Homestar Saga

Chapter 55: Conversations With Cat People

They should have brought bigger guns. As the ramp lowered, Yvian longed for the comforting weight of a BFG14 plasma gatling gun. Instead she carried her standard kit. Blaster pistol, stunshot, and a BR24 assault rifle. The only addition the Captain had allowed was the nanocarbon katana strapped to her hip. It was the only thing she carried that would be of use against a Vrrl. Guns would be almost useless against their armor and personal shields.

Yvian and Mims waited until the boarding ramp reached the deck. In front of them were two lines of Vrrl hunters. About the size of a pixen, and pixen shaped, except for an extra pair of long, heavy arms. The Vrrl were outfitted in black armor, with razor tips at the end of each digit. Their helmets had clear face shields instead of mirrored visors, revealing heavy muzzles below three eyes that reflected the light. They were still, but not rigid, standing in a half crouch that gave the impression they could burst into motion at any moment. Yvian's heart rate increased at the sight of them. The last time she'd seen a Vrrl, it had been tearing open her insides.

Another Vrrl in red armor stood in front of the two rows. It stepped forward. "Scargiver," it growled. Yvian thought its deep rumble of a voice meant it was a male, but she couldn't be sure. "Pixen. Come. We will take you to the Warmaster."

Mims gave the thing a nod and started down the ramp, cold and calm as always. Yvian tried to emulate him, thankful that her voidarmor was a closed environment. She'd heard the Vrrl could smell fear. She didn't want them to smell hers.

The Vrrl in the rows broke formation. Six of them fanned out to lead the way. Six of them fanned out to guard the rear. Yvian didn't know if they were meant as an honor guard or simply there to prevent an escape. The Vrrl in red fell into step beside the Captain. Mims spared the creature a glance, then continued forward, ignoring its presence.

They took a lift to another part of the station. When they stepped off the elevator, Yvian expected to be led to the station's control center. Instead, they were brought to a promenade at the top of the station. A single Vrrl stood in the center, gazing out the massive set of viewports that served as the promenade's far wall and ceiling.

The Vrrl in the center was unarmed, and unarmored. It was a massive brute, closer to three meters tall than to two. Its fur was white. Its mane was red. Its upper set of arms were nearly as big as Yvian's waist, and its lower arms outsized her legs. Both were folded behind his back. Its feet were bare, its retracted claws barely visible beneath the fur. It wore a leather vest, a leather skirt, and a strange cape made of dozens of different colored cloth patches. As they walked closer, Yvian realized the patches weren't cloth at all. They were scalps.

When they came within three meters of the lone Vrrl, the Vrrl in red let out a loud chuffing noise. "Warmaster Scathatch. The Scargiver has arrived."

Warmaster Scathach turned. His eyes were green, with slits for pupils. Four scars traced their way from just above his right eye to the bottom of his muzzle. He shifted its gaze from Mims to Yvian, then back to the Vrrl in red. He blinked slowly before saying. "Thank you, Hsath. Leave us now." He pointed at a huddle several feet away. "And take that one with you. This is not a conversation for soft paws."

Hsath clasped all four of its (his? probably his) hands behind his head. He thrust his belly forward before returning his arms to his sides. The escorts he'd brought followed suit. Two of them moved to the form on the ground, which turned out to be a sleeping flivvan.

"Wha- AAUGH!" The flivvan, who Yvian assumed to be Migo, scrambled backwards on his hands at the sight of the ones who woke him. "I told you, Mims is coming! Mims is..." He saw the human standing near Warmaster Scathach. "See, he's there!" Migo pointed. "He's there! Mims. You gotta help-"