4Prologue
"Damage report!"
Durian pushed himself to his feet ignoring the warning hormones surging through his body as he tapped at the screen in front of him. The holographic display was still working luckily, but the colors were faded and flickering. Not a good sign.
"The last shot hit the engine room." A flick of his wrist turned on the relay that ran between the two areas. "Nastu, report."
The Control Room filled with the crackling silence of engineering. The three men strained to hear something, anything at all from the other end of the relay.
"Sansu," she Captain swore. "Report Nastu or I swear to your gods-" he cut himself off. The silence returned with only the soft crackle of broken electronics and the wheezing whir of the engine to keep them company. "Where's Limry?" the Captain demanded turning a sharp eye to his Second-in-Command.
Swiping clawed fingers over the holographic controls, Durian pulled up the ships schematic. "We shouldn't bother," he said with a heavy sigh. "No life in engineering. The blast killed Nastu."
The next moment, Durian was was on his back, the Captain's hissing face mere inches form his as the other male bared his fangs. "Are you a doctor now as well?" he demanded. "Find Limry. Send nem to engineering... and then go see Shelish." The Captain's features softened as he added the last part and for a moment, one could almost mistake him for being gentle.
His Second was no such fool.
"As you will it Mi'Naram," he murmured the title with all due reverence. "But please, consider my words. Even if Nastu lives, we will need to rest."
The Captain nodded. It was the best Durian would get and he knew it. Besides, he had more important things to worry about. Like figuring out how they were going to get flying again without an engineer.
Author's Note: Alright, so I swear I know where I'm going. And I know this is short, but I plan to give some body once it comes to the coming chapters. I hope that you enjoy what is to come!