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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/Auggy74 on 2024-11-01 19:16:59+00:00.

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Vilantian Warfreighter “Hidepiercer”

Grezzk wondered not for the first or even hundredth time how this had happened. She and Gro’zel had made their way to the spaceport and after making a few quiet inquiries she was able to take passage on this ship in exchange for working in the mess and laundry until they reached their destination, New Casablanca. It was supposed to only be a short trip, but as the hours stretched into a day and then a second it became clear they were not going to where Grezzk wanted to go. It was clear she was going to have to escape the ship at their next port, so she began using her ignorance of the ship layout to go into areas that weren’t specifically the mess or laundry. After a few times she was able to locate an emergency escape pod, but not before being caught.

After she was never alone. A large brute was her shadow ever after, ensuring that she went where she was told and only where she was told. The ship was dimly lit, and tracking time became all but impossible with her work and catching sleep by the handful in the moments when there wasn’t someone hungry or in need of fresh laundry. How many days had it been? The only other thing she was given was a wrist-screen that showed Gro’zel in a cage, somewhere on the ship. It was hard to track her, the ship-scent was overwhelming with other things that seemed medical and almost sleep inducing. Still she would stop and look around slowly now and again. Her daughter was here, somewhere. She would have to husband her strength for one moment to find Gro’zel, free her, and get both of them into the escape pod.

She had to be dreaming - she would swear she heard her beloved introducing himself as Captain Gryzzk. It made no sense. She paused, feigning a stomach pain and her guard paused. Her mind raced. Gryzzk was an observer for their lord, for this mission with the Terrans. But if Lord A’kifab had betrayed her, Gryzzk may have been betrayed as well. Even now her mind briefly reeled at the sundering of the Clan-Way.

She still heard her husband, imploring the ship captain to stand down and let them on board to look for her. She remembered an old joke, born of their first meeting without chaperones - they had walked in the woods where Gryzzk had spent his youth. As they walked, the twilight roses along the path began to bloom and sparkle as she walked by them. Gryzzk noticed and said that the roses only bloomed when they were competing with true beauty. She laughed and replied that the roses awaited a handsome hand to pluck them. From then on it became their joke - but now it was serious. She had to let him know that she was on board.

She threw the cart down and raced toward the bridge of the ship, howling as loudly as she could that the twilight rose bloomed and awaited a handsome hand. She got half of it out and darkness overtook her.

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Terran Mercenary Ship “Voided Warranty”

As soon as the comm channel was dropped, Major Williams slapped his own comm channel to prepare the entire crew for “a ride on the Maverick”, and then barked out a series of orders to the helm and a second series to the gunnery controls to load tesla-pedoes and to aim properly this time. The crew was well trained and latched on to grab handles and harnesses and the ship thrusters responded to send the ship down, sideways, and then up before firing several torpedoes in succession that detonated against the engines of the Hidepiercer, leaving them sputtering and then cold. From there, the helm let the Voided Warranty continue as momentum dictated, bringing the docking hatches alongside and firing several metallic rings that splattered against the hull of the Hidepiercer, while the helm was muttering something about being a leaf on the wind. It was an eternal moment of combat that showed how well the Terrans trained. He’d heard about it a few times, that Terran battles were bloody drills and their drills were bloodless battles. Having seen both ground and ship combat, he would confirm that to any who would listen. And almost as suddenly as it started, the maneuvers and wild pitching were done and the Hidepiercer was locked with both Terran vessels.

“Captain Gryzzk, orders for the troops.” Major Williams was looking at him expectantly.

There was a long, long moment while Gryzzks mind looked at the situation and tried to find familiarity. And finally he remembered having to coordinate the whole staff to remove a swarm of silk-hoppers; it was simple in theory, close the windows and give them nowhere to go except where he wanted them to go. He opened a channel to all four squads.

