Respin
As if the Void itself has birthed it, the Starblazer hovers over the asteroid and lowers itself on the gray rocky ground. The trusters blow up a thick dark cloud of dust around the giant starship. With a smooth mechanical sound the landing panels slide out like tentacles with attached claws. Once those claws touch the ground they ram themselves into it and signal the tentacles to snap into place. With one final hiss, the Starblazer lowers the docking bridge as the air settles the deafening roar of motors and engines dies down.
Once the computerized announcement of their arrival has echoed throughout the ship, more than two-hundred Menkar eager to execute their orders begin milling around the ship. People walk back and forth from supply rooms and the main terminals. Inputs and outputs get compared. Scans get started and last moment repairs are concluded.
While the whole ship brims with activity, Respin wishes himself far away.
He stands with Serfin in a line of three more pairs in front of the Starblazer's main gate and awaits his new orders. A shy glance to Serfin reveals his eagerness to get going. As if it could propel him faster through time, he even whips his tail back and forth like a young morphling. A glance to his other side lets Respin immediately know that they aren't cut for the mission. The other Menkar present are not only calm and collected in comparison to Serfin and him but look way more competent.
One pair consists of two female terrestrials, one tall and almost as menacing as a drone, the other small and round with a friendly expression uncommon to most Menkar. The other pair consists of two terrestrial drones who look almost identical and about as mean as Captain Slicer, the Commander of the Starblazer, himself.
To top it of Slicer currently walks up and down in front them, his hands crossed behind his back. He is a brute of a Menkar. Tall and lean he is yet muscular enough to be able to crush heads with his hands — which he has done plenty of times according to rumors circling the ship. His face is rough and dominated by his piercing violet eyes and a long scar running across it. The slicked back long hair and his long, outward curved horns do not help to ease his presence either. His uniform is also the best kept and his gill protector the shiniest on the ship. And to top it off he has cultivated the menacing aura of being an aquatic Drone to perfection.
"Now listen up, Mudswimmers!" Captain Slicer shouts, his rough dominating voice making Respin's ears prick. "This one is a mission so important that I don't even have to tell you all the fucking details! All you failures need to do is go and look for the weapon our mighty Empress has ordered us to bring to her. As far as the scans of the area have shown, the weapon is most likely located in the middle of the structure dominating the asteroid. The path may be a labyrinth but that's no excuse to slack off! You will bring me the weapon faster than light-speed!"
"And how do we know if what we've found is the weapon, Sir?" asks the very snotty sounding tall female with straight slightly bend horns next to Respin.
"That's up to you, Mudswimmer!" Slicer shouts and tries to stare her down without much success before continuing his speech with a sneer. "Has someone else any smart remarks or can we continue?"
Everyone stays silent.
Respin wishes himself back to Cetus or at least back into his sleeping tank full of clean, warm water. Suddenly, he feels Serfin tugging at his sleeve. He leans over, while Slicer continues to grumble and shout about the importance of the mission.
"You're thinkin' what I'm thinkin', Res?" Serfin whispers all too happy.
"I sure hope not…" Respin mumbles, the feeling of inevitable doom pushing down on him.
"We'll be the team to bring this weapon to Slicer," he announces, causing Respin to groan, "In the end, we get a promotion out of it!"
Respin doesn't care about promotions, and he definitely doesn't care about the weapon. All he wants, is to vanish into the Void, but this luxury is not bestowed upon him.
Meanwhile, his imagination runs wild and shows him various ends to the mission. Each one much worse than the one preceding it. Also, what kind of weapon are they supposed to look for? Is it a biological or chemical weapon? Is it sentient or a mere mindless thing? Biological or mechanical? Or both? So many possibilities to die… he thinks and swallows hard.
"Are you listening, Mudswimmer?!" Slicer spits more than he shouts right into Respin's face.
"Yes, Sir!" he squeals frightened with his ears snapping up.
But before Slicer could shred him into small bloody pieces a computerized announcement echoes through the ship. According to it, all necessary preparations are completed. Before Slicer can even open his mouth to order them to go, Serfin drags Respin out of the ship. Respin feels relieved to be spared Slicers wrath. On the other hand, he would've preferred the Captain's fury over the mission.
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