Page 34 of Kidnapped By the Alien Chieftain

“Pleasure, lads,” Felixus replies with a nod of his head. “The tech’s this way. There might be a few Whores Orphans there, I reckon.”

I turn and begin striding purposefully down the corridor as Felixus follows the group close behind.

“Try to keep up with those short legs,” Xandor taunts, grinning slyly at Felixus.

“I’m just avoiding your stench,” Felixus retorts with a grimace.

As we approach the end of the corridor, I can hear muffled sounds coming from behind the door. I signal to the others, and we ready ourselves for the coming fight. As the door swishes open with a loud hiss, I charge through with all the force I can muster, my battle cry echoing off the walls.

Four members of the Whores Orphan gang stand before us, guarding crates and boxes in what looks like some kind of engineering room. Their faces twist with terror and surprise. They are armed with ballistic rifles, but thankfully we have caught them off guard.

Without hesitation, we charge towards them, our claws bared. One of them fires off a shot, but Logarn takes him out before he can do any actual damage. We effortlessly tear through the rest of the group, their screams echoing down the empty corridor. I pick up one of their fallen rifles, examining the caliber and heft of the gun. The primitive weapon lacks the stopping power that our brutal claws can deliver, so I leave them.

My eyes scan the workbenches, which are strewn with the disassembled parts of various Nebian battlesuits. It’s clear the Whores Orphan gang are attempting to run tests on them or repair the broken suits, but it looks like they have failed miserably so far. None of the pieces seem functional.

Felixus jogs around, inspecting each pile of disassembled battlesuits, rubbing his chin. “Good, the junkers didn’t manageto fix them.” He picks up a piece of chest armor, inspecting it. “I reckon with this lot, I could make a suit.”

“No, we’re taking this back to Javik,” I declare firmly, eyeing Felixus. “Grab that box, load them up with this stuff,”I say, looking at the others.

The others hurry to shove the tech into the container. “Easy, you’ll damage them!” Felixus exclaims as he carefully piles the tech on top.

“How are we going to get this stuff back up the tunnel shaft?” Xandor asks, suddenly thoughtful.

Felixus takes a step forward, his broad chest expanding as he speaks. “I know the way to the elevator the Whores Orphans used to bring it down here. It’ll take us right to the surface.”

I nod in agreement, acknowledging Felixus’ plan. “Show us,” I say, turning my gaze towards him. Logarn and Traxios swiftly hoist the tech container onto their broad shoulders, and we proceed through the brightly lit corridors. Each creak of the metal walls has us on edge, reminding us of the danger that lurks around every corner.

As we approach the elevator, Felixus moves to the control panel, his fingers tapping urgently on the buttons. “Voiding thing. It’s in use,” he mutters, frustration evident in his voice. I quickly order everyone to take up defensive positions, ready for whatever is coming our way.

Logarn and Traxios lower the container to the ground. Felixus quickly cowers behind it, while the rest of us take up flanking positions on either side of the elevator doors. We wait in tense silence, our eyes fixed on the elevator doors.

It feels like a lifetime, the silence only disturbed by the sounds of our breathing. Finally, the door opens and I hear the heavy clank of machinery.

“What in the void is this?” a hulking figure emerges, donning a yellow Nebian battlesuit. My heart sinks at the sight ofit, knowing that we’re ill-equipped to face off against such a formidable opponent. But there’s no time to waste. We must act now or Felixus will be discovered.

My instincts take over as I launch myself onto the back of the towering Whores Orphan, determined to disable the yellow Nebian battlesuit. With all my strength, I tear at the plates between the neck, searching for a weakness to exploit. The others join the fray, frantically attacking the machine with everything we have.

The suit operator spins around, trying to dislodge us, but I cling on, refusing to let go. Suddenly, it flings Traxios with tremendous force. He crashes into the wall with a sickening thud. I watch in horror as the battlesuit raises its arm, unleashing an intense crimson laser barrage that rips through Traxios, burning hundreds of red-hot holes straight through him. In an instant, his life is extinguished.

“Get the void off me,” a voice booms from within the battlesuit. I cling on with all my might as the operator frantically stomps around the room, trying to throw us off. Just as I think I am losing my grip, the cockpit suddenly opens and the Whores Orphan operator is catapulted into the ceiling at a terrifying speed. The impact is bone-jarring. With a sickening crunch, he lands on the floor in a crumpled heap.

I let go of the machine, standing in stunned silence. But Felixus wastes no time taking advantage of the chaos. He hops up the front of the battlesuit and assumes control of the machine. I feel a sinking feeling in my chest as I realize my mistake.I should have stopped him! If he’s hostile, Felixus will rip us to shreds in seconds.

Felixus’ laughter echoes through the room, amplified by the battlesuit’s speakers. He directs the machine towards Xandor, who is winded and struggling to catch his breath. “Look who’s the small one now, lad!” he taunts. Dread grips me as I thinkabout the danger my old friend is in. I’m powerless to stop Felixus if he turns on us.

The battlesuit moves closer to the crumpled form of the Whores Orphan as I breathe a sigh of relief. Felixus unleashes a quick burst of laser barrage into the fallen figure. “Payback, you bastard,” he mutters under his breath.

I hurry over to Traxios, hoping against hope that he’s still alive. However, Nebian laser fire has left him poked front to back with hundreds of charred holes. It’s no use. He’s gone, and we can’t take his body with us. There’s still too much work to do. Suddenly, exhaustion threatens to overwhelm me. We have been fighting ever since we stepped foot on this hellish station. I look at my companions and see my fatigue mirrored back. Especially Xandor. He moves sluggishly, protectively clutching his injured ribs. I take a deep breath, steeling myself to press on, so close to the end.So close to seeing Pebbles again.

Felixus pivots the battlesuit toward me. “Sorry about your friend, but you lot are crazy void sons, trying to take down a battlesuit unarmed!” he exclaims. “And this one… I guess he tried to engage the flight mode but hit the eject button instead.” He points to the lifeless body of the Whores Orphan with his massive mechanical arm. “Never seen bad luck like it.”

It’s a sobering thought to think we only survived because of a freak accident. “Felixus, what are you going to do now?” I ask. The situation is tense. There is no way Felixus is ever going to return the battlesuit or the other parts. He holds all the power. Without our war gear, we could never overcome him.

“The way I see it, nothing’s changed, lad. I’m still up for leaving this dung heap of a station with you on your ship, but only until I can contact my people and resume negotiations. But mark my words, I won’t let these junkers or any others get their grubby hands on my people’s technology.”

Xandor chimes in, his tone cautious, “I don’t trust Javik. He’ll double cross us regardless of what we do.”

After a moment of thought, I propose a plan.“Let’s take the broken parts to Javik, hiding the functional battlesuit, and get the Elerium we need for the ship. But we need to be prepared to steal the technology back from him.”

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