Individually Alone

“Thank the Emperor, you’re here!”

The Regulian Guard Captain nodded at Primath and ducked behind the cover of a squad car, where Primath joined him. The Captain pointed up at the second floor window.

“We got a call about screams in the neighborhood and…” the Captain shivered. The night was not cold, Primath could tell something had seriously unnerved him, “...well, we heard them too. Until just a few minutes ago, didn’t sound like anything of this world.”

Primath leaned against the car door and looked around the neighborhood. The street lights were off, same with the homes; if it weren’t for the floodlights the Guard had set up, it would have been pitch black even for a Regulian’s eyes.

“I don’t see any neighbors,” Primath whispered. “Are you sure?”

“Loud enough to hear the screams in space,” the Captain nodded. “You said on the phone that he’s done something like this before?”

“Not this bad but…” Primath looked at the front of the house. It was a wreck. A good wind would have torn it down like paper. How could his brother live like this, even with his vices? “...he’s been hallucinating a dead slave. He didn’t seem to know it was a hallucination either.”

Primath paused, hesitant to say the next part.

“Our other brother killed himself the other day too.”

“I saw the news,” the Captain shook his head. “Society can be cruel for no damn good reason.”

Primath felt his skin crawl. Uloth was becoming a martyr for a social cause for doing nothing but blowing his brains out while Primath had worked hard his entire life and got zero recognition, only scorn.

And worse of all Uloth was bullying him for the same things, except worse and fictional.

He didn’t deserve the title of hero.

“Can you…” Primath cleared his throat, “...sorry, I know I brought it up but I have a bit of trauma with him…”

The Captain blinked and then looked over at the house, at the situation unfolding, “I’m not sure I follow.”

“Uloth molested me when we were cubs,” Primath said extremely quietly. “I don’t like the fact that people are seeing him as a hero.”

The Captain’s mouth hung open in shock, silently.

“Please uh…please don’t tell anyone, okay?”

“Fuck,” the Captain patted Primath on the shoulder, “...I’m sorry, ju-”

“No, no sorries, please. I’m not fishing for sympathy, I just…” Primath paused, quivering his lip, “...I just want my only remaining brother to be okay.”

“What about your other brother, the Sirian?” another Guard suddenly piped in.

“Right, uh…” Primath waved his paw, “...yeah, uh, I love him too.”

“Look,” the Captain whispered, “your secret is safe with me.”

No it wasn’t. Primath knew that he would spread the word and in a few days the sympathy he was basking in right now would be magnified a hundred-fold. It was a lie, of course, but so was Uloth being some kind of martyr-hero and if he could do it posthumously why couldn’t Primath do it in life? Why wait until death to cherish the sympathy he deserved?

“But uh…we have a more immediate concern right now,” the Captain pointed back to the ruined house. “Back door is blockaded by something heavy, furniture perhaps. Front door is locked but we can probably batter the damn thing down. Your brother have any guns?”

“I-”

Something slammed against the second floor window with a wet thud. By the time Primath looked up there was a blood paw-print on the glass and the curtain was flapping as something had withdrawn behind it.

“He’s up there,” the Captain whispered. “Thermals!”

The Guards all flicked the goggles hanging from their helmets down across their eyes.

“He’s still in there,” the Captain whispered, “what the hell…”

“What?”

“Temperature fluctuating from hot to cold and back again…”

“What’s the mean?”

“Never seen it before,” the Captain looked over at Primath, not removing his goggles. “Does he have any guns? If not, we can probably go in and secure him but if he does…”

The Captain looked over at another guard armed with a grenade launcher.

“...We’ll have to incapacitate him just to be safe.”

Primath thought for a moment. He never knew his brother to own guns or express anything beyond a casual interest in them but at the same time he was prone to irrational decisions.

And surely it was better to make sure the Guards were not harmed by his family’s dysfunction.

“He does.”

“Prep stinger, stack up at the door.”

A crew of three Regulians and an Equuileian crept up to the front door and divided themselves on both sides. One of the Regulians peeked in through a hole in the door and flashed a thumbs-up to the Captain.

