Chapter Fourteen

The Boy Who Misses His Cat

“Why exactly were the two of you showering together?” asked Kaida.

“Ever since Una was five she’s been afraid of water. To this day she won’t even drink the stuff,” Sib said, clearly lying.

“You’ve bathed together all these years?!” Kaida gave her sister a belittling stare.

“Nope, just this time, and all the time in the past,” said Sib.

“Wh… then none of that makes any… fuck it. It’s too damn early and my body is burning,” Kaida said.

The two had gotten up early to head to the hospital where Zaras was. They walked through the empty yet well-designed hallways. With all the plants and religious art on the walls, Una felt a little happy. Happy that her sister cringed every time she looked at a right-side-up cross. The two found it odd that Zaras wasn’t back after an APS shot. She couldn’t help but feel grateful to Sib for guiding her away from a confrontation with Sergeant Dimitri. If his punch was so bad that even an APS shot wouldn’t fix her up then maybe Sergeant Dimitri really was number one. Maybe he should test that theory by fighting her mother, the unbeatable Orc Orc Queen, she thought.

“I bet you’re wondering why I’m hiding from everyone,” Sib chimed.

“Not even a fucking little,” Kaida said.

“But!”

“Sib, kill first, never ask questions later,” Una said.

“Again, that’s not how the saying goes!” Sib whined in her left ear.

“Who to kill, what to kill, when to kill, where to kill,” Kaida began. “If the information has nothing to do with any of those then it’s not important.”

“That’s stupid! You forgot why to kill,” Sib said.

“We don’t need a reason why,” Una began. “More importantly would you tell us if we asked?”

“Nope!” Sib chimed playfully.

“There you go, now shut the hell up.”

They stepped towards a hospital room door only to see it didn’t slide open like normal doors. Una glanced at it before lifting her combat boot to kick the door open.

“Don’t kick it,” Sib said, sounding annoyed. “It is a non-automatic door. Just turn the knob.”

Pausing, to think it over, she went to stomp the door open anyway however her boot over-extended when the door was opened from the other side. Her boot came inches away from a boy standing on the other side, the same boy who did push-ups for Zaras. He had messy black hair that covered his ears and soft pink eyes that somehow reminded her of her father’s even though his are as blue as the sky.

“Oh! You must be the,” the boy went on to say but was cut off when Kaida palmed his mouth and guided him away from the door. Una glanced up and down the hallway before stepping inside. Thanks to her missed opportunity to kick something, she made sure to kick the door closed.

“Who in the hell are you and what are you up to?” Kaida asked as she bent him backward across a medical counter.

“Now she wants to ask questions?” Sib whispered to himself.

“I’m Emmanuel and she reminds me of my cat!” The boy blurted out.

Kaida was taken aback by this, she asked;

“What in the hell is a cat?”

Una ignored the interrogation as she looked around the hospital room. There were two beds and one of them had Zaras in it. She walked over and stomped her boot on the side of the bed.

“Wake up,” said Una but got no response aside from the soft purring.

“She hasn’t moved once,” Una glanced over to the boy named Emmanuel. “I don’t recall asking you anything,” Una said softly before glancing back at Kaida who was looking at photos on a small device.

“I suppose she does look like your pet,” Kaida said before tossing the device at the boy. “But Zaras is a Chaton, and they are impossible to tame.”

“I don’t wish to tame her, just help… but no matter what I do she won’t move and the doctors aren’t very familiar with her body. The doctor gave her a type of injection designed on your ship.”

“All-purpose syringe,” Kaida said as she stepped up next to Emmanuel. “Very effective for getting back on your feet but we’re only supposed to use them if it is life-threatening.”

“You slept here?” Una asked.

“I did,” Emmanuel said.

“Why?” Una asked.

“She reminds him of his earth pet,” Kaida said.

“Mars actually, but um… that and… it makes me look good to the academy,” he began with a warm smile. “They check for much more than what you can and can’t do.”

“Something to do with there being no I in team?” Una asked as she stepped closer to the bed.

