by Tygati
This one could apparently understand Standard, as it replied with a heavy accent, "The other grubs were not worth keeping."
"We're not fucking grubs!" Dallas spat, hands twitching as he held his anger in check.
"Nor were all human," Konol'ya rumbled. "What of the small, scaly one?"
The Vek's face twisted into an expression Jeremey couldn't read. "It was delicious."
Konol'ya bellowed as Dallas and Charlie swore. Jeremey glanced toward Promise and they both shared a slight nod. Promise yanked the Vek to him and sunk his teeth into the thick shoulder, shoving the creature away from him as soon as the bite was administered.
They all watched without remorse as the Vek began to shudder, convulse, and, eventually, die.
"We should get back to the ship," Jeremey said, turning away.
"We haven't accomplished our mission yet," Charlie protested. "The emperor's still alive somewhere."
Promise laughed softly. "Actually, he is not. We had a… mm… unexpected bonus on our journey."
"That still leaves the warlord in command of this vessel," Zorevan pointed out, although he didn't seem too concerned about it.
Jeremey couldn't fight a grin. "Yeah, about that… Remember Sam? Apparently Captain Derring has kind of a reputation for making things go boom."
Dallas's head jerked toward Jeremey. "She wouldn't…"
Jeremey soundlessly held up a handful of the devices in his bag.
Dallas swore. "All right, back to the ship. Captain Collateral Damage is at it again." He stooped to scoop up the Vek's discarded weapon and hold it at the ready.
Zorevan took the lead, making good on his assertion that he could easily find his way around. In short order, they reached a lift, fortunately one which was large enough for all five of them, including the massive Konol'ya.
Promise and Zorevan darted out as soon as the lift doors reopened, taking care of the two Vek who had been standing guard over the lift on the upper level.
"Captain Derring give you any sort of squawk box?" Dallas asked as they headed off again. "Ours were all confiscated."
Jeremey fished a small rectangular device out of the bag Sam had given him and gave it to Dallas. Dallas took it gratefully and fiddled with it a moment before speaking into it.
"Dallas to Sawyer, you copy?"
There was a slight pause, then a female voice emerged from the device. "Sure is good to hear your voice again, Sarge. What happened?"
Dallas gave a slight shake of his head. "Tell you later. We're headed for the launch bay. Bring the Sekhmet in and be ready for a hasty takeoff."
"Yes, sir!" Sawyer replied.
Dallas fiddled with the device again before giving it back to Jeremey. "I put it back on the channel you had it on. Might want to call the captain and let her know our status."
Pausing to ascertain that he wasn't going to walk into anything, Jeremey carefully pressed the buttons that Sam had told him to press and waited. After a short delay, Sam's voice came through the device.
"You find 'em?"
"We found Charlie, Zorevan, Dallas, and Konol'ya," Jeremey replied. "The Vek on guard told us the rest are dead. Sawyer is bringing the Sekhmet in to the hangar bay and we're heading there now."
Sam swore quietly. "All right. We'll meet you there in about five minutes. Think you can swipe that cruiser again?"
Jeremey looked at Promise. Promise shrugged.
"Probably, but we won't know for sure until we get there," Jeremey replied.
"All right. Do what you can, but don't get yourselves killed. See you soon."
Jeremey put the square device back in his bag and brought his blaster back up to a ready position. He doubted he'd get much opportunity to use it, but it was always a good idea to be prepared just in case.
Most of the Vek they encountered were swiftly dealt with, either by one of the dragons or Konol'ya, who was apparently dealing with his imprisonment by gleefully ripping the arms off of any Vek unfortunate enough to get within reach. The few who attempted to flee went down under fire from either Dallas's blaster or Jeremey's.
Stopping just outside the hangar bay, Promise inclined his head toward Dallas. "If you have no objections, then I believe Zorevan and I should enter first to provide a distraction in order to allow the rest of you to safely reach the ship."
Dallas frowned. "That's awfully risky. I'd prefer not to lose anyone else on this mission."
Promise laughed softly. "We will be fine. I believe you have not yet seen our, how was it phrased, secret weapon?"
