A Path of Thunder

Part Six

"Hunter Hunted"

The eyeridge waited.

Somewhere in the artificial jungle, a lone terrorclaw surely roamed to his heart's content, provided his regressed, primal mind even thought in such terms.

Arokh glanced towards the vaulted ceiling, towards the enormous video screen that displayed a bright, sunny sky. A large, artificial red sun shone down on him, with equally merciless intensity. Somewhere high above, several infrared emitters provided the intense heat the computer-generated star could not. Water evaporating in containers below the ground supplied an equally discomforting humidity.

He spoke not one word, made not even a growl of discontent. Just let me find you, Darkthunder had warned.

Dressed in his Patrol uniform, Arokh braved the artificial climate with calm aplomb. His superior had described the jungle as having the perfect conditions; just what a normal day would feel like in his pack's territory. The eyeridge thought primitives like the terrorclaw were certainly welcome to keep their extreme weather. He would rather stick to a different, more pleasant artificial climate while inside the Tarrakhan.

Even if his intellect was firmly entrenched on the side of sentience, the eyeridge still could feel a pair of eyes watching him. Leaves rustled around him as a single creature moved around, stalking him. The eyeridge did not move or otherwise thought he needed to defend his life. His scent would trigger the desired response from his Commander's feral mind.

The creature's movement in the vegetation stopped. Soon after, Arokh got a whiff of terrorclaw's strong, sweaty scent, along with a metallic one. The terrorclaw was apparently successful in his hunt.

_ "I will be... with you... soon, Lieutenant."_

The voice sounded somewhat shrilling, spoken from some distance away. It sounded forced, as if the saurian had some difficulty forming coherent thoughts. Arokh knew better than to follow it to its source. Darkthunder had been rather adamant he was to remain alone until his mind returned to full sentience.

A few minutes passed before he saw the terrorclaw approach, walking upright and naked as the day he had hatched. Dark crimson stains covered almost his entire snout and splattered over other parts of his otherwise mostly dark skin, as well as his claws.

"Seems like you won't need to ask Rrayekh for a meal today, Commander."

Darkthunder flashed a toothy grin displaying his otherwise whitish teeth, now also blood stained. "It's not like the outcome would had been any different," he said as he worked his teeth and tongue around his claws, licking blood and leftover pieces of meat from his fingers. "Hunting lizards present no challenge, other than being a tad tricky to catch. They are small and quick to hide in tight spaces. Their escape efforts mean little to a determined terrorclaw."

Arokh stood at ease, keeping with Patrol protocol even if his commanding officer was definitely outside of uniform. "I can't help but notice that you look more relaxed. This hunting area must be really working for you."

The terrorclaw glanced around and let out a soft sigh. "I do better when I can release my primal side. I should have listened to Zaron when he first proposed it. It does help immensely, although it is still somewhat unfulfilling."

"How so?"

"Even if I am not in a hunter trance, I can just run among the vegetation. It does feel like my homeworld, although sometimes I have to remind myself that I do not have the same wide terrain to roam. There's also my primal side, calling constantly calling for the rest of my pack to join me. Of course, no one will ever answer. Not inside these walls. I still long to return to my homeworld someday. But I would not stay there. The Patrol is my pack now."

The eyeridge nodded. "I imagine it has never been easy joining a different pack and territory full of misconceptions towards your kind."

"Often, yes. I have smelt fear in many who speak to me for the first time. I have to admit, though, it is something I cannot help but feel proud at times. Dare I say... intoxicating."

The terrorclaw paused. He looked at Arokh intensely with curious, green eyes. "Maybe you could join me for a two-saurian pack hunt some day. I can place a request for authorization to carry some larger prey. It should not be hard for you to learn how to engage your feral mind. I could teach you how."

Arokh smiled. "Thanks for the invitation, Commander, but I would rather stick with fairer weather and processed meat for the time being. Other matters have brought me here today."

The terrorclaw's crest extended almost vertical; Arokh noticed blood stains on the feathers as well. "Some intelligence we can use, I hope? Has the Draknan Herd provided us with more information?"

Arokh nodded. "The Herd has proved rather uncooperative. Their special standing as an autonomous body nearly outside of Archosaur jurisdiction prevents the Patrol from simply demanding access to their records. However, one of our surveyor ships managed to get a sighting of the terrorclaw's ship."

"Where?" Darkthunder asked, almost before Arokh had finished speaking.

"Sethria Six. Sometimes I wonder why we didn't think of it ourselves. The varied pleasures such a world offers are a magnet for at least half of the Archosaur Domains. And a perfect place for all kinds of transactions, legal or otherwise."

"Has the Patrol made contact with them? Are they in custody?" Darkthunder shifted his weight quickly from one foot to another, eager for a response.

"Unfortunately, the terrorclaw's ship - your brother's ship - is considered an extension of the Draknan territory, so its crew benefits from the same level of immunity. Since they have yet to be charged with any crime, we are powerless to detain them for any reason."

Darkthunder growled with frustration. "We are going in circles here. We can't touch them if they are not doing anything illegal, yet we can prove they do unless we search them. And Sethria Six also operates partially outside Archosaur control."

"Indeed. However, nothing prevents the Patrol from seeking to protect the Domains' interests. Perhaps even inspect random shipments in order to search for items that could have a detrimental impact on our population."

The terrorclaw thrilled with contentment as he began to piece everything together. "That is still good news! There are several reasons we could use to detain them temporarily until we obtain the authority to conduct a search of this ship. Contact Zaron and -"

Arokh smiled as he lifted a hand to interrupt. "It is already in the process, Commander. I took the liberty to contact our immediate superiors to begin the necessary steps."

"Excellent! Take the ship out of the Tachyon flow and set course for Sethria Six as soon as possible." The terrorclaw's hand and foot claws twitched with excitement and he let out a loud, deep growl. Almost unconsciously, his body began to lean forward. "Forgive me. This is definitely better than what I expected. You still have command of the ship until my return, Arokh. Seems like I will have to continue my hunt to purge this."

"Continue? I thought you already had caught your prey."

"There is still one lizard roaming around." The terrorclaw turned to look at Arokh, eyeing him from snout to foot claws. "It is not too late to change your mind if you wish to join me. I would like to see how your body would look outside that uniform and in a primal hunt. The prey may not be enough for the two of us, but as pack leader, I can always cede the prey to the other hunters since I've had my fill."

"I will politely decline again, Commander. My hunting instincts are nowhere as strong as yours are. I believe my species' larger size and more dependency on technology erased most of that primal nature your kind enjoys."

"Shame. The invitation stands, though, if you ever wish to explore that side of your ancestral nature."

"Or perhaps some of its other aspects, for that matter."

Darkthunder tilted his head slightly backwards. "What else is there to do?"

Arokh smiled. "Maybe... one thing in particular."

The terrorclaw said nothing. He turned slightly sideways, seemingly intent on concealing his crotch. "You think?"

He could feel the Commander's eyes on him, full with disappointment and yet, some slight hope. "It is almost a constant in the universe. Give a beast what it wants, and they calm down."

Darkthunder smiled. "Perhaps for some. I'm curious to find out what you may have in mind." The terrorclaw turned and began to walk away. With every step, his posture turned slightly more horizontal.

"There will be a time for it. Right now, there is something else I wanted to discuss."

The terrorclaw stopped. "Make it quick. You know I can't hold my instincts for long once I have begun the trance."

"It is about Sergeant Grell."

Darkthunder growled. "What is it this time?" he said, his voice already changing, turning more high-pitched and feral.

"I received a complaint from a crewmember. Apparently, the Sergeant and this soldier got into a confrontation not long ago. Grell threatened to engage in non-consensual sex with said soldier, but apparently decided against it. The afflicted soldier wishes to press charges of sexual assault and intimidation."

Darkthunder paused as he struggled to speak. "I realize Sergeant Grell has not been easy to deal with. Even with his rather disreputable past, however, I have my doubts the armorback actually intended to carry out his threat. His Patrol records are nothing but exemplary, even if he is rather short tempered. I will need more concrete proof... if I am to take any actions in this matter." The terrorclaw paused again. "Please see... to this... promptly... Arokh." With a sudden jump, he dashed towards the thick vegetation, where he disappeared almost instantly.

"And I suggest... you leave now... Lieutenant. It may... not be safe... soon." Arokh only inferred the meaning of the last sentence. The words came in rather slurred for him to understand clearly.

The eyeridge made a hasty retreat for the exit, sighing softly with relief as the door to the terrorclaw's jungle closed behind him, leaving the eyeridge back into cooler temperatures. Soon after, the electronic locks engaged, preventing any saurian from entering the room.

Arokh could not help feel somewhat sorry for his Commander. It was becoming more apparent that the terrorclaw had something more than friendship or curious interest towards the eyeridge. The desire only seemed to make the terrorclaw become slightly more direct in expressing his desires. A slight sense of guilt flashed in his mind; it would be rather unkind, but eventually the terrorclaw would get what he wanted.

The eyeridge smiled as he walked down the hallway.

- * - * -

"All systems at normal," the armorback announced with his usual deep, nearly emotionless voice as he operated the controls at his station. He paused to organize his thoughts, purging his mind of anything even slightly unrelated to the task he was to perform after reentry. "Reentry shields at one hundred percent. Ship scheduled to exit the Tachyon stream in five hundred thirty-nine seconds."

"Acknowledged," Arokh responded from his place in the command chair, his voice stoic as he kept track of all relevant data on his own consoles. "Maintain the Tachyon engines at ninety-seven percent upon reentry and proceed for immediate jump. I don't want this to take any longer than it has to."

"Yes, sir." The armorback continued tapping at his screens and controls at a slightly faster pace than normal. The action was far from unusual; an immediate change of course was nothing unheard of to any Patrol ship. Course corrections, however, were impossible inside the Tachyon flow, and required a ship to reenter normal space for the time it would take for the computers to calculate the next jump.

After a regular jump, failsafe systems would immediately shut down all of the primary faster-than-light systems to prevent any potential malfunctions and relativistic effects of a ship moving at a considerable percentage of the speed of light while in the normal universe. It would be impossible to reactivate the tachyon engines until all security checks were completed, and the ship could restart the process to make another Tachyon jump. While the potential of failure always outweighed the benefits, the wait until the tachyon engines would take the ship back into the Tachyon stream could mean the difference between success and failure if the mission was highly time-critical.

Grell did not need any reminder whose decisions would decide the outcome. Ship navigators trained constantly under simulators for that eventuality. He had passed each test with excellent results for the last seven years. However, success or failure in a simulator obviously was nothing more than computer calculations and marks in his Patrol records. Neither carried the same results - and consequences - of executing the maneuver with a real ship and crew.

The eyeridge performed the necessary last steps for the maneuver. "Commanding officer Arokh speaking. Initiate Bridge lockdown."

"Command accepted." The sound of a pneumatic door closing and locking followed the metallic voice. The last thing the Bridge crew needed were intruders during such critical jumps. "Bridge locked."

"Lock all external consoles, and transfer all essential Bridge controls to Navigation station."

"Consoles locked. Navigation station now has full control of the Dak-Tarrakhan_."_

Arokh breathed deep. "The ship is all yours, Sergeant."

"May Maia help us now," said the plateback on the Armory station.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Maleek," Grell said without lifting his eyes from his instruments. He looked with the corner of his right eye to see the plateback leaning back on his seat. Grell could not help feeling that Maleek had usurped the post once taken by his partner. "But I can guarantee you that my mind is right on track for this task."

"There is only one track in your mind, armorback. So maybe if you were to think of the ship as something you're aiming for Brakkus' tailhole, then we may have a better chance to -"

"Could you kindly shut the fuck up?" Grell interrupted. "There's a very good reason why they keep my wide ass in this station. I'll make sure Rrayekh can come up with a good recipe, because I'll have you eat your words when this is over."

Arokh let out a mild roar. "Silence, both of you! There is quite a bit at stake here for this petty bickering!"

Grell nodded and focused on the myriad of new controls that now populated his screens. As overwhelming as it seemed, it prevented anyone else in the Bridge from doing anything that would compromise the critical maneuver he was about to execute. "Navigation officer Grell speaking. Restrict all vocal commands to Navigation station only."

"Engaged. Systems now responding only to officer Grell."

"Execute override for Tachyon fail safes."

"Acknowledged. Please repeat command for confirmation."

Grell paused. His heart raced, fully aware of the responsibility that would rest with him after his next words. "Execute override... for Tachyon fail safes."

The response arrived almost three seconds later. "Override accepted." A loud alarm followed immediately after; it resonated throughout every corner of the ship, alerting every crewmember of the possible consequences._ "Warning! Time/velocity effects will begin immediately after Tachyon jump exit. Thirty-three seconds remain to exit Tachyon stream."_

"And that noise you hear is the voice of over two thousand saurians going 'oh, shit'," Maleek said, his voice soft and subdued.

Even when Grell could do without the comment, he understood the plateback's fear. A successful maneuver would mean only a slight inconvenience, as several computers and other time-keeping devices would need recalibration to account for the fact that time inside the ship would flow at a slower pace than on the rest of the universe outside.

At worst, if the engines failed and left the ship locked at that speed, it could mean that years - or possibly even centuries - would pass in the normal universe before a fix could be put into action. Any loved ones waiting in other worlds could be dead by the time the ship could recover. Provided the ship would not collide against any stellar body or other vessel.

The usual flash of blinding lights and other fireworks followed the exit from the Tachyon flow. Unlike uncountable previous times, however, the rumble of the Tachyon engines did not subside. Rather than appear static, stars and other visible galactic objects raced across the screens.

"We are in normal space; executing turn maneuver," Grell said as he swept his hands over the controls, gently steering the Tarrakhan into the desired heading for the next Tachyon jump. Because of the high rate of speed, the armorback worked to keep the turn well within safe levels to prevent the ship from breaking apart due to stress. "Please remain seated for the duration of our flight, archosaurs. This will take only a few seconds. _ Relatively_ speaking."

All saurians in the Bridge remained in absolute silence as the burly herbivore worked, his hands bouncing furiously all over the consoles surrounding him as he kept the Tarrakhan on the right course. Even over the loud rumble of the ship's engines, he could feel their anxious breathing as they undoubtedly prayed to Maia or whatever spirits they entrusted their lives.

Of particular notice was a clock, its digits flashing in red as it advanced at a rapid pace, indicating how much faster time on the outside universe was moving relative to that inside the ship. An inescapable result of physics, there was nothing Grell or anyone could do about it, other than wait as the armorback steered the ship into the right heading.

"Al... most... there..." Grell said softly as he heard the ship's hull buckle and creak. Even as the stress levels remained well within the design limits, the sound was still unnerving. Luckily, he spared everyone from listening to it for too long. As if on cue, the navigational computers announced their readiness for the following jump with a loud chirping.

"Coordinates locked!" the armorback shouted as he moved his hands to restart the Tachyon engines to full power. "We are at ninety-eight... ninety-nine... one hundred! Engaging Tachyon jump!"

