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Psionic telemetry reading of crew member 626, Callsign: "Warbeast" regarding boarding incident 621.

Beginning playback:

It was a standard day on The SS Kobold. We're a small Merc company that's technically part of the UER (United Earthen Republic) army, though no one would blame you for thinking otherwise.

My role of "Warbeast" Is to be a big hulking lug with sharp claws, wicked fang and to look like I'd snap you in half if you looked at me the wrong way. Captain wants me to be proactive about it but I think trying to hard to seem intimidating makes you look insecure. I mean I already match the description of a werewolf from those pre-space myths he liked to bang on about.

I was going about my usual day not listening to the captain unless he got the taser out and making it nice and quick for any who got in the way of our tasks. Today it was a simple scavenger mission. Lots of psi-ko tech in the area from a recent space battle that Carl and Onyx would be all over.

It was also a trap, while I was lagging behind I heard two of my allies scream quickly before it was cut off. Naturally I came looking and saw those two allies, Rock and Fox, with the barrels of flashslights (sys note: mark II Lasguns) sitting on their temples. Unconscious.

One of them said "You, Dog thing! drop your scavenge and fuck off or this gets ugly!"

Now the captain had always said comply with these kinda things. So I did, dropped what I had collected, kicked it over to them, waited for them to do the same...

They did not do the same.

​

One the scavenge had reached them they said "We're taking your friends here hostage. You want them back you've got 2 days to cough up 10000 units of Iridium. Understand doggy?"

I knew everything I was seeing and hearing was also being streamed to the ship so I waited for the signal from command...

A drone was pinged for me, we were reading their ships FTL wake signature. I needed to buy time for the scanning of it.

"Oh ok buddy understood, how about we put the guns down and talk about this like reasonable people..." I tried to sound scared, Hoping that I could juxtapose my intimidating visage with a sort of cute and friendly persona and lull them into a false sense of security.

"Don't try and bullshit, we know what you're really like, 'Warbeast'" The one holding rock croaked

That... made things difficult. I only needed a few more seconds though... "Alright..." I said with my paws in the air "Ya got me." I looked up and smiled a little bit on making that little reference.

"So, where exactly are we supposed to drop of these units? I assume you have a location?"

"Yeah, there's a big ole cluster of asteroids around 1 light-hour south of the Mind'n'body. It's a bar popular with psionic species, familiar?"

"Yeah I know the place, probably gonna have to stop by there after this for the incident report"

"Good. Go there and our contact will meet you. See you in 48 terran hours." The abductors said grinning as they started getting beamed up.

"More like 5 seconds." I replied as my body was cloaked in the same orange-reddish hue of a teleporter.

I closed my eyes to prevent warp-blindness for a second before allowing my instincts to take over from there. I was standing beside the two who had just taken my allies hostage, they twirled on the spot and blew 30 bursts of lightfire into my chest...

I looked at them laughing as I grabbed one in each hand, the staff in the teleporter room too horrified to do anything.

"Standard issue sub-dermal plasma absorption weave... thanks for the juice boys." I cackle as I begin my assault. First, I run a Psi-Op, Data extraction, to learn the layout of the ship. Standard UER vessel with minor refurbishments.

Second... I squeeze both my captives tight, dangling them on the edge of passing out, the doors open as the security team tries to attack with kinetics. I hurl the one who called me dog thing at them making them kill their own ally.

I feel a hunger and I sate it, using the pause created from the security team's emotional distress to devour the second abductor. It's rare I get the chance to do this so I savour the moment, sinking my fangs only as deep as I need to inflict the pain, my jaw unhinging slightly to allow his shoulders and such to pass. Deeper and deeper he falls. Muffled screams and horrified gasps fill the room my gut pushes it's way out to accommodate the meal it's receiving. (SyS note: armour of faction unidentified, reason stated: "Acid burns rendered markings illegible")

Everyone stands still for a second as I gulp the last of the bastard down. The room is slient and still save for my midriff stretching out and the screams of the one causing that stretching with his struggles. The fool should just go limp, that way the acid would hurt less.

"So..." I begin to ask in an open question "I'm usually not a very... active person... but you've all done a few things that earn my ire..." I pause, it's so rare I get to have these moments I've got to savour them

"You jumped my crew, broke the sanctity of a hold up... and now you're all to cowardly to even attack me while I made a meal of your ally... You're all weak, cowardly creatures... Throw down your weapons and I'll make this quick... Or" I pat my distended gut in satisfaction, looks like he finally suffocated or burned in the acid. Laughing menacingly before burping up some stale air.

"Or you can save me a hell of a lot on rations this month" I grin with bloodstained teeth as one man charges forward. My claws meet his chest and punture him like spears through paper. I simply flex my fingers and the gap in his chest expands, eventually separating him into 3 or for chunks of meat.

The rest threw their weapons in the air and ran for their lives. It was time for the hunt to begin.

​

Telemetry playback end.

​

"So do you mind explaining to me why you felt in necessary to EAT 3 other people? I know the first one was an intimidation tactic but after that it just felt unnecessary" The captain said leering at me through his glasses.

