Chapter 187: A Meeting with the Pirates
Waking up to the incessant buzzing of an incoming communication was not how I wanted to wake up from my nap. Waking up from my nap was not how I wanted to wake up, either.
Nuzzling my face into the male mattress under me, I let out a low growl. "If it is Pippa, tell her to go fuck herself," I grumbled, pulling the black fur higher up until I was completely hidden under it. I felt like I had been hit by a Mac truck, and I didn’t want to move.
"It’s not Pippa," answered Jun Li over the speakers so that everyone could hear him.
"No one else calls besides Midnight and Pippa, and Midnight is here, so I doubt it is him," I groaned, poking my head out of the fur. Looking around, I saw Midnight wave to me, confirming my statement.
"It’s the head of the Uugazts," answered Jun Li, and I could hear him trying to unsuccessfully suppress the laughter in his voice.
"Who is that?" I asked. The name was familiar, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember why.
"The Uugazts have been trying to contact you since you blew up the Sisalik research vessel. They’re the pirates," reminded Jun Li.
"Why couldn’t you just have started with that?" I demanded, placing a kiss on GA’s chest as I got up. The cramps were also back in full force, so unless I was willing to start a war, I was going to need to be heavily medicated for this encounter.
"You would have preferred me to say that the pirates are calling to make a deal?" asked Jun Li, confused.
"Yes," I grunted, making my way to the bathroom. Fuck my life. I hated being on my rag.
"Understood, I’ll make a note of that."
"Thanks," I said before entering the room and locking the door behind me. It was a lot heavier than usual, but I guess it had a lot to make up for after six years. Cleaning myself up, I took a few more painkillers and then left the washroom.
If I was going to be speaking to the head of the pirates, I was not going to do it as Mei Xing. Taking out my arms dealer uniform, I quickly got dressed, cursing the skintight leggings and corset. I was bloated to hell, and this was not comfortable. Maybe I should have a second one made that was a couple sizes bigger.
Coming out, I saw that all the males were up and ready to go, Da’kea tidying the furs on my nest.
"I am saying this in the interest of full disclosure, but I might bite all of your heads off later. I might not mean it, so I am apologizing in advance. Oh, and I am also sorry if I try to stab you. I am just waiting until my pain meds kick in, and hopefully, I will be less stabby then." I saw the men nod their heads, and I grunted in appreciation.
That was all the advanced warning that they were going to get. Let’s hope that they listened.
I strolled out of my quarters and toward the bridge with GA at my side. "When you are saying that you might bite off our heads, are we talking literally or figuratively?" he asked, looking at me from the corner of his eyes.
"Figuratively. It is a human term to mean that I might yell at you," I answered, not really thinking.
"Oh, good. There are a few female species, my own included, that are known to bite off a male’s head when upset, literally. I just was wondering if your species were one, too," responded GA, seemingly not at all concerned about the prospect of death through beheading.
"My mouth isn’t big enough to bite off the head on your shoulders," I said, climbing into the captain’s chair and getting myself comfortable.
"Is there a secondary head that you are referring to?" asked Ye’tab, joining in on our conversation.
"Yup," I answered before looking at Jun Li. "Ready when you are," I continued, not answering the male’s question. However, the smile that I was sporting under my helmet and veil spoke volumes.
----
"What do you want?" I asked, my back straight as I looked across my bridge to the screen in front of me. The Uugazts were nothing like what I was expecting. I would fully admit that I knew nothing about them other than the fact that they were pirates. Still, when something a cross between an orc and a giant filled my screen, I was taken by surprise.
"I want to talk to you," came the deep growl of the male in front of me. His voice had a rocky type tone to it that reminded me of a quieter version of a landslide.
"Then talk," I replied.
"Are you the one that destroyed two Alliance ships?" he asked, cocking his head to the side. The gold earrings jingled with the movement. His skin was a beautiful green color, with his hair and beard being a much darker green, almost black. He had a few streaks of silver along his temples, letting me know that he was not young, but his piercing orange eyes were what held my interest.
I had never been one for orc romances, but maybe I was missing out on a whole genre.
"I am," I answered, continuing to study the male. His muscles were causing strain on his white button-up dress shirt, and I could easily tell that it was a size or five too small for him. "That is not your normal attire, is it?" I asked, curious. He was wearing a long coat over top of the shirt, which was, once again, too small for him. He didn’t look comfortable.
"This is the uniform the Alliance has given me to wear during any interactions with them," he replied. There was a ripping sound as he shrugged his shoulders, but he didn’t really seem to care.
"Get comfortable," I said after a brief moment of consideration. "I am not the Alliance; I don’t care what you wear."
"And you will be here once I get back?" he demanded, narrowing his piercing orange eyes on me.
"I’ll be here," I assured him.
