[Fic] Patchwork Part 6 of ?
So I recently managed to re-watch the Ben 10 episode "Hunted" on tv and it had those trivia pop-up things 8D It reminded me why I fell in love with the original series (Gwevin and MyTrax aside) namely: The diversity of aliens. Alien Force NEEDS MOAR WILDMUTT AND GLUTO!
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Part Six: Inertia
Just because the tournament was over didn't mean it would be smooth sailing from here on out. The moment Tetrax exited the technoseum, his "trophy" slung over his shoulder, the petrosapien knew he couldn't let his guard down. He had to be wary of individuals seeking revenge along with keeping the security droids stationed all over Rioglo from detecting that Pierce was not really dead.
The poison his blade had been coated with was not lethal, acting more as a paralyzing agent than anything. But with enough doses of small quantities, the victim's would fall into a state that gave the impression of death and that had been what Tetrax was after. It would be hours before Pierce would wake up and by then he'd be in the safety of the Resolute.
But the petrosapien didn't want to take any chances. On his hoverboard, the mercenary sped quickly down the streets and showed no indication he had noticed his second shadow.
Since he stepped out of the arena-like structure someone had been tailing him. From rooftop to rooftop, in what may very well be an extraordinary display of speed and agility, someone had managed to keep up with the petrosapien's pace.
When the entrance to the docking bay was within sight, his pursuer made a move.
As a lithe figure leapt off a roof to twist into a swan dive, there was no shriek of fury or vendetta-fueled cry of rage. That would have been unnecessary and would have completely ruined what was meant to be a surprise attack.
And it was definitely a surprise attack. Only it wasn't the petrosapien who was caught off-guard.
Tetrax had known he was being followed and had feigned ignorance to lure his would-be assailant into a false sense of security. He had decided to use the element of surprise to his advantage and when the slender form all but descended on his broad back, the opportunity presented itself.
Heavy boots kicked at the hoverboard, his body turning from the momentum allowing his free arm to lash out. An open palm of solid crystalline collided against metal, the sharp squeals of armor warping out of shape muffled by a familiar pained yowl.
It was the felinar with the bloodied paw, and thankfully her armor had been durable enough to absorb most of the impact. Otherwise she would have an additional injury of a broken sternum along with her badly wounded warrior pride.
"What are you trying to prove?" Tetrax demanded, blade drawn and trained at the feline alien crouched low on the ground.
"I'm not out to prove anything," she snarled, fangs both good and broken bared. "I'm here for vengeance."
"Because I bested you in combat?" Tetrax grimaced, next to sociopaths honor-bound warriors were the hardest to reason with. "We were on equal footing, there is no dishonor in your loss."
She stares at him with bloodshot gray eyes, trying to process the reason behind his words. Her mouth opens with raucous laughter and demands, "Do you even know who that man is? Do you know what he represents and what his death means?"
Tetrax isn't given a chance to respond.
"Of course you don't. You're just like all the other bounty hunters, in it for either the glory or the money. Why, for the right price, I'm willing to wager you'd betray your own mother." She snarls bitterly, unaware of the nerve her accusation will hit.
Until, that is, she became acquainted with the elbow threatening to crush her windpipe.
"I don't like it when people assume things about me based on my profession." Tetrax glowered from behind his helm. "I don't know what reason a felinar would have to want vengeance, but I suggest you re-evaluate them." He hurls her roughly aside, "Don't make me regret not killing you right here, right now."
While she greedily gulps for air, he gets back onto his hoverboard. Weary from the day's events and wary of the other possible dangers that might be lurking in wait for him until he can reach the safety of his ship.
Before he left, the felinar made a desperate plea of "End my life."
"For losing?" He asks flatly.
Tetrax had dealt with some felinars before and knew of their pride but even with such high expectations of themselves, this request certainly leaned on the extreme if not ridiculous side.
"For failing!" she hissed. "The resistance will never accept me now and I cannot go back to my home-world. There is nothing left for me!"
It was not the angry, vindictive tone in her voice that piqued Tetrax's interest but the mention of a resistance. What did she meant by being accepted and what ties did this Plumber have with the movement? Tetrax had no idea just what he had gotten himself into when he decided to save Pierce. He simply had the vague notion that he may have bitten off more than he could chew. Especially now as he sheathed the poison-laced blade to extend both his arm and an olive branch to the feline alien.
"Let's talk before I decide to honor that death wish of yours."
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"Ten minutes. That's all I asked. Would it have killed you to keep your mouth shut that long?" Myaxx hissed at Albedo who was struggling to keep up with the chimera's long strides.
