Chapter 8

As if things couldn’t get any worse after losing Prince Leonidas and having several of his fleet ships mutilated, now his army was falling further behind in their planetary wide relocation effort. Traugott collapsed into the captain’s chair and massaged his temples as a massive headache threatened to split his skull. At this rate he was going to have to report the bad news to Enyo and he was not looking forward to that conversation. The Grand Command ship Reign oversaw had already disclosed their failure to secure both the king along with the eldest prince and the consequences were inspiringly grim. To make matters worse, his own son ended up helping the two escape.

Not only was Reign’s crew verbally and physically reprimanded for their failure, but those meant to be leading the coup were disciplined to the point of torturous depravity. Traugott had whispered a thousand curses under his breath when he heard Rowan was accompanying the royal family and wondered what heinous star his only child had been born under to act out like this.

Bootsteps alerted him to someone quickly approaching and he peeled open an eye to see one of his subordinates bow and then salute.

“Sir!” The young man announced, standing stiff.

“Report.” Traugott grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. Now what could it be?

“There are sightings of an unknown spacecraft entering the atmosphere!”

Traugott narrowed his eyes and scrunched his nose. Nowhere in the reports did it say this planet was part of some sort of federation, they weren’t supposed to be able to call for reinforcements.

“Could this day be any more irritating?” He muttered, reaching forward to tap a few buttons on the control panel to bring up an image on the holographic screen. When he did he sat in utter disbelief, entirely lost for words as he felt his eye twitch and a corner of his brain short circuit.

“Lookout believes they’re pirate ships.” The young man reported, still standing sharp. Traugott regarded him with incredulity.

“You… utterly,” the man had to pause and compose himself, clearing his throat, “boneheaded, simpleminded, dimwitted ignoramus!” Traugott seethed, slowly climbing to his feet from his chair. He was reasonably tall, but nothing to brag about. However, in instances like these some would consider him a giant as they stood under his piercing glare. The young man swallowed hard and couldn’t help feeling like small prey standing before a bloodthirsty predator. “Those aren’t just any pirates,” he warned, slamming his fist onto the emergency alert button and setting off the alarm. “That is Allistair and his band of miscreants!”

The young man’s face blanched just before a shape dropped from the ceiling behind him and used a gnarled blade to slice open his throat. Traugott was preoccupied with his own intruder as another tried to get the jump on him and failed. He fought them off, swiping and missing with his fists until he had enough room to draw his gun and fire until he was out of rounds. They were both nimble and swift, dodging every bullet until one got nicked in the arm. They drew their blades and charged just as he unsheathed his, completely disregarding the injury. They both had a curved short sword each whereas Traugott was wielding a rapier along with a short saber and managed to clash equally with the pirates.

Traugott glanced around, wondering how he was going to secure his victory while fending off two attackers. The steel of their blades rang through the bridge as he spun to counter one slash, then did a backflip as they both lunged at him from either direction. He sprinted for the hallway and rushed for the exit with the pirates a few strides behind.

“This is Traugott requesting backup. We’re under attack by pirates. I repeat, we’re under attack by pirates!” He called into the communicator on his ear. A voice responded from the other side, asking for details. “It’s Allistair.” He snarled, racing down the exit ramp and onto the field his ship was still docked in.

Overhead was the most gaudy, ostentatious, ragtag spacecraft this side of the universe descending through some low hanging clouds. The engines roared, the turbines whipped around plumes of dust, and the worst calamity of what was supposed to be music blared from enormous exterior speakers. Traugott let out a snarl of rage as the two pirates finally caught up to him and continued their fight. The music reverberated through the area, resonating through his bones and ringing dreadfully in his ears. It was only a matter of time before the raucous cackle of the infamous Allistair, Son of the Stars, Protector of Virtuosity, and Connoisseur of Eccentricities echoed through the speakers as well.

Traugott felt a surge of vexation rip through him as he roared furiously, then began hacking at the pirates until they were both on the defensive and retreating together. They tried to hold out against the man, but in the end his foul temper gave him the strength he needed to send them running.