"It was an intimidation tactic! Can't have them getting any ideas they might live now" I pleaded my case, casually picking my teeth with my claws.

"You are aware that that's a warcrime right? Cruel and unusual punishments?" He responded in an exasperated sigh.

"We're not at war right now" I semi jokingly pointed out.

"Not the point Warbeast." He replied, unamused.

"I know." I chuckled with a shit eating grin.

(Cont in comments)

"See this shit right here is why we have to keep you in stasis whenever we visit home. I'd half expect you too see a baby and think it's a snack" The captain said trying to lecture me.
"Is it?" I asked genuinely.

"No! For fucks sake man why are you like this?" The captain was growing fustrated... Bad sign.

"Excessive gene modding, psionic programming and 17 years in near constant warfare." I said bluntly. Hoping the honesty would help calm him down.

"I know that! I was more... Nevermind" The captain had a defeated look on his face. I kinda felt bad for him. "Look, we've got to go planetside on home in a couple days due to some regulation bullshit, and you THANKFULLY don't count as human so you're not gonna be tried for your worryingly large list of warcrimes. You ARE however going to required to wear these."

He sat a collar with some kinda battery attached down on the desk along with what looked like an earring and a muzzle.

"A shock collar? Who's holding the remote?"

"Me."

My tail sank between my legs as lowered my head forward "Go ahead..."

"Good boy." I felt my tail wag lightly. Not sure why that instinct was coded into me but it's there and it feels so good!.
"Now while we're there you don't say anything unless you're spoken too directly, if anyone approaches for any reason, look at me before you decide to do ANYTHING on your own. Ok?"

"Why? It's just some guards in the worst case scenario"

"Because those guards could level a city block if they wanted to"

"What's a city block?"

"A bunch of buildings about as wide as a freight ship and about as tall as 5 of them stacked on top of each other"

I audibly gulped, reaching for the ear-piece and clipping it into place. Instantly I could feel a Psi-connection forming "This will help with comms. Anything remotely violent goes through here first, and only if I say yes do you do it. Understood?"

I nodded my head. This was gonna be a long week...

“Captains log, Supplemental.

It was a trap. I felt it was, but then being a prey species we were more attuned to such things than others. Still I overrode my instincts, the mission orders required it, and we had to get to the Romulan Republic colony on Azuno VII. Sometimes you’ve got to stick your neck out when lives are on the line. So we took the USS Sarantites into the system and right into their new weapon. The ship was disabled in seconds, and before we could restore power, we were boarded.

Unfortunately now it’s my CREW ’’s lives. The Tal Shiar were behind the crisis on the colony, and the last thing they want is the Federation riding to the rescue..

They didn’t consider me a threat. Hell they didn’t believe I was captain. To be honest, we Choblik were not really suited for such. I spent more time on the scientific side of things. But this is too far.”

“Are you sure about this Captain?”

Lieutenant Templar looked worried. Of course the human always looked worried, except now he had a reason too. We’d been ambushed and boarded. The enemy had known someone would come, it was just our bad luck that we were the closest. Science ships aren’t really great in a fight alone.

I nodded at him, as my arm dropped onto the deck with a thud. I had already cobbled the replacements together, but needed assistance mounting them to myself. “The power requirements are steep, but that's why I have extra power cells.”

“I’m not doubting your engineering Sir” he said, as he hooked the new arm into my chest. “I’m just concerned about the impact this will have on you.”

Of course he was-He was a medic after all, and to be honest, the LAST race in the galaxy you’d expect that would do something like this would be mine. But we Choblik, while descended from prey species, the Great Builders gave us the means to move past that when necessary. And my crew, my herd was in danger.

I felt the new arm interface with my cybernetics. Function check, phaser cannon, chainsaw, flame unit, all operational. The shield unit on my back was salvaged from a type 11 shuttlecraft. It would be a bit warm, but doable. “I’ll be fine. “ I bleated. We both knew I was lying. But I knew a good therapist on Starbase 39.

It was fortunate that they thought I was just another scientist. Unfortunate for my XO however. I could hear her screams from down the hall. I looked at the wall, interfacing with it. Two guards outside this room where we were being held, I could see them through the ship's internal sensors. As I spun up the saw and unsealed the door, I gave a reassuring bleat to the Lieutenant. “Let's get our ship back.”

"Wakey wakey, you barbaric fuck."

Luguselwa's eyes fluttered open and darted around the room as he asked, "Where am I?"

I approached from behind and spun around the chair he was tied to. "Oh, I'd say this is somewhere between the fifth and sixth rings of Hell. I'm not so arrogant as to declare this the ninth, after all."

Luguselwa glared at me. "Who the hell are you?"

"Name's Bivolvo. I work for a certain group you're rather well acquainted with."

"Bleeding Edge."

I patted Lu on the head as I replied, "Top of the class there, friend. Now, I imagine you thought the consequences of your actions were behind you once the others escaped your little torture camp. I'm all too happy to dissuade you from that notion. Very happy."

Lu smirked at me as he fired back, "Oh, you stupid little street rat. I have the best personal security detail money can buy. The second they find you, you're getting tossed into a hole and buried alive."

