Experiment: The Ravager Code

Purpose and Promise

"She ain't got flames, must've stowed on one of the boy's ships." the other laughed, reaching out towards her.

She jerked as he tried to touch her neck, backing up against the ship behind her. His friend chuckled gutturally and took the other side so she was cornered, and she started to feel her heart beat fast with anxiety.

"How'd you get here, girly?" the first one asked, his all-black eyes hooding as he got closer.

She gulped, trying to get words out, the cold feeling flooding through her limbs. "I—I need to go..." she whispered, making to move between them.

The second one with the tattoos on his jawline shoved her back, gripping her shoulders hard. "We still got a few minutes before we go, might as well provide some entertainment until then..."

Tess shivered as he pushed her against the cold side of the ship behind her, fear raking up her spine like cold daggers. "No, please... I need to leave, I—"

"Leave to where?" the tattooed one sneered, taking hold of her jaw as his buddy snickered and watched. "You'll do just fine here," He pulled her forward and slammed her around quickly, making her cheek press into the bulkhead. She whimpered, gasping as he pressed against the back of her neck.

She cried out, terrified and wishing Yondu was here... wondering what they could find appealing about her, but she could sense their arousal and figured that to men a woman was a woman, especially one who looked as helpless as her. "Get off," she cried, squirming under his grip, gritting her teeth as his hand tightened on her nape, his breath hot on it as he leaned in close.

"Shut up, little whore, no one down here cares."

A pressure was building inside her, cold and growling, and she shut her eyes. "The—the Captain'll—"

"You ain't gonna say a damn word to him, or we'll find you again and—" He yelped as he was jerked back suddenly, and Tess instantly got her back to the ship again, turning to see Kraglin throwing the man to the floor, his blue eyes near-gray with rage.

"Kraglin—" she gasped, going silent as he landed a blow to the man's jaw, taking his clothes up in his fists.

"You ain't gonna do nothing to her!" he snarled down at his victim, and Tess' eyes widened. "You keep your flarking hands off her!"

The black-eyed Ravager that had been looming behind, watching as the one with the tattoos man-handled her looked genuinely terrified, but didn't move as Kraglin pressed his knee into the latter's neck, his other down into his elbow as he slammed his wrist to the floor.

"Can't keep your damn hands to yourself?" the First Mate sneered, nothing warm in his voice as he yanked his knife off his back, making the man under him actually gasp in fear.

Kraglin threw the blade down hard, severing the man's hand clean off, there was a scream and a spray of blood, and Tess clasped her hands back against the bulkhead, her chest heaving in fear.

The man was still screaming as Kraglin stood from him, turning to the gathered men at the commotion, Horuz standing there with them now, and darting his eyes between Tess, terrified and panting by the ship, to the now-one-handed man on the floor, and then Kraglin, who gestured to them with his bloodied knife.

"I'm speaking on not just mine, but Captain's orders when I say; she ain't to be touched! You stay the hell away from her, any—and I mean any—part of you that touches her, it's coming off! I make myself clear?"

There was a nervous chorus of yes sir, wide eyes and murmuring as Kraglin stalked back around, his weapon dangling from his clenched fist before he used it to gesture towards the handless man on the floor. "Take this son of a bitch to the med bay. Then, the brig."