Aran

The Brothers

They were a rare organization of pirates to have uniforms. They certainly declared themselves pirates over the static that made up the frequencies that were the web of stars, but they were considered a regular navy. The men all were geared in black and dark-blue single-piece jumpsuits. On their breast were their family names and on at their shoulder was an insignia to represent their ranks in red.

"Shoulda' went with Gracie, me'thinks," A voice behind a red bandana grumbled as he heaved a large cylinder over his shoulder.

The other man he was speaking to ducked underneath the cylinder as the man turned, "Ain't going to find much with'em, Phi'. Best with Beta and Alpha."

The two men filed behind another group of men who were hauling boxes and cables of all sizes. The camp before them was coming to life as lights began to spark into brilliance and more tents linked together to make a safe haven planetside. "A sandy rock, it is. Nothing but tomb-robbers now, eh?" He gestured with his shoulder towards the massive temple before them.

"Quiet, Phi." The other whispered sharply, "Bit of tongue be heard by Lord Jewel and he'll have the whole of it!"

He let out a tigerish sigh, "But you hear me, don't yeh? Agree even?"

"If it'll stop yer gums, sure Phi." He hissed, "Yer righter than my main doll."

The two let down their boxes and began unpacking them onto the sand. The cylinder unrolled into a hard surface that went for yards. "What yeh think is in it?" The red bandana asked.

His friend looked towards him and then to the stoney mountain structure, "Nothing good, I'd bet," His accent had more charm to it, more affluence to the language.

Phiphel shook his head, "We make camp next to it, it best be gooder than that!" He bit down on a wrapper of a large box and with his white teeth he tore free the plastic wrap and out of it came a tarp for a tent wall.

On the breast of his friend read the name West. "What you think could be in it? Look around," He motioned around them before they set up aluminum pipes to connect their walls to.

It was barren all around, as far as the eye could see, all there was were storms and plains of sand. "You make something like this, West. It ain't nothing. Not an ornament."

"Lord Jewel said the main Cap told him to bring supplies for a long stay."

"Long stay?"

"Aye, that stop at Tortino, the supply guys said they had brought on more stores than for the last haul. Three months worth at least!"

"Blast all that!" Phiphel barked, but West immediately slapped his wide jaw to get him to quiet.

"Get loud when I'm not bunked in the same cot as you!" West pulled down another curtain of a tent wall and on the other side of him Phiphel finished posting the final wall that enclosed around them. Without another word West lit an electric caged lantern and hung it on one of the support bars above their heads. "After this we'll have liberty on the H-system. Great for some R&R."

Phiphel looked like he was struggling with a memory of the H-system. A skewed smile came upon his cheeks as he thought he could remember something.

"So quiet your uggo mug. I ain't going to sleep a tick if you keep on."

Phiphel let out a growl, but he knew better than to fight the posh. They had been through it too many times before. "Come then, what you think is in it?" Phiphel took his bandana off to reveal he was missing his lower jaw and half a tongue. It was replaced with a metal box that connected the forward part of his throat and traveled along the roof of his mouth. It was a terrifying site to anyone not ready for it. His voice came out perfectly from the box, accent and all.