1y10m3w1d BV
Father Busani’s private yacht, bay 21E, tradestation 12E-647 The Crimson Hamlet
Whitecrest Special Operative Ronovin
Ronovin received three messages just as they entered range of the Crimson Hamlet’s FTL comms link. He set the craft down and moved to the galley before checking them. The first one was from his Father.
Ronovin, my personal ship appears to have gone missing. You wouldn’t happen to know where it has gone to, would you?
Ronovin could smell the sarcasm in his Father’s words. To be fair, he deserved it. He couldn’t help but chitter as he typed out his reply.
Father, you gave me permission to use whatever ship would best suit my needs. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of it. I even left my own ship unlocked for you to use, if you require it.
P.S. You’ll want to order a replacement for Lifepod unit 3.
The second message was from Thalias.
Greetings Special Operative Ronovin,
One of my contacts has come under threat. I humbly request that you proceed with urgency to tradestation 12E-647 Crimson Oasis. I have reason to believe that several packages en route to one Brrtklklk Nk’tntnrkk may be sabotaged. Please proceed to the station and rendezvous with Associate Milt. I will be sending him a similar message. Please reply as soon as possible, particularly if I will need to arrange for an alternate escort.
Thank you
Ronovin chittered softly and wrote his reply.
I will gladly divert from my equipment testing exercise to aid your contact. If you expect significant delays, let me know when Milt is expected to arrive.
Thalias probably knew that Milt was with him, but playing the game never hurt.
He opened the third message. This one was… well he wasn’t quite sure.
Report: Automated Decision Matrix
Location: Brood Transport Interior (85% likelihood) 51%
Interior Hunter Count 4@5 each 20%
Exterior Hunter Count 6@2 each 12%
Bait Crate Opened 2@15 each 30%
Event Triggering
+External Log [Activate/Failure] gap = 5ms
Activate
Ronovin perked an ear in confusion. “Milt? I received a message from…” He studied the message. “Something.”
Milt entered the galley and pulled out his own pad. He carefully studied it for only a moment before he began to grin, then chitter softly, and finally let out a long, satisfied sigh.
“Uh… care to share?”
Milt stared at Ronovin with wide-open grin. “I altered the plan slightly.”
“You’re scaring me, Milt.” Ronovin said, with a voice that showed absolutely no fear.
“How big of a charge would it take to wipe out a Hunter brood, if it was located inside, oh, a brood transport?”
“Oh, I dunno, two or three…” Ronovin sighed and dropped his ears. “How much did you use?”
“I don’t even know!” Milt chirped excitedly. “But, the stack was taller than you!”
“That… that would do it.” He chittered softly to himself. “Cathartic, ain’t it?”
Milt nodded and took a more solemn posture. “This is only the first of many. The Hunters will pay.”
“No, Milt. This is too valuable a tool to squander like that. If we overuse it, the Hunters will stop responding. Keep it in reserve for when it counts.” He sighed. “That’s kinda why I keep these type of things to myself.”
Milt dropped his head, his ears anxiously twitching. “Only when it counts.” He gestured towards the direction of the disassociated life pod. “Good riddance.”
1y10m3w1d BV
Trade station Crimson Hamlet
Chuck
Chuck spent the early hours of morning wandering the halls of the Crimson Hamlet. He walked from shop to shop, browsing the wares available for purchase. Sadly, his prior conclusions had been in error. While it was true that he found many intriguing items for sale, what truly surprised him was the lack of… imagination. No shop present sold more than a handful of items beyond those essential for everyday life. A curio here, a toy there, but nothing that even came close to the sheer selection available at even a small town flea market on Earth.
Still, he was determined to find something to purchase. He pulled out his datapad and checked his new account’s balance. It now sat slightly higher than it had been prior to the theft. With an amused grunt, he entered one of the more promising shops. He walked the aisles trying to find something interesting. He eventually stopped at the end of the aisle and found what he was looking for. It was gaudy, it was tacky, it was perfect. Best of all, it was cheap. He asked the purveyor a few quick questions, then left the shop, happy with his purchase.