They were briskly weaving through the side streets, going down the long way of the less travelled alleys and unexpected detours. A route Myaxx used whenever she needed to lose someone. Or in this case several someones.
"Might I remind you," the human panted, "That the blame for the disturbance lies in the oaf with the overgrown forearms?"
"He wouldn't have come at you if you weren't running your mouth about how the eliminated contestants should have their id-codes changed from warriors to senior citizens." She glared, sharply ducking round a corner and yanking him into the shadows.
Albedo leaned against a gray-painted stucco wall, trying to catch his breath and regulate the frantic beating of his heart. His time in solitary confinement had done little to keep him in decent physical condition. "I can understand why we wasted three hours waiting for your employer to arrive in order to receive your remuneration. But why would you opt to spend a fairly sizable amount of it in that unseemly watering hole?"
"What's the matter? Can't figure it out on your own?" she sneered, taking a quick peek to make certain they had lost their pursuers.
"Please, that would be mere child's play. It'd be beneath me, even with this inferior intellect. Besides, don't most bounty hunters carry alcohol on their ships as a general practice?" he eyed the half dozen bottles packed tightly into a carton, which Myaxx was carefully cradling against her form.
The chimera was about to make a venomous retort about needing a stiff drink to put up with the galvan's attitude when a group of heavily armed aliens ran past. Instead she motioned for Albedo to follow her down a different side-street, one that would hopefully be thug-free.
Albedo was of the opinion that Myaxx was lost and was actually leading them in circles under the pretense of losing the mob. Wisely, he decided to keep this to himself, until they got back to the Resolute that is.
Eventually the pair made their way back to the docking bay where their captain was restlessly awaiting their arrival.
"About time." The human muttered, breezing past Tetrax as if the petrosapien had been the cause of their delay.
Myaxx glared daggers at the galvan-human's back as she adjusted her hold on the carton of interstellar liquor. "These will certainly come in handy."
"Just get on the ship. We need to leave. Now." Tetrax barked. His anxiety to leave was well-founded, as both Myaxx and Albedo would soon learn as they got onboard and headed for the bridge. It was as they strapped themselves into their seats that both chimera and galvan-turned-human saw their number had increased not by the expected one but by two.
Before either could make their shock, rejection and, or dismay known, Gluto pulled the levers, turned the dials and twisted the knobs that propelled the Resolute out of the docking bay and into the vastness of space.
Once the artificial gravity kicked, Gluto quickly made his way to his quarters. His morbid curiosity of how badly this situation was going to turn out would be sated later when he reviews the ship's surveillance footage.
Together, Albedo and Myaxx pulled Tetrax off to the side. They weren't even out of earshot of their guests when their questions came at Tetrax in rapid succession.
"Who is she?"
"Why is she here?"
"What were you thinking?"
"Why weren't we consulted about this?"
"Are you out of your mind?"
"I didn't agree to this!"
Granted that last one wasn't a question but the concern behind it was no less valid.
Tetrax took it all in stride, "Calm down, both of you."
"No! I refuse to calm down!" Albedo ranted, "It was terrible enough that our situation was desperate enough to require the chimera's help. Then you decided to endanger us when you went off and rescued that thing-" he gestured to Pierce who (groggy from the poison) was fighting a headache from the sudden impact of G-Force, "-without asking for our opinion. And now we have a thug-for-hire, the very same thug-for-hire that attempted to do away with you over that thing you so wanted to rescue?"
Having heard the rantings, the felinar's ears pressed flat against the top of her head, "Watch your mouth. I may not be in peak condition but one good paw is enough for me to turn you into fleshy confetti."
"See? She even sounds like a thug-for-hire!" he sneered, though visibly inching away to hide behind Tetrax.
"Might I remind you, Albedo, that I'm the captain of this ship? And as captain what I say goes."
It was Myaxx's turn to scoff, "Oh then I guess what your crew thinks doesn't matter to you in the least?"
"We could have talked about it if you two hadn't taken so long to get back." He returned crisply.
"Fortuitous events prevented us from making a timely return." The pale-haired human waved in dismissal.
"And it was all his fault." Myaxx growled.
"Regardless, Myaxx," Tetrax stated, his sharp tone nipping any argument between chimera and galvan in the bud, "Pierce was waking up and I couldn't risk Vulkanus discovering he was still alive."
"That still doesn't explain the felinar's presence." Long, celadon-skinned arms folded across a chest.
