Chaos Rising

4

"Fucking crabs," Hael hissed between his teeth as he picked through his pubes. The ice lice had latched onto the skin around his cock and were giving him more than a headache. "Fucking Catarons. 'Clean and cheap'? Yeah fucking right." Hael lifted a louse from his skin and crushed it between his thumb and forefinger. It was a good feeling.

Suddenly, Hael almost tripped over the pants around his ankles as the ship shook violently. Falling against the wall of the stall, Hael swore violently. Seconds later, the ship shook again, and groaned like a pregnant colph. The lurching knocked Hael to the floor and his hand smacked into his balls.

"Fuck!" Hael snarled, getting his ass off the cold bathroom tiles. His groin was screaming in pain. It was enough to make Hael lean over and pant out breaths for a few moments. He could have sworn that his vision blurred a few times. The blasted white lighting in the bathroom and the pain in his groin made Hael feel like retching up his rations.

Slowly, Hael managed to get up and dress himself. The crabs could wait until he worked out what the damn eel of a captain had driven the ship into. Coming out of the stall, Hael went to the door, fumbling with his belt to get it done up. Just as his hand reached towards the door handle, a sound he hadn't heard in years thundered through the door; the sound of gunfire. Listening against the door, Hael caught the sound of running feet, a few muffled grunts and someone yelling. Punctuating this was the familiar sound of pulse rifles and pistols.

Hael thought about what to do. An instinct he had thought was long dead made him reach up to his ear towards an comm earpiece that he no longer wore. Hael swore to himself. Even in the military, the officers on the other end of the comm link were rarely any help. As Hael waited, he heard the gunfire start to subside.

"Did you see those cowards run? Like shooting Hexes in a duct!" someone shouted from behind the door. They weren't from Security; the eels in Security only spoke Techaran to each other.

"Shoulda set your rifle to stun," someone replied. "We ain't getting paid for dead bodies."

"What's in here?"

"Toilets. Don't you read?"

"I read credits."

"They're numbers, shitdick."

Hael heard the sound of a scuffle.

"You check the toilets. We'll see who's a shitdick."

Hael looked around. He was in the open; they'd shoot him on sight. His instincts took over and he snuck into the second toilet stall from the door.

The toilet door swung open and Hael heard footsteps. There was a loud bang as the first stall's door was kicked open. Quick as a flash, Hael bolted around the stall and wrapped his arm around a man's neck. It all happened so quickly, he barely had time to notice the two curled horns sticking out of the Cataron's forehead. Seeing that only made Hael tightened his grip on the man's neck. The man struggled, his rifle falling to the floor. Amateur, Hael thought. The Cataron's hands were clenched onto Hael's forearm while the man tried to headbutt him with his horns. Hael moved his head to the side and kicked out the man's legs. He dropped low like a sack of grain and Hael used all the strength he could muster to hold the man in the chokehold.

After a few more seconds of struggling, the Cataron's brain lost air and he passed out. Hael looked around the bathroom. Who was this guy? He knew nothing. If he killed him... Hael grabbed the limp body and hoisted him onto the toilet seat. Pulling off the man's belt, Hael bound the Cataron to the toilet bowl. Hael admired his work until his eyes drifted to the man's gun on the floor. A new M-34 Hemorrhage Assault Rifle. Hael's hands flexed. He could already feel the gun's cold stock against his chest and its moulded grip in his hand. There was no use trying to resist the urge; seconds later, the gun was in Hael's hands. The grip was still warm from the other guy, but the gun looked in good shape. There wasn't time to take it apart and rebuild it piece by piece as Hael would have liked.