Chapter 165: Meeting An Old Friend
We docked in Hanger Bay H, and I quickly led the guys to the bridge.
"Every time I dump you on a planet, you always come back with something... unexpected," grumbled Jun Li, his voice echoing through the corridors of the ship.
"I was wondering why you hadn’t said anything earlier," I said with a snicker.
"Three Saalistaja are much better than 20 voragyvis," replied Jun Li, his voice completely serious.
"Glad you think so because you have overlooked at least two of them for a while," shot back as the hatch to the bridge opened. I went to go sit in my fur-covered captain’s chair while the four men spread out, each one at a different console.
And seeing as I had no idea what each console was for, I could only assume that they knew what they were doing. Having a ship that flew itself was a complete Godsent when I found myself out in the middle of nowhere.
"Not possible," replied Jun Li. "I know everything that goes on onboard my ship."
"Really? How long did it take you to figure out how many nightmares we had?" I asked, scratching Night’s chin. He had taken to hiding under my hair, and I could swear it was like he wasn’t even there most of the time.
"That is different," pouted the AI right as a communication notice came through.
"It’s The Noronha," said both Midnight and Jun Li at the same time. There was a slight pause before Jun Li continued. "It is classified as a Sisalik research vessel, and they are the ones that are requesting our assistance."
"You didn’t mention that we were being sent out to ’rescue’ the Sisalik," I growled through clenched teeth. I understood that, logically, I couldn’t hold an entire species accountable for what one group of them did. But there was nothing logical about my hatred of them.
"I figured that you might have an issue with rescuing them," shrugged Jun Li as his body entered the command bridge and walked over to me. I must say, it was more cathartic to yell at a body than at the voices in your head.
"You think?" I laughed, raising my eyebrow to look at the android. "And last I checked, you wanted to destroy them too. What happened? Did you have a change of heart? Have you and Stargazer been talking?"
"I have no clue what you are trying to say. Stargazer and I are completely incompatible," sneered Jun Li. He sat down in the smaller chair beside me and turned to stare at the blank screen in front of us. "But this has to stop. They are going to keep putting out distress signals until they manage to capture us."
"No shit, Sherlock," I hissed at him. "But keeping things from me is a good way to get us both killed. Or did you forget that it is not only me that they want?"
"This plan has an 84.98206% chance of working. You have produced favorable results in situations with a lower chance of success. I was working under the understanding that you could do that again," answered Jun Li, not meeting my eyes.
I took in a breath and pushed aside my rage, channeling instead the icy demeaner that I was more familiar with. "If you don’t tell me shit, how do you expect me to be able to make it work? Now they have caught us with our pants down."
"I don’t understand that term. Your pants are not down," said Jun Li, looking at me from the corner of his eye.
"It means that I am in a vulnerable position because I was unable to prepare," I explained, cracking my neck and quickly coming up with a plan. The constant beeping of the communications request grated on my nerves.
"GA, Ye’tab, Da’kea, go into camo mode," I snapped, my mind racing through all the situations and possibilities. "Midnight, come stand behind me. You are back to being Zeus. Jun Li, you are going to have to disappear, too."
All of the males around me nodded their heads, and the three Saalistajas disappeared in front of my very eyes. Midnight came to stand in front of me for a moment as he looked deep into my eyes. Leaning forward, his muzzle brushed the underside of my chin and up to right behind my ear.
"They cannot touch you," he growled as he went to stand behind me. "We will not let them touch you."
There were three grunts and the clicking of what I now knew to be tusks. "Even without you, I will not let them touch me again," I growled, and Midnight let out a howl of approval.
"I will be recording everything, both on audio and visual," said Da’kea from where I knew he was sitting. It was more than a little disconcerting to be having numerous conversations with beings that were there but not there.
"Thank you," I said, sitting up. I debated going back to my room for a more appropriate attire, but I decided that I would go with my jeans and sweater. The most important thing was to not let them know that I had any armor on. With that thought, I quickly disengaged the armor that I had.
Thankfully, I was no longer at risk of dying from hypothermia. Now I stood a better chance of dying from a stroke or heart attack with how pissed off and angry I was. I quickly rearranged my long hair to ensure that Night was even better hidden. However, seeing as my back was against the chair, I had no idea where he actually was.
There was a chirp up in the right-hand corner, and I looked over. He waved one of his legs at me before crouching down and disappearing into the shadows. I stared at him for a few more seconds, trying to make out his shape, but I honestly couldn’t see anything.
Another demanding beep cut through my thoughts. "Put him through."
"This is Commander of the Sisalik Research vessel, The Noronha. I demand that you identify yourself," hissed the voice coming through the speakers. I swallowed hard and gritted my teeth, willing myself not to puke on the spot.
But I was not that weak. I would never be that weak again.
Sitting up straight, I waited for the video link to catch up with the audio link. Before me on the screen stood a green lizard alien dressed in a bright red uniform of some kind. His eyes narrowed in on me once he saw me, and I could see his forked tongue flicking out of his muzzle as if trying to test the air for my scent.
Earth might not have smell-o-vision, but thankfully, neither did the aliens.
"You have no right to demand anything from me," I answered calmly, crossing my legs in front of me and laying my right elbow on the armrest beside me.
"I have every right. I am a commander of the Sisalik—research vessel. You are nothing but an unknown species," hissed the commander. Unfortunately for him, I understood what he was trying so desperately not to say.
"I think that you were trying to say that you were a commander in the Sisalik military, weren’t you?" I asked with a slight smile. I might have been worried and stressed beforehand, but I definitely wasn’t now. The brain was funny that way. You would build up a fear until it seemed almost insurmountable... and then you faced it and realized that it really wasn’t as scary as you thought it was.
"No!" hissed the commander, staring me down. "I am the commander of the research vessel The Noronha. You are legally required by law to come and rescue us from the Uugazt pirates."
"You essentially repeated the same word twice," I pointed out at him, resting my chin on my hand. "Legally and required by law mean the same thing."
"That doesn’t matter!" snarled the commander, and I could see his tail behind him twitching back and forth in agitation.
"Well, in terms of communication, it does matter," I answered with a smile. "You are not being concise with your terminology, which could cause the person you are communicating with, in this case, me, to not understand what you are trying to say."
"I think you know very well what I am trying to say," said this commander, his entire body practically vibrating now, along with his tail. It was nothing that I noticed a lot of when they were experimenting on me. However, it could be caused by extreme joy or extreme anger. Huh, I wonder just how I was making the commander so happy he was vibrating.
"And yet, even after all this time, the Uugazts have not opened fire on you, boarded your ship, or have done anything along the lines that make me think that this threat was not only a credible one but an imminent one," I said, straightening up in my chair. "I have landed on an ice planet, weathered through a solar storm, returned to my ship, AND am on my way to ’rescue’ you. That means it has been at least two standard rotations since you sent me, specifically that distress call."
