Pax Galactica - A Space Opera

Chapter 26 - Everything Has A Price

Decker saw another closed-top repulsorcraft approaching from above.

<Does that one show up on your sensors?> he asked the Suit.

<Oh, so now you want to hear me talk?> the Suit replied.

<Don't. Even. Start.>

<It's not cloaked. It's them.>

Decker sighed and reactivated his deathward.

He looked down at the bleeding xalaxian under his foot. Her environmental helmet was cracked but didn't appear to be leaking. He didn't think she was capable of getting up on her own but he kept his weapon leveled at her, just in case.

<You hurt my feelings when you said I wasn't a person,> the Suit complained.

<Well get used to the idea because you're not,> Decker replied darkly. <You're a tool. You got a good person killed because you have no will of your own. I'm finished pretending you're anything but the voice associated with a non-sapient computer.>

<That's a horrible thing to say.>

<It's an even worse thing to be.>

The Suit didn't have any reply to that.

The repulsorcraft came to a landing nearby, blasting up dirt everywhere as its repulsors aimed directly beneath it. It settled onto the ground and Aranarth and Eyeye/Eeeek jumped out.

"Squire! Get your foot off that prisoner!" shouted Aranarth, his cloak flapping behind him as he rushed over.

"She'll live," said Decker, not moving his foot, "which is more than I can say for Jeeke/Gyeee."

"If you can't keep your emotions in check you're unfit to be a ranger, now step away from the prisoner."

Decker dramatically removed his foot, and took a step back.

Anarath went over to the prone xalaxians and kneeled down to check her wounds.

"Could you get the medical kit?" he asked Eyeye/Eeeek.

"Your squire is accurate," replied Eyeye/Eeeek, "we xalaxians have many sphincters in our limbs that can seal them off if dismembered. The Long Shadow agent will not bleed out."

"She's still wounded," said Aranarth, "could you please get me the kit?"

Aranarth said "please" in a way that didn't sound like he was asking. Eyeye/Eeeek went back to the repulsorcraft, muttering about the relative sizes of human internal organs. The idioms didn't translate.

"The weak shall never rule the strong," the Long Shadow agent struggled to say, in Low Xalaxian. "My death will inspire a thousand thousand martyrs to the cause." She spat up some gold fluid which dripped down the inside of her helmet.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," replied Aranarth, mostly ignoring her.

Eyeye/Eeeek returned from the craft with the medical kit, a small grey box. She handed it to Aranarth with one of her long twisting limbs.

"Do you even know how to use one of these on a xalaxian?" she asked.

"I'm not going to apply to a xalaxian medical school any time soon but I think I can handle waiving dermal regenerator around," said Aranarth.

He did just that, and the Long Shadow agent's wounds began to close. Aranarth tossed the dermal regenerator back in the kit and stood up. He walked up to Decker.

"If I ever see you mistreating a prisoner again you're finished, do you understand?"

"I was-" Decker began.