Veils and Vipers

Chapter 2

Tobias sat in complete silence, his eyes locked on the stars that decorated the open void of space outside of the father ship. He turned away from the window and wearily sat down on the black floor of his fancy new quarters.

The young commander pulled the shoulder of his shirt down and poked at the black brand that was seared onto his arm after his team had won their final fight. Tobias' finger traced the thin circle that surrounded the eerie and sharp snake skull inside of it. The mark of loyalty to his leader, Xalees.

Xalees was said to have worked from a mere slave to what his people considered a god. The true ruler of all life in the eyes of the general public. Several planets pledged their undying allegiance to him after copious amounts of life had been taken. Condemning thoughts were developed on the matter, but with more bloodshed the idea of a tyrannical leader dissolved into nothing.

Tobias felt an icy chill crawl down his spine at the thought of the possibility of his own mistakes. What if the wrong words escaped his mouth and the wrong time? He'd be killed know as a traitor. At least he'd get to see Ace again.

He got to his feet and stretched out his stiff body, his face scrunching up slightly as he did so. It had been at the very least two days since he had left his quarters. Finally after a long battle, the endless torment of Tobias' loud stomach and forced him to leave his uncomfortably comforting room.

Tobias put a stoic facade on and fast just as he had practiced for many years. He took his first step out of his quarters, ready to eat some food. There was a small grunt as the pearly skinned alien hit the floor, ripping off Tobias' prideful act on his way down. He quickly found his way to his knees and helped the little thing up. Scanning the unique creature, he found her height stopped midway up his stomach. White luscious locks of hair hung loosely by her shoulders and her black and silver outfit was fairly snug it seemed. Golden beauty stared up at him with an agitated scowl. "Ah! Forgive me! Are you alright?" Tobias lied with his concerned expression.

"Yes, quite. Maybe look to see where you're going next time?" She snarled and sauntered off with her head held high. Must have been a Lehtorian Tribec. With her fancy dress and well done makeup she must have been off to a private meeting to discuss the rumored war. He had heard from other's small chit chat that Xalees was preparing to launch an attack on his most hated species, the Trostirex. Never ending pain they were. They possessed a minuscule army, but they were not lacking in resources or backbreaking training. Many of Tobias' people had lost their lives to the aggravating race.

Tobias received many friendly smile and helloes as he made his way to the cafeteria. What would the options be today? A big plate of freshly mashed, cold potatoes? Or perhaps watery soup filled with mushed vegetables? For the first time ever, he couldn't wait to stuff the banal and bland food down his throat.

After Tobias had taken his seat, it didn't take long for his remaining three Vipers to find him. It was quiet for a painfully long while. It was better that way. The fact that they had bothered to sit next to Tobias was all he needed.

The mood was quickly broken when a young lad entered the cafeteria. Red hair covered his head and he glanced around the room like he was looking for someone. "Oi, Tobias. Ain't that Ace's old uniform?" The lad named Liam piped up.

"What's he doing wearing that?" Another one spoke with an unfriendly stare set on the lad. He could have been no older than sixteen.

As expected, some blonde with the dragon's logo slapped the food tray out of the red head's hands. Potato's splattered to the white floor while a few more dragons joined in on laughing at him. Tobias stood up, his fingers wrapping around a blade in his pocket. "Gonna cry?" The blonde taunted while ruffling up the newbie's hair. Suddenly, the red head's pushover looked turned fierce. His chocolate eyes turned dagger sharp. He was certainly getting angry and fast.