Eirik walked into the workshop to find Signe hunched over the worktable. Clearing his throat, he watched Signe turn around and look up at him.

"Yes captain??" She simply stated.

"In a short while a whole bunch of ID cards will be brought to you. I want you to find information on their families and have it sent to my personal datapad. There might be some repairs needed on the siege armors and the melee weapons of the tropps will need tending-"

Eirik didn't get to finish before he was interrupted by the small woman "THE SIEGE ARMORS!!! Do you have any idea how long it takes to repair those!!!"

Trying to regain control of the conversation Eirik added "They are not ruined, some of them might have some damage but it was not enough to kill the soldier, so they should be mostly fine."

"Don't care, not doing it until i got my to-do list finished and it keeps growing by the day. You want them fixed?? Give me more hands to wok on them." The small mechanic stated flatly.

"Damn" Eirik thought to himself. "I HATE when she is in this mood.". Thinking for a moment, Eirik got an idea that made him smile wide.

"i have a man you can get for the work. I will send you Jimmie, one of the now wolf pack members,"

Signe narrowed her eyes in suspicion and rose from her seat, the action only adding a few inches to her height, "A pack member??? You usually take care that they dont do anything other than train for combat and sleep. Why the sudden change of heart captain?"

"He had the audacity to suggest a different course of action than the one i had ordered. In front of the rest of the pack members that were here for the attack"

Signe started laughing uproariously "Whats the matter captain, loosing control of the troops??"

His smile fading Eirik mumbled "New guys are always trouble"

This made Signe laugh even harder "Don't worry captain, im sure a mutiny is still a few months away"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Signe knew she had messed up. Eirik's face became dark with barely supressed rage as he managed to hiss out through his teeth "No more than a week until those armor suits are fixed or no amount of prayer will save you from my wrath Signe."

Looking shameful, she tried to remedy her mistake, "Captain, it was a slip of the tounge, i never meant to bring up--"

"ENOUGH!!!" Eirik yelled so loud that his voice carried down the corridors, filling the entire section of the ship with a faint echo before continuing in a normal voice. "7 days Signe. Not a minute more!" Then he turned around and left the workshop before she could reply, heading towards communications. He needed to recall his crew.

Signe was left cursing at herself. "Why did i have to remind him. Now he will be on edge for only the gods know how long."

Once Eirik had sent out the message, he retreated back to his cabin. He needed to calm himself down, or at least attempt to do so, even though he knew it was futile. As he entered his private quarters, his eyes landed on the half joint still left in the ashtray from when he returned after his trip to Terra. Throwing caution to the wind, he grabbed the lighter next to it and lit it, inhaling the smoke greedily. Knowing himself, he looked through his music list. He didn't need inspiration or hype. What he needed was a way to channel all this anger out. Or at least some of it.

His eyes landed on a band name. He had not listened to them in almost a year, but he instantly knew what song he wanted to hear. Pressing a few keys, he found what he was looking for. He leaned back and let the sound of Danheim - Ivar's Wrath channel some of the anger out of him.

After 30 or so minutes he recieved a message that the prisoner was waking up. Without leaving the joint, Eirik got up and made his way to the Brig.

As he entered he could hear the Plyxii station commander arguing with the prison guard.

"Leave us!!!" Eirik said. unable to keep the seething anger out of his voice.

The guard almost ran from the brig. He knew that mood and had no desire to be near the captain when he was like this. He wondered what had happened to make the captain so angry.

As Eirik come into view of the cell, the prisoner started speaking, "As this stations commander i demand you release me at once. My guard will be all over this ship in a matter of minutes and i would hate to think about what they are gonna do to-"

That was as far as he got before Eirik drew his pistol and pointed it at the Plyxii's head. "You attack my ship, demand my surrender and that i hand over a member of my crew and now you demand release?? I could do that. a quick shot to the head or several to the body??"

The Plyxii had frozen the moment the gun was drawn.

"Or, you could start telling me what i know and if my curiosity is satisfied, you will survive this. Give me trouble, and you will be well aquinted with justs how much torture your species can survive without dying." Eirik had drawn his Seax with his left hand as he was speaking. "First, your name."

"My name is Noxlayn, warrior of the Plyxii species"

"Tell me Noxlayn, who told you who we were and how much did they pay you to attack us?"

"A Plyxii warrior never reveals secrets to the enemy!!" Noxlayn stated.

Unlocking the cell, Eirik next words sent shivers down the Noxlayn's spine "That's what you all say in the beginning"

As the door opened, Noxlayn tried to barrel past the human, but a quick thrust with his blade sent the prisoner to the floor with a scream of pain, Seax sticking out of the back of it's leg. Eirik had driven the blade all the way through the leg. "Speak Noxlayn!! Or i start turning the blade before butting your leg open like a ripe fruit!!!

"You- you can't do that. I would be cast out, unable to fight. I would be seen as a pariah amongst my people.

"Then you better start talking Noxlayn. Because, my imagination is big and there are so many places i could cut that would leave you just fine to function as a living being, but unable to fight, regardless of the circumstance!!"

"I refuse!! They would kill me!!"

"What i have planned for you, is far worse than death Noxlayn" Eirik grabbed the knife handle and started twisting the knife inside the wound

The cries of pain from the Plyxii did not deter him and not before the screaming turned into a whimper did he stop. "Last chance before you loose your leg Noxlayn!" The blood pooling around the 2 was growing rapidly in size.

"IT WAS A KLOXNA!!! SHE SAID THE CREWMEMBER WE ASKED YOU TO HAND OVER IS HER DAUGHTER!!!" Noxlayn cried out in panic, his eyes wide with fear and pain.

"Very good Noxlayn. See, that was not so hard, was it? Next part of the question, if you dont mind" Eirik grabbed the knife handle again, but Noxlayn spoke before he could do anyhting more

"She offered 10 million credits for the both of you and 3 if we only managed one."

"10 millions?? Damn, she must really hate me" Eirik stated. "Next question, If you call the Plyxii pirates operating in the system, how long before they get here??"

"I have no idea what you are talking about!!" Noxlayn said through gritted teeth.

"Wrong answer" Was the only thing Eirik said before he pulled the knife from the Plyxii's leg and starting cutting into his face.

The screams from the brig was horrendous and the guards on duty in the area felt a very cold chill run up their spines.

_________________________________

Las'Tai had greeted the last crew member to return and found herself with nothing to do. As she walked through the ship, the crew seemed strangely subdued. Their banter was gone, the laughing and jokes as well. If she didn't know better she would have thought someone had died. As she neared the brig she could hear the screaming and started running.

The guards at the door tried to stop her, but she slipped past them, stopping dead in her tracks once she was able to see into the cell. The bloody creature on the floor had once been the Plyxii prisoner and Eirik was leaned over him, ear to his mouth. She could see the Plyxii whispering to the captain.

"What are you doing captain!! Torture is illegal!" She said loudly,

Eirik looked up, the Plyxii turned its bloody head with a hopefull look in its eyes and Las'Tai took a step back. The captains eyes were devoid of feelings, empathy and everything else that made a sentient being....... well, sentient. All she saw in his eyes were a predator, who had been interrupted with it's prey.

"Las'Tai, What are you doing here??" Eirik finally said.