“Yes!” The boy smiled brightly. “Working together to overcome will… umm what are you doing?”

Una gripped Zaras by her fur and hospital gown before yanking her out of bed and flinging her across the room. With a flip and twist, Zaras stuck the landing as she gave Una a cold stare.

“Not a vibe,” Zaras said, checking the spot where Una gripped her. “That’s the second time you’ve damaged my fur,” Zaras said.

“There are better ways to check if someone’s in a coma,” Emmanuel said.

He gave Una a small disapproving look only to be met with an uncaring gaze.

“She was faking it,” Una said.

“To a point,” Zaras said as Kaida threw neatly folded clothes her way. “That boy that punched me,” she began while disrobing and slipping into her uniform. “Is dangerous, like Officer Yoko… but worse.”

“Of course he is!” Kaida snapped. “How in the world can a boy like that be so… SO…”

Una and Zaras glanced at each other for a moment.

“You love him don’t you?” Una asked.

“WHAT?!” Kaida recoiled. “I am the heart of my father.”

“So you love your big sister?” Una asked.

“SUCK A DICK AND DIE, KILL YOURSELF!” Kaida snapped before regaining her composure. “As for that little monster, he’s terrifying. He must be killed before he gets any stronger.”

Emmanuel stared in shock at the sudden burst of blind rage. Zaras gave her sister a disgusted look as she said;

“Sure but… I think you’re just a masochist.”

“I am NOT!” Kaida yelled.

“Yeah you are,” Una said before looking at Zaras. “What’s a masochist?”

“Someone who likes pain,” Zaras said.

“Yeah, that’s definitely what you are. You should’ve seen her shivering,” Una said.

“I’ll skin you both alive for speaking such lies!”

“I have a pretty good nose so I know a wet pussy when I smell it,” Zaras said.

Kaida was filled with rage as she slowly slid her hand scythe from behind her. Emmanuel’s eyes opened wide as he watched it curve like magic from her black bible. Stepping in front of Kaida with his hands up he said;

“Wait! How about we get breakfast and umm… maybe you can tell me about that book on your back.”

Like a switch, Kaida’s rage was gone but her sisters groaned with annoyance. In twenty minutes the four of them were sitting in a lightly packed cafeteria, full of both slaves, marines in training, and those wearing the same tanned uniforms and hats as Sargent Dimitri. Ignoring the looks they were getting, the sisters had found a spot to sit with plates packed full of food. Emmanuel on the other hand got a small plate as he listened to Kaida trying to teach him the demonic gospel.

“A true demon, that’s… fascinating. I’ve never heard of a captain who’s worshiped by demons before. Then again I’ve also never heard of a captain filling his ship with his own children. Given our stunted growth, the military banned birth.”

“Our Queens are stronger than your average human,” Kaida said with pride. “In our society, males don’t have much of a choice. Specifically, if they wish to breed or not,” Kaida began. “Granted he is the captain and the owner of the ship so the female hierarchy is still in effect because he allows it.”

“Where I’m from,” Emmanuel began. “We don’t have that, everyone is equal more or less. With the ship, your father could change things for the better right?”

Una seemed to tune out the chatter as she and Zaras woofed down their meal. She felt Sib crawl to her left ear and whisper;

“Give me some!”

“You can eat things?” Una asked while placing eggs and meat between two pieces of bread. Making it as thick as she could, the orc took four large bites before it was gone.

“Not with this body but I can pretend!” As she was busy chewing, Una took a small strip of bacon from Zaras’s plate and casually placed it behind her ear. “Mmm! Munch munch munch!”

“Take food off my plate again and I’m keeping your fingers,” Zaras warned.

Una spat in Zara’s food only for Zaras to swap the plate with Kaida’s who seemed to be far too busy talking with the human boy to realize.

“Heads up!” Sib chimed cheerfully.