Zorevan and Promise exchanged toothy grins while Dallas looked confused.
"What do you mean?"
Jeremey patted Dallas's shoulder. "Just watch," he advised, positioning himself near the door so that he could do the same.
Although clearly still doubtful, Dallas took up a position on the opposite side of the door. Promise darted through first, then Zorevan just behind him. Jeremey stuck his foot in the doorway so that it wouldn't close and he could properly watch the theatrics.
It was everything he could have hoped for. Promise transformed once he was well clear of the door, spreading his wings and rearing up onto his hind legs. Several of the Vek shouted and pointed, but it was not until one of them aimed a blaster that Zorevan followed suit.
Zorevan was naturally larger than Promise, but this time when he transformed he became nearly double his usual size. He, too, reared back, but instead of posing dramatically, he opened his mouth and roared.
The effect was immediate. Those Vek who had thought to be courageous dropped their weapons and bolted. A few stood frozen in shock, but they got moving quickly enough when Zorevan lashed his tail out, impaling the nearest of them on the sharp spikes that decorated the tip of it.
"Now!" Jeremey shouted, and darted out into the hangar bay.
With two dragons to contend with, no one paid any attention to three humans and a big furry creature. Jeremey automatically headed toward the Vek cruiser they'd left parked in bay twelve, hesitating when he realized that Dallas and Konol'ya had veered off in a different direction.
"What is it?" Charlie asked, following Jeremey's gaze.
Before Jeremey could reply, the air in front of Dallas rippled and a doorway appeared. Of course, Jeremey realized; the Sekhmet. With the reassurance that Dallas and Konol'ya would be fine, he resumed his course, doing a quick once-over of the cruiser before returning to the hatch to stand guard with Charlie.
Promise and Zorevan entertained themselves by chasing after fleeing Vek and knocking over whatever random objects happened to be in their way until Sam and her team showed up. As soon as he saw them, Promise left off harassing Vek, leaving that job to Zorevan while he instead shifted back and held a brief, hurried conversation with Sam. Kishan and Binh-Duc-Tu took off toward the Sekhmet while Sam, Dheran, and Airi ran for the cruiser with Promise. As soon as they were all on board, Zorevan bounded over in three leaps and shifted the moment he hit the ground. He was on the ship in the next breath.
Jeremey hit the button to close the hatch and Promise fired the engines. They followed the Sekhmet out of the hangar bay and into the blackness of space, heading toward the spot where Longley and the Pele were waiting.
Sam, who'd been watching her chrono, looked up just as Promise slowed the cruiser to a halt.
"If I may direct your attention to the main screen," she said, "we're about to see an utterly glorious sight."
Everyone looked up at the image of the Vek flagship hanging in space. As they watched, a spark appeared near the center of the ship. It flashed just once and then the entire ship began to crumple inwards onto itself until it resembled nothing more than a ball of garbage.
Sam sighed in contentment. "Now that is a thing of beauty."
Airi snickered. "Exactly how many places have you been banned from, Captain?" she asked.
Sam idly waved a hand through the air. "You're just jealous that your mother gives me all the really cool toys."
"And th
en she sends me with you to supervise," Airi retorted, grinning.
Sam arched a brow. "Is that what it is? And here I thought you either had a crush on me or a death wish, which amount to more or less the same thing, really."
Dheran clasped two of his limbs over his ears. "I hear nothing, I know nothing," he stated solemnly.
Sam and Airi both grinned at him. Jeremey struggled not to laugh. Even Promise and Zorevan were smiling.
"So what happens now?" Charlie asked curiously. "Two dead warlords, one dead Emperor, no more flagship…"
Sam shrugged. "Right now, we go back to Rylon. General Sini will want our report, and by the time we get there, she should have plenty of information on what sort of effect our mission has had."
"Then you will need to provide me with directions," Promise said, smiling, "since I have absolutely no idea which way I am supposed to go."
One by one, they all began to laugh.
