Sins of the Stars

Chapter 1

"You've been working out, haven't you?" Icarus asked, a sly grin playing on his lips. His right elbow was perched atop the table across from a young man named Twallan, his second-in-command. Twallan was strong for a human; they were typically seen as physically weaker compared to other species. He was an exception though, coming from a military background and experienced in combat. Their hands were interlocked tightly in a test of strength. Their arm-wrestling contest was eagerly enjoyed by the rest of their crew, who were shouting and whooping as the two strained to slam the other's arm into the table. It was a close match.

"That's an understatement. The last few days have felt like I'm back at the academy," Twallan replied, grinning back and baring his teeth. He brushed his long blond hair out of his eyes. "I can feel my arms getting new stretch marks!" He let out an animalistic growl and put all his energy into forcing Icarus's arm down until it just nearly touched the table. Icarus held his arm there a moment, letting Twallan use up the last of his strength. After a few seconds, he pushed through his own burning pain and managed to flip the game, bringing his arm back up over Twallan's and slamming his hand down on the table. As Twallan's arm hit the table, the entire cabin erupted into a mix of cheers, boos, and laughter.

"Fuck you, that was close!" Twallan yelled, wiping his hair from his face once more and leaning back in defeat. Icarus jumped up, sending his own chair flying against the wall behind him. Triumphantly, he pumped his fists in the air and pounded on his chest, basking in the victory.

"Ohhh yeah! You thought you could win, kid! Get your ass down there and bring our friend up, huh?" Icarus pointed at the stairs that led down to the cargo bay of their ship, The Golden. The competition had been to determine who would have to drag up the unconscious body of a prisoner for questioning.

"Fine, but I'm going to take my sweet time," Twallan smirked, slapping Icarus hard on the shoulder before heading towards the stairs. On the way, he found his pint of Traxian ale and slurped it slowly and deliberately while raising his eyebrows at his captain and crew. Icarus looked around him wildly, still basking in the glory of his win.

"Anyone else want to try? I know you're all gluttons for punishment!" he exclaimed, raising his mug of beer and offering it to the rest of the crew. A few members waved him off, chuckling. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dreg taking a step forward.

Dreg was a Sadaar—the largest of all the known alien species. At over 9 feet tall and roughly 600 pounds, Dreg was a perfect example of just how imposing one of his species could be. Sadaar were built for strength and durability—an important evolutionary advantage on his high-gravity home planet. All Sadaar had skin that came in shades of red, orange, and brown. They had thick natural armor across their back and chest, as well as large horns on their heads and tusks jutting from their lower jaw. Humans often called them Minotaurs, although Icarus could only really justify the comparison based on the horns. Though his knowledge of human mythology wasn't the best, he personally thought Sadaar looked more like demons.

While Icarus himself was only a foot shorter than Dreg, his species, Arcturians, were naturally light and lean. He had to work hard to build the muscle he had. Icarus, like the rest of his species, was blue and green in color with reptilian features. His large hands ended in sharp claws that made most knives seem dull in comparison. He had long digitigrade legs adorned with small spikes, like the rest of his body. The spikes ran along his back, up to his broad shoulders and along his arms. His head was perhaps his most distinguishing feature. Like other males, he had a set of moderate horns angled backward, accompanied by smaller nodules that ran along his jaw up to the top of his head. Small mandibles adorned the sides of his mouth, below two small but imposing bright yellow eyes. Despite his size and strength relative to other species, there still wasn't a single individual who could take on a Sadaar in hand-to-hand, unarmored combat.