Page 27 of Torn from the Alien Commander

“Depends on what he’s eaten,” Hyanxa declares from the corner of the room, still bent over, looking for her lost vaporstick.

I laugh, but seeing Felixus so perturbed fills me with regret for bringing this trouble on him. “I’m sorry, Felixus. Quads harmless though.” I glance over at the hulking Barlyxian, who’s now rotating his meaty arms like turbines of destruction. “Most of the time,” I add with a frown.

“I know, I know!” Quad exclaims, his face beaming. “You still Tiny.” He jabs a thick finger in my direction, “but he can be Tiniest!” He declares, nodding towards Felixus.

A collective groan emerges before a moment of awkward silence.This is my chance to convince them.“Um, everyone... the reason—”

“Ah, found it!” Hyanxa exclaims, holding aloft her vaporstick, her face ecstatic.

Annoyance flares within me like heated Elerium. “Everyone, shut the void up and listen!” I glare at the others, my face heating. “Okay?”

Void, I sounded like Kaanus just now.

My outburst surprises everyone, including myself. Mod and Job exchange a look before shrugging, Hyanxa recoils as if stuck, Quad stands with his mouth agape and Felixus folds his arms with a nod.

Despite my heart pounding in my chest, I know I must forge ahead. “I’ve got the payment for the mission,” I declare, relishing the stunned expressions on the crew’s faces. “Kaanus sent it to me before... before he sacrificed himself.”

Farewell Kaanus.

Quad’s head droops. It’s hard to know how much he truly understands, bouncing between total bewilderment and surprising insightfulness. “Goodbye, Spikey!” He booms, pumping his enormous fists into the air.

A sudden lip trembling emotion hits me at Quad’s earnest gesture. “Rest well, Kaanus.” I join in with a raised fist, my heart swelling.

To my surprise, Mod and Job repeat the gesture, both intoning. “Matter to dust, Captain mammaloid.” Followed by their unique respective suffixes. “No?” and “Yes?”

Hyanxa approaches her expression fierce, yet her golden eyes glisten, hinting at the turmoil beneath. “For nearly two decades, I served with Kaanus. Void, he was clever and ruthless back then, like the Mutalisk he borrowed the ship’s name from.” She pauses, taking a heavy draw from her vaporstick. “He could be a real bastard... We all knew that.” She glances around the crew. “But he was our bastard... he was my bastard.” Tears stream down her furred face as she raises her fist. “So long Kaanus.”

I gasp, having never seen Hyanxa so emotional before, unsure how I’d react given the same crazy circumstances. “Well said,”I offer, hugging the sobbing Hyanxa. Suddenly, Quad squeezes us both in a ribcage-crushing embrace, forcing the air from my lungs and making my teeth rattle.

“Big hug!” Quad booms in an eager tone. While I’m eager to escape this bone-snapping pressure.

“Stop! Stop, you big dopey idiot!” Hyanxa protests, her voice muffled.

“Hmm, how much pressure can squishy mammaloid bodies sustain? Yes?” Job postulates, his voice barely audible to my smothered ears.

“Help!” I squeak, my lungs almost empty, overwhelmed by the sour, clammy smell of Quad’s sweaty armpit pressing against my face.

“Hmm, they very squishy. You help collect organs when skeletal structure fails. No?” Mob chimes in as my vision grows dark, fearing I’m at the point of collapse.

“I think that’s enough, big lad,” Felixus interjects, his voice laced with concern.

Finally, Quad lets us go, merciful air filling my lungs in great, doubled-over gulps. “You smell nice, Tiny.” He beams while I struggle to remain conscious.

“Nice?” I rasp between mouthfuls of sweet oxygen. “I probably smell like your armpit now!”

Quad frowns, sniffing his armpits. “Smells fine to me.” He shrugs.

“Come here, you voiding buffoon.” Hyanxa sneers through hoarse lungs as she slaps Quad around his broad shoulders. Quad only smirks, standing with his arms folded, like he’s enjoying the attention.

Righting myself, my breathing returning to normal, I’m annoyed I’ve been distracted again. My hands dart over my wrist console, sending the crew their rightful payments. “Twelvethousand and five hundred credits. Two-point-five percent of the total,” I declare, followed by the dings of their notifications.

The others halt before checking their wrist consoles, their faces lighting up with beaming smiles and cheers. “And some celebratory Earth fruits,” I add, unloading my pockets, frowning as my fingers become sticky—the fruits almost all squashed by Quad. “Lovely.”

“Hmm, Earth must have very high gravity? No?” Mob muses with a hand beneath his mouth hole.

“Eww, more mammaloid sustenance.” Job pokes a fruit as if it might be poisonous, his antennae drooping. “Lack’s wiggling. Most likely harmful to superior Glaseroid physiognomy. Yes?”

Hyanxa stares at me with folded arms and an ominous glare, filling me with dread, anticipating what she might say.

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