SIXTEEN
The journey back to Rylon was a bit awkward due to the cruiser being designed with Vek comfort in mind, but since Promise was the only one who knew how to pilot the cruiser, and Jeremey wasn't about to leave Promise, they made do. Sam and Airi went back to the Pele along with Charlie and Zorevan once they found a good spot to make the transfer, while Dheran remained on the cruiser so that he could learn how to pilot it from Promise.
Jeremey hadn't thought he'd miss the cramped bunks of the Pele, but the Vek seemed to equate comfort with weakness and designed their sleeping facilities accordingly. If Promise hadn't commandeered unused bedding from the Pele before they'd split up, it would have been torture. At least there was enough room for he and Promise to share a bunk. He'd gotten so used to sleeping with Promise that the idea of sleeping alone seemed strange now.
Everything was better with Promise, even uncomfortable Vek spaceships.
"Moving it around is not going to make it any better," Promise pointed out, amused.
"Yeah, but I can pretend it does," Jeremey shot back with a grin.
Promise laughed. "If anyone could make it better through sheer force of will, it would be you."
"I don't know if I can win this one," Jeremey admitted ruefully, poking at the lump he'd made out of their blankets. "I may have to admit defeat."
"I cannot imagine you conceding defeat to anything," Promise teased.
"Vek soldiers, no problem. Vek architecture…" Jeremey shuddered.
"It is very strange, by either of our standards," Promise agreed. He paused, then added, "Although you could have returned on the Pele rather than subject yourself to Vek hospitality."
Jeremey gave a sharp shake of his head. "No way. You're here, so I'm here. I'll take you over comfy bedding any day."
Promise gave him a strange look. Before Jeremey could figure out what it meant, he was swept up in strong sapphire arms and pulled tight against Promise. He relaxed, wrapping his own arms around Promise's waist and resting his chin on Promise's shoulder.
"And I, you," Promise said softly. "I would rather be with you than anywhere else in all the universe."
Jeremey smiled, even though Promise couldn't see it. "Well, that's what being heart-partners means, yeah?"
Promise's entire body vibrated as he chuckled. "Indeed."
How long they remained that way, Jeremey didn't know. For the first time in his life he felt completely at peace, wanted, in a way he never had before. That was Promise's gift to him, the most precious gift he could ever be given.
"Thank you," he murmured, not quite sure if he'd spoken loud enough for Promise to hear, but Promise shifted to be able to see Jeremey's face without quite letting go.
"For what?"
Everything, Jeremey wanted to say, but that was a bit vague. "For being you," he settled on because that meant more or less the same thing, in the end.
Promise understood, of course. He'd understood more about Jeremey the day they'd met than Jeremey understood about himself. His smile made Jeremey's stomach do that twisty, fluttering thing as he pulled Jeremey close again and tilted his head to press a soft kiss to Jeremey's lips.
One kiss turned into two, then three, until they all blurred into one long expression of love and want. Jeremey felt dizzy when Promise finally drew back, and a little bit bereft, but Promise only drew him to their bunk and pulled him down to sprawl out on top of Promise.
"There," Promise said smugly. "Now you do not have to endure the awful bedding."
"But that's not fair to you," Jeremey protested.
Promise kissed his nose. "I am a dragon. We usually sleep on the ground, remember?"
"When you're big and scaly," Jeremey pointed out.
"I'm scaly now," Promise shot back.
"Yeah, but that's different."
Promise smiled. "How so?"
Jeremey opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. "It just is," he said finally.
Promise snickered and kissed him until he quit frowning, then kissed him again for good measure. "I promise you I will properly wallow in the excellent bedding once we reach the amenities of Rylon."
Jeremey thought that over for a bit before deciding that snuggling was much more appealing than arguing with Promise, and Promise would likely win anyway no matter what he said. It was hard to argue with someone who was almost always right.
Besides, Promise was much more comfortable than the actual bed. He was also warmer and smelled better. Jeremey idly traced patterns in the scales on Promise's arm until his own weariness began to pull him into slumber.
"Hi," Jeremey mumbled sleepily.
Beneath him, Promise's body shook with laughter. "Hi," he replied softly.
