Page 24 of Murgul
Chuffing at him, I shake my head. That does not sound as comforting as he meant it to be.
Would you stop being so negative!
I am not being negative! This is a fool’s errand, and the only reason I agreed is to pacify you!
No, the real reason you agreed to this is that you know, just as well as I do, that if we do not have some sort of outlet soon—, either by killing something or by rutting our lovely mate, I am going to slip the leash you keep me on. Something you can ill afford while trapped within the small confines of the Zenith.
Snarling in frustration, I say nothing because I know he is correct. It has become increasingly difficult to keep Vrog contained over the last few rotations. Gwendolyn is still getting to know me and is not physically ready for the joining of our bodies, so… this is the only alternative, and as Vrog just stated, we both know it.
Tapping the comm in a rapid one, two pattern, I let Bikar know that I have heard what he said and will proceed as we planned. Not that he knows I intend to engage any of the Korgons. Bikar’s plan is a simple stealth mission, which I excel at, but this is not going to go as he planned.
Alas.
Bikar is going to lose his shet.
Chuckling silently to myself, I cannot help but feel some amusement at his expense.
A chime so low that only a being with enhanced hearing would hear it sounds in my ear, prompting me to glance at my wrist comm to see who it is. To my surprise, it is my mate. Pushing the button to answer the comm, her smooth voice filters to me through my earpiece.
“Murgul, honey, where are you? It’s about time for the end-of-day meal, and I can’t find you anywhere. I checked the dining hall, the armory, and now I can’t seem to access the helm room.”
Frack! She does not sound pleased at all.
Heehee. I told you that you should have told her what we were doing.
Not the time for “I told you so”, Vrog.
I beg to differ; this is actually the PERFECT time.
Against my better judgment, and Vrog’s insistence that I wake our mate to tell her, I listened to Bikar when he suggested that we not include the females in what he planned. Hissing in aggravation, I reach out to her with my mind. I have never triedto talk to her from across the ship, so I am unsure if it will work or not.
“Bright one, can you hear me? If you can, send me another comm message.”
“Yes, I can hear you. Where are you and what are you doing? Does this have anything to do with what you wanted to wait to talk to me about this morning?”
The suspicion in her voice makes me smile. My mate is not slow of wit, and I should have known better than to take advice from someone like Bikar. His track record with females may be the worst of any of my brothers.
Yes, you really should have known better.
Not helping, Vrog!
“I am getting ready to infiltrate a Korgon ship. Bikar picked up a lone vessel on his long-range radar and suggested that we do what we do best—appropriate some items from them, without their knowledge. Korgons are known smugglers and always have something worth stealing.”
Distantly, I can hear the sound of typing. Less than a tic later, her incredulous, yet furious voice is ringing in my ear. “Are you insane!? I just looked up what a Korgon is, and they’re massive,blue, ugly, and have four fucking arms, Murgul! What are you going to do if you get caught by more than one of those things?!”
I cannot tell who is more insulted at her words, me or Vrog, but when we reply to her litany of questions, Vrog’s tone is added to my own.
“Little one, it is the Korgons who should be afraid. I will be back before you know it and will return unscathed. Now, I need to silence my comm unit as it is time for me to begin infiltrating their ship.”
She hesitates, just a tic, before I hear her sigh with frustrated resignation. “If you don’t want a broke man, you have to put up with a busy man. This is how you make your living. I just wasn’t ready to face the reality of what you do, nor was I prepared for you not to discuss it with me. I’ll be in our room waiting for you when you get back. And Murgul, you better come back to me.”
“I will accept nothing less, precious one.”
Vrog’s promise slips out before I can silence him, and I feel Gwendolyn’s confusion before I exit her mind. Picking up the snap ring, I connect it to the loop on the right of the exit door. Tugging on it to make sure it is securely fastened, I run my hands down the length of the rope that will tether me to the Zenith.
Floating out into open space is not something I need to deal with this rotation.
Checking the biosuit and facial mask one last time to make sure all the components are fully functional, I step back over and reach for the handle that will close the door behind me,separating the exit room from the rest of the Zenith, when Vrog speaks.