“Aft boarding parties, use gas grenades. Forward boarding parties, stun rounds - move them toward the rear. We want the crew out of engineering but still toward the aft of the ship. Eyes open for any pregnant women, they may be unconscious. Medical teams on standby please.” Gryzzk pulled up the close scan to see if he could discern moving life signs from non-moving ones. “Scan shows approximately…twenty moving.” He paused for a moment before signing off with “Good hunting.”

Gryzzk left the comm channel open, listening to the squads chatter and glancing toward the bridge door more than a few times. Major Williams cleared his throat and leaned in. “Good so far.” It seemed to be the highest praise he could have earned at this point.

From his console Gryzzk could see each squad as they moved methodically through the ship, with communications displaying various helmet visuals and carrying the sounds of the boarding parties – their conversational tones were changing from focused to curious to some form of surprise and finally settling on an exceptional disapproval bordering on anger. Whatever the boarding parties had found it had offended Terran sensibilities – which did not bode well for the future health of the crew of the Hidepiercer.

Finally a voice came over the comms that Gryzzk recognized. “Muranaga to Captain Gryzzk, ship secure. Stand by - we are venting the engineering section.”

The weight of relief surged through Gryzzk, looking over to the Major for a moment, considering. “Major Williams, I would like to inspect the ship.”

There was a nod. “By all means Captain.”

Gryzzk straightened his beret and went to the forward docking hatch, where First Sergeant Brooks was waiting with the Learning Stick. “You’ll be needin’ this I think, Captain” was all she said as she handed it over to him.

“Thank you, First Sergeant.” Gryzzk took the weapon and pushed off hard to float through the boarding tube to the Hidepiercer. Along with him were several other teams that were lightly armed – they also appeared to be carrying containers and equipment that would aid in inspecting and securing the ship.

The lighting and gravity were comfortable, the scene was not. A medic had made it onboard and was attending Grezzk with exceptional caution as she stirred slowly. Several other personnel were busy throughout the ship making sure it could be moved again once they were done with the crew. Meanwhile, there was a cleared area of twenty Vilantians arranged neatly with hands behind their head with a general air of defeat about them. The reason for their general air was the ten Terrans milling about with weapons drawn and focused - the weapons themselves were different from what he’d seen, appearing to be made to deliver shock-darts or other projectiles that weren’t immediately lethal. Around that was the reason for the earlier cries of dismay - rows of racks, each carrying various supplies and a Vilantian with an intravenous needle feeding them something - given their state, they were probably in a medically induced stasis. A small placard at their feet announced their name, Clan affiliation, and crime. On the whole, the entire ship reeked of activities that were not even remotely legal.

The priority here was obvious - Gryzzk darted toward Grezzks’ form and stopped short. The medic glanced up. “Light concussion. She’ll be awake soon, looks like the kids’ll be fine.” There was a pause. “Captain?”

“As soon as she can be moved, take her to medical bay on the Warranty.” Gryzzk knelt down, giving his wife a gentle nuzzle to her ears and whispering gently to her “A handsome hand waits for the twilight rose to bloom.”

Then he stood and began advancing toward the captives, who seemed to regain something of themselves at his approach, their scent migrating from defeat to defiance.

Gryzzk paced for a moment, rolling the shoulder that carried the Learning Stick. “Who struck her?”

Silence was his response as the circle of Terrans made a passage for him. “Nobody? Was it the dead gods? The dead gods came from their lands and struck my wife, is that what I’m understanding? Or is that I stand before cowards too feeble to claim their sins and would only claim glory? Who thought it wise and proper? Pitiful wretches.”

Finally goaded, the largest took a step forward. For a Vilantian, he was tall – almost as tall as a Terran. “I was the one. What say you now, Nameless.”

Gryzzk didn’t say anything as he launched forward, taking the Learning Stick in both hands and swinging the mace in a downward arc, then bringing it up…

Content cut off. Read original on https://old.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/1ghdg0w/humans_for_hire_chapter_14/