Una’s muscles tensed up as the next few moments became a blur. While she had full control, it felt as if her body had a mind of its own. Her body remembered the first time Sib said such a thing only to have her head knocked back hard enough to snap her neck. This time Una immediately flung herself backwards from the bench. Annoyingly, her little brother playfully yelled for her to roll and flip in whatever direction he chose. To him, it seemed like nothing more than a game but to her, Una’s heart raced as she could feel something whizzing past her neck. The Orc kept moving her already sore body with Sib’s directions. Instructed to do a back flip and roll, she did just that, flipping through a glass window and tumbling into the grass. When Sib stopped giving her directions, she decided to spring to her feet and jump back to put some distance between her and the cafeteria. Una panted while staring long and hard at the broken glass window. On the other side, yelling and screaming could be heard, filling the Orc with a slight bit of pride. She was able to evade whatever it was while everyone else died a slow painful death, she hoped. Her hopes were thrown in the trash when her sisters jumped out of the window while shadowy tentacles lanced out to try and spear them in the neck. Kaida had her curved hand scythe skillfully twirling in her right hand, shaving away the shadowy tentacle as she retreated. Zaras focused on dodging as she sliced the tentacle here and there, seeming more entertained than alarmed.

“You know,” Zaras began. “I had a wet dream like this once or twice. But both of you we’re dead.”

“Lose your disciple?” Una asked her nun of a sister.

“He’s not my disciple… yet. There’s still many things he’d need to learn and be willing to do for the Queen.”

“Like taking a shit upside down?” Asked Una.

“Or pissing backward?” Asked Zaras.

“I’m going to kill both of you,” said Kaida

Perhaps for the first time, Una noticed both her sisters flinch ever so slightly, signaling that something was coming. Being that Sib wasn’t giving her another heads up yet, made her relax. But only a little as she did her best to tune out the fake munching he was doing. The fake munching stopped as darkness washed over Una. Thanks to her still being able to move and hear her own breathing. She flinched when Sib gasped.

“What?” She asked.

“… I’m thirsty.”

Her body relaxed ever so slightly knowing that Sib was still on the back of her neck.

“I can’t see,” Una whispered.

“Have you tried opening your eyes?” Asked Sib.

“I can’t hear anything aside from us either.”

“Hmm… have you… tried opening your eyes wider?”

“Yes,” she said patiently.

“Hmm… hey, here’s a question. How are you sleeping while standing up?”

“What?” Una asked, glaring into the darkness.

“Haha, so funny story, there are a few of my nanites in your brain ever since last mission. So I can still go in your dreams for now.”

“How is that funny?” Una asked, seeming no more annoyed than usual.

“Hey! I was scared, okay?!” Sib barked.

“Of your mother? So she really is a bitch.”

“No, you big dummy! I was scared that… you know… you’d… umm I’d… lose track of you.”

“Sib… I don’t care about the damn nanites,” Una began with a small sigh. “What I was asking was, how was that story funny? Because it wasn’t; You need better jokes.”

“Hey! I have great jokes! What did the,”

“Sib, I can’t see?” Una said, cutting him off.

“Oh right! Someone put the three of you to sleep. But… from what I can see only Kaida and Zaras are being attacked… mentally?”

“Good, let me know when they’re dead. Wait, what do you mean mentally?”

“I’m not too sure because I can’t see inside their heads but because I don’t hear or see anything strange happening around you in the real world, I’m assuming it’s all in their heads. And by the looks of their bodies vibrating on the ground, they might be taking a bit of a beating. Here, I’ll show you.” Sib’s spider body crawled over her right eye and planted itself there as a small screen flickered on. Una glanced from left to right, her left eye seeing nothing but darkness while her right eye was now able to see the bright and sunny world around her. Somehow the sun felt a bit more wonderful when she noticed her sisters flat on their backs and their bodies convulsing. “I’m feeding you a live feed of the real world while even adjusting for time lag. Isn’t that cool?! This is my first time doing this.”

“Proud of you,” Una said while looking over at a crowd of onlookers. She even noticed Emmanuel and Sargent Dimitri. Emmanuel seemed concerned, causing Una to ask, “That boy, Emmanuel. Is he our captain in disguise?”

