Page 1 of Naga General's Mate

Chapter 1

Brivul

The target lock alertchimed through the Niri warship. Brivul’s blue scales glinted under the red emergency lights as he coiled his massive serpentine tail around the command chair. The pirate vessel grew larger on the viewscreen.

“Weapons status,” Brivul barked, his violet eyes fixed on the threat.

“All systems charged and ready, General.” Cantos’s fingers flew across the tactical console.

Brivul’s jaw clenched. The civilian transport’s distress beacon pulsed on his readout—over two hundred souls aboard, easy prey for the pirates closing in on them.

“Not on my watch,” Brivul muttered. He rose to his full height, towering over his crew. “Nia, status of their weapons?”

“Reading multiple missile batteries powering up. They’re prepping to disable the transport’s engines.”

“Kev, get me a targeting solution on their weapon systems.”

“Already done, sir.”

The ship hummed with tension. Brivul’s tail tip twitched—the only outward sign of his contained fury. These pirates had grown bold, thinking the shipping lanes around Nirum were easy pickings.

“Fikleo, push more power to forward shields. When they realize we’re here, they’ll try to run.”

“Shields at maximum, General.”

“Sir, they’re launching missiles at the transport,” Cantos called out.

“Not today.” Brivul’s voice carried an edge of steel. “All batteries, target those missiles.”

The crew’s movements sharpened, each member operating with practiced precision. This was why Brivul had chosen them—the best of the best, ready to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves.

“Weapons locked, General,” Cantos confirmed.

“On my mark,” Brivul instructed. His muscles coiled, ready for action. The civilian transport’s scared transmissions filled the comm channel. Time to remind these pirates why the name General Brivul still commanded respect.

“Fire!” The command rolled from Brivul’s throat as his ship’s weapons blazed to life.

Energy beams lanced through space, intercepting the pirates’ missiles in a spectacular display of precision.

“Direct hits on all missiles,” Kev reported. “Transport is safe for now.”

“Now for the hunters.” Brivul’s tail coiled tighter around his command chair. “Target their engines. Let’s see how they like being helpless.”

The pirate vessel banked hard, finally aware of the predator in their midst. Their shields flickered to life—too late.

“They’re making a run for the atmosphere,” Nia called out.

“Perfect.” A cold smile spread across Brivul’s face. “Follow them in. Lors, calculate their descent trajectory.”

The chase led them into Nirum’s upper atmosphere. The pirate ship’s engines left a trail of plasma, their desperate attempt to escape only making them more vulnerable.

“They’re losing altitude control,” Cantos reported. “That last hit damaged their stabilizers.”

Brivul watched the tactical display with satisfaction. The pirates would have to land—or crash. Either way, this ended on the ground.

“Sir, the civilian transport is following our descent vector,” Nia said.

“Good.” Brivul straightened further.

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