"Look to your right."

Lu humored my request, at which point his smirk disappeared instantly. Scattered along the wall were the remains of Lu's prized security team, their blood drying on every surface. Two of them were slumped against a wall with their skin from sternum to forehead flayed off, one was hanging from the ceiling by a barbed wire noose, another was split in half, and the remaining four were nothing but a massive pile of raw flesh clumped together in front of a meat grinder. Lu promptly threw up on himself as I deadpanned, "Oh yeah, you really got your money's worth with those assholes."

Lu stared at me in abject horror. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

I pressed my switchblade against his throat and hissed, "No no no no no no, you don't get to ask that of me. Especially not when you had my crew, my friends, held captive and subjected to things that would've gotten somebody fired from the fucking CIA. Those people took me in when the rest of the world told me to do everyone a favor and kill myself. And you slammed their heads against death's door to get what you wanted out of them."

As Lu looked like he was pissing himself, I abruptly put away the switchblade and picked up a case that was laying next to Lu's chair. I popped it open and pulled out an emergency flare as I looked at Lu with a stoic expression and said, "You know, they say in the realm of the blind, the one-eyed man is king."

"No, no, please don't--"

I forced Lu's eyelid up and ignited the flare. "You ready to find out how a commoner lives, friend?"

"Hey, Captain, rise and shine." I open my eyes and look at the private staring back at me. "New mission?" "No other reason to call us." I stand up and dust myself off, before grabbing my gear. "What's the deal this time?" "Terrorist group in the L-4 quadrant." Shit, L-4 was Sore Loser territory. Fucking Sore Losers, always lost whatever fight they started but they made sure to decimate the other side first, hence the name.

I piloted the ship towards the quadrant and ran a deep space scan. Deep Well cloaking tech surrounding us for at least half an EO (earth orbit). Sore Losers shouldn't have something like that, fuck, there's so many.

Boom

The ship got blasted soon as the scan finished, we got hit hard. I saw a ship speed towards us and then I blacked out.

Came to in a plas cell on a scrap ship. It's definitely Sore Losers. These fuckers take pieces and scavenge what tech they can use from the dead. This holding cell ain't the worst part, if they got us that means that my crew is either dead or P.O.Ws of these sick bastards. They use P.O.Ws to "test" tech, from new blasters they picked up to some experimental drugs that aren't logged in GGLs (galactic goods logs). I try and access any of my parts. All disabled, looks the cell came with EMP capabilities.

I sit back, and shout. "Any Sub-marines in the sky?" "sir no sir.." Sounds like..."is that you Lieutenant?" "Aye captain, but I'm not doing good." "Shit, I've gotta get us outta here." "I don't know about that sir, I saw some privates get dragged off earlier, than screaming, I doubt any of us are getting out of here." No rescue coming for us, and no way we can get out of this MacGyver ship. We ain't getting rescued because we're Sub-marines, a recon team made of Earth-siders. Back on earth submarines are little ships under the water, something no one cares about anymore, that's where we got our name. We're all from Earth, but a couple of us are a bit different, halflings from freaky Humans, or modified from previous missions. No choice but to wait for them to take us.

My turn comes not too long after, about 12 Earth hours. They take me to an experimentation room, past some of my soldiers. All of them are alive, but not all of them are there. When they put me on the table to start cutting me, I catch one off guard and kick him. Fuck these little pests. I jump up and start fighting, one of them grabs a blaster and takes aim. Too slow, I grab the front and put it down his throat and force him to pull the trigger. "Standard issue blaster, one of ours huh?" all these fuckers are dead. I start a sweep, and take my time. There's almost no one on this ship. The few Losers I find, I beat half to death. Forget the blaster, it's designed for fast eliminating, and these fuckers need some hard lessons. I leave them all just barely alive, and lock them in the airlock. I find my squad and help the least injured first, though it's still bad. Missing whole limbs and full of some new drugs. Half of them are in shock and the other half are begging for death. I'll have to use the amnestics on our ship if they're still there. If our ship is still there.

I hear banging from the airlock. Fuck them. I help my crew back to our ship, thank God they didn't take it apart yet. I hit them with amnestics and they go down. I use the scan, all the ships from before are gone... wait not gone, on a planet an EO away. I look the planet up on the GMD (Galactic Military databases) and nothing comes up. Unmarked planet with no prior inhabitants. Good. I look up to check munitions on the ship and find just some large solar flare type long distance missiles. Just what those dickheads deserve, Death by fire.

Steady, aim, fire. The planet is about an EMO (earth moon orbit) away. Flash, and a light ignites on the planet. It spreads, slowly getting brighter. Even if they somehow survived, SF missiles also emit large amounts of EMP radiation. Most of their ships are probably down, and probably a good amount of their people too, from the sheer number of mods these rats have. I set the ship to autopilot and guide it back to base, the men are gonna need some prosthetics and probably retirement. They can't keep going like this. They aren't my first crew but I'm gonna make sure they're my last. And I'll make sure these terrorists don't hurt anymore innocents. No more lazing around.