It took a few hours before they reached the Kloxna ship and Jesper was restless. he Couldn't find a comfortable position in the chair and he wished he could switch places with Eirik. Waiting in the shuttles was preferable to this, anytime.

They finally came close enough for Trasti to get to work and they soon had a very angry-looking Kloxna on the main call screen. "Leave immediately or face obliteration, Terran!!!" The hissing of the Kloxna Captain had an arrogant sneer to it.

"Can it, scale face! I'm smuggling good to High caste member Tai'Tanu, but have suffered reaction damage after a skirmish with the Terran military. I need to bring the crew to safety while repairs are made!" Jesper spat at the screen. The feeling of mistrust and hostility was mutual

"Why should I trust the word of a Terran!! Leave immediately!!!" A dangerous glint had snuck its way into the red eyes of the almost black scaled Captain.

"Would the honored Captain maybe want to see the boxes herself? maybe open them up and mess around with the contents a little bit. Maybe take some of the personal supplies of another high caste member?" The sarcasm was thick in Jesper's voice as the growl from the Kloxna Captain indicated her anger at this.

"Honored high one. This lowly communications officer can attest to the validity of the Terran's words." Trasti's voice piped up.

"A fellow Kloxna? Show yourself at once!!" The Kloxna Captain roared.

"Trasti stepped into the frame, behind Jesper who was now standing in front of the chair.

"You vouch for the Terran?" Trasti almost withered under the angry gaze of the Kloxna senior commander.

"Yes, most honored one," Trasti almost lay down upon the floor in submission as he spoke, "The Terran speaks the truth. We need to undertake repairs, but it is unsafe for some of the crew to remain. We humbly request permission to send 3 shuttles with crewmembers who will remain in the shuttles for the duration of the stay, so as not to inconvenience the command of your ship. The Captain himself will offer thanks in person and bring a gift in recognition of your most gracious assistance."

His words had a profound effect on the senior commander who took on an overbearing and mild demeanor. "Of course, the hospitality and goodwill of Sai'Lonis is well known." without losing the warmth in her voice she continued, "If there is any attempt at treachery, I will flay the skin from you while you still live"

Trasti whimpered as he stepped back and Jesper glared at the Kloxna Captain. "When can I send my crew to safety, oh magnanimous one" His words were well chosen and polite enough, but his voice was positively dripping with venomous sarcasm.

"At once. The sooner you can make repairs, the sooner you can leave again. I'm sure my fellow cast member is eager to receive her cargo." with equal amounts of sarcasm, Sai'Lonis ended the call.

Jesper went down to the shuttle hangar and boarded Eiriks shuttle.

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The trip was short and uneventful, but Eirik went through the last-minute details with Jesper. Once they sprung the trap, they would communicate it to the shuttle pilots through the communicators in the helmets. They would kick their dashboard 3 times, at which point the rest of the men would slam shields in front of the shuttle entrances and keep the Kloxna at bay until the Captain was secure. Finally, they all equipped the helmets and pulled down the black faceplate.

_______________________

Once they had landed in the massive hangar of the Kloxna warship, the 4 of them stepped out, Eirik carrying a wooden box and Jesper pulling off his helmet. It would expose him more on the enemy bridge, but it would serve the illusion to take it off.

As soon as they stepped out a Kloxna officer approached them with a large guard company behind her, all armed and armored to the teeth, "Weapons, now!" It was not a request by the Kloxna officer. Jesper held out his shotgun and motioned for the other to do the same. Eirik waited for one of the others to take the box from him before he pulled the pistol on his hip and handed it over. when he took back the box, the soldier that had taken his weapon reached for the box as well.

"If you touch it, he will rip off both your arms," Jesper said in a relaxed tone and the words had the soldier jump back from Eirik who hoisted it up to his shoulder, out of reach of the soldiers. In the siege armor, they were almost twice the size of a Kloxna and several times heavier.

"We will meet your Captain on her bridge," Jesper stated. The officer looked unsure what to do and Jesper growled out, "NOW, PLEASE!!"

With a startled jump the officer gestured to follow and they started stomping down the long corridors.

On an internal radio frequency, Eirik was having a mumbled conversation with the 2 other soldiers accompanying them. "It's strange, I see fewer soldiers and more scientists than one would expect from a warship that has been parked in the void." One of them stated. "Guards are all experienced. Officers less so, but common soldiery is definitely veterans. Tough soldiers." Mumbled the other one.

"I didn't know better, I would say we stumbled upon an R&D* vessel. What on blessed Terra could they be researching out here I wonder," mumbled Eirik.

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As they entered the bridge, Jesper quickly scanned the room for Kloxna and said out loud "11"

"19" Eirik corrected him. He had noticed the 2 guards in the shadows of each corner

"What?" Said the confused officer that had led them there.

"Just a private competition. We count how many times we could have gotten a kill on the way here and say it out loud upon reaching our destination." Jesper answered with an evil smile. The displaying of teeth was a universal sign of aggression and the Terran smiling unnerved other species, even more so when it radiated maliciousness.

The senior commander stepped forward and eyed Jesper and the others critically. "You DO look like formidable warriors. I can see why the honored Tai'Tanu would use you as smugglers. I might be inclined to make use of your services in the future."

"For the right amount of credits, anything is possible," Jesper said in perfect tune with the mercenary smuggler role.

"So, what do you offer as a gift?" the senior commander asked greedily. Eirik moved forward and lowered the box to hold it in front of her. "Wisdom," Eirik said as he opened the lid and the flash charge inside went off, blinding everyone in the room that was not prepared. While blinded, all 4 Terrans opened fire, turning the bridge into a slaughterhouse in a matter of seconds. Chunks of exploding Kloxna flew everywhere, covering the walls, windows, consoles, and surviving people in gore and viscera. The only ones standing were Eirik's group, the Kloxna senior commander, and 2 of her personal bodyguards.

As the 3 Kloxna started regaining their eyesight, the 2 guards raised their weapons but Eirik reached out and grabbed each of them around the head. Using the increased strength from the siege armor, he started squeezing until he heard 2 wet cracks and saw brain matter, bone fragments, and scales run down his armored hands. The senior commander was looking up at him in a state of a near panic attack.

"You are my prisoner now. Order the ship to stand down or face a worse fate than your guards" Eirik said as he drew a long seax from a hidden compartment on his leg. The senior commander moved to the communications console to convey the order as fast as she could.

"Good, prisoner. Afterward, we are going to have a little talk, you and I," Eirik said with menace lacing his words before he removed his helmet and saw the Kloxna senior commander's face pale from the blood leaving it.