, calmly puffing on a cigar. She had offered Aster her first cigar and said “it would such a shame if your first smoke was on some rickety pirate ship. That’s why you charmed Lavender, right? Because you don’t want any of your firsts to be in the company of pirates?”
They had talked until the sun rose, her mother had never once asked her to reconsider, or tried to stop her from going. In hindsight Aster didn’t know why she had ever yearned for a mother daughter relationship with Lucile, when she already had the perfect mother. But leaving Earth had been the first painful step in her long journey, if she hadn’t left home she would have never met Lucile, never would have tried to kidnap and ransom Karega with her, never would have had the chance to talk candidly with the Martian born man who would become her best friend, and never would have built the Astaroth.
“So” her mother said, breaking the long pause “What’s next?”
Aster turned to her mom “A little bit of crime, some more piracy, maybe I’ll finally start working on my memoires.”
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Her mom smacked her in the back of the head, in exactly the same place “I’m being serious, you’ve killed the worst pirate this galaxy has ever seen, grown fabulously rich because of it, and potentially have an ally within the confederacy. How does this change things for us here on the ground, do we need to expand our operations?”
Aster thought for a second “I don’t know, we still have time to keep working in the shadows. But that can’t last forever, one day we are going to have to come into the light. My immediate plans haven’t changed though, we continue to earn money and expand our influence through piracy and market manipulation. Once the Astaroth is repaired I think we’ll attempt to test the waters of Domnall’s new regime, Jersey says he did what I asked and shut down those disgusting chattel farms, and that he’s assembling a hunting party to pick off those who benefited from the Confederacy’s slave trade. Plenty of wildcat mining ops and sweatshops that are no longer protected by the confederacy’s graces, we might set out to Wrethren to begin hunting some of the bigger operations.”
Mary sat and considered what Aster had said before leaning back in her chair, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but a lot of major Union monopolies receive a lot of their secondary parts and goods from those sorts of business’s. Unwittingly of course.” She said with a sneer. The Union had no coherent laws against using products made by exploitation, meaning sweatshops could illegally operate and legally still sell their goods to lawful companies.
Aster caught her mothers drift, everything she learned about business and exploiting Union markets she had learned from her mom. It had taken many years for her mom’s early investments to return the invested cost, and throughout most of Aster’s early life they had been very poor. “Sounds like they’re going to experience widespread supply shortages, and an explosion in production costs. Now might be great time buy a lot of product, warp drives, shield emitters, and quantum comms, before their prices skyrocket.”
Her mother smiled “Why stop there, if their costs balloon and their sales drop, then now is a perfect time to short their stocks.”
“Might even be time to look for investors willing to support a rival company, our home-made warp drives are still a ways off from the market models, but a little bit a cash flow into R&D could really accelerate that.”
Both mother and daughter glanced at the other mischievously as they planned to completely overturn the market in high end ship parts and modules.
~~~*~~~
Ah’ared was growing tired of Sk’tharcs squawking, ordering him around like he was still Kazlum’s lacky. But he needed her alive for only a little while longer, her aid had already been invaluable in sneaking past the tight Union blockade around Draxar. The broken homeworld of the Kruhur, and pitiful little rock were the remaining Aunviry had carved out an existence. Quiet literally if the rumors about there extensive excavations were true.
The Venom descended into the exposed chamber of an extinct volcanic tunnel and dropped its active cloaking as it inched into the metallic core of what had once been the first known inhabited Deathworld. After the Union had finally scattered the Kruhur fleets they had begun a bombardment campaign against the undefended planet, they had weaponized the massive planetoids in the system’s asteroid belt and overwhelmed the planetary defenses with sheer volume. The final planetoid set on a collision course hit the world long after the last Kruhur had frozen to death and broken the world partially down its center. The surface was completely exposed to the violent radiation of their large main sequence star, but the now cold planetary core was safe from the radiation.
An Aunviry mining operation had been the only thing left unnoticed by a Union counterattack after the Aunviry had fragmented in warring factions. The genocidal purge had completely overlooked the broken world, and the Aunviry had chosen to remain hidden and began to make the core of the Draxar more habitable and self-sustaining. Eventually the Union had discovered the hidden commune, but rather than wiping away the last remnant of the Aunviry they had decided to blockade the world for whatever reason.