"I don't appreciate being referred to as thug-for-hire or the felinar." The aforementioned alien growls, turning the huddled trio into a foursome. "It is in your best interest to call me by my given name of K'yane."
"Will you all just calm down and let me brief you about the situation?" The petrosapien's patience was wearing thin. "As it turns out, the Plumber we-"
"You mean you." Albedo muttered.
"-had saved is the leader of a resistance movement fighting the eryoyety. He had been captured during a reconnaissance mission. K'yane had been trying to get involved with the movement and to prove her dedication to the cause, she had been tasked with rescuing Pierce on her own."
Myaxx isn't convinced, "It sounds suspicious if you ask me. Why would they send her to go alone? Why doesn't she have any backup?"
"It was not only a test of my abilities but a test of my loyalties." The felinar frowned, "My people had sworn allegiance to the eryoyety so the resistance movement believed I was a spy. But my hatred of the eryoyety and how he has made my people grovel in submission is genuine! I want that creature to die a thousand deaths! And even that is not enough to make up for his offenses against my kind!"
"Spare me the sob story," Albedo rolled his eyes, "And tell me how much their presence will detract us from our current objective."
"There will be some minor changes but we will proceed according to our plan." The petrosapien promised.
"Good." Myaxx sounded relieved, "For a minute there I thought you were going to have us join the resistance. So we're still going to just drop off the Plumber and the felinar-" she pointedly ignores the angry growl directed at her, "Someplace along the way?"
At that Tetrax looked away.
"No. No. No!" Came the duet of galvan and chimera.
"You would have done better to leave me in that god-forsaken prison."
"Are you trying to give the eryoyety a reason to come after me?"
Tetrax had expected this sort of reaction. He was glad how they were light years away from Rioglo or any inhabited planet and that they were all stuck onboard until further notice. Had he properly put a lock where the energy tubes were stored?
"K'yane do mind if I spoke with these two privately?"
Wordlessly, the felinar excused herself and stood guard over the slowly-recovering Pierce.
"Look," Tetrax began carefully, voice low as to keep their guests from hearing him, "I never said we would join them."
Albedo wasn't mollified, "What exactly can we contribute to their cause? Trapped in this inferior form, I'm hardly going to be of any use. I'm not even voluminous enough to be a meat shield!"
"You're also forgetting how Albedo and I aren't exactly the altruistic sort, Shard." Myaxx added.
"In any case, if he makes a pitch, let's just hear him out."
This provides no comfort to either Myaxx or Albedo.
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Part Six: Inertia
Just because the tournament was over didn't mean it would be smooth sailing from here on out. The moment Tetrax exited the technoseum, his "trophy" slung over his shoulder, the petrosapien knew he couldn't let his guard down. He had to be wary of individuals seeking revenge along with keeping the security droids stationed all over Rioglo from detecting that Pierce was not really dead.
The poison his blade had been coated with was not lethal, acting more as a paralyzing agent than anything. But with enough doses of small quantities, the victim's would fall into a state that gave the impression of death and that had been what Tetrax was after. It would be hours before Pierce would wake up and by then he'd be in the safety of the Resolute.
But the petrosapien didn't want to take any chances. On his hoverboard, the mercenary sped quickly down the streets and showed no indication he had noticed his second shadow.
Since he stepped out of the arena-like structure someone had been tailing him. From rooftop to rooftop, in what may very well be an extraordinary display of speed and agility, someone had managed to keep up with the petrosapien's pace.
When the entrance to the docking bay was within sight, his pursuer made a move.
As a lithe figure leapt off a roof to twist into a swan dive, there was no shriek of fury or vendetta-fueled cry of rage. That would have been unnecessary and would have completely ruined what was meant to be a surprise attack.
And it was definitely a surprise attack. Only it wasn't the petrosapien who was caught off-guard.
Tetrax had known he was being followed and had feigned ignorance to lure his would-be assailant into a false sense of security. He had decided to use the element of surprise to his advantage and when the slender form all but descended on his broad back, the opportunity presented itself.
Heavy boots kicked at the hoverboard, his body turning from the momentum allowing his free arm to lash out. An open palm of solid crystalline collided against metal, the sharp squeals of armor warping out of shape muffled by a familiar pained yowl.
It was the felinar with the bloodied paw, and thankfully her armor had been durable enough to absorb most of the impact. Otherwise she would have an additional injury of a broken sternum along with her badly wounded warrior pride.
"What are you trying to prove?" Tetrax demanded, blade drawn and trained at the feline alien crouched low on the ground.