“Traugott!!” Allistair bellowed through the speaker system. Traugott held up his hand to shield his eyes from the flying debris as his short hair fluttered in the turbulent wind and he mentally cursed Prince Leonidas, along with his progenitors, and all his future descendants for good measure. Next time he saw the brat he was going to shove his foot so far up his…

As he nearly finished his line of thought he was interrupted when the ship touched down and the loading ramp immediately began opening. Like he needed a reminder of the other man’s unmistakably nutty demeanor, Allistair came skidding down the ramp, pretending to ride a skateboard while his crew let out whoops of encouragement and the music finally concluded. He held his hands up, soaking in the praise and Traugott had a strong urge to jog over and trip him.

With the sharp end of his sword.

“Long time no see!” Allistair projected clearly with a leering smile as he approached. He was dressed in a tacky, ratty, patchwork coattail suit jacket with a silk vest beneath it and tweed britches rolled above his calves. He was from a strange and isolated race of creatures that had faces resembling wolves, but the fur covering his body was much more thin and uneven. His hands were large and his nails filed to exaggerated points, he also never wore foot coverings and preferred being able to have his toenails click when he walked on paved surfaces. A few of his supporters shouted for his attention from inside their ship but he paid them no mind.

“What do I owe the displeasure?” Traugott asked, lowering his hand as the turbines winded down. Allistair smirked, showing off his sharp jagged teeth.

“I’m looking for Prince Leonidas. After our last altercation I have some things I need to speak with him about.” He replied easily. Traugott raised an eyebrow. The pirate couldn’t even begin to be described in any sort of amicable regard. Pirates were ruthless savages that plundered ships, stations, and even worlds if they were a formidable enough organization. Allistair ran one of the largest pirate fleets in the universe and spent his time marauding star systems to steal whatever he could and burn whatever he couldn’t. They’d run into each other a fair amount of times since his group was one of the few that were brave enough to attack celestial bodies affiliated with the Galactic Alliance. He was a giant thorn in their side, even Enyo found his shenanigans annoying, but he was also immensely powerful, smart, and competent. It wasn’t like he could lash out and win the fight in an instant.

“We’re in the middle of a sanctioned reestablishment, I’m afraid he’s not available and you’d do well to leave this place.” Traugott growled, knowing it wasn’t going to be enough to actually get him to go. Allistair chuckled.

“I didn’t send my stealth team to disable your incoming object scanners just so I could be blown off.” He insisted, taking a few steps closer and tugging at the ends of his coat to readjust it, pretending like they were in a business meeting.

“I fail to see how that’s any of my concern.” Traugott replied, perfectly aware his team was outnumbered and potentially outmaneuvered if Allistair had managed to sneak an unknown number of his members onto the planet. If that was the case, it might be the most serious he’d ever seen the man act. Usually he showed up somewhere, made an over-the-top spectacle of himself, and left with his tail between his legs. Other troops reported on his more problematic operations, but the only thing he witnessed while training Leo to be a commander was this oaf of a pirate making a fool of himself. He often questioned if he was as much of a threat as he was listed to be, but as Allistair fixed him with cruel, hateful eyes, he was starting to see there might be truth to his stories.

“I just wanted to speak with the prince, but I’m also prepared to drag him from your oversized prison ship.” Allistair elaborated, any amusement he might’ve conveyed upon his landing absent from his face. Traugott couldn’t help taking a step back.

“Watch your tone, pirate.” The other man seethed.

To be a part of the royal guard or a high official in the Galactic Alliance military, an individual had to have exceptional combat skills and reflexes. Traugott prided himself on his physical prowess and showing up his new recruits, but with Allistair, one moment they were talking and the next he was on the ground with his arms twisted behind his back. He snarled and thrashed, but it was no use. It was almost like the pirate was as heavy as an enormous beast.

“I will not hesitate to tear apart every building and every ship on this rock. No one’s life will be spared if you don’t tell me where Prince Leonidas is.” Allistair snarled, twisting the other man’s arms harder. Traugott couldn’t help the noise of pain as he felt blood rushing to his face.

“Not here.” He ground out between his teeth, feeling his joints creaking and protesting. “He’s not here!!”

Allistair growled low in his throat, baring his teeth. “Then you’d better tell me where he is and I'll be taking those prisoners you have as a consolation gift.” He declared, tightening his grip and hearing a few pops. “I’ve been meaning to pick up some fresh meat for my crew.”

Traugott snarled viciously, knowing they wouldn’t be any better off in the listings of The Alliance, but enraged it was another failure to deliver results to Enyo.

He was no longer interested in finding out how much worse this day could get.