The volcanic vent eventually emptied out to the great fissure that led into the worlds core and had allowed them to bypass the observation outposts monitoring the surface of the fissure. Ah’ared maneuvered the Venom towards one of the smoke stacks that vented the toxic byproducts of Aunviry industry. According to Sk’tharc, behind one of these stacks was a place wide enough for a ship to land with a maintenance hatch nearby, and just as the infernal bird had claimed there was a large flat patch the Venom could land on.
The moment the Venom landed armored Aunviry swarmed out and surrounded the exit ramp. Ah’ared and Sk’tharc left to put on their multi-species excursion suits and stepped down the ramp. The contingent of Aunviry surrounded them and shepherded them towards the air lock. Once within they didn’t bother to remove their armor, or offer them any indication as to where they were being brought. They just stomped around them menacingly.
The only Aunviry Ah’ared had seen was Kazlum and his brood, but even he could tell that these Aunviry were much thinner and much less muscular. They were also much shorter than Kazlum, the tallest was only half his height. And their skin was a different shade, less slimy and green, more rubbery and dark toned. They looked far less monstrous than Kazlum had, and even Sk’tharc eyed them curiously.
They were led into a chamber lined with massive stone pillars, tall even by Aunviry standards. Sitting on a great throne in the center of the chamber was a kind of Aunviry Ah’ared had never seen before, a female. The females head had no extendable tentacles, and was instead lined with hard ridges around her jaw and the middle of her head. Her eyes were still dark black, but rather than dark pools of malicious sadism Ah’ared could have sworn he saw deeper, softer emotions.
“Kneel before Queen Avorka” the guard growled in perfect Union common.
Ah’ared exchanged a glance with Sk’tharc, the avian slightly opened her cannibalistic maw and closed it, a sign of assent in her species. Ah’ared turned his eyes back on the Queen and bowed deeply by fully rotating his head ceiling ward and exposing the soft lighter toned flesh of his neck.
“Approach” the Queen ordered once both had fully prostrated themselves.
Ah’ared turned his head back and flopped his limbs forward “I am the thip capt-“ Ah’ared began.
“Speak in you own tongue” the Queen snapped in perfect Aghl’aga, the language of his people.
He hesitated it surprise for one a moment “My apologies your majesty, the last Aunviry I knew took offense to Aghl’aga”
The Queen stared at him more intently, the Aunviry did not have eyelids, but if they did then the Queen would be squinting at him in careful consideration. “There are only a few Aunviry outside Draxar, whom do you speak of?”
“Of Kazlum, lord of the Aunviry Marauders, and my former leader.” Ah’ared answered.
“You say former, is my son dead?” the Queen asked.
That was news to Ah’ared, the Aunviry female before him was Kazlum’s mother. That would make pursuing an alliance much easier.
“Yes your majesty, during his attempted coup Lord Kazlum was slain by a Hellworld pirate named Atharte. She is an enemy of mine and yours, and she is why I have come to Draxar. We seek revenge against the Hellworlder, and we would ally with you and your forces to bring her down and avenge your son.”
“Atharte, she killed my son” the Queen pondered “tell me, what species is she, what is a ‘Hellworlder’. This word is new to my ears.
“She is a Terran, and human” Ah’ared gurgled in disdain. “From the highest class deathworld known to sapient life, Earth”
“What is Earth’s rating?” the Queen asked.
“14, so high the Union invented a new term for it, borrowing from the Terran tongue they deemed the planet a Hellworld”
The Queen brought up a hand to rub at the ridge at the top of her head. “We finally have a peer in this galaxy” she mused. Everyone else around the chamber shifted at the news. The Aunviry had been peerless for years, and this change would likely enrage them. Good.
“Yes, that is why I seek an alliance with you.” Ah’ared pushed.