“Fire, go on burst!”

The Guard with the grenade launcher slowly raised his gun, aiming it towards the window. The grenade shot up with a poot, smashing through the glass.

A sharp explosion burst through the room, a scattering of rubber balls flying out the window.

Only now did Primath hear his brother’s agonized screams and the Captain’s description was, if anything, too mellow. Primath clutched his ears, desperate to block out the pained howls but it had no effect.

“GO!”

The Equuileian kicked down the door and led the charge into the home. Two of the crew swept the atrium while the rest, including the Equuileian, went upstairs. The house shook and creaked violently as the heavy-kitted guards stumbled through.

“YOU CAN’T HAVE MEEEEEEEEE!”

Primath was prepared for an explosion, a gun-shot; something. One last burn of glory from his brother before he was sent into the next world.

That never happened.

He was pulled down the staircase, unable to resist the sheer power of an Equuileian. His fur was completely red with blood and after entering the flood light’s field of vision, Primath could see thousands of tiny holes pricks all over his naked body.

The disgust Primath had for his brother faded instantly and he rushed out, heart beating with sudden empathy. The Equuileian dropped him onto the ground and Primath got down on his haunches and shook his brother by the shoulder. The blood was fresh.

“What happened!?”

“Wëasels.”

“Weasels?”

“NO!” Quroth grabbed Primath by his coat breast, roaring into his face. “The Wëasels! They’re auditing our dimension! They’re going to shut us down if wë don’t improve ourselves! We need to stop being Í and start being Wë!”

The brown Equuileian immediately wrapped his arm around Quroth’s neck, squeezing it and cutting off the Regulian’s breath.

“Sorry about this,” the Equuileian whispered.

Quroth’s nose went blue and he passed out without another word escaping his throat.

“Call for a med-evac,” the Captain shook his head. “With a Psych specialist. Fuck…”

Uloth was dead.

Quroth lost his mind.

There was only Primath left. While there was no legal reason the board could not vote in Quroth as Interim CEO, the news would have reached them and they would certainly change their minds.

If Quroth even talked to them to begin with.

Primath debated back and forth on the subject, quite certain that his brother had imagined every dealing he had made. With all the drugs running through his system, all the delusions plaguing him; Primath couldn’t comprehend him managing to pull off a single vote.

So what was there to do now? The board meeting was tomorrow. Tomorrow…

Valerie could have a majority already…

Primath shook his head.

But if Quroth had his votes, they’d all be wildcards now!

A gentle breeze rustled Primath’s mane. He stared forward, unblinking.

Do you really think they’d vote for a progressive pansy like you?

No…

…

…

Yes…

Shut the fuck up. As far as they’re concerned you might as well be a eunuch, sitting in the corner watching the masters over you fuck.

Yes, I can!

Species triumphalism and domination. Those are things you lack. You lack the will of our ancestral warriors. You have never watered the soil with blood and mated with the trophies of your foe as they lament their fate beneath your loins.

Exactly!

What?

Most of the board is Regulian right?

Along with a few species traitors like the Engineers.

If they’re a bunch of base racists as you say, who would they be more likely to vote for?

…

Well?

The leading Regulian candidate.

I’m the only Regulian candidate of note. The ONLY ONE now! You think they’re going to vote for a human?

There is nothing racists hate more than a weak example of their race, which is why they hate their compatriots so much. They would rather lick human feet and blame it on your failure than vote for you.

Then I’m just going to have to go in there and be the best example of a Regulian I can.

Good luck.

I’m going to go in there and piss all over the table, figuratively, to show domination.

Declare vendetta on all who oppose you.

Show the enemy fang and claws!

And rape Valerie and declare her your slave concubine. Fill her with your seed and demand she birth you a litter lest you sell her to the slave caravanserai.

What the fuck? No!

Alright, well, it sounds like you have a good plan anyways.

Agreed.

Primath inhaled and removed the loop of rope from his neck and stepped down from his office chair.

Let's d o this.