"I'm not out to prove anything," she snarled, fangs both good and broken bared. "I'm here for vengeance."
"Because I bested you in combat?" Tetrax grimaced, next to sociopaths honor-bound warriors were the hardest to reason with. "We were on equal footing, there is no dishonor in your loss."
She stares at him with bloodshot gray eyes, trying to process the reason behind his words. Her mouth opens with raucous laughter and demands, "Do you even know who that man is? Do you know what he represents and what his death means?"
Tetrax isn't given a chance to respond.
"Of course you don't. You're just like all the other bounty hunters, in it for either the glory or the money. Why, for the right price, I'm willing to wager you'd betray your own mother." She snarls bitterly, unaware of the nerve her accusation will hit.
Until, that is, she became acquainted with the elbow threatening to crush her windpipe.
"I don't like it when people assume things about me based on my profession." Tetrax glowered from behind his helm. "I don't know what reason a felinar would have to want vengeance, but I suggest you re-evaluate them." He hurls her roughly aside, "Don't make me regret not killing you right here, right now."
While she greedily gulps for air, he gets back onto his hoverboard. Weary from the day's events and wary of the other possible dangers that might be lurking in wait for him until he can reach the safety of his ship.
Before he left, the felinar made a desperate plea of "End my life."
"For losing?" He asks flatly.
Tetrax had dealt with some felinars before and knew of their pride but even with such high expectations of themselves, this request certainly leaned on the extreme if not ridiculous side.
"For failing!" she hissed. "The resistance will never accept me now and I cannot go back to my home-world. There is nothing left for me!"
It was not the angry, vindictive tone in her voice that piqued Tetrax's interest but the mention of a resistance. What did she meant by being accepted and what ties did this Plumber have with the movement? Tetrax had no idea just what he had gotten himself into when he decided to save Pierce. He simply had the vague notion that he may have bitten off more than he could chew. Especially now as he sheathed the poison-laced blade to extend both his arm and an olive branch to the feline alien.
"Let's talk before I decide to honor that death wish of yours."
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"Ten minutes. That's all I asked. Would it have killed you to keep your mouth shut that long?" Myaxx hissed at Albedo who was struggling to keep up with the chimera's long strides.
They were briskly weaving through the side streets, going down the long way of the less travelled alleys and unexpected detours. A route Myaxx used whenever she needed to lose someone. Or in this case several someones.
"Might I remind you," the human panted, "That the blame for the disturbance lies in the oaf with the overgrown forearms?"
"He wouldn't have come at you if you weren't running your mouth about how the eliminated contestants should have their id-codes changed from warriors to senior citizens." She glared, sharply ducking round a corner and yanking him into the shadows.
Albedo leaned against a gray-painted stucco wall, trying to catch his breath and regulate the frantic beating of his heart. His time in solitary confinement had done little to keep him in decent physical condition. "I can understand why we wasted three hours waiting for your employer to arrive in order to receive your remuneration. But why would you opt to spend a fairly sizable amount of it in that unseemly watering hole?"
"What's the matter? Can't figure it out on your own?" she sneered, taking a quick peek to make certain they had lost their pursuers.
"Please, that would be mere child's play. It'd be beneath me, even with this inferior intellect. Besides, don't most bounty hunters carry alcohol on their ships as a general practice?" he eyed the half dozen bottles packed tightly into a carton, which Myaxx was carefully cradling against her form.
The chimera was about to make a venomous retort about needing a stiff drink to put up with the galvan's attitude when a group of heavily armed aliens ran past. Instead she motioned for Albedo to follow her down a different side-street, one that would hopefully be thug-free.
Albedo was of the opinion that Myaxx was lost and was actually leading them in circles under the pretense of losing the mob. Wisely, he decided to keep this to himself, until they got back to the Resolute that is.
Eventually the pair made their way back to the docking bay where their captain was restlessly awaiting their arrival.
"About time." The human muttered, breezing past Tetrax as if the petrosapien had been the cause of their delay.
Myaxx glared daggers at the galvan-human's back as she adjusted her hold on the carton of interstellar liquor. "These will certainly come in handy."
"Just get on the ship. We need to leave. Now." Tetrax barked. His anxiety to leave was well-founded, as both Myaxx and Albedo would soon learn as they got onboard and headed for the bridge. It was as they strapped themselves into their seats that both chimera and galvan-turned-human saw their number had increased not by the expected one but by two.
Before either could make their shock, rejection and, or dismay known, Gluto pulled the levers, turned the dials and twisted the knobs that propelled the Resolute out of the docking bay and into the vastness of space.