Once again, the apparent calmness of the galactic star field disappeared under a brief flash of white light, which in turn gave way to the chaotic, multicolored strands of light of the Tachyon flow.

"Jump achieved," Grell announced as he performed several quick checks. "All systems are operating at normal levels. Now disengaging voice control and restoring all ship controls and Tachyon jump fail safe procedures."

Arokh turned to address Keana. "Time lost?"

"Forty-seven point six five three minutes," the thumbspike said, her voice tinged with relief. Around the Bridge, every saurian but Grell and the eyeridge began to breathe much easier.

Grell bellowed with excitement as he thumped his clubbed tail hard on the floor and pumped a fist into the air. "Oh, yeah! Better than any of my simulator runs! Now who's your sire, Maleek? Uh?"

"All right, you got your moment, Grell," Maleek said as he resumed working on his console. "No need to rub it in."

"Well, I'll make sure you don't forget it!" Grell said, a wide smile etched on his snout as he began to run some final checkups in his station.

The plateback exhaled noisily, still visibly shaken by the experience. "I don't understand why we can't just program a computer to carry out that shit. I feel it would be a lot safer."

Grill smiled and tapped his skull with his right index finger. "Computers only calculate. They don't analyze things like I do."

"And thank Maia for that! The very thought of a computer that would want heavy anal sex nearly every day - shit, I'm not getting any sleep after our shift is over. I'm going to have nightmares."

"Well, at least I am not a loser like you and your -!" A loud, sustained growl coming from the command chair cut short the armorback's words.

"I am sure everyone in the Tarrakhan thanks you, Sergeant," Arokh said, not amused in the slightest at the continuing squabble. He lifted his head only slightly to look at Grell. "Your skills are quite impressive. It is your duty, after all. And we all thank Maia that you did not fail."

The armorback shrugged. "All in a day's work, sir. You archosaurs should know by now there's nothing to worry when my butt is in this seat."

Keana smirked. "You say that as if you weren't an archosaur yourself." She turned to look away from her station and towards the eyeridge. "My apologies if this sounds disrespectful, Lieutenant, but this whole affair could had been avoided if we had just followed normal deceleration procedures before doing the next jump."

"Full deceleration would had taken even longer than what we lost with the time dilation. It was imperative, by orders of Commander Darkthunder, for the ship to proceed to its destination with the utmost urgency. And our duty is to follow his orders; the Commander will fill in the details of our next mission in due time."

Grell let out a soft grunt of disapproval as he continued carrying out some tests at his console. "I wonder if that primitive even has any concept of what he asked us to do."

"That 'primitive', as you wish to call him, is aware of much more than the consequences of a Tachyon jump gone wrong. Otherwise, Zaron would not have given him command of the Tarrakhan. That is why he sits on the command chair instead of someplace like... navigation."

All saurians except Grell chuckled; the armorback pretended to ignore them as he finished with a few more checks. "And what's the rush, anyway? Sounds more urgent than catching some average drug runner." Grell bobbed his head once in disbelief as the computer revealed their destination. "Sethria!? By the first Egg! I knew those coordinates seemed familiar!"

Maleek turned to look at the Navigator. "Are you serious?"

"As much as the universe is cold! Darkthunder can't be that desperate to get laid, is he?"

"No kidding." Keana trumpeted with slight anger. "I'm sure anyone among the crew would be eager to do him the favor, and for free!"

Grell smiled. "Are you still harboring hopes, Keana? He's definitely not after your tail. Or that of any other female, for that matter."

"And how would you know that? Have you fucked his ass already?"

"Unfortunately, that pleasure is still quite unlikely. He's too arrogant and aloof to join us grunts for even a nice chat."

"Well, you sure can't blame him. You males sure can be noisy louts."

Maleek snorted as he pointed at Grell. "Hey, don't be quick to lump me with this brute right here, Keana! Some of us do prefer a more relaxed environment."

The armorback grinned. "Whatever floats your boats, people. I'm sure Darkthunder will give in to my charms, eventually."

"Charms, he says. You sound more like a starving carnivore having dreams of a juicy steak."

"Stranger things have happened, Maleek. I certainly would love to bury my thick meat deep inside that tight ass, and have his guts filled with load after load of my thick male juice."

Grell laughed as Keana flashed a middle finger at him. "Stop it! I don't need to listen to your disgusting daydreams."

The eyeridge raised his voice, apparently trying to defuse the situation before tempers flared again. "Carnal pleasure would be the last thought in the Commander's mind at this or any other time, soldiers. We are simply continuing our search for the drug runners who continue to spread their poison on our worlds. This time, however, we are after some large prey." He turned again to address the thumbspike. "Keana, hail Lieutenant Zaatar and Second Lieutenant Dekan from the second shift. Have them come to the Bridge to take command and navigational duties for the ship, respectively. You will have the command seat until Zaatar arrives."

"Yes, sir," the female said, and turned to do as ordered.

Grell turned to look at Arokh, who stared back rather intensely. "Excuse me, sir," the armorback asked, somewhat concerned. "Why am I being relieved?"

Arokh rose to his feet and stared at the armorback. "There's something we need to discuss. Come see me in the Commander's personal office when your relief arrives, Sergeant."

"Yes, sir." The armorback tried to ignore all other eyes in the Bridge, now focused on him, as he turned to look back at his console for some final checks.

He began analyzing all possible scenarios and situations since the current tour of duty started, and how he could extricate himself from any of them with the least amount of damage to his name. As sullied as that was already.

Time seemed to past too fast before a young deathclaw arrived to take over the Navigation station. Grell passed any relevant information to his substitute before he turned around to leave. As he did, he walked between his station and the Armory.

"Good luck," Maleek said, chuckling slightly.

The armorback said nothing as he walked past the plateback. Lifting his tail, he swung the bony, clubbed end just above the Armory console, forcing the plateback to dive onto the ground to avoid injury.

"Hey! Watch it!"

"Keep asking for it, plateback, and your ass is going to get it," Grell said calmly as he made his way to the exit.

Grell left the Bridge; the Commander's office was a mere twenty-five paces away. His mind and thoughts were already prepared as much as he could get them to be.

He entered the room to find Arokh seated in the Commander's chair. Somehow, it seemed like Arokh fit right in, as if the room was designed with the Lieutenant in mind. Grell could still not figure out why the eyeridge had declined the position; about half the crew certainly thought Arokh's qualities for the position trumped those of Darkthunder.

"Thank Maia the Commander does not keep this room just like he does with his private jungle." The eyeridge stared calmly at Grell, and pointed to a couple chairs near the desk. "Have a seat, Sergeant."

"Thanks, sir, but I would rather stand, if you don't mind."

Arokh nodded. "Suit yourself. Anything you wish to say before we begin?"

"Nothing, sir. I only wish to ask if there is anything I have done unsatisfactorily for you to ask me to come here."

"This has nothing to do with your recent performance on the Bridge. Which was quite admirable, to say the least."

Grell held his hands together behind his back, legs spread slightly, as he listened to the Lieutenant. "Thank you."

Arokh reclined in the chair as he looked attentively at the armorback. "I brought you here to discuss a recent matter about your conduct. It has come to my attention that you had a confrontation with another crewmember recently."

Grell smiled. "I'm afraid you'll have to be a bit more specific. That would describe about half the crew of the Tarrakhan."

"Your sense of humor is unwelcome at this time, Grell. We are discussing the possible implications to your future in the Patrol."

The armorback's smile died instantly, replaced by a scowl as his eyes narrowed slightly in anger. "I believe I have the right to know who my accuser is."

The eyeridge frowned slightly. "Don't play ignorant, Sergeant. You know very well who I am talking about."

_Figures,_Grell thought. The stupid plateback not only did not listen to his warnings, but he also went looking for a higher authority to cry about the incident. Were it not for the late Prion's character and integrity, he would feel justified in having prejudices against all platebacks.

"I guess I should not be surprised that this soldier does not have the balls to resolve the matter face to face instead of finding someone to represent him." The armorback thanked his quick reflexes for correcting himself before he spoke the word he felt more fitting.

"It is possible that Corporal Sse'kasha can be excused for seeking to avoid any contact with you at this time. It seems like there have been other instances where you have crossed more than words."

"I would hardly be the only one. Many archosaurs find it hard to give any respect to these so-called True Saurians."

Arokh leaned forward. "Just like others would find it hard to respect someone with your background, Grell."

The armorback remained silent for several seconds. "I fail to see your point."

Arokh rose from the chair. Grell followed him with his eyes as the eyeridge paced slowly back and forth from the opposite side of the desk. "Respect, along with freedom, is a basis for the Archosaur Domains, Grell. If you take both of them away, everything else would collapse. Granted, even with these tenets, we are still archosaurs - being at each other's throats sometimes seems as much a part of us as the scales that make up our skins. We are not some idealistic creatures traveling all over the galaxy, happily getting along with everyone we meet for the first time. Yet despite this, we function as a whole; otherwise we probably would still be eating each other." The eyeridge paused and fixed his eyes on the armorback. "Without them, someone like me could see you as one large and tasty meal."

Grell smiled; the clubbed end of his tail swung lazily from side to side. "I'm sure my friend right behind me would be very vocal about that. In the way he likes to speak, that is."

Arokh nodded. "We cannot pretend to silence each individual that offends us, Sergeant. No matter how vile and distasteful their words may be. I am familiar with the sentiment many in this ship hold towards Darkthunder. Some have been rather vocal in their frustrations at what they perceive is a serious lack of qualities in our commanding officer."

The armorback took four steps forward to stand just in front of the desk. He pointed angrily at the Commander's chair. "With all due respect, sir, I feel I acted in the best interests of this ship and the saurian that sits in there."

"Best interest? A military panel would probably consider your actions as intent to have non-consensual sex with the Corporal. Given your troubled past, you should be very familiar with the consequences, Grell."

The eyeridge remained silent for a few heartbeats. A slight tinge of panic coursed through the armorback's spine as Arokh scanned him intently with those predatory eyes. Arokh was certainly far less prone to anger than the terrorclaw, but he was still a carnivore. A lone hunter versus the pack mentality of the terrorclaw - less impulsive and more calculating.

Grell paused to plan his strategy. His ancestors probably could dig well in the ground to look for tubers and other edible things; digging himself into a hole would not serve him the same purpose.

"I am well aware of my past, Lieutenant. I joined the Patrol with the intention of leaving it behind for the carrion eaters to finish. And while I may feel sometimes that our Commander certainly cannot measure up to someone like Prion, the thought of a traitorous act against anyone in the Patrol does not occupy even one neuron of my otherwise dumb armorback brain." With each spoken word, the armorback got slowly closer to the eyeridge, until he was almost screaming in his face. "So don't bring my past into play when I say, right here and now, that the words spoken by Sse'kasha could not be interpreted as anything but a threat to the well-being of this ship's Commander!"

Arokh's nostrils flared slightly as the carnivore showed his discontent. "That is quite unusual for you to say, Sergeant. You, of all saurians, seem the most vocal in their distaste for Darkthunder. One would think that if someone were planning something against our Commander, you would be a primary suspect."

Damn you, you stupid eyeridge!_Grell thought. _All that we have fought together, and you would believe some third-rate ruffian? He could not help but feel unnerved at how calm Arokh looked from the other side of the desk, even as he was thankful it was not Darkthunder who sat there. By now, the terrorclaw most certainly would be licking his claws clean after having eaten Grell alive.

Like any of his primal ancestors, there was no place for him to go. The predator was circling, and it was time to wield the virtual clubbed tail in his evolved armorback mind to fend it off.

"As you well know, Lieutenant, many among this ship's crew have a strong distaste for my presence."

"You have only yourself to blame for that."

"Yes, but that is completely irrelevant. They may have called me names, and spoken my name in rather unflattering ways. Yet, none of them has ever accused me of anything worse than being a boorish soldier with a short fuse. My integrity and dedication to the ship, and any of its officers, is something that I will not allow anyone to question. As a soldier of the Patrol, I am ready to take this matter through the appropriate steps. So I request that my accuser produce witnesses to back up his claims so that I can exercise my right to a military tribunal, Lieutenant."

The eyeridge remained almost impassive. Grell still noticed Arokh's eyes as they twitched slightly. His clubbed tail swung slowly from side to side, waiting anxiously for Arokh's next move.

Several heartbeats passed before Arokh answered. "That will not be necessary, Sergeant. The Corporal has not been able to produce a single, veritable witness to back up his accusations. Not a single person has come forward despite his claims that there were others present at the time."

Grell snorted in anger; even as he began to feel as if he had managed to fend off a pack of hungry terrorclaws, he was sure the ravenous beasts would return, even hungrier. "Then I fail to understand the purpose of this minute inquisition."

"I wanted to gauge your feelings on this matter. And perhaps to get you to learn a lesson."

"A lesson, sir?"

Arokh paused. "You and I go a long way, Grell. We've been in this ship from its maiden voyage, and had the honor to serve under Prion's command. I know we never had much reason to mingle during that time. I value your expertise, like many others in this ship and the Patrol, even when I think you are also becoming a liability. I will recommend that you keep yourself out of any more trouble. Though in your case, words come much easier than actions."

_So that's it?_Grell thought. He felt a sudden feel of relief, then immediately squashed it. There had to be something more to it; there was no way he was being let off that easily. "Then I presume it will be up to Commander Darkthunder to give the final word."

"It will seem strange to you, but Darkthunder is not willing to weigh too much importance in this matter at this time, even if you have given him yet another reason to dispose of you like one would get rid of yesterday's meal. He is well aware that finding a replacement of your caliber among our current crew would be impossible. However, it doesn't mean he will not enforce discipline. It will be up to him to decide on an appropriate punishment, all the way up to asking for your resignation as Navigator after our current tour of duty."

The armorback thought it was most certainly advisable to cash in his current winnings, and to begin working on tactics for any confrontation sure to follow. "Understood, sir."

"You are dismissed. There is no need to resume your position in the Bridge for the rest of this shift, Sergeant. After your well-executed maneuver, you probably could use some additional rest."

The armorback saluted and walked away from the room. His pace was somewhat slower than usual, as he fought the tingling sensation that threatened to make his legs collapse.

Fear.

The eyeridge was certainly not prone to rage like a deathjaw or a terrorclaw, but he was not one bit less fiendish. Every movement, every word - they all seemed perfectly calculated to project fear into Grell's mind. Eons of evolution and archosaur society may have prevented Arokh from really making a meal out of the armorback, but the eyeridge was definitely hunting.

Grell had never seen Arokh act like that. It could only mean Darkthunder was beginning to turn Arokh to see and think in the terrorclaw's way. It would definitely be a very sorry moment the day both carnivores finally turned on him, and made an example of the armorback for the whole crew to see.

The armorback began to walk faster as he began to regain full control of his emotions. Gone were the days where Prion and Arokh effectively neutralized each other. The Tarrakhan was a different beast now. The interiors and most of its saurians could be the same, but the combined mentality of its two main officers now gravitated completely towards an edge that made his herbivore nature finally shout with dread.

Grell headed towards the only one place he could think of. Confrontation was almost certain, but it was high time he started thinking about saving his own skin. His other feelings would probably have to wait.