“Wha?!… I don’t… think so? What kind of question is that at a time like this?”

“Whatever,” she said while looking back over at her sisters before glancing at the broken window they jumped out of. “Wouldn’t it have been a better idea to put us to sleep from the start?”

“Hmm… some kind of… area of effect?”

“This is Commander Klia’s doing?” Una asked with a raised eyebrow. “He’s the only magic user we’ve seen so far.”

“Those of high rank are very disciplined, so I don’t think so.”

“Is that right?” She whispered. “Can you make my body move?”

“Uh… yeah!” He said while rotating Una’s right hand. Sib started wiggling Una’s fingers, simulating the waves of the ocean. The wave went from the fingertips of her right hand, up her forearm, to her shoulders, and down the left side before he pulled the wave back in reverse. “You’re normally not supposed to be able to move your body while sleeping and while I could turn off that little function in your brain, it might be safer long term to let me do it for you,” he said while dancing in place.

“Stop it, you’re embarrassing me in front of people I hate,” she said nonchalantly.

“Sorry,”

“Now… follow my movements exactly.” Without another word, Una took off sprinting towards Zaras. It took a few steps for Sib to adjust but he was soon matching her every step. She reached down and dug ten fingers into her sister’s uniform before swinging her body. Una spun on the hills of her feet and launched her sisters through the air, straight into the crowd who parted. She was disappointed when Zaras woke up at the last second and landed on her feet, so Una took Kaida and chucked her body at the back of her sister’s head.

“Okay but why though?” Sib asked in a monotone.

“Whatever was attacking them will come after me.”

“No, I’m talking about hitting Zaras with Kaida’s body,” said Sib

“Drop it,”

In the dream space, a shadowy figure with white eyes came up from the ground. She recalled the two shadowy figures she met when she was a little girl. But somehow what she was seeing now didn’t give her the same uneasy feeling as before. Una felt hands wrap around her knees and pull her into the ground up to her hips. Before she could even retaliate, a flurry of strikes came at her from all sides as if she was being beaten to death by a whole platoon. It wasn’t the hardest she’d been hit but was enough to make her understand the clear difference in strength. Then again her mother managed to never lose a fight even though many of her opponents were stronger. Una was sure that in the real world, she would have blacked out already or been dead if her attacker wasn’t holding back. If Sib was right, she wouldn’t get killed so all she needed to do was wait for her chance. Given the clear difference in power, Una was sure she knew when her chance would present itself. When it was over, Una felt mentally exhausted, as if she’d been awake for a few days. The shadowy figure stepped closer and leaned in.

“I wasn’t necessarily going for you but you got in the way. The next time any of you disrespect Commander Klia,”

Una tuned out everything after Commander Klia as her hands lanced out and wrapped around the shadowy figure, gripping it tight.

“Shock me!”

The dark dream world around her seemed to light up as electricity crackled through her body and into the shadowy figure. Electricity Una had bet Sib was storing from when Commander Klia shocked them on stage or at least he would have been able to duplicate. Her bet paid off in her favor as a bright light filled Una’s vision. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust but she finally realized she was awake, though the grass around her was burnt, filling the air with its chard scent. She hoped the smell would cause her sister Zaras to choke and die but no such thing happened when she turned to see Zaras, Kaida, and Emmanuel standing just outside the ring of dead grass. Zaras smacked Emmanuel on the ass, forcing him to step into the ring of supposed death.

“Hey, bad!” Emmanuel said while snapping his fingers at Zaras to emphasize his words. “If you’re going to act like an animal I’m going to treat you like one,” said the boy as he moved closer to Una.

Zaras was left stunned by the treatment as she asked,

“What… the… hell was that?”

“These humans of Earth are very strange,” Kaida said as she slipped her hand scythe away. “I would have at least cut your hand off.”

“I’m technically Martian,” Emmanuel chimed. “Are you okay, 2218?” He asked while studying every inch of her. He had his hands out as if to catch her if she fell. “Can you move?”

