D.R.E.C.C. Mythica

What they found on the spring bloom

“Ready to go?”
“I’m ready to kill someone if that’s what you mean.” Dalyia tightened her weapon belt and stood looking defiant.
“You told Lyey where we’re going?”
“Course, Cap’n.” Kyle sighed, Dalyia never volunteered any more information than she wanted to, and that wasn’t much. He rubbed his hands together, he felt a lot safer with Kkatt and Dalyia here; they were both extremely proficient with weapons and fighting and were more than capable of holding off a small army.
“Here we go.” The door spiraled open and Toolio was seen on the other side. Kyle was actually quite short in comparison to Toolio, but Dalyia was taller than both of them.
“Well if it isn’t the illustrious captain of the D.R.E.C.C Mythica,” he glanced at the party surrounding Kyle, “and Dalyia.”
“Now what are we going to take from you in return for letting you live?”
Toolio looked startled and started to say something, Kyle put up his hand.
“I’m not like you; I don’t pussyfoot around the issues. Now what are you going to give me?”
“Nothing.”
“Hmm, Dalyia, would you care to have some more fun with the other ship?”
“Ok, you can have whatever is in my cargo bays right now.” Kyle might not have gone for it if he hadn’t seen the reaction of Toolio’s officers. Whatever was in the cargo bays must have been something good.
“Alight, it’s a deal.” Toolio extended a hand and Kyle laughed.
“Haven’t you learned yet that it isn’t safe to shake hands with me?”
Thump! All present turned to Dalyia, one of Toolio’s men firmly pinned beneath her knee.
“Isn’t a good idea to make eyes at her either.”
Dalyia gave him a quick kick before letting him up. He in turn rushed behind his companion, who was staring at Dalyia with wide eyes. “Care to show us the way to you cargo, or do I have to find it myself,” almost everyone jumped; she was visibly in a bad mood. Toolio relented and they were led down the many cold steel corridors to the cargo bay. They found plenty of valuables and were happy to have choice in the matter. It took a while to transfer all their newly acquired possessions, and in not too much time the Mythica was about full to her capacity. There was only one other bay to look into.
Toolio rushed to intercept them , “No, that one is off limits.”
“I don’t think so, or shall Dal use your ship as a scratching post for the Mythica again?” Kkatt walked purposefully past him and up to the door pad. She pressed open and when it didn’t comply she shot the consol. The door edged open. Kkatt gasped.
Inside in a mesh net were about twenty Castas, all in poor condition and mal nurtured.
Dalyia crossed her arms and glared at Toolio, “I thought you couldn’t go any lower.” Kyle joined Dalyia in her glare. All present may have been pirates, but even they should consider slave trade beneath them. Kkatt stared at her fellow Castas. Their silky fur was matted and falling off, their large cat eyes were half covered by their second eyelids, and their graceful limbs were weak and trembling. She ran a hand over her triangular ears on top of her head, as if to make sure they were still there. Most of the captives’ ears were laid limply on their heads. A small kitten crawled limply toward the mesh net. It mewed faintly. Kkatt understood it as the word please, being of the same species. She mewed something she hoped would be reassuring, and turned to Dalyia.
“Think you can tear this.”
Dalyia inclined her head, took hold of a corner and stepped on it. She paused to collect her strength and tore a large section apart. The prisoners moved around, not sure if this obscenely tall being meant them harm or not. The kitten didn’t hesitate however and shot out as fast as her mostly feline legs could carry her. She collided with Kkatt who held the kitten under her chin, calming her with a deep throated purr. One of the Spring Bloom’s crew moved to put the kitten back in its enclosure. Dalyia intercepted him and gave him a quick flying lesson.
“I think we just found the last of our payment,” Kyle half growled as he picked up another slightly older kitten.
“You can’t…” Toolio began as he stepped forward. TEL pulled a gun from between some of the boney plats that covered the full extent of her body. TEL’s appearance was menacing enough without it, but she wasn’t one to bank on it. Kkatt started talking to the Castas while Dalyia pulled out her farrblade (a typical Dralion weapon that can be used as a gun when small, extended to make a kind of quarter staff and in another mode used for an energy sword) and started cutting out a larger hole for them to get out by.
“Toolio, even if I wasn’t in the presence of my Casta crew member, I still wouldn’t let you do this. Slave trade is for creeps and fools, or are you really a barbarian?” Kkatt started leading them out, guarded by TEL. She knew Dalyia and Kyle could handle themselves. Kyle watched them go; he knew this wasn’t the end of it.