- * - * -

The second lizard was barely more than bones by the time the terrorclaw's sentience began to ooze back from the corner of his brain where he had forced it to hide.

Darkthunder began to recite in his mind abstract concepts, and to count backwards from a randomly chosen number. He followed the mental exercise with slowly flexing and moving his extremities and fingers on command, until he was satisfied that his mind had nearly returned to full sentience.

The terrorclaw rose to his feet with some difficulty. Much to his chagrin, his otherwise stout stomach now displayed the success of his hunt. He would have to burn a good part of that weight if he wanted to fit in his armor before the next incursion.

"Shit... I'm a mess," he said to himself as he took a good look at his dark skin, now dull with dirt and covered in blood in lots of places. To him and those of his former pack, a dirty, bloodied hunter returning with part of his kill on tow was a mark of success, and certainly admired by the rest. Among the rest of Archosaur society, the closest he could get and still be socially acceptable was after fighting - and killing - those accursed drug runners.

He considered walking back to his quarters just as he was right then. It certainly would not improve the image others in his ship had about him, however. His rather unsavory smell certainly would complete the picture. He looked for a small nearby pond that he could use to cleanse himself.

Darkthunder washed away as much of the dirt and blood as possible, then headed for the exit, picking up his discarded uniform along the way. He growled as he realized that his clothes would not fit him well, either. Again, the situation would be a non-issue back in his homeworld, where his kind wore absolutely no clothing. The terrorclaw could not help having a slight disdain for the seemingly arbitrary standards that the civilized Archosaur society imposed on him.

A solution came quickly. Near the exit to the room, a fake boulder held any items his sentient self could possibly need. The locking mechanism had been designed in a way that it would look imperceptible to his feral self but not to his more civilized mind. He pulled a large towel from the neatly organized pile and wrapped it around his waist. Curious looks from any crewmember that would cross his path on his way to his quarters were most certainly inevitable, but at least he would look not unlike any other soldier heading back to their room after a shower.

The terrorclaw walked out of the large room, carrying his folded uniform in both hands.

The last fleeting traces of the hunter trance disappeared from his sentient mind; the memories of the hunt disappeared as the cooler air of the rest of the Tarrakhan washed over the terrorclaw's nude body. Already he began to miss the hot, humid air of his artificial jungle. Duties and responsibilities would preclude him entering the area again for quite some time. Were it up to him, the climate inside the entire Tarrakhan would be an exact match of the one in his homeworld.

"Commander?"

Darkthunder stopped cold and exhaled loudly; the sound of heavy footsteps behind him grew louder as the armorback hurried to meet him.

The terrorclaw did not move one muscle other than the ones for his eyes, following Grell as the armorback went around Darkthunder, then stopped to look curiously at the terrorclaw. "Damn. You look like you tried to fight a whole forest, and you ate the forest!" He patted his own torso. "Although you still have a long way to go if you want to match my bulk."

Darkthunder let out a soft, drawn out hiss to voice his discontent. "The last thing I expected to see, hear and smell after my hunt was you, Sergeant. I suggest that, whatever it is that you wish to tell me, you keep it brief and to the point. I am well rested from my hunt and I have no desire to have all that work wiped out." He turned to gaze directly into Grell's eyes. "And right now you have one hand hovering dangerously close to the erase key. So tell me what you want before I bite said hand off."

The armorback stuttered, finding it slightly hard to speak. "Yes, yes, I'm sorry, sir. I... I just wanted to talk some personal matters with you, outside our uniforms and rank. You certainly are outside yours right now."

Darkthunder stared at his nemesis, eyes beginning to narrow in annoyance. That was all it took for the armorback to continue talking, even more hurriedly.

"I know my actions have gained me the unpleasant honor of being one of the worst soldiers you have had the misfortune to deal with. So I was hoping that you could give me an opportunity for us to talk one on one."

The terrorclaw shook his head slightly in frustration. "I believe we have done that a few times already. Without much to show in the way of results."

"Yes, but this would be more personal. No talk about the ship, or the Patrol, or our lives in the service. I want it to be... just about us."

Darkthunder could not help notice the armorback's posture. Rather than holding his body straight up and tail held above the ground, he was somewhat hunched, with his tail barely above the floor. His hands were bunched almost together, fingers curled to keep his nails pointed away from the terrorclaw. Even the tone of his voice was a lot more subdued. Darkthunder could not decide whether Grell was afraid of him, or somehow wanted to appear as a caring saurian.

"And what would be the purpose of that?" Darkthunder asked coldly.

"I thought that... if you could see more clearly where I come from... and I could understand your former life among your pack, then... perhaps it could help us find a better path for us to walk through. You could put your claws down and I keep my tail at ease, and hopefully clear the misunderstandings and animosity we both harbor against the other."

Darkthunder cocked his head slightly. The way the armorback now talked and looked at him was far from his usual. There was not a single trace of anger or other feelings of displeasure that he could detect. He could not imagine that Grell was concerned in any way about an officer he probably saw more of a torment instead of a potential close friend. Whatever it was, it seemed quite sincere.

"I will have to get back to you on it, soldier. Right now... it is certainly not the time."

"Yes, of course," Grell said hurriedly. "Perhaps then, any time after our next incursion? We could talk over some dinner, if you feel like it. The mess hall by the docking bay level is usually the least crowded."

Darkthunder tried to keep his usual stern face. "The way you're describing it, it's starting to sound less like a serious attempt at a discussion and more like a date."

"It does?" The armorback swallowed, visibly uneasy. "I'm sorry, sir. Forget about the last part, then. We could talk in your office if you rather -"

"No, over dinner will be just fine, Sergeant," Darkthunder said as he smiled slightly. "Although I am not sure if you are ready to see a terrorclaw eat. Some have described it as a rather disturbing sight."

The armorback shrugged slightly as he smiled back. "I doubt you are any worse than the deathjaws I had to deal with during my days before the Patrol."

Darkthunder looked again at the armorback. His posture was quite submissive and slightly supplicant. "I hope you realize that even if I agree to your request, it will not in any way affect my duties as your Commander. So I hope you are not planning this as a way to work your way out of whatever decision I may have to take about you."

Grell planted a hand flat against his chest while offering the other, palm up, in the archosaurian gesture of an unconditional promise or decision. "I understand completely, sir. My offer still stands."

"Very well. I will get back to you with a time and date. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to get to my private quarters. Carry on, soldier."

Grell stood at attention and saluted, then turned in the direction he had come from and began to walk away.

Darkthunder stared at the armorback until Grell turned around a corner and was out of sight before he resumed his walk. The hunter tried to banish from his mind the image of that wide, spiked back, those heavily muscled legs and arms, and the massive tail sitting on top of firm buttocks, as his thoughts began to drift once again into savage, carnal desires. The terrorclaw lowered the bundle of clothes he carried even further down to conceal an impertinent erection that now made his walking somewhat painful.

- * - * -

Inside a tight-run ship like the Tarrakhan, a shift change was yet another functional display of Patrol procedures and protocol. Saurians walked through multiple rooms and corridors, exchanging commands and any relevant information. For those whose shift had ended, it was time to put their clawed, bare feet up and perhaps participate in some of the various forms the Patrol provided for their leisure. Some would search for enlightenment in meditation or the pursuit of knowledge. Others went for physical gains, whether in the training rooms, the gyms, or gaming venues. Many others sought the carnal pleasures of a hot, heavy mating, whether with a single partner or a small group.

And there was the main mess hall.

The lively, loud chatter of a couple hundred voices and sounds of varying pitch and intensity mingled with the somewhat loud prerecorded music that played for the varied tastes of all species, and filling the air with an almost unintelligible cacophony of varying intensity. Saurians who wanted a quiet place for conversation while consuming a meal knew it was time to look elsewhere.

Gone from the throngs of loud conversation, an armorback watched as his equally silent companion stared indifferently at a bowl of seasoned leaves. The groundthumper occasionally stirred and tossed his seemingly unappealing meal. Sometimes he would place a leaf or two in his mouth and chewed them without much desire or appetite.

"You're late," Brakkus said as he finally broke his silence.

Grell nodded softly. "I'm sorry; I had a couple things to take care of first." He placed a large bottle of spirits on the table. "Your favorite."

Brakkus leaned forward to sniff the bottle, and then leaned back on his seat to continue chewing on the leaves. "I haven't seen much of you lately."

"We've been quite busy in the Bridge," Grell said, trying not to place much thought on the groundthumper snubbing the liquor. "I don't know what has gotten into Darkthunder lately. He claims he received some intelligence from the Sstahil, and has been very insistent that we follow those tracks, almost to the point of obsession. Whenever we can see him, that is. He's been spending too much time in his private hunting deck, and leaving Arokh in command of the ship. The stupid eyeridge has been working us even worse than the terrorclaw."

The groundthumper snorted derisively. "Yes, of course. I forgot how much effort it takes to run this ship."

"Besides... it is not like we work the same shifts anymore."

"Now isn't that a tragedy. I wonder whose idea it was."

"Someone other than me." Grell snorted softly as he thought about the best way to express the thoughts in his mind. "Listen, Brakkus... there is something I wanted to discuss with you. It is... some thoughts that I've been considering lately."

"Thinking." The groundthumper grabbed another leaf and started chewing it, apparently to give himself something to do than any real desire for a meal. "Now that is a surprise. Some people say you don't do much of that."

Grell tried to ignore his friend's rudeness, even as he felt a slight desire to respond with an equally curt comment. He could not blame Brakkus for his words, even when the groundthumper was uninhibited in expressing sentiments that had been seething inside his mind for quite some time.

"I think it is past time for me to come to a decision about our future. I hope you don't misunderstand what I want to say."

Brakkus tilted his head backwards for a few seconds as he looked at the ceiling while chewing another leaf. "There is nothing to be misunderstood. I have been getting the clues loud and clear for the last few days."

The armorback sighed. "You sound so unlike the Brakkus I know. What's bothering you?"

"Nothing."

"Hmm. I must have been too busy the day when the Archosaur Language Conservatory changed the definition of 'nothing'."

Brakkus turned to look again at Grell. "Well, smart ass, since you seem so eager - other than not having much opportunity for some good sex and losing my place in the Bridge, I don't see what else could be wrong." He pushed the bowl towards Grell, apparently tired of his meal. "I'm sick of this shit. Finish it if you want."

The armorback chewed on one leaf and promptly spit it out. "This needs more salt than usual."

"Medic's orders. I can't decide which one I should hate the most. The fleetfoot or the terrorclaw."

Grell grunted. "Don't be so hard on them. They both are doing what they think it is best. You can't blame Darkthunder for putting the safety of the entire ship first rather than risking you being indisposed at a critical moment. Don't tell me you would not do the same if you were in his position."

"Perhaps. But I certainly would not sack a soldier without making completely sure they cannot perform the job satisfactorily. I can certainly perform my old duties just as I have always done them. My headaches have been sent into remission."

"Yes, but at what cost? Ty-Grich has you under probably more scrutiny than a terrorist let out on parole. And if that were not enough, those drugs he's got you on -"

Brakkus tilted his long neck forward, staring angrily at the armorback. "There is nothing wrong with my medication! Other than some mild side effects, I am doing fine."

"That is quite an understatement," Grell said with a soft sigh.

Brakkus pushed air forcefully through his nostrils, making them flap noisily. Grell sighed and lifted his hands up to chest level, signaling his desire not to pursue that matter any further. He was well aware his friend's disrespect was just the first stage of the side effects of the drugs Brakkus needed to treat his injury. As bad as it was now, it would only get worse. The armorback grabbed hold of one of Brakkus' wrists and held tight. "Just give the Commander some time," he said softly. "I'm sure he'll let you back, eventually."

The groundthumper pulled his arm away. "You could try to convince him to have me back."

"You know I don't have that authority. It's up to Ty-Grich to decide when -"

Brakkus snorted as he interrupted. "Of course. You're probably not in any rush, either. It helps keep your undivided attention on a different tail."

"There's no need to be jealous."

"Who's jealous?"

"Sounds like you are."

"And why would I be? I don't get to be in the Bridge anymore, so I can't possibly know what you and Darkthunder may be talking about."

The armorback chuckled, closing his eyes as he shook his head slightly. "As if the feather duster could tolerate my presence any better without you around. Sure, he's been slightly less caustic ever since he returned from the Sstahil. I want to have a talk with him to see if I can get him out of my tail and stay on better terms."

Brakkus looked at Grell, his face emotionless. "That should be a productive chat. With some luck, Kre'y'nak briefed Darkthunder that the way to make you a better soldier in the terrorclaw's eyes is for him to lift his tail for you."

Grell growled. "For the love of Maia! Could you please stop that! You're definitely not helping anything with your -"

The armorback stopped as he noticed a familiar figure some distance away among the throng of archosaurs in the mess hall. There were several other longjaws inside the Tarrakhan, but the one he now stared at was definitely Kakkuttek. Grell never imagined Kakkuttek as someone who would enjoy the chaotic, loud atmosphere of the main mess hall; much less, have a conversation in such an environment, as he seemed engaged in some lively conversation with a snoutcrest.

Barely a few seconds passed before the longjaw smiled and patted the snoutcrest on a shoulder. They both parted ways; Grell waited with some curiosity, as the snoutcrest appeared to walk directly to where Grell and Brakkus were sitting. He was about ten paces away when he waved an arm in salutation.

"Sergeant Grell!" the snoutcrest said over the loud din that dominated the mess hall. "It is an honor to meet you, sir! Allow me to join everyone else to congratulate you on a well-executed maneuver. Almost everyone seems to agree how well you maneuver this ship. You probably share a secret neural link with the computers, or something." He let out a loud, shrilling laughter.

Grell nodded, not feeling like telling the newcomer how bad his timing had been. The green and brownish soldier was about the size of Darkthunder, with a slightly larger and muscled build than the terrorclaw, but not by much. Long of adult age, he still was some ways short to achieve his species' full-grown build. The snoutcrest's eyes seemed to shine with some excitement, as if he had come across a well-known personality.

"Getting this ship to perform is one of the things I do best."

Brakkus snorted. "More like the only one now," he said, his words almost lost in the ambient noise.

Grell ignored the grumpy groundthumper as he eyed the snoutcrest. The young saurian's display of unbridled exuberance mystified him; the snoutcrest swayed slightly and otherwise seemed unable to stay completely still. Grell glanced to read the name on the saurian's uniform. "And to what do I owe the pleasure, Corporal... Saresh? I don't remember seeing you before."

"I joined the Tarrakhan shortly before it departed for this tour of duty," the snoutcrest said, his voice slightly shrilling and full of enthusiasm. "I have spent the time learning more about the ship and preparing myself for combat. I was assigned to the next ground force. I happened to see you here and thought it would be good if we could talk and get to know each other before the mission."

Brakkus snorted. "Don't get your hopes high, hatchling. This guy has another tail in mind."

The snouthorn turned to look at the groundthumper. "I am sorry?"