He spent the remainder of the morning trying to work his way through the bureaucracy of the station. Business licenses, temporary residence permits, local ordinances, all of it exceedingly tedious, but how could he expect to succeed if he wasn’t willing to play the game? Each loophole he exploited -even the small ones- should ease his future endeavours.
He had just finished applying for a catering firm tax benefit -only possible due to his relatively absurd dietary requirements- when he received a message from Bart; Ronovin had arrived. Bart requested his immediate intervention, as this particular Gaoian was staring hungrily at him.
With a sigh, Chuck submitted his application and headed back to Brrtklklk’s Human Items. He entered the shop to see Bart hiding behind the counter, cautiously pointing towards Chuck’s left. Chuck turned just in time to see Ronovin dive towards him. With no time to prepare, Chuck soon found himself under the furry beast. Ronovin kneaded his stomach breifly before curling up and plopping down on his favorite bed.
“Hello Chuck, did ya miss me?”
Chuck tried to roll himself into a more comfortable position, drawing pleading whines from Ronovin. “Of course, you big lump.” He found himself a nice, soft place to scratch. “Weren’t you in some sort of hurry?”
Ronovin lifted his head and turned to face Chuck. “Eh, it’s waited a week, it can wait a few more minutes. This is more important.”
“Right…”
There was a soft thump, and Ronovin glanced over Chuck’s shoulder. “What are you staring at, cub?”
Chuck turned to see Milt gathering a small pile of objects that he had presumably just dropped in shock.
Milt spoke a few untranslated words before his voice trailed off.
Grinning, Ronovin responded. “I’ve been careful.”
Milt glanced hesitantly at Ronovin, before setting down his tools and curling up next to Ronovin. Luckily, in the low Galactic Standard Gravity, Chuck had no problem seating two Gaoians, though his chest was starting to become rather crowded.
Ronovin stared at Milt with ears perked, startled, before chittering softly. “I’ll allow it.”
Bart slowly walked around the counter and carefully approached the pile. “Is there something that I must do to prepare?”
Ronovin snarled slightly before replying. “Muzzle your mustangs, Brrtklklk. This will only take a few minutes.”
Bart replied. “I believe you mean ‘steady your stallions’.”
Ronovin tilted his head in confusion. A short time later, he growled his displeasure. “Later, Brrtklklk. Right now I have some private issues to attend to.” With that, he engaged his privacy field. Chuck shook his head at Ronovin. Ronovin returned his gaze and chittered softly.
“Your getting soft, Chuck.” He stretched himself out, adjusting his position on his perch. “Not that I’m complaining.” With a satisfied sigh Ronovin continued. “How did you let me beat you so easily?”
“I did indeed let you.” Chuck wore a wry smile. “Heads up, Milt. I’ve got something I need to do.”
Milt lifted his head and tilted it in Chuck’s direction with the most adorable confused expression he had ever seen. His ears flattened when he realized Chuck’s intentions. He rolled off to the side of the privacy bubble.
Ronovin had already spread himself out in an attempt to hold a pin.
“Really, Ronovin, you think that’s going to work?” Chuck said as he simply leaned up into a kneeling position.
“…Of course not.” Ronovin stepped off Chuck and began circling around him.
Chuck glanced behind him as he stood. He stepped back through the privacy field with a sinister grin.
Ronovin
Ronovin knew immediately that Chuck wanted to be chased. He wasn’t about to simply rush through the field into the rather obvious ambush. So, instead, he stood at ready, prepared to ambush Chuck if he foolishly decided to re-enter. He had just started planning how to rush out and counter an opposed ambush, when he heard Milt softly begin to chitter. Ronovin almost turned to face him, but he managed to keep himself focused; That dastardly Milt was trying to distract him! But… Oh balls, this was Chuck he was dealing with. Before Ronovin had a chance to react, Chuck was on him, hug-tackling him to the ground from behind. Ronovin struggled briefly before admitting the futility of his position. With a sigh, he went limp and tapped out.
