To Hell and Back (Hellworlder pirates)

Ch 65 Kruhur

Kruhur

The shuttle flew from the Venom's small landing bay and across the gap between the Venom and the Prophet's Flame. When they left the Venom the Prophets Flame looked very large, but after ten minutes of traveling through open space the Kruhur battleship only got larger and larger, until it seemed to fill the vast horizon with its mass. The shuttle's windows were completely filled with the sight of the Prophets Flame and Ah'ared began to feel a little nervous. But he forced back his fear as he thought of his vengeance, Astarte's prized ship would be the jewel of his new fleet. Her home would be burned to the ground, and all her allies would be ashes on the wind. And the word of what Ah'ared had done would draw new recruits to his fleet by the thousands. His reign would be glorious, and all he had to do was carefully navigate this meeting.

The shuttle approached one of the ship's cavernous docking bays and slid through the atmospheric retention field and landed on an empty space within the massive hanger. The door to the shuttle opened and Ah'ared held himself high as he walked through. However, for all the pride and poise he had, the moment he took one step Ah'ared felt a great weight settle on his bones, as the higher Kruhur native gravity overwhelmed the lesser gravity in the shuttle. He felt his breathing become more and more constrained, which paired poorly with the much thicker artificial atmosphere within the ship. His proudly raised head was pulled low as he struggled with the normally comfortable weight of his crown.

There was raucous laughter just ahead of him, and Ah'ared struggled to look at the source of the sound. A group of red skinned Kruhur were laughing at him. "Oh look, the lesser wretch has enough strength to just barely raise its head. What's wrong mulka, the gravity too high for your brittle bones and stringy flesh." The lead one jeered.

Ah'ared lifted and tilted his head just enough to let the crown slip off his head so that he could raise his head, the crown smacked into the floor with a loud ringing sound and bounced a few times incongruously.

The lead Kruhur looked smug as it stared at Ah'areds fallen crown "Good. A mulka who can't even raise his head doesn't deserve to wear a crown in our presence."

Beside Ah'ared, Sk'tharc stepped out of the ship cautiously, careful not to accidently snap her frail stick like legs. "We are the representatives of the Aunviry marauders here to meet with your leader." She cawed imperiously.

The Kruhur looked confused. "What did the little mulka say, I can't understand clicks and wistles, speak properly." It ordered.

"Thee thaid that we are the reprthentivth of the Aunviry mauraderth, bring ud to you're leader." Ah'ared interpreted for the barbaric creature.

The lead Kruhur stared at Ah'ared before it laughed "this one can't speak properly either, you mulka invented a language to talk to other races, and you can't even speak it properly. Everything you mulka do is inferior. Yes, come, we have arranged transportation so that you don't run of energy halfway to the Vicar's holy chambers." It said gesturing to floating cargo palette it had prepared.

Ah'ared hated to be mocked like this, but he had to suck up his pride until this meeting and their partnership was over. With great effort he and Sk'tharc made their way to the cargo pallet, once they were aboard the pallet rose and was pulled forward by the lead Kruhur. The other Kruhur didn't speak to them during the long journey, and only occasionally glared at them. Ah'ared busied himself by scanning the halls they were led through, the opulence on display was lacking when compared to Kazlum's lavish furnishing aboard the Igrathoth, but intriguing all the same. There were occasional portraits of Kruhur in ceremonial vestiges, and a few important scenes to Kruhur history, though how in their thousand years of failure and exile they found anything to venerate was beyond Ah'ared. He saw still frames of climactic battles, and some Kruhur heroes standing triumphantly over the corpse of some poor Union species.