Grell made a friendly gesture as he pointed at Brakkus even if his eyes denoted some slight displeasure. "Corporal Saresh, this is Sergeant Brakkus. He is in the Armory as well."

Saresh's eyes opened wide, and he flashed a slightly toothy smile. "Ah, yes! I should have recognized you as well, Sergeant Brakkus. Sergeant Kakkuttek said you will be helping to direct ground operations from the ship."

"That's apparently my current duties, I've been told," Brakkus said, unwilling to conceal his annoyance at everything around him.

"I was also hoping we could talk as well, sir," Saresh said, still exuding what seemed everlasting cheerfulness.

Grell turned to look at the younger saurian. "I saw you talking with Kakkuttek just before you came over to our table. Was he -?"

"Lovely." Brakkus made no effort to conceal his disdain. "I guess then that the old longjaw has briefed this lizard in the other things he should know. There are plenty of juicy stories to keep new recruits entertained."

Saresh pulled his head and neck back, apparently taken aback by the groundthumper's curtness. "Excuse me, sir. What stories?"

"Well, what else could it be? Everyone in this ship knows which one thing Grell and I are best known for." He stared angrily at the armorback. "Or should I say... what we used to be known for."

"Well, I do know you two are very close friends. Is there something else I need -?"

"Don't play innocent, hatchling," Brakkus said, exasperated. "You said you were talking to Sergeant Kakkuttek before you came to our table and -" The groundthumper stopped and raised his neck almost vertical, as if something had finally registered in his brain. He lifted one finger up and moved it in a circular manner. "Now hold that thought, soldier, and rewind what you said not long ago. Did I hear you say... Sergeant Kakkuttek?"

"Well, yes. I mean, he is -"

Grell nodded as he interrupted the conversation. "Brakkus, I believe you were somewhat... indisposed when Darkthunder made the announcement two days ago. The longjaw is now Chief of Security for the Tarrakhan."

Brakkus brayed loudly for several seconds. All conversations on the nearby tables died unexpectedly as saurians all around turned to gaze at him. "Fucking bloody hell! I thought I was next in line for that position! And how come nobody ever told me until now!"

Grell lifted his hands slightly from the table as if to ask for absolution from a crime for which he was completely innocent. "I'm just giving you the news. Talk to Darkthunder if you think that he may -"

Brakkus slammed both fists on the table as he continued screaming, causing the bowl and bottle to almost topple over. "And what would be the fucking use in that? You know as well as I that there is no chance that dark bird head will change his fucking mind!"

Grell noticed the slightly concerned look on the snoutcrest's face. He gestured gently for Saresh to relax at the same time he fired a stern glance at his friend. "You will have to forgive Sergeant Brakkus, Corporal. He's not in good spirits at the moment."

"I apologize, sir," Saresh said, visibly uneasy. "Perhaps it will be better if I come back later?"

"Yes, thank you!" Brakkus said, curtly. "Nice to see you have at least one cell of common sense in that brain of yours."

Grell growled. "Brakkus, I think you should head back to our room now. We can finish our conversation later."

The groundthumper bared his round, peg-like teeth in anger, a gesture Grell had seen only twice before. "What, are you giving me orders now? Did Darkthunder also promote you as well?"

The armorback frowned. "No, but I will pull rank if I have to. I'm Sergeant First Class, after all."

"Oh, damn. You're making me so scared, sir," Brakkus said mockingly. "I think you're nothing but -"

"Brakkus, you're definitely under the influence of your medications. Soon you will be in no condition of being anywhere in the ship but our room."

"I can hold myself pretty well for the next hour." Pushing his chair back noisily, the groundthumper got onto his feet. "But I will leave you two alone so you can start grooming your new conquest."

"For the love of Maia!" Grell said as he slammed a fist on the table, completely infuriated. "What the fuck has gotten into you!?"

All around them, saurians stared at them, some blatantly, others doing a bad job trying to conceal their interest, as they all talked in hushed conversations, more noticeable as even the music had dropped in volume.

Brakkus' eyes shone brightly, and Grell noticed some humidity in them. "Being awfully horny, for starters. And that you keep rejecting my desire for some time together."

"Because I know better than not heed Ty-Grich's recommendation!"

"And since when you've started listening to him? Fucking medic needs a cock up his tailhole as well. Maybe he will be less stuck up that way. He and Kakkuttek would make a good couple. And you can join them for a threesome for all I care!"

Brakkus turned to walk away; as he did, his long tail hit the bowl from which he had been eating before, sending it crashing loudly onto the floor. Grell rushed to get on his feet, sending his chair tumbling a couple paces behind him. He raced to catch Brakkus, holding his friend tightly with both hands.

"Damn you, Brakkus! Listen to me!"

The groundthumper's strength was more than a match for the armorback, as the former broke free with little effort. Almost immediately, Brakkus hands curled into fists, leaving Grell no time to react as one fist hit him squarely on his hard snout. The armorback fell back two steps, slightly stunned.

Only the soft rumble of the ship's Tachyon engines continued as both saurians eyed each other.

The armorback's breath came deep and slow as Grell fought the impulse to strike back. Slowly, he let his anger subside even as Brakkus stared at him, arms raised in a fighting stance. Grell wiped a small trickle of blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. "What happened to that cheerful groundthumper I used to know?" His voice came with a much graver tone than usual.

Brakkus lowered his arms. Body and neck held straight, he stared back at Grell with scorn. "Maybe he was a casualty of that mission." Snorting softly, the groundthumper turned and walked away, pushing anyone that failed to get immediately out of his way. Only the back of his head and neck were visible as the groundthumper made his way to the exit and disappeared into the hallways outside without missing a step.

Grell ignored the countless eyes still fixed on him. He made his way silently towards the table and chair he had occupied moments before, and sat down. Both the music and conversations slowly rose to their previous levels of noise and liveliness. Not one saurian approached to sympathize with him. Not that he cared or needed it, Grell thought as he wiped a bit more blood from his lips.

There was no doubt his friendship with Brakkus had come down crashing and hurting, almost as bad as the groundthumper did the day he was shot. Healing it appeared as if it would take as much work and patience. He wished Ty-Grich could mend those feelings as easily as he worked with physical bodies.

Even then, Grell wondered how far he was willing to rebuild the bond that once existed between him and Brakkus. Even at the peak of their relationship, Brakkus still would not provide that one thing Grell longed for.

"Though I certainly won't find it from the Commander, that's for sure," Grell mumbled.

"Excuse me, Sergeant?"

Grell turned his head to aim one eye at the snoutcrest, still standing nearby, obviously confused and embarrassed.

"Why are you still here, soldier?" Grell asked, rather displeased.

"I don't think I was dismissed, sir," Saresh said, slightly nervous.

"Oh, by the First Egg! What are you -?" Grell cut his own words short. It would be totally uncalled for to vent his anger on the snoutcrest; Saresh was just an unfortunate witness to what had transpired.

The armorback gestured towards the chair Brakkus had been sitting on, eager for anything to help him put the incident behind as much as possible. Opening the bottle, he placed it in his mouth, taking a large swig from it before he pushed the bottle towards the snoutcrest. "Have a seat and a drink. Let's talk about your time in the Patrol."

- * - * -

"You've lived... quite an interesting life, Grell."

The armorback nodded as he walked next to the snoutcrest. Even when his steps were slightly unsteady, he still managed to walk solidly, albeit somewhat slower than usual, in the direction his mind desired. The same was not the true for his newfound friend; arms wrapped around Grell's thick right forearm, the smaller saurian relied on the stout armorback to walk where he needed to go.

Away from the mess hall and into far less populated parts of the ship, Grell breathed far easier and less concerned about the latest turns his life had taken. He was glad to engage in some lively conversation, even if Saresh was far more under the influence of the spirits than the armorback, and that Grell had consumed more than half of the bottle. His larger body mass made him more resistant to the strong spirits' effects.

"That is not how exactly how I would describe it. But you're entitled to your opinion, however misguided it is."

Saresh flashed a toothy grin. "I can't find any other way to describe it. From thug... to master pilot of the... Tarrakhan. That is definitely... one massive change. You're shining... like a supernova."

"Some analogy you came up with. The last thing I need is for my career to explode and collapse into a black hole." Grell snorted as he noticed Saresh eyeing the armorback's massive frame rather intently, despite the effects the alcohol was placing on the snoutcrest's senses. "We've been walking this deck for a while now. Where did you say you room was?

The snoutcrest pointed to a doorway about thirty paces away. "Right there."

"Good," Grell said, unable to conceal his relief as both saurians covered the remaining distance. "I've been getting a bit uneasy helping you drag your sorry carcass. The way I've heard you retch, I was afraid you were going to send your dinner flying all over me. I can't think of many things more disgusting than a carnivore's vomit."

"And what's wrong... about meat?" Saresh said curtly, sounding offended. "I'm sure you've... had some in your mouth at times."

Grell snorted, louder this time. "Just keep on walking, hatchling."

Leaning against the hand reader, the snoutcrest needed a few tries - and an armorback's hand to keep his claw steady enough - before the reader allowed him entrance into the room. Grell lifted the saurian effortlessly and carried him inside and onto his bed.

Saresh hissed with delight and stretched his limbs in all directions as he found himself on the soft bed. "Thank you, sir."

"Now that you are safe back in your room, it is time for me to be elsewhere. There are things I need to do before our mission. And I need my own rest."

"It is too bad Sergeant Brakkus left us," Saresh said, still flashing his exuberant smile. "I'm sure he would have had more for us to talk about."

"There's very little Brakkus would have contributed to this conversation, I'm afraid. He and I would usually have... well, we had little more than one topic constantly in our minds."

"Is that something we could discuss... over a spit roast?"

Grell frowned. The snoutcrest was definitely not the naive saurian he had appeared to be hours before. He glared at the soldier before he turned around to leave. "Do yourself a favor, Saresh. Don't hang around Kakkuttek too much. He's far too arrogant and depressed for the likes of someone like you."

Saresh closed his eyes briefly, still smiling. "No need to worry, Sergeant. He is just my trainer for all official matters concerning this ship. The fun things... those I would rather have with strong, sexier soldiers."

Grell felt the snoutcrest's strong gaze. Impaired as he was from the alcohol, Saresh still directed a strong, lustful gaze at the armorback - first at his massive chest, then slowly drifting down towards the large bulge in Grell's crotch. "You male armorbacks are such gorgeous bulls. Did you know that? And you have... the most massive muscles I've ever seen in anyone of your kind."

"Better get some sleep, soldier," Grell said, feeling flustered at being compared to a breeding animal. "You are drunk, and I will need you fully alert tomorrow."

"And you're also drunk, sir. Do you wish to do something about it? I'm game, if you would."

Grell shook his head. "You are indeed a comely saurian, Saresh, but you certainly can do better than to have me mate you. There are other strong males in this ship. Some are armorbacks as well, although they are not massive... bulls like me, as you so eloquently put it."

"That does not make you any less attractive to me. You must have lusted for saurians other than your type. Maybe show some lithe carnivore... thinking how hard and deep you could shove that massive meat inside them. I bet you would feel really good if you could dominate those little bastards, wouldn't you?"

No words could ever form in Grell's mind to provide an answer, even when the truth goaded him into spilling the cravings roaring from that particular place between his loins. It was foolish to deny his base, primal desires. He lusted for Darkthunder. He wanted to bed that gorgeous terrorclaw, to make him squirm under his weight. To make him scream from the pleasurable pain of having a massive cock pushed deep, hard and fast inside that tight tailhole. Even when the terrorclaw was as close as a few paces away inside the ship's Bridge, emotionally the separation could not be any larger. For all purposes, Darkthunder could very well live in the next galaxy.

His eyes drifted back towards Saresh. Spread out on that bed, the snoutcrest still looked at Grell with desire. Looking at the snoutcrest, there was only a slight difference between his build and Darkthunder's. Even the pitch of their voices was eerily similar.

"You're not built to accommodate me." Grell thought the words were more like an excuse for him to hide the desire that continued to build in his mind. The snoutcrest certainly could provide Grell a test of what it would feel to mate the terrorclaw.

"You... would be surprised," Saresh said as he tried to undress, failing miserably due to his besotted state. "I've been in bed with my share of large soldiers... since I joined the Patrol."

Grell growled loudly. It had been some time since he had enjoyed pounding Brakkus' ass, or that of any other sentient male for that matter. The sight of the comely, willing snoutcrest finally pushed him past the edge. He could not release the buckles in his vest and other clothing fast enough to release the pressure in his crotch. His thick cock shot upwards, glistening with sweat and desire.

Saresh opened his eyes as much as the alcohol allowed him. "Damn... that is some serious meat!" He lifted a hand, wanting to touch it. "Can I lick it?"

"Not this time," Grell said as he climbed onto the bed. He tugged and pulled at the snoutcrest's clothes until the saurian was also completely naked. Outside of his clothes, Saresh was about as comely as Darkthunder.

The armorback thought that he could come to regret his actions later. It certainly was the least of his concerns right then.

Saresh protested only mildly as Grell turned him to lie on his stomach. The armorback pushed the thick tail base to the side, exposing the inviting, pulsing hole underneath. He could not wait any more. He spit a few times in one hand, and rubbed it against his own cock, providing as much lubrication as his saliva could give. The snoutcrest groaned as Grell lay on top of him, the heavy armorback's weight pushing him down on the bed.

Grell felt Saresh's butt cheeks spread as he placed the tip of his cock against the puckered hole. He held there for a couple heartbeats before he pushed in, burying almost the entire length with one shove. He felt the snoutcrest tense underneath him, no doubt somewhat shocked at how strongly he was penetrated.

"Sweet Mother Maia!!" Saresh screamed, followed by a loud roar. "Ahhh.... ahhhhh!!!"

Grell held the snoutcrest tightly under his body as he began to pound on the tailhole, allowing almost no space for the smaller male to move and ease the battering his body was taking. Grell could feel that the snoutcrest was certainly a veteran of many matings. Even with his massive phallus filling it completely, the tailhole felt slightly loose. It still held onto his flesh nicely; the snoutcrest probably never had a male as thick as Grell.

"What?" Grell said, talking in between grunts as he continued thrusting into the snoutcrest. "Didn't the longjaw tell you this is how Brakkus and I mate?"

"Yes... yes... ahhh! Aaahh-aaa-aaiIIAAAKKK!!!"

"What was that? You want more?"

"Yes... oohhh!! Grellll!!"

The armorback increased his pace. With each forceful thrust, the snoutcrest moaned or otherwise screamed. Whether it was from pain or pleasure did not matter to Grell. The screams only encouraged the armorback to increase the pounding on the snoutcrest's tailhole. He began to pick up the pace, faster and deeper, until he began pressing Saresh hard against the bed, their bodies bouncing upwards after each thrust.

"Ohhh... Maia! Aaahh!! Aakkk!! AAAAKKK!!"

"Scream! Scream, you little whore!" Grell mumbled as he continued savagely fucking the smaller saurian. "This is why you wanted to meet me, didn't you? Because you wanted to be fucked... like the little bitch you are, right!?"

"Sir... yes, aaaahh! Unnhh!! Aahhh!! AAAAIIIAAHHH!!!"