Ronovin turned to Milt, who stood chittering near the edge of the sphere. A dominant grin spread across his snout. “Care to try, Milt?”
Milt looked at Chuck, then back to Ronovin. He grinned and approached the grappling pair.
Ronovin opened up a toothy grin and began to move to meet Milt, before realizing that he was still held tight. He turned to Chuck. “Uh, can you let me go now?”
“Oh, how would that be fair to Milt? You know he is no match for you!” Chuck grinned as he spoke.
Ronovin’s ears flattened as Milt approached and began to sniffle his headfur. “For fuck’s sake Chuck, this ain’t Aru. Let me go!”
Chuck sighed. “Fair warning, Milt. You know I can’t hold him back forever.”
Milt’s ears flattened as he realized the predicament he managed to find himself in. He slowly backed away, then took off running out of the privacy field.
As soon as Chuck released Ronovin, the Gaoian dropped the privacy field and scanned the area. He sniffed the air, then took off running on fourpaw out of the shop. He tore around the corner, noticing Milt running off down an alley. With terrifying speed, he dove into Milt, sending him tumbling. Ronovin calmly approached his prey, manic grin on his muzzle. He chose, simply, to sit on Milt. Milt desperately pawed at Ronovin, trying to escape, as Ronovin began nipping at his throat.
“Keep those claws in, Milt, and I won’t make you suffer much.” Ronovin began the humiliating process of sniffling and nipping all of Milt’s most sensitive areas.
Milt struggled futilely to escape, becoming more and more desperate with each passing second. Ronovin was rather well versed in this sort of encounter. He could see Milt cracking in front of him. Unless he wanted this to turn into an all out brawl, now was the time to back off. He didn’t. Right on cue, Milt extended his claws in a final, desperate attempt to escape. Ronovin immediately shifted tactics. He backed off just slightly, waiting for Milt’s futile swipes to arrive. Each one was countered mercilessly, tearing gashes into the outmatched Gaoian.
Gaoian combat was swift and brutal. He had almost finished making his point when he was suddenly ripped from Milt with astounding force. In rage, Ronovin snarled and swiped at the interloper. He looked on in horror as his claws tore through Chuck’s shirt, leaving thin, faint lines of blood across his chest.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Chuck cried as he delivered a shoving palm strike to Ronovin’s chest, tripping him up and driving the Gaoian to the ground. Before Ronovin had even a moment to react, a boot fell onto his throat, firmly planting his neck to the ground. Ronovin struggled to push Chuck’s foot off his throat, to no avail. After several excruciating seconds, Chuck lifted his foot and walked away.
Ronovin took a moment to recover his breath. Father damn, Chuck’s control had improved greatly. There would likely have been several broken ribs to deal with if Chuck had unleashed just a bit more power. He winced as he carefully made his way back onto his hindpaws. Chuck was leaning over Milt, quietly talking to him. Ronovin approached slowly, carefully walking wide to avoid startling Chuck. He glanced down at Milt, then looked back at Chuck, keening in abject submission.
Chuck stared at Ronovin with the deadly calm of a predator poised to strike. “What the fuck was that for?”
“Chuck, I…” Ronovin took a deep breath. “It is a bad idea to interrupt a Gaoian in combat. It’s a good way to” Ronovin stumbled slightly, clutching his chest. “…get yourself hurt.”
“I thought you were better than this.” Chuck gestured towards Milt.
Ronovin chittered grimmly. “I don’t know how I could have done better, not a scratch on…” Chuck glared at him. “Oh. You didn’t…” His ears flattened as he whimpered. He glanced back to Milt. “I suppose I better get him fixed up.”
“That would probably be wise.” Chuck glanced down at his chest as Ronovin turned away.
After a quick jog to his ship, Ronovin returned. As he arrived, Chuck spoke softly, not turning to face him. “Why? Why did you feel the need to hurt him, Ronovin? He was of no threat to you.”
“He tried to usurp my authority!”
