To Hell and Back (Hellworlder pirates)

Ch32 Aunviry

Aunviry

Ah'ared watched as the knife shaped Terran ships slipped into their hanger and turned away in disgust, since when did they have such a large fleet? During his stint in the Femeri sector he only ever heard word of the Astaroth, there was rumor of a second ship like the Astaroth, but nothing was ever confirmed. And now there where four ships like the Astaroth, along with many smaller vessels, and three armored freighters. Just one of those ships would have served as a powerful flagship, and they roll in with four! And from his preliminary examination Astaroth didn't even appear to be the most dangerous of the four. The central grey ship that moved in tandem with the white ship had some sort of massive cannon embedded in its bow. The pulse cannons these Hellworlders equipped there ships with were already comparable to the cannons on a type 8 battleship! Whatever weapon they had created to take up most of the bow surely must be impressive.

The smaller ships alone were comparable to his own flag ship the Venom, the rest out classed his small pirate band a few times over. Cold dread sluiced over his neck. This was trouble.

A Cék'ek female approached Ah'ared "Your presence is demanded by Kazlum, obey or else" it clicked slowly.

Ah'ared didn't have much experience with Cék'ek, he considered them to be wholly cowardly creatures that weren't worth his respect. But before him stood Sk'tharc, the man eater, her reputation for cold calculating brutality was legendary among other pirates. Cék'ek were one of very few core world members who developed to be carnivores like Ah'ared. Their long stick like legs made coastal scavenging easy, and their long-serrated beaks were excellent for cracking open crustaceans and mollusks and getting at the soft meat within. But rumor had it that had a taste for other types of soft flesh, hatchlings.

Ah'ared was a murderer, a slaver, and a pirate, but before this cannibal he felt only dread. It didn't help that a powerful predator from his home world greatly resembled her, Arhg'ca had a nasty habit of tearing Egh'ahds apart at the neck and gobbling it down whole leaving only the headless body behind.

His stubby tail curled inward in a sign of submission as he obeyed the man eater and followed her to meet a much more terrifying being.

They walked through the busy and bustling open bizarre that had sprouted up in what used to be the super freighters cavernous cargo bay. Catwalks and rickety shops were suspended above him with frayed steel cords, they jostled and swayed from the motion of hundreds passing over it. A thousand different sounds and scents assaulted his nose, an impressive feat given his poorer sense of smell when compared to other creatures. They walked until a majority of the shops were attended by Egh'ahds and Cék'ek, a signal that they had approached Aunviry territory. They walked until they came to a wall of the cavernous room were two Ceshix guards stood vigil.

Ceshix were gray skinned bipedal mammalian creatures with a thick calloused skin covered in pointed spines, they were herbivores and would have been a prominent member of the Union if it wasn't for the twisted pantheon of mutilated gods they worshiped. Gods like Krell the god of vengeance, Bizoth the god of torture, and Arnhoth the god of subjugation, all made the Ceshix fringe members of the Union. Often pushed to the edge of civilization.

They exposed their broad flat teeth, but an annoyed click from the Man-eater silenced them. Ah'ared glowered at them as well, he was second only to Kazlum, these lowly guards had no right to demean him like this. But of course the Ceshix didn't care, as far as they saw it Ah'ared served their master, and since they were their master's enforcers that made them above Ah'ared.

He passed the irreverent guards and walked across the causeway to the heart of the Aunviry marauders, the Igrathoth. Named for one of the Aunviry's elder gods, the ship had been passed down for generations. It had once been a simple freighter, but after years of upgrades the vessel was now comparable to any Union battleship. Advanced armor plating, antimatter reactors, layers of shields, and extensive pleasure facilities, this ship was the personal Palace of Kazlum. Ah'ared's own Venom paled in comparison.