Grell pushed and pulled, harder and faster. The saurians screamed as their bodies moved violently in their intense, almost brutally savage male-to-male sex, the wet slapping of sweaty loins against an equally sweaty butt. Even as Grell fucked the living daylights out of the smaller male, he exercised as much control of his body as he could, to make his fucking the snoutcrest last as long as he could.

Grell looked down at the smaller saurian, pummeled under his heavy weight and thick member, writhing in pain and pleasure at the brutal mating. His crests had taken a deep crimson shade from the blood pumped into them; no doubt from the intense feelings that now overwhelmed the saurian's mind. The armorback grunted and growled; he tried to think that it was not a snoutcrest but Darkthunder who was at the other end of his massive cock. The thought made Grell thrust even faster and harder, making the snoutcrest scream even louder each time he shoved his thick member inside.

The intermittent screaming became a long, loud one as Saresh reached his peak. The snoutcrest convulsed and shuddered as his cock spurted, sandwiched between its owner and the bed.

Grell's own climax was not far behind. Days without mating resulted in the armorback spurt a long, thick stream of hot seed. His grunts turned into a loud bellow as the intense orgasm enveloped his entire body, sapping every muscle of its strength and making every nerve flash as if shocked by a strong electrical current. Saresh let out one last pitiful scream as the armorback collapsed, pushing him further onto the bed.

The armorback gasped, feeling his heart wanting to burst out of his chest. His mind, still overwhelmed by the effects of the explosive climax, screamed to make sense of what had just happened. Grell could not comprehend why he felt such a strong urge to fuck the snoutcrest so hard. By doing so, he climaxed with such intensity that the memory of that particular moment would certainly never fade away.

Grell pulled out of the abused snoutcrest, sucking a considerable glob of his seed out of the tailhole he had pounded mercilessly.

"Was that what you expected, soldier?"

"Good... Maia... ahhhh... aaoohhh..." Saresh could barely speak; his body and mind still reeled from the effect of the intense orgasm brought by the brutal way Grell had mated him. Mentally exhausted and physically abused, the snoutcrest could barely hang on to consciousness. Eventually he stopped fighting, and fell unconscious.

"I guess I was too hard on you."

Grell looked for a towel to cleanse himself, then wiped the cum from Saresh's buttocks, tail and bed as much as he could before he gently covered the sleeping saurian with a clean blanket. "I'm sorry if I overdid it. I hope you can walk tomorrow. But somehow I have a feeling you've dealt with this before."

Grell tried to suppress the overwhelming sense of guilt that now smothered his conscience. Even if Saresh had asked for it, even when the snoutcrest was perhaps as much of a slut as Brakkus, the armorback could not help but think that he had taken advantage of the smaller saurian. He had to force himself to realize Saresh was definitely anything but innocent. He dressed quietly and took one last look to make sure Saresh was indeed sleeping peacefully before he left the room.

Thankfully, the hallways were deserted. Nobody would be there to see him, although anyone passing by during the heat of the mating most certainly heard what was going on inside the room.

The armorback noticed the time. He was overdue for some sleep, but his mind was too alert; there was no way he could get enough rest now before the next incursion. He shrugged it off; as a soldier, he had trained and endured far worse before.

There was only one way for him to burn that remaining pent up energy.

- * - * -

More than any time before, Brakkus hated his life.

The groundthumper laid face down on his bed, his nude, scaly body bathed in the eerie, soft glow that permeated through the open window as countless, infinitesimal Tachyon particles were deflected by the Tarrakhan's shields. Once welcomed, the ghostly light now hurt his eyes. The controls to close the blast shield for the window were right above his head, but in his current state, it made no difference if the switch was located ten decks away.

His mouth, dry and stiff, could barely form the words to utter an obscene curse for the medic who had put him in such a painful state - the nasty side effects of drugs he had to take. This will help speed up the recovery, the medic had said, although you may not like how it will feel like. More than ever, he questioned Ty-Grich's supposed medical expertise. With several species making up the Archosaur Domains, how could some small-brained fleetfoot possibly know what is good for a big, burly groundthumper?

Brakkus had to admit, though, that the migraines had stopped. Although the acid trips he had to endure every other day were almost as bad. Visions and hallucinations paraded through his impaired senses, as they had done unceasingly for hours, while his heart beat at an extremely fast rate. He fell asleep many times, each time waking up from dreams that felt even worse. The groundthumper resisted a strong urge to vomit. It was bad enough that his bed was uncomfortably wet from his own copious sweat; having to wallow on his own crap for hours would only add to the suffering.

He pleaded for the immediate destruction of the Dak-Tarrakhan. A Tachyon engine failure, sabotage, a freak space anomaly - anything that could provide a quick way to have him put out of his misery. In his incapacitated state, he would not be able to move and save his hide. Nobody would think of coming to the room and drag him to safety. Not that there would be time for any saurian to come look for him.

He sobbed at the thought. He was alone in the room, unable to find comfort in anyone. Even Grell had seemingly decided to place some considerable distance in between. Now more than ever, Brakkus wanted someone to comfort him; to assure him that it would get better, even as he realized the blame was his alone.

Grell had made numerous strong attempts at a more meaningful relationship. Yet all that Brakkus wanted or needed was sex without any strong strings attached. Without an actual home or family, soldiers like him expected not much else from their time in the universe. As long as that thick armorback cock was there to continuously invade and abuse his tailhole, he figured, the rest of his life was complete.

He had plenty of time to contemplate life as his heart pounded mightily in his chest. Maybe he would get lucky and a fatal heart attack would not be that much far away. He buried his head in his pillow and let his tears mingle with the sweat that soaked it.

In the near silence of his room, he heard the pneumatic hiss of a door as it opened, then closed soon after.

The groundthumper fought to open his eyes as his drug-addled brain tried to react. His ear holes picked up the sound of clawed fee getting closer, until he felt the presence of another scaly body next to him. Brakkus heard a beep above his head as the control pad was pressed, followed by the soft hum of the blast shield closing, leaving the room in almost total darkness.

Only the sound of another saurian's deep breathing floated in the air. Brakkus felt a hand touch his naked back.

"Grell...?"

Another hand closed his snout gently, and Brakkus felt a strange urge to comply. The hand that touched his skin now seemed to trace the patterns made by the dark colored stripes on his back. Slowly and gently, it worked its way down his spine and under his tail. Brakkus let out a faint, weak growl of pleasure as a clawed fingertip touched the sensitive spots around his tailhole and testicles.

The caressing stopped abruptly, replaced by the sound of a belt and a few straps getting unbuckled and loosened. A soft thud followed soon after as heavy clothes fell to the floor. Brakkus felt the very familiar sensation of someone kneeling on the bed, followed very soon after by having his tail lifted. Naked skin touched his body, followed by the pleasant feeling of something thick pressing briefly against his tailhole before it slipped gently inside his body.

"Oh... sweet Mother..." Brakkus whispered, unable to make his voice any louder.

His words were silenced again with a gentle nuzzle and a soft, guttural growl. Brakkus moaned while tears of pain welled in his eyes, as the muscles and flesh in his body reacted again to an intruder they had not felt for some time. His partner let out soft growls of pleasure as he began to slide his massive cock in and out.

For the briefest instant, the groundthumper panicked. In his drugged state, he could not move nor object to his body getting used sexually. By some definition, technically he was being raped. Panic gave way to concern, and that promptly faded into pleasure. Tears welled again into his eyes before they flowed copiously down his face, as the thick cock buried itself deeper inside with a gentleness Brakkus had not felt in a very long time.

The pace of his partner's thrusts began to pick up. Brakkus gasped with delight as the cock now filling his guts hit all the right spots, sending shivers of pleasure coursing through his body. Slowly, the hallucinations that had tormented his mind began to fade away, just like some malevolent phantoms now banished into the nether domains from which they had spawned. Brakkus let his mind ride the intensifying waves that emanated from his tailhole as it continued to be penetrated.

Before long, the massive cock buried itself fully inside and remained there as bursts of thick, hot male juice were shot deeper inside the groundthumper. Slowly, the pressure in his intestines began to subside as the other male began to grow soft inside. Brakkus moaned as his partner pulled out.

"No... please..." Brakkus said, his voice hoarse and weak. "Don't go... do it... again. Please."

He sobbed softly as he sensed hesitation; sadness soon gave way to happiness as his lover mounted him again. Soon after, the thick cock made its way again inside him.

One more mating would follow before his companion had enough. By then, the horrible visions had disappeared, cast out deep into the corners of his mind, and bestow Brakkus the first restful night in a long while.

- * - * -

Grell kept silent as he stood in front of his personal cabinet, spreading a white, fine powder over most of his nude body, which made him tolerate the combat uniform. All around, all saurians that would comprise the ground team similarly prepared themselves, all in different stages of gearing up.

There was an awkward moment as Saresh entered the room, walking with an almost imperceptible limp. Grell waited anxiously for the snoutcrest to start chastising him for what had happened the night before. Saresh only smiled slightly and walked slowly past the armorback. Thank you for last night, sir, he whispered._ That was awesome._

_"You... are welcome,"_Grell felt like saying, just as he resisted an impulse to go after Saresh and chat for a while. It was perhaps best not to get too friendly to the snoutcrest. Even as he sought to get closer to Darkthunder, Grell was already familiar with the consequences of losing a partner in battle. Slightly apart from everyone else, a lone trihorn also prepared himself for combat.

Nobody questioned that Garios was selected for this mission, despite some rumors about a supposed treatment for detoxification and depression. If Darkthunder had seen it fit that the trihorn could return to active duty, then that was reason enough for anyone. Although Grell could not help wonder whether Garios felt like there was a score in desperate need to settle.

Grell's relief at the snoutcrest's silence evaporated as Kakkuttek walked in, also naked. The longjaw made a beeline for Saresh as soon as he noticed the snoutcrest in the room. Both saurians talked in hushed tones. Their conversation was rather brief, as Saresh seemed to brush off the longjaw quite rudely, apparently very annoyed. Taking his armor and other items, the snoutcrest walked away to find a better spot to gear up, leaving a miffed longjaw behind. Grell breathed easier as he thought that, at least for once, karma had smiled on him.

Grell hoped that such invisible luck or spirit could hang around him for a few more days. He was definitely not out of the woods regarding his problem with Sse'kasha. Even if the plateback could not produce a witness, Grell knew he was far from escaping unscathed. For a brief instant he wished that he had actually raped the worthless plateback so brutally that his mating with Saresh would had seemed like a caress in comparison. At least Grell would have gotten something in return for the anxiousness that now gnawed at the back of his mind like a predator feasting on its prey after having starved for weeks.

He pushed the thought back into his mind. More pressing matters would come up in the next few hours.

A familiar figured moved into his field of view. Grell turned to look at the approaching groundthumper. Fully clothed in his regular Patrol uniform and light armor, he stood out against all the other saurians in the room.

"Well, hello there, stud," Brakkus said as he smiled. He gave a quick glance at the thick, long meat hanging from the armorback's crotch. "Nice to see you haven't lost that hard spike between your legs."

"I take good care of the gifts Maia wanted me to have," Grell said as he spread the powder in his underarms. "And you surely are in good spirits today."

Brakkus grinned. "And why shouldn't I be?"

Grell said nothing for a few instants. He cocked his head to look at Brakkus with only his right eye. "I would talk to Ty-Grich if I were you; that medication he's got you in sure puts you through some serious mood swings. And what the hell are you doing here dressed like that, anyway? I thought you were not cleared for combat."

Brakkus snorted. "Not yet. The fucking medic is still holding out."

"That is a rather rude way to talk about the one who is saving your hide." Grell clapped his hands a few times to get rid of any excess powder in his hands before he put away the bottle he had been using to dispense it.

"I may still be unable to join you on the ground, but I'm still a pilot. Seems like we were short by one, so I'll be bringing down the second away team, if you need it." He paused for a brief moment. "Darkthunder's orders."

The armorback nodded. "Well, it's good that our deadly feather duster won't allow you to rot from inaction." There was an awkward pause as he pondered how to phrase what he wanted to say next. "Listen, Brakkus... I've been meaning to tell you something. I'll go straight to the point. I think it would be best if we... lived apart for a while."

Brakkus took a deep breath. "That is surprising. After what you did last night, I was having hopes that you would -"

"It is because of last night that I think we should walk different paths. And I... I have made up my mind." Grell looked around, making sure there were not any saurian ear holes within a close distance. "About one particular officer. I asked him for a date."

Brakkus stood almost motionless for several seconds as he stared deep into the armorback's eyes, as if trying to read the thoughts inside the other herbivore's mind. "And he said yes?"

"Sounded like it."

The groundthumper shook his head gently as he let out a heavy sigh. He took a couple steps back to lean his body against the closed cabinets. "I probably should head back to the sick bay. I can't be listening to what I think you just said!"

"You heard right. You seem to be taking it rather well. Unlike last night."

Brakkus stuttered and stammered, trying to voice even one single, coherent thought. "I don't know which baffles me more; the actual idea, or that you actually considered it after everything that he has said and done."

"I am an armorback, Brakkus," Grell said, interrupting the groundthumper. "I have thick skin and bony spikes over my back, and a club for a tail that can break bones if I wanted to. I am built like a tank; my feral ancestors were even more so. We move about life rather slow and take whatever it throws at us with loads of patience. Though I believe Maia shortchanged me on the latter." He began to fit some tight gloves over his hands. "I'm tired of being seen as nothing but a motherfucking asshole that is good for nothing but to pilot a ship and enjoy hard sex. It's about time for me to settle down."

"That is your choice, I guess. I still can't understand why you even think that you have even the smallest chance of getting him. You are setting yourself for some serious disappointment."

The armorback shrugged. "You are the one who kept saying there was something between him and I."

"And you know better than to take seriously many of the things I say! And that was one of them. Maybe I over did it with the teasing. Gave you hopes where there is certainly none to be had."

Grell let out a loud snort as he began to get his armor out of the cabinet. "Nothing tried, nothing gained. Isn't that how the saying goes? I know it will probably be easier to change a moon's orbit with my bare hands than having such a saurian for a mate, but maybe if I plan and word carefully my next moves, who knows where it could end."

Brakkus voice turned somewhat grave as the groundthumper was unable to conceal a growing sadness. "Just when I was beginning to think that maybe we were getting back together... er..." He stopped abruptly.

"I know it hurts, and I'm sorry, but I have made up my mind. I'll deal with whatever comes out of this -" Grell winced; a sudden, sharp pain on his left shoulder from one of Brakkus' pointed thumb claws. "Fuck! What's the big idea, sausage neck!?"

Brakkus dipped his head forward slightly, clueing Grell to look in that direction. "Commander," the groundthumper said as he saluted the approaching terrorclaw.

Grell turned to look at Darkthunder, walking in the direction of his storage cabinet. Like most of the other saurians in the room, the terrorclaw was completely nude. He seemed to carry himself with pride, and perhaps even a slight tinge of arrogance. Grell turned to look away, glancing at him with the corner of his right eye. The feathered crest undulated with every step, just as the terrorclaw's genitals swayed and bounced gently on his loins.