Una studied the boy’s face for the second time and just like before, his eyes reminded her of her fathers. So soft and gentle, she wished she could remove them and place them in a jar next to her bed. Maybe he wouldn’t mind missing just one of his eyes, she thought and if he did mind, well he could go fuck himself.

“I’m fine,” said Una

“Are you sure? You’re covered in burns.”

“I said I’m fine!” She snapped but the boy didn’t flinch. She recalled tales that on her home world, most males flinched and scared easily unless they were trained from birth. The boy before her didn’t flinch even a little while holding a concerned look in his pretty eyes. It was just another reminder that the unhinged bloodthirsty monsters of the Star Seeker were nothing compared to the rest of the young military. Perhaps it was kindness and compassion they were lacking, Una thought as she said, “Fuck off.”

The boy gave her a warm smile, clearly choosing to ignore her insult. Commander Klia’s voice filled her thoughts as he levitated behind Kaida and Zaras.

“2218, 4273 and 5699. Can any of you explain why the cafeteria is a mess?”

Kaida spun around on her hills with rage in her eyes while Zaras couldn’t help but catcall and growl at the levitating boy.

“Please let me eat your ass,” Zaras whined and panted.

Emmanuel’s fingers came up and snapped in front of her eyes, somehow yanking her attention towards him.

“No, bad,” he whispered. “This whole area is being watched by drill instructors.”

“Could you please repeat that, 4273?” Commander Klia asked as he focused his attention on her.

Zaras stared at Emmanuel who stood straight and kept his mouth shut so as not to get in trouble as well. Zaras on the other hand didn’t share the same feeling of fear, so had planned on not only repeating herself but going into great detail about what she wanted to do to him. However, when she went to speak, she was cut off by Emmanuel.

“She said you are beautiful, Commander Klia.”

Commander Klia stared at Emmanuel for a few moments before looking at Zaras.

“… Thank you. As for my original question?”

“Something attacked us!” Kaida yelled.

“That’s a lie!” Shouted a random soldier in training.

“Those evil freaks just wanted to mess up the place!” Said another.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU PIECES OF SHIT!” Kaida snapped before speaking in a calm and composed tone. “If you don’t believe me then read our thoughts… and then kill yourselves for being wrong.”

Commander Klia stared down at the three of them for a moment. Una noticed that the levitating boy’s gaze rested on her for a bit longer than the others. She felt as if she was being studied.

“While reading your minds would be possible,” Commander Klia began. “Such a thing would require far too much paperwork.”

Una glanced to the side, seeing her sister, Kaida flinch and in the blink of an eye, they were standing inside a large metal office with a large rug in the middle. In front of them was a large desk and behind it sat Commander Klia. Kaida gasped when her eyes finally had time to register. Una and Zaras on the other hand were not very impressed or shocked by the sudden teleportation so gave Kaida a belittling side-eyed stare. The nun whipped her bible from behind her and flipped through the pages before jabbing her finger into it.

“His dreams became the playground of Lucy, chasing, teasing, and tormenting her new affection with his own fear until she had lost him behind an unknown door. A room of metal where a flower explained to him fears and tears. Most importantly one’s limits must not be broken after the loss of a loved one, but before, lest your actions appear to be nothing more than revenge. Punishing not only another but also yourself.” She snapped the book closed and held it close to her chest. Taking a deep breath in and out, Kaida gave Commander Klia a hard stare. “You’ve spoken to our father when he was still a child.”

“We’re all still children, but yes… I suppose,” Commander Klia said. “You keep a bible of your captain’s past? That’s very… unique.”

“Not just his past but also his future with Queen Lucy, of course. All followers of Lucy must have one and study it. In doing so, our faith gives us access to her strength. More importantly, you were able to inhabit my father’s dreams alongside my Queen, that could only mean you’re no threat. After all, you would have been dead years ago. If my Queen accepts you, then so shall I… for now.”

All eyes remained on Kaida before Una said,

“… She’s a masochist.”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Kaida snapped.

“Meaning you could literally beat an orgasm out of her,” said Zaras.

