I screamed as the pain and pleasure of being my master’s sacrifice washed through me. My vessel withered away and died, and I felt myself stir anew. The hand Jessica had cut off had been regenerated thanks to our masters will and power.

But the one we’d cut away and left behind on the destroyer, held a piece of us. A fragment of our imprint upon it. It was a gamble. One that had thankfully paid off.

I gasp as my full naked body regenerated out from the hand we’d left behind. The command deck of the Hazard -A55B14ch greeted me. The air was stale, and the deck was silent. I suppressed Jessica’s urge to feel even a slight hint of remorse for the pitiful bunch. Her crew was prey. We were the gatherer, working to reel and trap for our masters’ hook’s.

Jessica’s mind reeled onto something else. The appearance of her ex-husband was something not even I had anticipated. One of my prices for her current power and position, had been that she could take no man as her equal. As all were below our master.

So Jessica had divorced him and spend a few weeks utterly destroying his military career for no more than it was fun.

Now though he was a thorn in ours and our master’ side. He was also a Draugur, though of lesser power. I had seen no weave nor coils of death and dark. Nor had the man forged his conduit yet.

Master had named him an abomination. The title only reserved for a seed that had denied the touch of the Great-One.

I stood and stuffed Jessica to the back our shared consciousness. Her presence was dimmer now after the death, allowing me more fuller control. I ignored her misconstrued thoughts of betrayal. She did not understand the machination of our master. We were never truly dead.

Our death had been a brief flash of darkness, like blinking the eyes slow and intently. The pain Jessica had felt was something I could not diminish. She had to understand that we were master’s willing puppet.

I looked out of the decks fore window, and watched as Grav’nion unshielded to allow ships to leave its bowels. The small dropships, were skeletal in appearance but incredibly fast.

Looking around the deck I saw signs of a recent battle and understood what had happened. The abomination had started its investigation here first. And judging from the signs of black blood and brain matter, I could only guess he had killed the hunter I had left behind.

Did the man know what he was?

I doubted it.

I laughed and spun, finding that realisation amusing. The small thrall dropships approached at quick speed. Theses were to be my skeleton crew. Keeping the destroyer was key to master victory and the completion of his goal.

Using this ship we would sow chaos in other sectors of this galaxy. Allowing master and his forces to reap them while they’re distracted and weak.

Moving over to the command chair I sat down and swivelled in it. Deciding to relax until master was ready to leave and start conquering.

Maybe I’ll even let Jessica regain some control. It could get awfully lonely inside one’s head after all.

This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]