Once the artificial gravity kicked, Gluto quickly made his way to his quarters. His morbid curiosity of how badly this situation was going to turn out would be sated later when he reviews the ship's surveillance footage.
Together, Albedo and Myaxx pulled Tetrax off to the side. They weren't even out of earshot of their guests when their questions came at Tetrax in rapid succession.
"Who is she?"
"Why is she here?"
"What were you thinking?"
"Why weren't we consulted about this?"
"Are you out of your mind?"
"I didn't agree to this!"
Granted that last one wasn't a question but the concern behind it was no less valid.
Tetrax took it all in stride, "Calm down, both of you."
"No! I refuse to calm down!" Albedo ranted, "It was terrible enough that our situation was desperate enough to require the chimera's help. Then you decided to endanger us when you went off and rescued that thing-" he gestured to Pierce who (groggy from the poison) was fighting a headache from the sudden impact of G-Force, "-without asking for our opinion. And now we have a thug-for-hire, the very same thug-for-hire that attempted to do away with you over that thing you so wanted to rescue?"
Having heard the rantings, the felinar's ears pressed flat against the top of her head, "Watch your mouth. I may not be in peak condition but one good paw is enough for me to turn you into fleshy confetti."
"See? She even sounds like a thug-for-hire!" he sneered, though visibly inching away to hide behind Tetrax.
"Might I remind you, Albedo, that I'm the captain of this ship? And as captain what I say goes."
It was Myaxx's turn to scoff, "Oh then I guess what your crew thinks doesn't matter to you in the least?"
"We could have talked about it if you two hadn't taken so long to get back." He returned crisply.
"Fortuitous events prevented us from making a timely return." The pale-haired human waved in dismissal.
"And it was all his fault." Myaxx growled.
"Regardless, Myaxx," Tetrax stated, his sharp tone nipping any argument between chimera and galvan in the bud, "Pierce was waking up and I couldn't risk Vulkanus discovering he was still alive."
"That still doesn't explain the felinar's presence." Long, celadon-skinned arms folded across a chest.
"I don't appreciate being referred to as thug-for-hire or the felinar." The aforementioned alien growls, turning the huddled trio into a foursome. "It is in your best interest to call me by my given name of K'yane."
"Will you all just calm down and let me brief you about the situation?" The petrosapien's patience was wearing thin. "As it turns out, the Plumber we-"
"You mean you." Albedo muttered.
"-had saved is the leader of a resistance movement fighting the eryoyety. He had been captured during a reconnaissance mission. K'yane had been trying to get involved with the movement and to prove her dedication to the cause, she had been tasked with rescuing Pierce on her own."
Myaxx isn't convinced, "It sounds suspicious if you ask me. Why would they send her to go alone? Why doesn't she have any backup?"
"It was not only a test of my abilities but a test of my loyalties." The felinar frowned, "My people had sworn allegiance to the eryoyety so the resistance movement believed I was a spy. But my hatred of the eryoyety and how he has made my people grovel in submission is genuine! I want that creature to die a thousand deaths! And even that is not enough to make up for his offenses against my kind!"
"Spare me the sob story," Albedo rolled his eyes, "And tell me how much their presence will detract us from our current objective."
"There will be some minor changes but we will proceed according to our plan." The petrosapien promised.
"Good." Myaxx sounded relieved, "For a minute there I thought you were going to have us join the resistance. So we're still going to just drop off the Plumber and the felinar-" she pointedly ignores the angry growl directed at her, "Someplace along the way?"
At that Tetrax looked away.
"No. No. No!" Came the duet of galvan and chimera.
"You would have done better to leave me in that god-forsaken prison."
"Are you trying to give the eryoyety a reason to come after me?"
Tetrax had expected this sort of reaction. He was glad how they were light years away from Rioglo or any inhabited planet and that they were all stuck onboard until further notice. Had he properly put a lock where the energy tubes were stored?
"K'yane do mind if I spoke with these two privately?"
Wordlessly, the felinar excused herself and stood guard over the slowly-recovering Pierce.
"Look," Tetrax began carefully, voice low as to keep their guests from hearing him, "I never said we would join them."
Albedo wasn't mollified, "What exactly can we contribute to their cause? Trapped in this inferior form, I'm hardly going to be of any use. I'm not even voluminous enough to be a meat shield!"
"You're also forgetting how Albedo and I aren't exactly the altruistic sort, Shard." Myaxx added.
"In any case, if he makes a pitch, let's just hear him out."
This provides no comfort to either Myaxx or Albedo.