Chuck shook his head. “I don’t buy it. Milt clearly intended no disrespect.”
Ronovin stopped for a moment, an ear twitching in aggravation. “What in Fyu’s name was I supposed to do, Chuck, let him get away with that?”
“Yes. There is more strength in restraint than retaliation. Perhaps you are not as strong as I had thought.”
Ronovin had no response.
“I’ve been around you Gaoians long enough to know what I saw. Milt meant that as a sign of admiration, of respect. Are you so disconnected from your Brother’s that you can’t even see that?”
Ronovin began to unpack his supplies. Obviously Chuck was wrong. Milt had overstepped his position. Ronovin could could forgive Chuck for not understanding; He wasn’t Gaoian, after all. “If you were so concerned, why did you let me go after him?”
“I overestimated your self-control.”
Ronovin flinched. That one stung a bit. “I see.”
Chuck crossed his arms and tapped his foot. “Well, are you going to talk to him, or are you going to make me fix this for you?”
Ronovin tilted his head briefly. His ears then perked up briefly, before falling back with a sigh. He turned to Milt, who stared at him from a huddled position with a look of terror in his eyes. Carefully avoiding a satisfied grin, he beckoned Milt over. He would have to play nice for Chuck, and besides, he did actually need the little Gaoian in working order to deal with the whole Hunter issue. “Come on over here Milt, I ain’t gonna hurt you.” Milt glanced at Chuck, but didn’t move.
Chuck cleared his throat. “That’s what you said last time, right before you did.”
Ronovin turned to Chuck. “I told him to keep his claws in! Then he-”
“You gave him no choice. Did you not see him at his breaking point? For fuck’s sake!”
Ronovin muttered under his breath; Why must he keep forgetting that this Keeda-damned human was so fucking observant? He glanced once more at Chuck before turning back to Milt. “Come on over here Milt. You did fine.”
When Milt did not respond, Chuck approached Milt and, showing yet again his overwhelming strength and grace, carefully scooped up Milt in his arms and carried him to Ronovin. “I’m going to have Ronovin treat your wounds, Milt. Don’t worry, I won’t let him hurt you.” He turned to Ronovin. “You’ve got some wounds to treat, Ronovin. Not just physical ones.”
Ronovin set to work, salving Milt’s injuries, while Chuck dug holes in the back of his skull with his eyes. Ronovin wasn’t stupid; He knew exactly what Chuck wanted him to say. But that wasn’t going to happen. There had to be some vague middle ground. “You did well, cub. Not everyone would hold out as well as you did.” He looked expectantly at Chuck, who waved him on. With a sigh, Ronovin continued. “I… may have gotten a bit carried away. Maybe you didn’t deserve this.” He pointed at one of Milt’s wounds. There was still some fear in Milt’s eyes, though something else was hiding there, behind that fear. Hmm, this would not do. Well, it worked before… “Milt, Chuck needs you. Or did you forget about the Hunters?” Chuck and Hunters. If there was anything that would get Milt back on his feet, it would be that.
Indeed, only a moment later, Milt unsteadily attempted to make his way to his feet. Ronovin moved to help him.
“Let’s get started, Ronovin. Give Milt some time to catch his breath.” Chuck led Ronovin back towards the shop. Once they were out of earshot, Chuck continued. “He isn’t Errial either. Milt looks up to you.”
“I know. I ain’t stupid. I just… got carried away.”
Chuck grunted, unamused. “So, what would you do if I tried something like this.” He ruffled Ronovin’s crest.
Ronovin ducked slightly, but allowed the indiginity to continue with a sigh. “…Nothing. You’ve earned that right.”
“Oh?” Chuck glanced down at his chest.
Ronovin stared blankly at Chuck before sighing and turning away, muttering to himself again. “How the fuck do you keep doing this Chuck? There ain’t no Gaoian alive that can point out each and every fucking mistake I make as quickly or ruthlessly as you can. I do not know how you compare to other humans, but if the rest your species is half as good as you…” He stared into the distance.
