2022-02-11 18:53:27Floating through the vacuum of space wasn’t Tejeda’s thing. Not knowing which way was up or down made him want to puke his guts out. But he couldn’t. Not in that spacesuit. That would have meant staying in his own puke indefinitely. The image made him want to vomit even harder.
What was the point anyway? Weeks, months, or even years could pass till a spaceship would drop out of hyperspace in this god-forsaken part of the universe. It would have been best to take out his helmet and breathe in the void. But the cold touch of the spoon that hung on his neck strengthened him. Tejeda’s resolve was mightier than ever. He wasn’t about to let his poor lovely Carmen float in space forever.
The Nubilae slowed down his breathing to preserve the oxygen and entered a peaceful state of meditation. His plan to pass as a human hadn’t worked out too well for him and led him into this predicament. Tejeda sighed. He should have known better than that and not mess around with his prey.
The contemplation of previous events was abruptly interrupted by a ragged ship that passed by at impulse speed. A beam of light caught him in its gentle embrace, moving him towards the ship’s hangar bay. Tejeda came close enough to observe that numerous patches covered the vessel's exterior. It had more stitches than he got after his body was almost torn apart in his fight with the Alpha Pirates.
Once he reached the entrance to the hangar bay, the beam dropped him from two meters above the floor. The familiar feeling of gravity was a delight. As a result, Tejeda overlooked the little back pain produced by the fall. This would not have been an issue if he had been in his normal form, since he didn't have a spine to maintain. Humans were such fragile beings!
The Nubilae took off his helmet and took in the air from the ship. It was better than the one from his spacesuit’s tank, but it had a horrid taste of mold. Was that what glued this ship’s pieces together and kept it running?
When he shifted on his side to get up, Tejeda glimpsed a pair of black boots. As he slowly raised his head, a woman’s figure came into view. Her bodily shape was flawless even beneath the ragged grey uniform. Several thoughts raced through Tejeda's mind, most of which revolved around the physiological differences between males and females.
‘Maybe next time, I will try to turn into a woman. That would be interesting.’ As this idea rooted in Tejeda’s brain, a dumb smile appeared on his face.
“Get up, scumbag!” The woman’s voice was rough and showed she was accustomed to giving orders.
Two other men dressed in similar grey uniforms helped him get up and out of his spacesuit. The woman measured Tejeda from top to bottom with a disinterested look. He was tall and a bit muscular, his shoulders broader than those of the men next to him. Was that a good thing? Was he handsome? Tejeda never understood the standards of human females.
"I am Shayla, and I am the second in charge of this ship," the woman introduced herself. "Who are you?”
“Tejeda.” He gave her a plain, simple answer. If she wanted more details, she should ask for them.
It was not long before she raised another question. “What is that?”
The woman vaguely pointed toward his neck. For a second, Tejeda wavered. Had he lost his human form? Moving a hand to his neck, he found his beloved spoon and laughed. “Oh, this? Shayla, meet Carmen, my trusted companion.”
The second in command raised an eyebrow before asking, “And what exactly is Carmen?”
Tejeda giggled, remembering that almost no one knew what a spoon was since now the air provided the needed nourishments directly into the body and eating had become obsolete. “Carmen is an ancient tool used to insert food into the body through the mouth. It is called a spoon.”
The mere mention of inserting food into the mouth caused Shayla to gasp in revulsion. She clicked her tongue and gestured to one of the men to come closer. “Trey, check Tejeda to see if he is a Nubilae. We can’t have those bastards infiltrate our ship.”
The smile on Tejeda’s face widened before he opened his mouth, letting the man check his mouth’s palate. The guy gave the verdict. “He is clean.”
Of course, the Nubilae was grinning. It wasn’t for nothing that he extracted the poisonous fang that was growing on the palate of each member of his species. Without that surgical procedure, Tejeda couldn’t properly do his job. Indeed, he had fewer weapons at his disposal now, but to hear how people cleared him out every time because of this made all the pain worthwhile.
Shayla gestured for him to follow. The inner part of the ship was in even worse shape than the outside. Wall panels hung off from their hinges as wires sparkled electricity into thin air. Maybe Tejeda was better off drifting in space than being crushed inside this vessel when it would fall apart.
The woman stopped when they reached a vast cargo hold which had been transformed into an arena. More than a hundred people crammed next to the walls leaving the center of the room free for something.
A man even taller than Tejeda came next to him. The man was more of a monster than a human, showing muscles in places where the Nubilae didn’t think he needed them. Shayla pointed to a weapon’s rake. It was full of axes, swords, spears, and other stuff that Tejeda couldn’t name. He smiled, thinking that humans were still using ancient weapons to inflict pain, but they had forgotten what a spoon was. Their sadistic tendencies were interesting indeed.