The Queens eyes focused back on Ah’ared, and there he saw an Aunviry emotion he knew well. Rage. “Do you know why Kazlum was sent to his Uncles ship, the Igrathoth? It was because he was exiled.” She growled with all three maws. “Us Ukathul’viry spent years trying to over throw our oppressors and free ourselves of our shackles, do you know what that word means. It means beta Aunviry, lesser Aunviry. Kazlum was the first Morak’viry born to our people in over three hundred years. I had hoped he would turn out alright if he was raised properly, that he could escape the innate evil of the Morak’viry. Do you want to know what he did when he was fully grown? He killed his elder brother, ate his younger siblings, forced himself upon me, and tried to bring back the dark times. We eventually subjugated him, but I could not bare the pain of killing my last son no matter how twisted he was. We threw him on a ship, tossed in the unwanted, incestuous eggs he had forced upon me. And sent him far from us. If this human Atharte truly killed my son then then she has done me a great favor, a favor I should return by slaying you here and now” she rose her feet and gripped a towering platinum rod. One swipe of that staff from an enraged Aunviry would splatter Ah’ared against the wall.
While Ah’ared backed up in fear, realizing that he had drastically miscalculated. Beside him though, rather than tremble in fear, Sk’tharc instead chirped mirthfully “Smash us if you want” she clicked, her tone shifting melodically as Cék’ek did when they were amused “but if you do then the our ship will send a distress signal to the Union patrol ships keeping you all trapped.”
Queen Avorka hesitated for a second, her guards all exchanged nervous glance with each other. The Queen glared at them and stood up straight, “Then leave this instant” she ordered.
Ah’ared was would have been happy to take the offer and leave immediately, but Sk’tharc had other ideas. “No” she chirped.
Muscles and tendons around the queens body tensed in rage “No” she spat venomously.
“We came here seeking allies, if you will not aid us then give us someone who can.”
“We have no allies to offer to scum like you, my Queendom is a prison and nothing more.”
“But that’s not true is it. Don’t lie, I was Kazlum’s right hand for many years, he told me all of your secrets. He had planned his return to Draxar for many years.”
“Speak your demands before my patience grows thin” the Queen growled. She looked just as menacing as before, but Ah’ared saw that news of Kazlum’s plans had shaken her. The dead monster even struck fear into his own race.
“The quantum com to the High Vicar of the Kruhur.”
The queen grew angry “We have no such thing, at least demand something within our means to offer!”
“I know you have it, I know that some time after you exiled your own son the High Vicar arranged a treaty with your court to allow a small party of pilgrims to visit their homeworld once more. We heard it all from the now deceased Arch Vicar Carnish, deceased by the hand of Astarte and her Hellworlders. She has spilled holy blood and even annihilated a colony station in Femeri, I know that the Kruhur hate her as much as we do.”
The Queen watched them with beady eyes, and Ah’ared saw the cunning genius in Sk’tharcs plan. The Kruhur would truly hate Astarte above all others, but directly contacting the High Vicar would mean either treating with another Arch Vicar, or traveling into the heart of Kruhur space. Which everyone knew was a death sentence. Threatening this Queen was the shortest path to getting everything they wanted.
The queen growled something in the Aunviry’s native tongue, and Sk’tharc looked very pleased with herself. A guard stepped out of the chamber, and some time later returned with a quantum communication box. It passed the box to Ah’ared, and with box in hand they both promptly turned around and left without offering the Queen any parting grace.
“You fooled me” Ah’ared growled.
“Wasn’t hard” Sk’tharc snapped back.
“You had me believe that we came here for Aunviry alleig”
“Yes, and if you hadn’t brought me along you would be a stain on the floor. Do you truly believe I am stupid enough to give away the only bits of leverage I have over you? Just for you to discard me once you have what you want?”
Ah’ared unhinged his jaw to hiss at her.
Sk’tharc chortled “you will also find that I am indispensable when it comes to negotiating with the High Vicar.”
Ah’ared turned his baleful eyes on her, and saw nothing but grin conviction within her own. He turned back forwards and entered his ship without giving her a second glance. He entered his cabin a quietly fumed at her, but as much as he wanted to call this whole thing off and kill her right now, his hate for Astarte was still greater.
For now he would continue to tolerate her presence, until she was no longer necessary.