"At ease," Darkthunder said as he finally stopped in front of his own locker. He turned to address his team. "As you are aware, soldiers, this operation is much different from any of our routine incursions. I don't want any of you to get too complacent when down there. I will fill you in on the last details as we make landfall."

Grell could not help notice the terrorclaw's stance as he spoke. Feet firmly planted on the ground and spread somewhat further apart than usual as Darkthunder tilted his torso slightly backwards. As he did, his muscles seemed to shine, revealing a well-built chest. While some of the bulging from his last meal was still evident, he certainly had worked the rest out. Snout pointed down, his feathers rose and dropped with each slight movement, completing the inviting picture.

Brakkus smirked as he looked at Grell. "There's your new boyfriend, cocky as usual. Might as well walk up to him and fuck his ass in front of everyone."

Grell was about to fire back a very rude comment, but the groundthumper walked away and towards the terrorclaw.

"Armory reports that dropships are ready and operational, Commander," Brakkus said. "Any last minute developments we need to be aware of?"

"Current reports show no cause for us to deviate from the established plan, Sergeant. We are still set to depart in one hour from now." The terrorclaw fixed his green eyes on Grell. The armorback swallowed as his heart raced slightly as those slit pupils stared at him. "What is the status on the backup forces, Sergeant?"

Grell saluted and walked to stand closer to the terrorclaw. "I carried out an inspection before coming here, sir. All soldiers are in the third Armory level, completing their preparations as we speak, and will wait for you to give the signal for their drop. Second Lieutenant Dekan will take my place in the Bridge. The ship is ready to support our operation if needed."

"Sounds like you've done your homework. I hope that we will not run against too many problems down there. I don't need to remind anyone how critical this incursion is."

"You need not worry about my preparations, Commander. We armorbacks only look slow and stupid."

"I don't care whether you look stupid, Sergeant," Darkthunder said dryly. "I just need for you to carry out the tasks I assigned you."

Grell grunted. He could see the other saurians moving in to hear the discussion, either by feigning ignorance or by looking at their checklists. "With all due respect, sir, I fail to see what could make you think I would fail in my duties. I do not believe the Patrol would have commissioned me to hold a rank and to be on board a vessel - and this vessel in particular - if my performance was not up to par."

"I am not questioning your skills navigating a ship. I want to make sure I can count on you. I will not tolerate one single mistake from screwing up the whole operation."

Grell was silent for several instants as he breathed deep. He only managed to inhale two times before he slammed his clubbed tail hard on the floor. Several metal tiles became loose, dented beyond repair, exposing some of the wiring and other electronic and mechanical components that ran throughout the ship. "That's it! I've had enough of your bullshit, Commander!"

"Whoa, whoa... easy, buddy!" Brakkus stepped in between both saurians, but Grell pushed him aside easily, almost not even noticing him.

"So what will it be, Commander?" Grell said as he continued shouting. "What the fuck will it take to prove myself to you, sir? I've tried, sir! I've tried very hard to leave behind my disreputable past, and bend forward to take whatever the Patrol wanted to shove up my butt. And yet you seem intent on ignoring everything that I have given and can still give to this ship and the entire Archosaur Patrol!"

He felt another jab from a sharp thumb on the side.

"Grell..." Brakkus said softly, concern etched on his face.

"Fuck off, Brakkus! This is between this arrogant gnat and I!"

"Please mind your words, soldier," Darkthunder said as he began donning his gloves, barely even turning to look at Grell. "And be careful with my ship. I don't need you to find more ways to destroy it."

"And when can I expect you to mind your continuous farting through your snout, sir?"

The groundthumper brayed softly and moved a few steps away, and the rest of the team followed suit, perhaps deciding that they faced better odds to stay uninjured if they engaged a group of smuggling mammals than any attempt to break up the feuding pair.

Grell moved until he was no more than half a pace away from the terrorclaw, towering over the smaller carnivore. His clubbed tail swayed noticeably as he bobbed his head, issuing a challenge. "Why don't we settle this now, Commander? Just the two of us. Get out of your fucking primal mind and tell me, once and for all, what the fuck you want from me!"

The terrorclaw turned around effortlessly to stare at the armorback. "Maybe you could start by getting rid of your smell. A predator like me can pick you up about five hundred paces away. And -" He looked at Grell's pierced nipples and snorted. "I would also ask for you to stop being so barbaric against your own crew, but somehow it looks like that would be asking too much. Terrorclaws would never consider piercing our bodies, even if we don't live to the standards of the Archosaur Domains."

"So... maybe that is why you are so rude, sir," the armorback said as he smirked. "Because you are a fucking primitive! It is no wonder then why some of your crew think they are better off without you at the helm of this ship. You may look more civilized, but in the end, you are not any better than your disgraced brother was! Well, good riddance to him! Maybe you ought to walk the same path and go back to that pack of dimwitted savages you hailed from, so that -"

A sudden, loud hiss drowned even the screaming armorback. Faster than Grell could notice, the tip of the terrorclaw's snout was barely the distance of one breath away from his own. The carnivore curled his lips, exposing several sharp teeth at the same time he stared directly into Grell's eyes, the carnivore's own eyes narrow with anger until barely a third of them were visible. The feathers on the terrorclaw's crest stood up almost vertically, fanned in all directions.

Almost at the same time, a sharp, sudden dash of pain ran from below the armorback's stomach, as if a sharp object poked his flesh. Grell glanced down, and held his breath as he saw Darkthunder's right foot on him, the large toe claw touching the skin. The large, sharp sickle claw was not aimed at his stomach, but to the thick meat that hung from his crotch.

A few saurians gasped. Others winced in imaginary pain as they apparently pondered how it would feel if they were about to lose their coveted parts.

"Do you think you could move fast enough to save your prized possessions, Sergeant?" Darkthunder asked, his voice surprisingly calm despite the anger etched on his face.

The armorback held still. The way Darkthunder had demonstrated so deftly, his chances were far below poor. In his mind, he fired an obscene curse at the Great Mother for not thinking of giving his species the opportunity to evolve armor to cover those parts as well. He said nothing as he slowly returned an angry gaze back at those slit pupils before he slowly raised his head, exposing his neck in the accepted stance of submission.

"Wise choice," Darkthunder said. The terrorclaw did not move his large claw away as he continued. "I fail to understand why you were so eager on piling yet another black mark on your record, Sergeant. Still, I am willing to give you that level of... understanding that you've been asking for. In fact, I will not strip any duties or responsibilities that you have in this ship, nor will I file a report on your current transgression. I obviously cannot control how you ultimately feel about me, Grell. Whatever your opinion may be or how you wish to express it, I have much respect for my rank and the effort it took to achieve it to answer in kind to your decidedly brutish manners. But wherever our feud may take us, you will leave my pack out of it. Because if you so much take a breath to speak ill of my kind..." He flashed a slightly toothy smile as the sharp foot claw dug onto the armorback's skin only slightly deeper, sending another tinge of pain coursing through Grell's torso. "Let's just say that ballsy, cocky crew members have better odds to keep their bodies intact if they mind their words. Have I made my point clear, Sergeant?"

Grell breathed slow and deep, completely still as he contemplated his options, even as he knew there were none. Finally, he let the air out in one long, quiet exhalation. "Very clear, Commander."

Darkthunder nodded and lowered his foot. The terrorclaw's crest feathers returned to their usual position. Other than a slight frown, the terrorclaw addressed the miffed armorback as if nothing had happened. "Hurry up and finish dressing. Our landfall will proceed as scheduled." Grabbing his combat gear, the terrorclaw turned to walk away, again with a slightly proud stance.

Grell clenched his fists and thumped the end of his tail against the floor. He voiced a silent curse at the fates for handing out hopes, only to cruelly whisk them away, most certainly laughing wickedly as they did so. He ignored every saurian that stared at him as he walked slowly back to his cabinet to retrieve his combat gear.

"Sergeant...?" a soft voice said.

The armorback did not turn to look at Saresh as he began to put his jumpsuit on. "Double check your equipment to make sure you are fully prepared, Corporal. Sethria is far from the placid world of carnal entertainment that many archosaurs make it sound like."

"Yes, sir." The snoutcrest nodded and turned around to walk away.

Grell sighed as the familiar voice of the groundthumper followed almost immediately after.

"I guess you can kiss your date goodbye."

"Fuck off, Brakkus. Some help you turned out to be. You should have tried harder to keep me away from the feather duster."

Brakkus' jaw dropped, as if stunned at what he was hearing. "What the fuck did you think I tried to do? And more than once, even! But you're absolutely wrong if you thought I was going to get near that terrorclaw! A shot to my head I can deal with. But to risk losing my manly jewels?" The groundthumper shook his hands vigorously. "You are on your own there, my friend!"

Grell said nothing as he donned the rest of his armor. Grabbing his weapons, he turned to walk away from the room when a hand closed on his right shoulder pad.

"Grell," Brakkus said softly. "I just want to tell you that... whatever your decision may be... I will always be your friend. And... I wanted to thank you for helping to banish my nightmares last night. So unlike you to be so gentle during intimacy."

The armorback tilted his head slightly to his right. "You definitely need to tell Ty-Grich to switch you to a different drug. I didn't even step into our room last night. I spent my hours in the gym, burning some energy."

"Huh?" The groundthumper stammered, a somewhat shocked look in his face. "But... I wasn't..."

Grell thumped the groundthumper gently on a shoulder. "We'll talk more when I come back. I don't want to piss off that terrorclaw any more if I can help it."

The armorback trotted out of the room, his armored feet resounding loudly with each step.

- * - * -

The terrorclaw tried hard to ignore his immediate surroundings as much as possible at the same time he wanted to keep everything in focus.

Darkthunder had read several unofficial reports about all types of activities that Sethria Six catered to its visitors; the terrorclaw had dismissed many of these as exaggerations. He now realized those descriptions were incorrect, but by falling extremely short of reality.

Loud music and revelry flowed into the dusty streets as all kinds of sentients - most archosaurs, some other reptilians, and even the odd mammal or two - poured in and out countless structures of different shapes and sizes, each one with the same objective of catering to their visitors' desires for entertainment. The amount of pheromones floating in the air, if collected, certainly reached into the several thousands of weight units. He probably would have succumbed to them, were it not for the filter in his breathing unit. The terrorclaw wished the filter were equally effective at banishing the other foul smells that assailed his nostrils.

He wished he could filter his other senses just as easily. The sexual congresses in some of the buildings sometimes even flowed into the streets. Those engaged in the acts apparently threw all care onto the pheromone-saturated winds as they carried out their acts in open air for any passersby to witness. Hardened by battle and a difficult life, Darkthunder nevertheless blushed slightly as he witnessed things that the terrorclaw would not consider even in ten lifetimes. Other times he tried to intervene and help someone who was obviously the victim of a crime in progress. Each time, Arokh had stopped him. They had a mission to complete, and any time wasted would be eventually futile. Things happened in Sethria Six, and would continue to happen. The soldiers could not afford to attract any undue attention.

It still did not make it easy for the terrorclaw to walk away.

Large, curious eyes turned in the direction of the Patrolsaurs. They could see that the armored soldiers were after something, yet the revelers would quickly return to whatever had them occupied. Darkthunder could feel, however, that many of them were rather skittish. Patrolsaurs in Sethria Six could only mean that something big was going to happen. Their accursed chatter was rather high pitched and excited, as if they goading the saurians to arrest them. It felt like a prank that being played right under his snout, and yet he was completely oblivious to what was happening.

Darkthunder turned to speak to Arokh as the soldiers continued marching. "When we get back to the Tarrakhan, remind me to ask Zaron again why we can't bomb this planet clean."

Arokh moved closer to Darkthunder as they continued walking. "I'm sorry this is so hard on you, Commander. I would explain to you how Sethria came to be and why it operates like this, but it is nothing you already don't know."

"I feel like my mind is being violated," the terrorclaw said, letting out a loud growl of disgust. He did not miss a single step of his march as he pushed aside a young deathjaw who stepped on his path; totally naked, the comely male offered both his erect member and tailhole for sale. "All of this... we would never even conceive these horrors in my pack. Everything in this wretched place makes my soul squirm in pain." Almost as if to prove his point, he glanced to his right, where three male longcrests had overpowered a female of their species and ripped off her clothes, apparently with the intent to engage in non-consensual vaginal sex.

Darkthunder shook his head as he continued walking. His toe claws twitched with each step, as if itching to rip the flesh of those males. "How can our own people visit and freely participate in all the corruption this world offers, and still carry on with their lives as if their actions meant nothing?"

Arokh pointed to the armorback walking behind them. "The Sergeant probably can explain this better, sir."

The armorback did not make a sound of contempt as he continued his walk without missing a step. "I believe my past is inconsequential to the current mission, sir."

"Yet you certainly are very familiar with what we can see here, Grell."

Some distance away, the female screamed as one of the males threw her onto the ground before he began to force his way inside her. The other two males had already stripped; one placed himself and tried to force the female into oral sex.

Grell's voice remained calm as he rebutted the comment. "I plead my right not to answer outside of a formal investigation, sir. Unless you would prefer that I give the Commander an actual demonstration. Perhaps with you as the victim."

Arokh scoffed. "I would like to see you try."

Darkthunder lifted a hand to signal both soldiers to shut up, nipping the argument before it got out of hand. "Eyes and mind focused, Patrolsaurs. The sooner we get out of this shameful place, the better chances we all get to keep our sanity." He turned to a burly female spikefrill walking to his left. "How far are we from our destination, Vak'zhoria?"

"Just a little over one thousand paces, Commander," the spikefrill said. She pointed to a wide hangar-like structure, rising somewhat over the smaller buildings that made up the decadent metropolis. "That building over there. That's our target."

"Hold positions," the terrorclaw commanded. He turned towards his first officer. "What do you think, Arokh?"

The eyeridge pulled a small computer from a pocket in his belt. A map of their surrounding area appeared on the screen. "Perfect for a ship of the type we are looking for. I suggest we send a team to scout the area." He pointed to a different spot in the map. "This looks like a good place for the rest to hold and wait for the scout team to report."

"Excellent. Kakkuttek, fore and front."

The longjaw moved to stand in front and turned to look at the terrorclaw. "Commander," Kakkuttek said as he saluted.

"You heard the Lieutenant. Take five soldiers with you and inspect that hangar. Report as soon as you have assessed the situation. Try to avoid confrontation if possible, but you have permission to engage any hostiles with deadly force if necessary."

The longjaw saluted again. He waved to five other soldiers to follow him, and the six archosaurs dashed towards the structure.

The terrorclaw's heart began to race faster the closer the soldiers got to the hangar. Up until that moment, he had managed to keep the real motive of the incursion back where it would not interfere with the other thoughts going across his mind. It returned now, stronger than before. Every step got him closer to his goal, to a meeting he had longed for, even when the outcome certainly could go terribly wrong. Blood relationships, no matter how strong, would never take precedence over his duties for the Patrol.

