Galaxy Pirates

Chapter 38: The Lament of Sinbad's Heart

Days passed. The pirates had already begun with the preparations for their next voyage, this time through the Bakhassa Universe – the home of the Bakhals. During these peaceful days, Violet enjoyed walking through sandy gardens of the Cyberia Palace, in the shades of blue-to-purple-leaved palm-trees native to the Balal Universe. Very often, she would visit Arubah too, either in his working cabin, disturbing him from his important affairs, or in his private chamber, having fun with him and sometimes even bothering him to help her with the Herminese and the Daluman language studies. The young man would heartily comply, even if he was disturbed from his work.

The way she so freely walked around the palace, there was no chance that Violet would manage to avoid Sinbad forever. Once, during one of such promenades on the fourth floor, she stumbled upon Captain Sinbad and Captain Uzma Zuzzas the Lady of Fube, who conversed among themselves. She quickly hid behind a wall in a shadowy corner, thus, became an eavesdropper on the discussion even if it was against her will:

"Captain Sinbad, my father has been killed by that horrendous man, and my home planet – the native land of all the Hubassukk, the cradle of all the Moba species – is in those filthy lizards' hands! I know you wish to wait until Captain Emperor's adulthood when he masters the Yamidahlia technique, but if we let the Divine Emperor conquer any more planets than he already has, we're going to fall in dire trouble. I ask you as my elder colleague and my kind friend – please, help us! Please, you and Lady Arruroe are our only hope..."

"No, I will not let Maluma meddle in this. She has already suffered enough because of my childish recklessness. However, I consent to help. I shall face him. It is time".

"Thank you so much, Captain Sinbad!"

Wait, he wants to oppose the Divine Emperor alone? He can't! That man's way too powerful – Ellie said he killed a bug king with just a swing of his hand! Once this thought ran through Violet's mind, Sinbad instantly looked at her hiding-place. Damn, I forgot he was a mind-reader!

She darted off into another corridor to quickly get away from that area and not run into the man who brought her nothing but fear and vile memories, just to stumble upon him in a completely different alley.

"H... How? I just got away from you back there!"

"Oh, so it was indeed you. Did you really think you could get away from me so easily?"

"What do you want?"

"Nothing... but I'd like to pose you the exact same question".

"It was not on my whim, I just stumbled upon you guys and overheard. Why are you so concerned about it, though?"

"I'm not concerned at all. I don't mind Gaian Worms listening to my speech, just as you do not mind some ants hearing yours_"

"Ugh, stop calling us 'Gaian Worms' already! Your precious nephew is actually half-human!"

"Yes, unfortunately".

"You're as hideous as ever..."

She turned around to leave, disgusted by this stuck-up man, not believing she could ever feel any sympathy towards him some months ago, but the same deep voice made her halt:

"Your race was created by lowly beings which we gave life to – the Radenoids. You, humans, were found faulty creatures and cast down on Earth, but you survived, so you're not quite as imperfect as you seem at first glance. Lady Maluma realised it a lot earlier than me, yet I did not wish to hear her arguments, because, no matter she was my superior – my very own queen – deep down I still counted myself higher than her, due to her being a child of a lowly species – the Crimson Daluma. Now, however, I've begun to understand that maybe it is I who have made mistakes in my judgment because Lady Maluma is a bright Herminoid and the possessor of the Yamidahlia technique, hence the highest Herminoid that can possibly exist, while I... I am just a dark, faulty individual. Both my twin and I make mistakes in our judgments, it seems. The darkness dwells in both of us. Maluma and her son, on the other hand, shall never make mistakes, even if they are hybrids with the lower species, because, in the end, the brightness of Yamidahlia overshadows all those weaker traits".

"You mean you want to confess to me now, that you were wrong when you so heartlessly tossed me away? Is that what you want to say?"

"No, I had never planned to leave you on my ship, to begin with. I had taken you from Planet Irahor to later deliver you to Arubah as per his request, from the very start".

"His... request?"

"Yes, he wanted to get to know a special human girl who might be to his taste".

"You're saying he had planned it all beforehand?"

"Yes, he wanted a special human by his side. I chose you because I could see you fitted his visions of the term 'special'. But you are right in another matter – I do confess now, that you, humans, are indeed quite interesting creatures, not as much low-levels as I earlier thought".

"Wait, your earlier words... You mean, Arubah doesn't love me, but is just using me?"

"Hermin's bliss, no, I never said that!" he laughed, "He loves you more than you can imagine. If he hadn't grown so fond of you, you would have died long ago".

"What? You mean he'd kill me?!"

"Maybe you'd even have wound up in his closet of red crystal souvenirs? Just some part of you, rather..."

"You are saying that you knew I might die in that insane captain's hands, yet you still left me at his mercy?"

Violet staggered on the place, so wonderstruck she was. Unidentified feelings began to overwhelm her. What did she feel towards this man now? It was not only disgust anymore – it was resentment and rage... the wrath so strong that it brought a lump in her throat.

"Count it as my mercy. If you hadn't been qualified as 'special' in my eyes, it would've been I to kill you back on Planet Irahor. That is the only blessing you Gaian Worms can ever possess, and you and your family have got a lot of it – the luck... That cursed luck of you Gaian Worms that I so greatly despise, because I, such a grand creature, were to have none in my entire life of thirty Herminese years! The only possible consolation I can now find is to kill that other half of mine as rotten as I, but far luckier than I, and end this damned life of mine. Farewell".

Sinbad, who had already begun to glow with the dark and eerie energy that Violet had sensed only on Dohta while he was being consumed by his Black powers, walked past her and vanished in the darkness, to leave her fallen to knees on the floor, shedding sorrowful tears.