Empyrean Iris Story Collection

The Drev

They turned another corner and made their way up to the shipment bay approaching the desk. The Rundi behind it gave them one look, "Name and shipping number please."

"Captain Vir number 14566889."

The Rundi behind the desk went very still all of a sudden, "889?"

Vir and rill exchanged glances, "Um.... Yeah."

"That shipment's for you.... I.... Ill go get it then, shall I." He stumbled away quickly leaving Vir and Krill looking at each other in confusion not really sure what that was all about.

They had been lounging around for a good few minutes speculating about what it could be, when footsteps reached them. They turned just in time to see the Rundi clerk come around the corner, followed by an immense shape with metallic blue purple carapace.

The noise that the human let off was a primal sound of fear and waring, Captain Vir staggered back tripping onto his back and scrambling away as the Drev stepped into view, immense, powerful, terrifying. Krill squealed and ran behind the captain away from the hulking metallic shape. The captain's face was pale white his eyes were wide with primal fear as the creature moved towards them, Krill was acutely aware of the captain's story.

The creature that took his leg.

"Captain Vir." Underneath the translation the creature clicked and hissed, "It is a pleasure to meet you again."

Vir scrambled back further crawling into an awkward crouch eyes moving from wide to narrow. "What do you want?"

And then weirdly enough, the creature knelt down and bowed its head, "I have come, to learn from you. Such a great warrior race, you beat us on our own home world, there is much to learn."

"Look, I don't know what sick game this is, but.... You nearly ripped me in half. I'm not likely to let you aboard my ship."

The creature tilted it's head to look at him, "And you didn't kill me when you had the chance, why?"

The captain paused, "I.... I don't know."

"After the war my race was disbanded removed from our seat of power doomed to wander the universe hated and feared, but the only people more feared than us is you. I have thought long and hard about the war, about what we did, and I have come to the decision, I wish to learn from you to understand what I lack. You were not built for war like I, but you have something we don't, something that makes you powerful."

"Yeah, it's called not being homicidal psychopaths, maybe having compassion or mercy. You took my F***ing leg, and you really think I'd let you aboard MY ship just so that you can learn how to be more powerful. Fat chance you oversized beetle"

The creature didn't move, "Yes, it was I, but I intend to return what I took." Krill hadn't noticed, but by the creature's side sat a silver case. They watched in surprise as the box was opened to reveal a glittering metallic blue leg with green bands. The metallic parts were made from, what appeared to be carapace. Unlike a human leg, the prosthetic was built more like that of the creature scaled down. The foot ended with three mechanical toes and one spur.

"I built this from the bodies of the fallen, and my own armor; to wear it would be to make you one of us, you would have all the rights under our law as if you were born Drev. It is a symbol of my respect for you and your race. I only ask that you take me with you, and I will follow your rules and your laws."

Vir seemed surprised, confused, and scared, but the anger had fallen from his face. He paused, "How can I rust you. How can you ask me to do this after what you did? I have nightmares because of you."

The creature watched him unblinking before stating in such a matter- of – fact tone. "You killed many of my brethren, members of my own family, and yet I have forgiven you. War is war, and things done in war are not out of personal spite. You were the enemy and I fought the enemy, but I fought you with respect."

The human had gone quiet now staring at the creature, staring at the glittering metallic offering. Krill looked on in confused surprise, from what he had heard of the Drev they were beings whose only thought centered around war, to assume they had philosophy or conscious or government was out of the question, but here, he was one of their number seeking knowledge and refuge from a human, the very human it had attempted to destroy.

"And..... you would follow my orders."

Krill chirped in shock, "Captain, you aren't really thinking about saying yes?"

He held up a hand.

The creature bowed its head, "To the death."

There was a long moment of silence as the human looked between the Drev and the offering fighting an internal battle. Krill didn't see how the Drev could win this argument, it just didn't make sense. The fact that the captain was thinking about it was shocking enough to change things. But he couldn't agree to this, it was madness.

The human snapped the case shut. Krill gave a sigh of relief.

The man looked up at the creature, "You can come onto my ship, but if you so much as put one toe out of line, I will end you. If you can, in some miraculous way prove to me that you are worth the trouble, than I will think about making this a more permanent solution."

Krill squealed in shock, "Captain!"

The Drev lifted back to its feet towering a good foot above the captain's head, "I follow your command."

"Captain, what are you doing?" Krill squeaked scuttling at the captain's heels as he walked away a Drev shadow behind him.

"It offered its services, said sorry, and agreed to follow my command Krill, I...."He sighed, "It deserves a chance."

"Not from you."

"Especially from me. If it tries anything I'll kill it. If I don't do this, that it takes the moral high ground, and I'm a jerk. I can't let that be the case. I.... I need to get over what happened, and what better way to do it than this?"

Krill protested some more, but he captain ignored him turning to look at the creature.

"What's your name?"

Some hissing clicking sounds.

"Ok, that doesn't help. Not even a little bit, not at all."

"It means Sunny."

"Sunny, kind of an innocuous name for a death machine......Well, Sunny male, female, neither?"

"Female."

Vir stopped and blinked turning to look at her, "Is that why you're so short."

Sunny frowned, "I'm short because I'm short....."

The captain shrugged and took a deep breath quietly muttering, "What have I done."

***

The galactic assembly would not be pleased about this.