There would be no way for him to influence the outcome awaiting Starhunter upon capture. His relationship with the offender would require him to forfeit any further participation in the process beyond the initial capture and delivery to the Patrol. The best that Darkthunder could hope for was for a chance to get some closure before the Patrol could execute that other terrorclaw.

So many thoughts. Too many questions. Darkthunder tried to imagine how such an encounter could go, and found himself overwhelmed with emotions. It would certainly be best if he waited for the actual event to happen.

The longjaw's voice broke through their communication link. _ "Commander."_

"Darkthunder here. What have you found out, Kakkuttek?"

"There is one ship here, sir, but it is not the one we are looking for. No crew on board. There are two custodians in here. They were quite alarmed to see us, but did not attempt to escape or fight. Corporal Ssergo is talking to them right now."

"Have they provided any information?"

"They do not recognize the suspects, sir. The only cargo brought here is just parts for some mining operation to the mountains north of our location. Ehh... one moment, sir... what?" The longjaw paused, apparently talking with someone. "Sir... one of the custodians suggests we try looking in a place called Mokele's Emporium_, and suggests that we talk to its owner. Apparently, it is some storehouse that many cargo haulers visit when they need parts for their ships. It appears to be located some two-thousand paces northwest of where we are."_

Darkthunder checked his own location sensor; a small building flashed, indicating the location of said place. "Understood, Sergeant. We will head in that direction. Try to gather as much useful information as possible. Report again as soon as you are ready to join us. And stay on guard; I don't like this stupid city one bit."

"Acknowledged. Kakkuttek out."

Darkthunder sighed and lowered his rifle slightly. "That gets us somewhere, at least."

Arokh moved to stand next to Darkthunder, holding his rifle at the ready. "You seem rather disappointed. Or dare I say... relieved?"

"This will not be easy for me," the terrorclaw said. "As you well know, Arokh."

"Understandable. Perhaps it would be advisable that you provide Zaron with all the intelligence we have gathered so far, and ask for recusal from the search."

"That would be the sensible approach. It would not be the first time my brethren would hunt someone from our own pack like any other prey. Our lore has a couple stories where it was necessary for some hunters to seek and kill one of our own kind." Darkthunder checked his rifle, even as he knew it was armed and ready to fire. "No, I fear that if I don't hunt the suspect myself, I may never get the answers I seek. Other Patrolsaurs may take a less cautious approach when confronting our suspects."

"It is just three archosaurs. It is not like anyone would be fighting a whole gang of mammalian drug runners."

The terrorclaw snorted softly. "We have a saying back in my pack, Lieutenant - never always expect a completely successful hunt."

The eyeridge scoffed. "You seem to always find some way to relate your pack to any situation you seem to have at hand."

"It is not surprising how little difference there is between my pack and the Patrol, Arokh. Except that in my homeworld, our targets did not hide among the trees with guns aimed at us. Most of our hunts went extremely well. Others would seem to go as expected, but something would step in and throw our carefully laid plans into complete disarray." He closed his eyes for a very brief interlude as he reminisced simpler days.

The female spikefrill's voice quickly brought him back to reality.

"Commander," Vak'zhoria said as she pointed towards the south. "What do you think of that building over there?"

Darkthunder noticed another structure in the direction the spikefrill had pointed. "Seems like another hangar."

"It is rather close to our original target. Perhaps a mistake in our original intelligence, and that's where we should be looking for?"

"It is possible. There are bound to be several similar structures in this city, though. We cannot possibly search them all."

Arokh nodded. "I still suggest we try, Commander. By now, word is certainly spreading that there are Patrolsaurs roaming the streets. If we are to seize our targets, we need to move fast. I suggest we send another team to investigate while the rest of us continue towards the location Sergeant Kakkuttek is headed to."

Darkthunder hesitated slightly, taking a quick look at his remaining forces. "A good idea, perhaps. But we would be stretched a bit thin."

"We can have Sergeant Brakkus bring the second drop ship with the support team if you deem it necessary."

"Understood." He turned around to address the burly armorback close behind. "Sergeant Grell."

The armorback said nothing as he moved to the front and saluted. Darkthunder could not help but notice his face was completely empty of anything that signaled displeasure at their earlier confrontation. Even if Grell seemed rather stern, the armorback displayed the usual face every time he was with the ground forces.

"Take four soldiers with you and check that hangar. Report as soon as you have assessed the area."

"Yes, sir." He saluted and scanned the group for others to join him. "Vak'zhoria. Zarod. Garios, and Saresh. Follow me."

The other soldiers moved to the front. The armorback began to trot in the direction of the second hangar, with the four soldiers right behind. Darkthunder watched them leave; he could not avoid feeling that he was pushing away someone he should rather work to keep close.

"Wise move, Commander," Arokh said, looking at the departing group. "That should keep him away from you for a while."

"Why do you say so?"

"I believe the answer is obvious, sir." The eyeridge turned to look at Darkthunder. "For someone with such fiendish sickle claws, you have taken a rather subdued approach to your problems with Grell."

Darkthunder nodded. "Yes, you would think that by now I would have kicked him back to whatever criminal life he came from. Every time I come close to do so, though, I can't help but feel like it would all be a terrible mistake. Besides, if Prion came to accept Grell as a valuable member of his crew, I would do no wrong if I did the same. Prion refused to give up on me when even Zaron was getting ready to throw me out of the Academy. I would probably dishonor his memory if I gave up on someone else."

The terrorclaw motioned for everyone to continue their march.

"How was Prion as Commander of the Dak-Tarrakhan, Arokh?" Darkthunder asked.

Arokh paused slightly. "He was the complete opposite of you, sir. I mean no offense when I say this, but you always seem on the edge, like a pack leader. And I welcome that, even if I'm not exactly the predator I should be. Prion... he always kept his temperament, and tried very hard to keep this image in everyone's minds. That was perhaps his style. Too relaxed for me, even if I have never been much for my instincts, sir."

"I still find it hard to understand why an eyeridge like you doesn't hunt."

The eyeridge shrugged slightly. "I have never felt much need to purge the aggression that otherwise dominate most carnivores. Back in my younger days, my peers would treat me like a runt. I wanted to be an intellectual. Oh, I had my phase when the hormones kicked in upon reaching adulthood, and I almost thought I really wasn't that much different from any other normal eyeridge. A long succession of events brought me here to the Patrol. Now I look forward to nothing more than having my obligations fulfilled so I can return home and to my family. I have not bedded my mate for some time." Arokh smiled. "It has been so long, the next time she and I meet, our time together will probably be louder than what Grell and Brakkus are infamous for."

Darkthunder paused, collecting his thoughts. He could not help keep his disappointment obvious when he spoke. "Yes... must be something to look forward to."

He turned to walk in the direction that Kakkuttek had indicated when the first laser shot hit near his feet.

- * - * -

"It is not like anyone would be fighting a whole gang of mammalian drug runners."

The Lieutenant's words echoed in Grell's mind as the armorback fired his rifle in quick, heavy bursts. Almost as quickly, he fell back as heavy fire hit the walls where he had sought cover, sending pieces of rock and dust flying. He shielded his eyes with an arm, adding an extra layer to the one provided by his helmet.

"Arokh, you stupid... fucking..._idiot!"_he cursed as some of the debris got under his helmet shield, nicking the exposed parts of his snout. His four companions took turns returning fire, keeping the attackers at bay until the armorback could form a plan.

His group had never managed to get close enough to the hangar to find whether their targets were or had been in the vicinity. Grell had taken a rather long and cautious approach as his team got closer to the hangar - his criminal days had filled Grell with distrust, and wary of even seemingly innocent or easy situations. Vak'zhoria had just voiced her frustration with Grell's apparent exaggerated discretion when they heard the loud, panicked screams of a crowd near the area where he had left Darkthunder and the other soldiers, followed by an explosion. Almost immediately, the armorback noticed the flash of light over metal high above and ahead. Without hesitation, he grabbed the spikefrill just as he screamed for everyone to fall back.

A mere two heartbeats later, laser fire began to rain down right where the soldiers had been standing.

The armorback never imagined he would have one chance where he would be thankful for his old life. Long a source of problems after he joined the Patrol, it had now saved his life and that of his team, at least for the time being. More laser fire began to fall, sending all five soldiers running for the closest cover they could find.

"Commander!" the armorback shouted after tapping onto a button on his right wrist, sending a distress call. "We are under heavy fire! We are encountering heavily armed hostiles here!"

Silence.

He reached for his rifle and fired several shots as he tapped two other buttons to retune the frequency of his communicator, screaming his words over the racket of multiple guns firing and the enemy bullets hitting all around near them.

"Commander Darkthunder! Do you copy!?"

No answer.

"Lieutenant Arokh! Do you copy!"

Again no answer.

He tried hailing all the other soldiers that had kept with the two officers. None responded.

Grell switched frequencies. "Sergeant Grell calling the Dak-Tarrakhan! Alert code ten! I repeat, alert code ten! We are encountering resistance! Brakkus! Bring the dropship down with your team!"

Static.

Fuck. Fuck. FUCK! This shit certainly can't be any good.

Firing their weapons, all five soldiers began to fall back towards where the Commander and the rest of the team had been standing.

Bodies, both in their entirety or dismembered, littered the ground. Their attackers did not discriminate, as a few soldiers lied among the saurians who had been reveling in those streets not long before. A few spots still glowed faintly with the impact of laser beams burning whatever combustible material they had hit. Nearby, he could see the tracks of armored feet falling back.

There was no time to continue scanning for clues, as more laser fire began to fall around Grell and his team.

"Kakkuttek! Kakkuttek, respond!" the armorback screamed into his communicator as he ran for cover.

The reply came in five seconds after, but it could have well been a lifetime. "Here, Sergeant!"

Grell let out a quick sigh of relief before he continued firing his rifle. The longjaw was still alive, and hopefully the rest of his group as well. "Where the hell are you?!"

"Can't tell for certain! Looks like about two thousand paces from your location!"

"Drop whatever you are doing and head over here! We need you right now!"

Through the communicator, Grell could hear the noise of laser fire. "Sorry to disappoint you, big guy, but we have our own share of heavy enemy fire blocking our path to your location!"

Grell cursed. The situation seemed to be getting worse by the second.

"Any casualties?"

"None so far! We are holding up very well so far! I'm afraid that you'll have to call your boyfriend! Tell him you'll be late getting home to pump his ass!"

Grell growled as he fired his rifle towards another spot where he had seen a longtusk appear. The large mammal had no chance; his bloodied body fell down five stories towards the ground. "By the Primordial Egg out of Maia's cunt! This is no time for your usual stupidities, longjaw! I have lost track of the Commander and Lieutenant Arokh, or even anyone that was still in their group! I can't reach them through the communicator! They don't show up on my positional tracker, either!"

The few seconds waiting for a reply seemed eternal. "They must have gone for cover someplace underground that is blocking the signals."

"No, I don't think so! It is not the Commander's style to retreat without putting up a fight first! Something hit them hard and quick! We are going to need reinforcements, but I can't hail the Tarrakhan! These fucking drug runners are jamming my long-range frequencies! Can you hail them from your position?"

"Give me some credit, armorback! Don't you think that would be the first thing I would've had tried? I've gotten no response here, either!"

Grell cursed. It was now apparent it was all a coordinated attack. Whatever intelligence Arokh and Darkthunder received, it was all a ruse. Undoubtedly from the same gang of drug runners to which that dead snouthorn had joined.

His mind began to race with the implications. The mammals had been expecting them. They knew which place the soldiers would search. From there, it was just a matter for the archosaurs to spread so they would be easier to pick. It could only mean that someone in the Patrol had tipped them.

The initial information had been provided by Kre'y'nak.

No. He refused to consider even the slightest chance of such possibility, even as the facts now stared him squarely in the face. Not him. Dear good Mother Maia, please say it is not so.

Grell turned to give the spikefrill a new set of orders. "Vak'zhoria! I need you to -"

A whistling sound alerted him on time to react to the incoming projectile. Still, the explosion pushed him and the other four soldiers back by several paces. Grell growled loud with pain as he landed on his back. He quickly planted both arms and feet on the ground and propelled himself upwards. His body lifted just enough for the armorback to turn around while in the air and fall on his stomach.

Garios quickly ran to his side. "Sergeant! Are you all right?"

"Yes," Grell said. He let out a loud grunt as he got back onto his feet before the trihorn could even offer a hand. The armorback grabbed his rifle, which had fallen about two paces away, and began firing in retaliation. "I should have known better than to have my horns and spikes polished the other day."

Almost five minutes passed as both factions exchanged firepower. The saurians could not budge an inch in their favor, and the mammals did not seem to be in any hurry to press their side, even as they apparently seemed to have the upper hand. It seemed as if the mammals were just trying to delay the soldiers until whatever their objective was could be completed.

Grell hesitated. It was becoming apparent. He had gone through this once before. A different planet, a different crew.

And they found Prion. Shot right between the eyes at point blank range.

It will be just a matter of time before the terrorclaw gets too confident and careless, and they're gonna skin him alive and deliver what's left back to us. Probably worse than what they did to Prion.

Grell let out a loud obscenity as Sse'kasha's words resounded in his mind. He paused firing long enough to turn to look at two of his soldiers and bark some quick orders. "Vak'zhoria! Fall back as far as you need until you can make contact with the ship! Zarod, go with her! You two cover each other until you are safe! Hold your position until reinforcements arrive! After you contact the Tarrakhan and they send reinforcements, have the ship call the Archosaur General. Have them place a call to have the Sstahil disabled and searched! We may have found the source of our archosaur traitors' origins."

"Yes, sir!" the spikefrill shouted. Without waiting a heartbeat, she sprinted in the safest apparent direction, followed immediately after by Zarod. The remaining three soldiers began to fire in all directions, keeping their attackers at bay until the two soldiers were out of range.

The armorback turned towards the two soldiers he had left. "Garios and Saresh, follow me! We have to find the Commander!"

"What!?" Saresh's crests began to turn a reddish color, less intense as when Grell had pumped his tailhole hard but equally noticeable. "Sergeant, are you insane!?"

"I've always been. But we cannot leave him behind!"

"Why? He probably would not have thought twice about leaving you behind!"

Grell growled. "Because he is an archosaur, and Patrolsaurs do not leave their kind in the hands of these dregs of evolution! Now get your ass moving before I decide to pound it so hard your whole body turns inside out!"

The snoutcrest hissed and pushed a full cartridge into the reserve chamber of his weapon. "Whatever you say, Sergeant! But even if the Commander is still alive, he could be anywhere in this city! How are we going to find him?"

"I am good at tracking; it is something I train for even if I may be playing a virtual game. But this time, I will need some help."

"What help?"

"That is where your carnivore snout comes in. Now follow me!"

- * - * -

Darkthunder's angry screech resounded inside the large room as the terrorclaw struggled futilely against the shackles that held him captive. His rational mind had long determined he would not free himself easily, while his primal self fought fiercely to become the free creature it had always been.

"We sure got a feisty one this time!" a sabretooth said in a heavily accented archosaur language.