Jeremey smiled and closed his eyes.
*~*~*
It was a relief to set foot on solid ground again after having been confined to the tiny cruiser for so long. It was less of a relief when he saw who was waiting for them.
"General Sini," Promise greeted.
"Is everything okay?" Jeremey asked, concern flooding through him. "Sam and Airi and—"
General Sini held up a hand. "Fine, they're all fine. The Pele and the Sekhmet got in several hours ago and they have all gone to HQ for, and I quote, 'a proper bath, with bubbles, and no bloody metallic tang'."
Jeremey couldn't help but grin. "Sam?"
"Sam," General Sini confirmed with a smile. Her gaze then drifted upwards, to encompass the bulk of the cruiser sitting quietly behind them. "Amazing. To think how long my people have attempted to capture one, and now that we finally have, it seems it is no longer needed."
Jeremey exchanged a puzzled look with Promise. Dheran sucked in a breath.
"Sir?" he said, hope coloring his voice.
General Sini nodded serenely. "Come with me, gentlemen. We will get you debriefed and caught up on current events. I will admit to looking forward to hearing your part of the tale, as no one could quite seem to tell me how you managed to accomplish the impossible."
Jeremey smiled and threaded his fingers with Promise's as they walked. "Well, we did have a bit of an unfair advantage."
Promise chuckled quietly. "Indeed."
"Oh?" General Sini asked archly. "Are you going to share, or am I doomed to be forever wondering?"
Promise smirked. "Apparently we made a far greater impact upon the blood enemy than they did upon us. The sight of my other shape… unsettled them."
Jeremey snorted. "Unsettled like a fleep herd facing a hungry rachya, you mean."
"I did not eat any of them!" Promise protested. "That was Zorevan."
General Sini missed a step. "He ate a Vek?"
Promise wrinkled his nose. "By accident. I am glad it was not myself. They taste highly unpleasant."
Trying very hard not to laugh at the expression on General Sini's face, Jeremey couldn't resist a gentle jibe. "You have no room to talk. You'll eat raw fleep and river fish."
"Which should give you some indication of precisely how nasty the blood enemy taste," Promise retorted.
"He
has you there," General Sini said, smiling again.
Jeremey steadfastly refrained from sticking his tongue out at the general of the Galactic Federation Armies.
Waiting at the edge of the landing zone was a familiar green vehicle and an even more familiar driver.
"Corporal Hewins!" Jeremey called, waving.
Corporal Hewins waved back. "You made it back! Knew you would."
Jeremey grinned. "It was actually pretty fun once we found out that all Promise had to do was change shapes and they'd start panicking and running away."
"Seriously?" Corporal Hewins shook his head. "Never would've figured the Vek to be afraid of anything." He scrutinized Promise carefully. "And pardon me for saying, sir, but you sure don't look scary."
Promise gave a toothy grin. "Ah, but I like you, Corporal. I am not in the habit of tearing limbs off my friends."
Both of Corporal Hewins' brows shot up. "I stand corrected," he murmured, then grinned and waved them all into the vehicle.
They all piled in and shortly thereafter they were on their way. Once they pulled out into traffic, General Sini sat forward.
"I've had Captain Derring's report up until the point where she dropped you off. Can you tell me what happened after that?" she asked.
Jeremey exchanged a glance with Promise. "Well, getting in was pretty easy," he said. "Promise pretended to capture me and they took us in to see this really arrogant guy who turned out to be the emperor."
"While Jeremey distracted them, I was able to eliminate the emperor and his warlord before we had to flee," Promise added. "We were able to escape the palace easily enough, but there were many of them awaiting us outside."
"That's when Promise changed shapes," Jeremey explained, taking up the narrative again, "and they all freaked. So Promise was able to carry me up the side of the building while they were all panicking and we flew until we spotted the ships. Since we didn't think it'd be safe to go to our primary rendezvous point, and the secondary one was at the pole, we stole a ship. And a pilot."
Promise smirked. "He was very helpful."
Jeremey rolled his eyes. "He was terrified."
Promise's smirk widened. "That also."