Kaida was about to yell but no sound came out of her mouth. She could breathe just fine but her vocal cords wouldn’t vibrate. Zaras chuckled but found out the same thing was happening to her. Una on the other hand didn’t care so kept her mouth shut. More importantly, she was sure she got enough sleep last night and her body wasn’t sore after that surprise attack, but she felt exhausted. Her tired eyes seemed to intensify her belittling gaze as she glanced from sister to sister. It was a little hard to tell how her sisters were feeling but she wanted to know if it was just her feeling tired, attempting to learn from her unknown attacker. She studied Zaras first who stood in between her and Kaida. And given her desire for Commander Klia, she was standing a bit closer to the desk. Una and her sister Kaida naturally felt the need to position themselves closer to the desk, as being behind Zaras or anyone for that matter was humiliating for any sister. So each sister naturally inched ahead of one another in the direction the majority was facing until there was no more room. A problematic desire in the daughters of Commander Adam but not the worst. Una finally noticed a hint that Zaras was exhausted when she leaned on Commander Klia’s desk or she simply wished to get a little closer to smell his privates; Either way, such a position made Zaras vulnerable. Something that Una and Kaida both noticed as a gleam of opportunity filled their gaze. Zaras smacked her backside with her tail to get their attention before pointing her tail at her right hand which had a firm grip on her blade. Making it clear that the window of opportunity was false and she was ready to cut them down if they tried anything, specifically anything non-pleasure inducing. Una slowly shifted her attention to Kaida, studying her to see if she was feeling tired as well. Just like Zaras, it was a little hard to tell as she had gotten a large mood boost when she realized she was standing in the same room Commander Adam, their father, stood in years ago and that the boy before her might have some connection to her Queen.

“While I’m happy your opinion of me has changed,” Commander Klia began. “Mine of yours has not. The three of you are not what we would call children, as children do not say such things. Granted, children weren’t supposed to be fighting a bloody war across the galaxy but… here we are. If we’ve come this far in our fight, I fear we will become what we hate most, but I digress. You may speak now, but I’d first like to apologize to all of you.”

“Pathetic,” said Una.

Commander Klia’s eyebrows raised ever so slightly as he asked,

“I assume apologizing is taboo on the Star Seeker?”

“It’s technically a rule meant for royal blood,” said Kaida.

“Still not a vibe for you, Sweet Thighs,” Zaras said.

“I see, regardless, I apologize for what happened and I’d also like to apologize to you, 4273. Sargent Dimitri had broken your spine.”

“Oh,” Zaras began to whine, rolling on her back in mock pain. “It was horrible, being unable to move. But maybe a little scratch will… help me feel better?”

Commander Klia held his left knuckle to his chin, in deep thought.

“I suppose a scratch would be the least I can do. An I hear from your father Chaton fur is very soft.”

“Great! My pussy is,”

Before Zaras could finish the sentence, he muted her vocal cords and levitated her body off his desk. Being placed back on her feet, Zaras grinned with a sigh. He even pushed the three of them a few inches away from his desk.

“I’d like to make a request… that isn’t stupid,” Una said, giving Zaras an annoyed glance.

“I feel like our definitions of stupid may differ,” said Commander Klia.

“There’s a boy who informed us that this shi… academy… grades on more than just what we can and can’t do, is that correct, Sir?”

“More or less, and so far you’re failing,” said Commander Klia.

“Right… Then does that mean if we can find out who attacked us, we’ll get better grades?” Una asked.

“Hmm…” hummed Commander Klia as he pounded the question.

“And if we kick that kid’s ass, will we get an even better grade?”

“… That’s an excellent idea,” said Commander Klia with a very slight smile. “With how you handle this, I’ll most definitely reward you.” Zaras held up her hand, signaling that she had something to say. “You may speak… as long as it’s not provocative.”

Zaras opened her mouth but closed it with a small sigh.

“This kid that attacked us,” Una began. “Might this be a Brooklyn kid?”

The boy’s eyes squinted with slight confusion as he asked;

“What is a… Brooklyn?”