Hands bound behind his back, kept firmly in place by way of another shackle that bound them to his tail. His sickle claws twitched wildly, powerless against the shackles that restricted most movements of his legs; a chain attached to the collar around his neck was held at the other end by a longtusk, who seemed to derive pleasure from yanking on the chain often, sending the terrorclaw falling every time onto the dirty floor.

"No shit. What is he, anyway?" The longtusk laughed. His words were easier to understand even if the mammal still spoke with an accent. "Never have seen one like him before. Definitely none with those claws."

"Who cares? He's still a worthless saurian, like any of them are."

"Yeah!" said another sabretooth. "He's going to scream for real once Turtko begins to break him in. Just like all the others before."

Darkthunder gave out a long, drawn-out snarl. There was no need for the mammals to speak archosaur, other than to mock him. He tried to stand up, only to find himself back into the floor with another tug of the chain.

"If there's anything worthless here, is your mangy hides!" the terrorclaw said as he lifted his head again from the floor. He remained on a kneeling position, torso bent forward as he kept his snout pointing slightly upwards in defiance.

"Feh! You wish you had hair on your hideous, naked hide," a third sabretooth said. "And you can't seem to make up your mind whether you want to become a bird, with those ugly, stupid feathers only on your head."

Darkthunder tried to fight the frustrations raging in his mind. He had always been the predator, the hunter who went after the kill. Even when the Patrol had trained him for the very situation he now found himself in, being on the side of the prey was completely throwing his instincts off. Back then, his "captors" were shockingly blunt and direct, eliciting the same emotions he now tried very hard to control.

His trainers, however, never had any intentions to kill him for real.

Firepower began to rain down on his group from several directions at once. The attackers made no distinction between soldiers and the rest of the crowd, as several innocent saurians died almost instantly as a grenade exploded just a couple paces away from the soldiers.

Darkthunder attempted to fire back. By then, chaos filled the streets -- civilians ran in all directions, which made it hard for the soldiers to determine not only from where the shots were coming, but also prevented them from firing back without hitting any unfortunate saurian caught in the crossfire. Two explosions followed in quick succession, claiming the lives of five soldiers and several more civilians.

The remaining soldiers sought cover inside the closest structure they could get in, which now also harbored a large number of saurians who had also sought refuge inside. Once inside, the terrorclaw's first reaction was to call Kakkuttek and Grell to fall back and provide help, but no response came from either other than the static of a jammed signal.

Their respite was extremely brief. The gun battle followed the soldiers inside the building as another grenade burst through a window, killing or horribly maiming anyone caught in the explosion.

Screams and the sound of countless feet bounced from every surface as the civilians ran deeper inside the building as they looked for an exit. Darkthunder commanded his group to fight and try to save the saurians. Both sides exchanged heavy fire for a few minutes, until another explosion followed.

The explosion pushed the terrorclaw hard against a wall. Hitting his head, Darkthunder partially blacked out. Moans of pain. Several more shots going around. A few more screams as two more teammates fell.

He was completely alone by the time his senses returned. And captured.

The terrorclaw tried desperately to keep his feral mind from dominating him. He needed his rational self in charge and on the lookout for an opportunity he could use either to escape, or to provide his comrades a way to find him.

He saw a larger, muscled creature approach. The terrorclaw lifted his snout and looked fiercely at his enemy. A nosehorns. The male mammal was quite muscled and tall. Archosaurs rarely saw those species in the field. That mammalian species always seemed to be in charge, directing their operations from some safe place while their lackeys died around them. Perhaps not a hard thing, given what Darkthunder knew about the mammals' high reproductive rate. It reminded Darkthunder of a certain armorback in the proud way the mammal seemed to carry himself. Still, Grell was not just larger, but far more attractive.

The new arrival stared at the terrorclaw. He smiled as he noticed the rank symbol on Darkthunder's armor.

"Another ship commander! Nice catch, boys. You all get five extra drinks tonight."

Darkthunder snarled at the idea he was worth so cheaply to the fur pelts that had captured him, even as he noticed that the nosehorns had spoken in nearly perfect archosaurian. "You must be the one they called... Turd-o," Darkthunder shouted over the cheers of his captors.

"Charming." The nosehorns motioned to the longtusk.

Darkthunder let out a loud scream of pain as a blunt, heavy object on the small of his back. His legs buckled, unable to hold him as the terrorclaw fought the intense pain. He turned to face his captors, saliva foaming at his mouth as he cursed and screamed in his native language. Another scream of defiance was also cut short by several loud, painful slaps to his snout. Darkthunder quickly decided he was probably better off saving his screams for when he really could use them; he kept mostly silent, even as he growled loudly with each breath.

"You are definitely not in a position to make unfunny jokes, lizard."

"It is you who should keep his mouth shut, you useless mammalian shit! By now my ship should had sent the rest of my soldiers raining down on you so we can cart off your stinky, flea-ridden pelts out of this world. And they certainly don't care if the flesh underneath them is still breathing."

Turtko sneered. "As if me and my boys were stupid enough to hang around and wait for your lackeys."

"It doesn't matter if you manage to escape," Darkthunder said, half screaming. "Your operations here are as good as gone."

The mammal opened his eyes wide in mock surprise before he burst out in laughter. "Are you such an idealistic fool that you think this will hurt us? Or that you will even manage to flush us completely out of this world? All your stupid Patrol accomplishes is to plug a hole, all the time missing the other leaks in the gourd. We may leave, but your precious Domains are far too profitable for us to disappear completely. We're here to steal and make a profit out of it, and in the process, we poison more and more of your kind. We'll be back, right under your snot-plugged nostrils."

"Snot doesn't prevent us from smelling shit like you."

"Spare me your defiance. I've seen it before." Turtko unsheathed a knife from a belt around his left thigh. He held Darkthunder by the neck, and slowly drove the sharp tip under the soft skin under his lower jaw, drawing some blood. "Always the same brave words, the same defiance. That is, until the knives begin to skin you archosaurs while you are still alive. That's when your words turn into screams as you beg for mercy."

Darkthunder pulled his lips, baring his teeth. Other than a soft growl, he did not voice his pain. "Go ahead. You will not get such pleasure from me."

"Still the fighter, I see. What a peculiar creature you are. Other carnivores would be seriously considering begging for their lives by now. It probably shouldn't surprise me. Those strange sickle claws on your feet look like they could inflict some serious damage. I have never seen any archosaur like you."

He grabbed Darkthunder's chin, even as the terrorclaw tried to turn his head away. The mammal stroked the feathered crest with his free hand. "You are rather comely, even. A ship commander of such a particular species will certainly fetch a nice price for ransom."

"I'm a terrorclaw," Darkthunder said, spitting his words with anger. "Even if I am the only one of my species enlisted, the Patrol will not make any distinction. And we don't negotiate with pond scum parasites like you."

The sabretooth released his hold on Darkthunder's head and rested his fists on his hips. "You saurians are such misguided idealists. You think you are the superior species, just because you have overrun part of the galaxy with your hideous scaly hides."

Darkthunder shivered and growled softly. He wrestled against not only his captors, but also his instincts. He could only buy himself time so the other Patrol saurians could find him. "We did not get where we are without evolution on our side."

"Evolution is only a game of lucky chances, and it gave your kind an upper hand in whatever world you saurians were born. You all could have been gone, just like that." The sabretooth snapped two fingers. "Just one cataclysm while your kind was still crawling through the mud, and the rats would have been left to clean your bones. No, my cute saurian. Archosaurs will eventually get their judgment day. In the meantime... your colleagues won't mind us having some fun before I dump your corpse someplace for them to find."

Darkthunder froze. He knew what the nosehorns meant.

He roared with anger as furred hands tugged at his armor, unbuckling straps and pulling the broken pieces away. He tried to strike with his foot claws, but the mammals quickly overpowered him. They began ripping at his jumpsuit until only shreds remained, leaving him completely naked.

The terrorclaw had never felt so vulnerable and ashamed of his nudity. Back in his homeworld, packs always lived and hunted in the nude. Among the Patrol, nudity was natural in the showers and sometimes in the exercise bays. Clothes had always felt an inconvenience he had to endure during his service with the Patrol. Now, he wanted them more than ever. It was just the start of the impending humiliation. His thoughts shifted briefly to the female longcrest he had seen saw just minutes before.

The sabretooth leader grinned as he stared lustily at the terrorclaw. "That is one comely body and cock that you have. Too bad it is wasted on a stinky saurian. You surely have left your mark here with your scent."

The terrorclaw pushed his embarrassment away as he growled with defiance. "Not any more than your unwashed fur has assailed my nostrils."

"Defiance, even in the face of humiliation. You and your claws are definitely on the wrong side of the law. How different from that fat plateback we killed not long ago."

Darkthunder's eyes widened, then narrowed as shock gave way to anger. "You! You're the bastards who killed Prion!"

The sabretooth shrugged. "I believe that was his name, yes. You can blame us for that, even if it's not exactly correct."

The saurian hissed. "What do you mean?"

Turtko shrugged. "And why would you care? You have proved to be an even bigger thorn in the foot than your friend was. And those who get in our way will end up dead sooner or later." The smuggler walked towards Darkthunder. "We didn't use your plateback friend like we are going to do to you. He was not attractive like you, young predator. In fact, your body is much too beautiful to kill or even sold as a slave. Perhaps I will keep you after we're done here."

Darkthunder hissed again as the nosehorns began caressing the terrorclaw's firm chest and nipples. "You are way too comely to even let my crew purge their urges in you."

The other mammals mumbled, angry and disappointed to hear the nosehorns had cut them out of the fun.

"I'll offer you a deal," Turtko continued. "You agree to become my personal slave, and in return I promise you I will take you gently and always mate you gently. After a while, at least. I always like to get rough the first times I fuck a new sex partner. What do you say?"

Darkthunder remained quiet for a few seconds. He lurched suddenly in an attempt to bite at his enemy at the same time he tried to strike with a foot claw. The nosehorns, however, moved away too fast for someone of his large frame, deftly dodging the attack. Turtko promptly retaliated and punched Darkthunder hard in the stomach several times. The terrorclaw coughed and gasped. He retched a few times before he threw up the remains of the hunting lizards that his stomach had not managed to digest.

"That was really stupid. Typical archosaur mentality."

The nosehorns frowned and then smiled. "But I like you saurians when you fight. I'll really enjoy raping you harder and longer to break your will. And I guess I'll also let my men have their way with you, after all."

The other mammals snarled and hooted with delight. He turned towards his henchmen. "Take him to our den, boys. I can't wait to bust that saurian hole."

Darkthunder panicked. Without his gear, the Patrolsaurs would never be able to locate him. With a city as busy and populous as the one they were in, the smugglers would have no trouble hiding until they could safely slip away undetected. The terrorclaw had to stop them, delay them. Even if it meant his humiliation would be quicker and inevitable.

"Your den!" The terrorclaw snarled as he fought the sabretooths from carrying him away. "Why? Do you need to fetch some performance enhancements to get your weak, tiny dick hard?!"

Turtko stopped and turned to look back at Darkthunder, his face twisted with slight anger. "I will show you who has a weak dick here."

With one swift movement, he unbuckled his belt and dropped his pants. Darkthunder fought not to display his surprise; the nosehorns was not as endowed as Grell, but it probably could give the armorback a run for his money. More disturbingly, the flaccid member became hard rather quickly, becoming more intimidating. There would be no way Darkthunder would not be able to take that much without serious pain.

"Many have screamed from getting this tool," Turtko said while he gently stroked his hard cock. "Some from joy, others in pain. And unfortunately for you, my gorgeous saurian, I have quite a lot of pain to give."

The nosehorns turned to five of his lackeys and barked some commands in their mammalian language. All five argued intensely. Darkthunder could not understand what they said, but they were obviously displeased as they walked away, weapons ready.

"They will have to settle for sloppy leftovers." Turtko grinned as he turned his attention back to the terrorclaw, then removed the rest of his clothes.

Darkthunder began to roar an insult just as a sabretooth clamped his two hands on his snout, forcing it shut. Another sabretooth began to tie a rope to make sure his jaws would stay closed.

"We are keeping your mouth closed only for a while," the second mammal said as he tightened the ropes. "We will put that lovely snout to good use later on."

The terrorclaw struggled, squirming and twisting his entire body as the mammals lifted him off his feet. His efforts were mostly ineffectual, as they easily carried the terrorclaw towards a metal slab at a corner of the room. His foot claws lashed wildly as much as he could, yet still unable to hit any target. The failure to kill or even hit anyone only served to increase his frustration as a feeling of inadequacy as a killer began to creep in his mind.

The smugglers dropped him hard and rough onto the hard, cold metal. The same hands then spread his legs wide open and held tightly, while two others pulled his tail to the side, exposing his tailhole.

Darkthunder continued struggling, against not only his captors, but also the feelings of dread and helplessness that began to overcome his mind. He was ready to die since the day he signed for the Archosaur Patrol. He never dismissed the possibility that death would find him in a battlefield, but never did he pause to consider pain and shame filling his life until death would eventually claim him.

He heard Turtko shout behind him and to his gang. "Let's show this archosaur what place his reptilian kind deserves in the sex chain."

Darkthunder reared his head up and roared through the muzzle as the nosehorn caressed his firm buttocks; the terrorclaw squirmed as the hand tickled his balls and cock, followed by a coarse tongue licking his tailhole and the area around it. He was disgusted as another mammal licked his snout, and he smelled the stinky saliva.

"We will have so much pleasure fucking your brains out," the mammal whispered in his right ear hole.

The terrorclaw did not even make a growl of defiance. His breath became shallow and fast as blood pulsed in his ears. Nothing he could say would spare him now. No amount of fighting would break him free. His mind screamed at the thought that he would be nothing but a free whore for his captors. His only hope now was for his crew to find him as quickly as possible, with whatever shred of dignity he still could have.

Just then, a faint gleam of light came from a dark corner as a beam of light reflected briefly from a weapon. His pupils widened to let in more light as he focused into the partial darkness. The terrorclaw's heart raced much faster as a familiar shape, hidden in the shadows, became apparent.

An eyeridge. Even with the wrap around his snout, Darkthunder let out a loud roar of elation to see Arokh alive.

Arokh walked calmly towards the group, rifle aimed at the mammals, followed by a plateback and a domehead. The last two were not in the initial team; reinforcements had certainly arrived.

It was all over for the mammals.

There was an initial and short-lived scream of confusion as the mammals turned to look at the approaching Patrolsaur.

Darkthunder's elation began to give way to confusion. The mammals easily outnumbered the soldiers, yet they did not rush to combat, and instead eyed the approaching Patrolsaurs with what seemed like rapt attention. Neither would Arokh and the other two soldiers fire a shot. Were they there to negotiate the terrorclaw's freedom?

His heart sank low as the truth finally coalesced in his mind.

Arokh stopped two paces away from the terrorclaw. He flashed a toothy grin as he spoke, the end of his rifle now aimed at the terrorclaw's head.

"Feeling a bit overwhelmed here, Commander?"

TO BE CONCLUDED!

© Kaa Bakensobek