“I’ve suffered your insolence long enough, Kyle Dromess,” Toolio had summoned his fighting men and they had arrived in force. Dalyia touched her com unit, which was disguised as one of the many metallic ornaments in her hair.
“Kkatt you got them out of their yet.”
“Almost, half have boarded the Mythica already.”
“Good, tell Lyey to warm ‘er up, me and the Cap’n will be there shortly.” She got in close to Kyle.
“As you were so happy to liberate me of my wares I think I’ll take your ship.”
“Are you ready?” Dalyia extended her farrblade to staff mode but kept the blaster feature on.
“Oh, please, Dalyia, even you can’t take out all my men with just that.”
Dalyia smiled, they always seemed so sure of themselves, “Care to press your luck.” Dalyia spun it rapidly then held it up. A blinding light erupted from the end. At the same moment she gave Kyle a forceful push toward the door. Toolio vigorously rubbed his eyes and blinked. “Don’t stand there, get them!”
Dalyia and Kyle sprinted down the hallways, the distant sound of the Mythica warming up leading them on. Dalyia had returned her farrblade to its holster at her hip and was trying not to outpace Kyle too much. The angry cries of Toolio’s men echoed down behind them, tearing at their feet and threatening to overwhelm them. They reached the hatch. Dalyia practically threw Kyle through and shot the door control as she back flipped through. They raced through the air lock, both yelling by way of com unit at different parties.
Lyey joined the race when Kyle entered the main passage to the bridge.
“What the heck is going on, Mate?”
“We could very quickly end up being the ex-crew of the Mythica is what’s going on.” They rounded a sharp corner and Kyle caught a glimpse of Dalyia taking to the wall to complete it. Meena was almost run over when they burst into the command deck. TEL was pressing buttons and soon the Mythica lurched way from the Spring Bloom.
“Give us some over drive; I want as much space between us and the Bloom as possible.” Everyone was thrown down as the Mythica made the jump. Dalyia walked up to the helm and sat in the co-pilots seat and soon the others had reestablished their own equilibrium. She leaned back and put her feet up on the board.
“That was a close one Mate, but the hold is full, the decks are full, and the mess hall is full of Castas,” Lyey let out the breath she had been holding since who knows when.
“We’ll have to be more careful of the Spring Bloom now. Toolio isn’t the least bite pleased, and good thinking back there, Dalyia,” Kyle panted, “Meena, go see how Kkatt’s doing.”
“Another perfect, clean get away,” Dalyia mused from her position. Meena got up and walked to the door. She looked back at her companions. Kyle was standing beside Lyey at the helm; it made it easy to see that they were about the same height. Kyle was on the short side of tall for a human, and Lyey was right at the usual height for a Ritet. Lyey had, like Kyle, short black hair that barely managed to creep down her neck that was except for the longer beaded braids that hid just behind their left ears. Her hand moved subconsciously to the short braid behind her own ear. Dalyia had put in her, Kkatt, Lyey, and Kyle’s braids, as a sort of recognition piece. Meena’s hair only came to her shoulders but she had a small braid anyway. Meena reached up and pulled the ponytail on top of her head tight, then walked out. The metal floor clanged and echoed as she walked down it toward the mess hall.
“Ah Meena, could you give me a hand with these little ones.” Meena nodded, that was why she had been sent after all. She sat down beside Kkatt and took one of the kittens into her arms.
“They are very cute; did you look like this when you were a baby?” Kkatt’s ears twitched as a tortes shell kitten bated at them.
“I might have been; I never looked.”
“Don’t you have baby pictures?” the kitten she was holding tried to climb on her head. Kkatt stood and flicked her tail at the babies.
“Do you?” Meena sighed and started petting the kitten in her hands. The Mythica had picked her up out of a ship wreck, almost completely deprived of oxygen and starving. It had taken them over a week to nurse her back to health, but she hadn’t yet regained her memory. Dalyia had been the one to find out her name, and she still hadn’t said how she knew. While Meena was still thinking this, Eray floated up through the floor.
“Hello Meena, are these the babies?” Eray was more or less see-through, but that was the nature of Escats. Escats inhabited the three moons of Brolovae and had at first scared the sense out of the Federation’s agents. Most still didn’t like Escats simply because they couldn’t be harmed, but Eray was an invaluable member of the crew.
“Yes, they are.”
“They’re so cute.”
Dalyia stuck her head in the door, “You would think a Carellian was cute, Eray.” Eray looked back at Dalyia completely unaffected by her comment.
“Carellians aren’t that bad looking.”
“They are giant worms that inhabit the slime pools,” Meena smiled that was the first time anyone had told her what a Carellian was, “Kkatt, Cap’n wants a talk.”