Chuck grunted and nodded. He set his heavy arm on his shoulder. “I’m surprised you let Milt curl up with you in the first place.”
Ronovin lowered his ears and thought a moment before replying. “I got myself into trouble, and Milt skillfully resolved the issue. He earned it.” With those three simple words, Ronovin realized that he had spent the last few minutes in the wrong damn conversation. Chuck didn’t see a fight that went too far, he saw a fight that should never have happened in the first place!
Ronovin had spent a significant amount of time over the past few days pretending to be impressed by Milt’s actions to ensure his cooperation and silence. So, of course Milt had treated Ronovin as a close Brother; That was the whole point! But, Ronovin had let himself become distracted in the process; He had failed to recognize just what that little pup had managed to pull off right under Ronovin’s muzzle. “Keeda’s fucking balls, he earned it.”
Milt had simply responded as any cub would when not being lied to. And then, right in front of Chuck Ronovin had lashed out against a fellow Whitecrest operative who had, in his own eyes, committed no offense. Even worse, that Father damned human was clever enough to recognize the truth! Hmm. Well, there was really no other choice. The Deathworlder clearly favored the younger Gaoian. If Ronovin wanted to remain close to Chuck, he would have to cozy up with Milt. But Chuck was Keeda-damned observant. He would have to be really convincing. So convincing that it would be easier to… yeah, he was just going to have to nip the tail and earn a new bestest friend. How the fuck did he let himself get into this position?
Ronovin allowed himself a moment of rage, angrily shaking his head as if killing a bono held in his maw. He took a deep breath and softened his expression as he turned to Chuck. “You are right again Chuck, Milt didn’t deserve any of that, not after what he’s done for me. Now, I mean this in the kindest way possible, Chuck. Fuck you and your rationality.”
Chuck smiled, grunting in amusement. “I’m pretty sure you just figured that one out on your own.”
Ah good. He had hoped that his attempt at human cant would prove acceptable. It had felt a little odd insulting Chuck, but humans did seem to enjoy mock insults. Ronovin stared at Chuck briefly, his gaze dropping to Chuck’s chest. “Let me take a look at that.”
Chuck nodded. “May as well take a look at your snout too, while you are at it.”
With a single ear perked, Ronovin ran a paw across his nose. He was rather surprised to see his paw bloodied. He chittered softly; Well done, Milt. “Under normal circumstances I would maul anyone that did this to me.”
“You did.” Chuck responded dryly.
Ronovin was just beginning to prepare a rebuttal when Milt slowly walked through the door into the shop, head held low, ears flattened in submission.
“Stand up straight, Milt.” Ronovin commanded.
Milt stopped in his tracks, hesitating.
“We got a job to do, I need you focused.” Ronovin authoritatively marched towards Milt and forced his stance upright. “Go, talk to Brrtklklk, get started.” Milt stood still for a moment, ears hesitantly lifting from their flattened position. Ronovin grasped him by the shoulders and turned him to face the perplexed Rrrrtk.
With a hesitant glance over his shoulder, Milt approached Bart. He pulled out a translator and cleared his throat. “Brrtklklk, where are the packages awaiting disarmament?”
Brrtklklk shook his neck then replied calmly. “My equipment resides in the loading bay of this establishment. Come, this way.” He led Milt towards the back room.
Ronovin cocked his head towards Brrtklklk and followed after him. Chuck followed closely behind.
They arrived in the back room to see Milt unpacking a copper colored metallic mesh. “Brrtklklk, what lies under this floor?”
Brrtklklk pondered a moment. “I don’t remember exactly what runs through those maintenance shafts.”
“Open shafts, okay. I’ll need a base sheet.” He began to lay out one of his blankets. “Chuck,” He gulped. “…Ronovin will you move the first crate to the center of this shield?”
“Certainly.” Ronovin grinned at Milt, with a bit more fake civility than strictly necessary.
