Reth Spinerender - Cormag One – Unidentified Bounty Hunter Vessel

  Reth knew he was one of the baddest Ilshtars to ever set foot upon this planet. The pirate killsquad around him all knew what he was capable of and followed him with equal parts reverence and fear. That’s why he was entrusted by the boss to lead these savages. Reth and his crew were standing next to one voids-damned fancy-ass ship.

  All expensive paint and swooping curves attached to massive thrusters. But more than that, he recognized the description: this was that star fighter that fucked up Grauuls squad. Reth let out a low whistle as his men started using mag shears to pry open the landing door.

  “Get this shit done right. Don’t fuck up the ship too bad, this shiny piece, oh, dominion tech, gonna give us one helluva commission."Reth was already imagining the liquor and guns he could shower himself in with his 15 percent cut.

  With an unhealthy rending, pop, the cargo bay ramp was wrenched open. Reth and his men swung in souring the hold. To their disappointment, there was nothing in the cargo hold other than some unused tie-down straps and an odd squat box of sand with an unpleasant odor. The team casually spilled into the ship and stacked up against the door, ready to storm through the ship like a plague of locusts.

  Reth scanned his assembled men, they were all locked, loaded, armored, and ready. “Eye's open scans showed a lifeform on board, probably just some bullshit designer pet, but don’t dust it unless you need to. It might be worth some serious credits. If it's as fancy as this ship.” He gave an appreciative glance at the crystalline staircase ahead that spiraled upward, surrounded by precious metals. Reth rushed upwards, a double barrel spitter in hand, and came out into the ornate commons room.

  He huffed in surprise. At the decidedly disparate decor, posters plastered over golden filigree and dirty piles of clothes loosely hung off true wood inlay. A random hammock swung from a chandelier that probably cost more than his entire kit. He stuffed down his curiosity and moved in concert with his team to clear the ship. As they entered the kitchen, something small and very fast scrambled out the door and was just out of sight before they got a good look.

  "Well, the pet is running away from us, smart lil fuck lure it out with some food or something.” Reth said over his comms. “Everyone check in the ship clear?”

  There was a chorus of voices talking all at once over comms, save for one. "Kurig, Kurig, answer your fucking comms!” A noticeable silence fell on the ship, everyone waiting for the answer, but instead all they heard was a faint chittering sound in the distance.

  “Ill go check and see if that dumbass is just taking a shit outside the ship again, he always pulls this bullshit." Reth made for the cargo bay once again after he secured the rest of the left wing since Kurig was the rearguard.

  Reth barged into the cargo hold, a chastising speech ready to go. The words died in his throat as his eyes widened. The cargo hold looked like someone had turned Kurig inside out, piece by piece, with something sharp. Reth had seen some of the most horrific scenes imaginable in his life, but his second in command in this many pieces was a match for any of them.

  With a gag, he activated his comms. “Kurig is dead. Someone chopped him up with a blade of some kind. Weapons up. Sweep in teams there's someone on the ship with us.”

  Reth swept through the cargo hold in a flurry of adrenalin, managing to miss the trickle of blood coming from the slightly askew vent grate. He rushed halfway back up the crystiline staircase before he came to a sharp stop, sliding a bit in another crewman's blood. There was a trickle cascading down the steps above him. He grunted and sloshed forward, his gun at the ready.

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  Cori was at the top of the staircase, bleeding profusely from neat slashes across the back of his legs that had completely ripped through his armor.

  Cori waved his rifle left to right, holding the rifle as steady as he could through the pain. ” I didn't even see him, boss. This fucker is fast and definitely using some kind of silent vibro knife. Got me when I turned around in the hall to come secure the commons.”

  Reth looked to his right towards the armory at the sound of cautious footfalls that abruptly changed into a slamming clang. He burst forward just in time to catch another member of his group bleeding profusely from a stab wound on his back. He shoved the man aside and advanced, ready to blow the assassin apart. There was nothing. There was no one in the hall and only the echo of a noise in the empty armory.

  Reth seethed panic was starting to grip him. “What the fuck is going on?" he shouted into his comms.

  A terrified voice crackled back. "Boss, it's so fucking fast. It's in the. Oh god, please no, No!" The panicked pirates voice trailed into the gurgle of a man whose throat was cut, Reth flinched listening to his dying rattles.

  “ CHCHCHCHCHCH...CHCH”

  Reth recoiled, and the awful chittering echoed through his and the remaining crews comms. “Did anyone get eyes on that fucking pet?”

  Cori piped up from nearby. "Yeah, it was a pretty bug thing. Purple, green, little stabby arms.....” He trailed off in realization.

  Reth opened communications again, hoping it was more than just him, and Cori left, "Theres a fucking bioweapon on the ship. We will hold the commons for exactly one minute, then we are pulling the fuck out. Get here if you can.”

  There was a quick scuffle in the hall to the left as Chitters launched out of a vent after a pirate fleeing from Slev's room. The impact tore him from the hallway and into the kitchen. Reth and Cori stood weapons raised towards the kitchen, unwilling to feed themselves into the monsters maw. The pirate managed to crawl halfway out the door before being dragged back into the kitchen again, a sickening crunch silencing his begging for help.

  Reth grabbed a bag of assorted loot off the body of the man who had been killed on his way from the armory. "Alright, I think that's long enough. Let's fucking go.”

  Reth made his way very tentatively back to the stairs, with Cori trailing behind him, covering their retreat. Foot by foot, they inched down the staircase, alert for even the slightest sound to warn of the bioweapon. Reth had set one foot into the cargo hold when he heard the slightest tink of metal lightly tapping against metal in the room with him. There was a single, slightly bent metal pole standing on its own in the center of the cargo hold.

  “The fuck?” Reth looked harder at the area before him and noticed a slight shimmering around the metal rod.

  The shimmer materialized into a steel-colored, many-eyed horror with bladed limbs as it streaked towards Reth. He cursed, diving to the side and ripping shots towards the creature. It almost casually bounced to the ceiling, dodging his fire, and then catapulted over Reth, straight into the back of Cori's neck. The last thing Reth saw before he fled from the ship was two bladed arms tearing the head from Cori before the little beast raised the pirates head above itself in a warbling victory cry.

  Reth gasped for air as he sprinted across the sharp mesa, oblivious to the almost certain impalment on rocks if he fell. Reth's ship was just ahead of him, now a small but very functional troop carrier. He needed to get back to the fucking frigate and order a missile strike on this location. He dashed up the ramp, tossing the loot he had somehow managed to hold onto aggressively into a corner. A few more steps, and he made it into the hall, immediately locking the airtight door to the cargo hold.

  Chitters- Cormag one

  Chitters finished adding the head to his little display in the commons room; he was certain his father would be proud of this, he defended the cave from not friends! But he has a more pressing emergency. He dashed back out of the ship and could just see the loud one making it to his ship in the distance. Chittered flung himself full speed after the pirate. Jumping from stone spire to stone spire. He leapt the last 30 feet, coming to a sliding stop across the floor, and immediately saw his prize.

  The toy the nice birdman had given him had spilled onto the floor from the fleeing thief's sack. Chitters reverantly picked up the plushie with both of his little grabbing claws. As he turned to leave, there was a wining, grinding sound. Chitters immediately matched the tan color of the bag and bent lower to better hide. Instead of another pirate, he just saw the big door behind him grind to a close. Chitters let out a concerned warble.