“You two will fight to the death. The winner will become a member of the crew. The loser will be floated. Pick a weapon.” Shayla gave her speech and then joined the crowd.
The muscle man picked a hammer. Tejeda smiled and liberated Carmen from the chain around his neck.
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104. Meat Suit Part 2
The door closes after the last man leaves the pub. Tejeda resumes his previous position and finishes his drink. By now, we are both soaking wet, but neither of us seems to care. My reason is the seven beers. I wonder what his is."Apparently, you're not leaving, and we've run out of time," he says as he turns to face me. His purple eyes sparkle. A chill goes down my spine. "These guys aren't going down without a fight. I might have to die to quench their hunger for vengeance. But the crystal I took is far more significant. It must be safeguarded."Tejeda leans forward, his hand reaching over the bar for the knife the bartender uses for the lemons. He sits again in his chair, gripping the handle with both of his hands, the pointy tip toward his stomach. I have seen this stance before in movies when someone performs seppuku.Filling his lungs with air, his chest expands, and he thrusts the knife right into his belly. I cover my mouth with a hand but not my eyes. I need to see what happe
103. Meat Suit Part 1
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102. Monster Within Part 2
Rayna followed him through dark alleys, avoiding the city's main thoroughfares and heading for the city's outskirts. There weren't many other people around since it was late and freezing. The two veiled shadows of the night were easy to miss. Illuminated figures appeared randomly through the windows of dimly lit houses.He stopped in front of a derelict house. The sculpted archway stood crooked above the entrance, but he went beneath it without a second thought.Rayna stared at the white structure enveloped in moss to make sure it wouldn’t fall on her head. When the Bralxoid disappeared inside, she swallowed hard and followed him.Doctor Iadfoc invited her into a small, dark room with a single goose-neck lamp illuminating the top of a large table filled with glass vials. He gestured toward a threadbare sofa against the wall. He grabbed a simple wooden chair and sat facing her. For once, someone wasn't looking at her with meaningless pity, for which she was grateful.Iadfoc had a scann
101. Monster Within Part 1
A/N: Monster Within is a side story taking place about a thousand years or more before the action in the novel. Enjoy!***Rayna sat in front of the mirror, removing her makeup. Who would she discover underneath? Foundation applied in triple layers, contact lenses, even a wig to make certain no one would see her change.Skin patches of different complexions stretched across her face like puzzle pieces jammed together into a chaotic pattern. Some parts of the jigsaw had wrinkles, while others were as smooth as a baby’s skin.Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the edge of the mirror. Her heterochromatic eyes were both different colors than before she wore contact lenses. And her hair... Well, the hair looked more like a wig than the one she threw on the floor. Honey-blonde hair tumbled in waves over her right shoulder. Ruby-red hair, spikey like a hedgehog’s, pointed toward the ceiling from the top of her head. Black, curly strands went down to her chin from her left.She was a mo
100. Sunsetrise Part 4
Time passes differently on Yacleemb. I can’t say it’s the 56 hours days, the peacefulness of the Spreahs, or Lyam’s company. What I do know is that I’ve lost track of time. Every day, he builds things for the village; he’s happy, full of smiles, and I’m drunk with his genuine blissfulness.Unfortunately, I still have memories and can’t help but feel guilty for not contacting our friends. Wanting to know how things are working out for our crew, I stroll through the forest to the shuttle. After it powers up, a small blinking red light appears on the console. A message from E00.“Shayla, I hope you’ve found Tejeda by now. More than two months have passed, and no news from you. In the time you've been gone, things got worse around here.“Since the day you left, Jackeye has been trapped inside his virtual reality. I can’t say if it’s a voluntary decision or not. He cut me off completely.“Cato took a shuttle and left the Space Spoon about a month ago. The Interplanetary Police files show t
99. Sunsetrise Part 3
Shayla Bale's POVOnly Tejeda Hajar is capable of disappearing and leaving me with an ambassador’s corpse. Once again, I had to assume the role of acting captain and evade the Interplanetary Police. We are all renegades once more, as we were before Tejeda found us.The crew needs me to steer the ship in the right direction, but my thoughts are far away, following the faceless Nubilae who left us. I lean against the wall and stare at his empty chair, wishing he will appear there, smiling without giving me any explanation as he always does.“Thinking about him won’t bring him back,” E00’s voice echoes from the ceiling speakers. “If you want him here again, you must go after him.”“Don’t get me wrong, E00, I want to. But it was his choice. He left us. Even if I go after him, he may not come back.”“If there’s anyone who can shake him out of the state he’s in, you’re the one.”“Why must you torment me?” I slump in Tejeda’s chair, rubbing my eyes to forestall crying. The gesture is pointle
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