Author: klokinator

Admiral José Rodriguez walks side by side with Lord Drall, second in command of the Kraktol Empire. The Terran and crocodilian appear mismatched in height, with the human standing nearly a full head taller than his counterpart. This height imbalance, when combined with the Terran’s domineering presence and overwhelming superiority in all manner of warfare,…

Elsewhere aboard the Bloodbearer, Kisa Kindris, daughter of the Thülvik, meanders down the ship’s hallways, flanked by Soren Mudrose on her left, and Megla Brighteye on her right. The three Kraktol females slowly pace about, with Megla chatting excitedly and pointing out various sights along the way, Soren keeping calm and nodding along to her…

The last Terran, a remnant of his extinct species, arrives before the Kraktol vessel, the Red-Tongue. Despite being only a hundredth the Bloodbearer’s size, the Red-Tongue still presents a massive, imposing image when set against the backdrop of the Bloodbearer’s Shuttle Bay. It devours the metallic interior and towers above the nearby shuttlecraft, making the…

"The Kraktol vessel will exit warp-space in T-minus three seconds and counting. Two seconds. One second." Umi, the Bloodbearer’s synthmind, speaks from overhead, announcing the arrival of the Red-Tongue above Tarus II. A moment later, a brief flash of light appears off the Bloodbearer’s starboard bow. A starship, not even a thousandth the Bloodbearer’s size,…

Megla, Soren, and several dozen Kessu stand outside the Bloodbearer’s primary medical facility, staring at the frosted glass as if trying to bore holes in it with their eyes. The two Kraktol rub and wring their claws together, anxiously awaiting Umi’s announcement. Of all the creatures present, only little Lele appears unperturbed. The kitten sits…

Three days pass. Admiral Rodriguez stays inside the holodeck, quietly watching various memories from his life play out in front of him. Sometimes he laughs. Sometimes he cries. Sometimes, he simply looks on in silence. A memory of a criminal blood-cult. They would stab hooks through people’s feet, then hang them upside down and torture…

"Umi. Seal the holodeck’s entrance." "Affirmative, Admiral Rodriguez." José Rodriguez, the last living Terran, stands in the middle of the vast, empty expanse of the holodeck. Its silver walls and floor, immaculately smooth and polished, gleam under the bright ceiling lights. The huge double-doors close behind him and vanish, hidden by the holographic interface. "Admiral,"…

Six months worth of video data streams into José Rodriguez’s cortical implant. These videos, recorded by José himself, rapidly play out in his mind at a fifty-to-one time dilation ratio. Countless conversations and moments all occur inside his head, back to back, expanding his consciousness and filling in memory blanks the Admiral never knew he…