After the first crate was secured, Milt unrolled a second cloth and draped it over the crate. He pulled out a few tools and slid under the cover. A forcefield engaged, pressing the two sheets tightly together.
Chuck spoke to Ronovin without looking at him. “I want to know how you fix this.”
Ronovin tilted his head and stared at Chuck. “Milt’s already on it. He knows what he’s doing.”
Chuck narrowed his eyes. “You know what I meant.”
“…Right.” With a deep sigh, he continued. “You really care about him, don’t you?”
“Someone has to.”
Ronovin glanced around nervously, then put up his privacy field. “You are right about one thing, Chuck. That cub needs guidance. I doubt any other operative would be willing to work with such a weak Gaoian… so I’ll do it. I’ll fix him.”
Chuck raised an eyebrow. “Weak? Seriously?”
…That’s the part Chuck chose to comment on? “Yes! He’s a nervous wreck!”
“A nervous wreck who came to a Hunter targeted location to remedy that very situation after not only saving your ass, but also killing dozens of Hunters in the process.”
“Saving my ass? He.” …did. Technically. Of course, Ronovin would not have needed saving if he hadn’t so thoroughly underestimated the Keeda-damned Gaoian. Why the hell did he think it was a good idea to tell Milt that the device was intended for Chuck? Milt may be a coward, but it was becoming rather clear that he does not fuck around when it comes to Chuck.
Chuck patiently waited for Ronovin to continue.
With a sigh, Ronovin conceded. There was no rebuttal he could provide without digging himself further into a hole. “You win again, Chuck.”
Chuck diplomatically chose not to comment, allowing only a subtle smirk through. “Thank you, Ronovin.”
Ronovin perked an ear inquisitively.
“Milt deserves a second chance.”
Ronovin stared briefly at Chuck before nodding. “That is yet to be determined, but he shall have it.”
They stood in silence for a few moments as the tension dissipated. A thought struck Ronovin. “Wait… how did you know about the Hunters?”
Chuck smirked. “It seems that some of my allies are a bit more generous with their intelligence than others.”
“…Milt.” Ronovin sighed as Chuck nodded. “He should know better than to reveal classified information.”
“That’s not classified, and besides, I’m cleared for classified information now.” Chuck wore a sinister grin. “Speaking of that, after he found out that I had clearance, Father Busani had some interesting ‘critical’ information to share about a certain… pudding incident.”
Ronovin’s ears flattened in horror and embarrassment. “Why would he tell you that?”
Chuck made a few gestures near his datapad and pocketed it.
“He promised me a favor if I sent him a video of your response.”
Ronovin stood, mouth agape. “You…” He growled in displeasure. “You best not be sharing that.”
“Oh?” Chuck raised one of his eyefurs.
Well naxas dung. The ‘or what’ was clearly implied. Worse still, he had no way to counter any challenge Chuck could issue; Not without sacrifices too great to bear. “…I’ll be good.” Well played, Father.
Chuck laughed. “I promised to send this to Busani, but I won’t share it further, if it means that much to you.”
Ronovin sighed in relief. That was probably the best he could hope for. He dropped the privacy field. “Thank you.”
A moment passed in silence, soon broken by Ronovin.
“By the way, I gotta ask Chuck, what the hell are you wearing?” Ronovin pointed to Chuck’s new belt.
Chuck laughed. “You like it? I’m told it’s a Guvnurag choker.” Chuck looked down at the belt. A kaleidoscope of glowing colors danced across it. “Apparently it glows in several colors that I can’t even see.”
Ronovin tilted his head, studying Chuck. He opened his mouth to speak a few times before sighing. “The more I learn of you, the less I understand.”
Ronovin turned his attention to Milt. A soft pounding was audible under the covers, followed a few minutes later by another soft pounding and a yelp. Bang. Bang. Bang. Milt let out a small string of obscenities, followed shortly by the disengagement of the forcefield. Milt emerged from under the covers, nursing injured paws. “Ronovin… Would you mind aiding me?”
Ronovin chittered softly. “Sure, cub.” He followed Milt into the EM shield.