Galactic Overlord (rewrite)

The captain and the girl part 2

''What'd you say to the man, captain?'' Tina asked, curiousity taking the better of her.

''I said I'd help him and the village against raiders.'' Captain Kassus answered. ''In exchange, they agreed to give portions of their harvest to fuel Cobra's war effort. And, I never liked raiders to begin with. They just come in and kill and take whatever they want, leaving us all in hunger.''

''Why'd you decide to help the people?'' she asked and the captain looked at her with a staring gaze. ''Just curious.''

''These people needed help so I decided to help them, easy as that.'' the captain answered. ''These good for nothing raiders and bandits. Just taking what they want, stealing from others. These people got no way of defendin' themselves so, maybe if no one would and since we are here, might as well.''

''Did you decide to help them only because they will give portions of the harvest to Cobra?''

''No, girl.'' Captain Kassus replied. ''Back home, raiders would come and take whatever they wanted. I starved more times than I can remember because they took so damn much. I watched, helplessly, as children my age were dying. The meat gone from their bodies;  just skeletons wearing skins, the lot of them became. People would cook those deceased to survive. My damned family didn't do anything for me to survive. They just went about and did whatever the hell they wanted. Then, the empire came and took those raiders out. Seeing those stormtroopers bring justice to my home, I saw a chance to brighten my life and maybe make a change.''

''It made you want to join the empire... so that children wouldn't die the same way they did back in your home?'' Tina asked but she had concluded the answer. There was more to the fanatic, cold-hearted shadow commander than she had thought.

''Aye. The stormtroopers allowed me to hold their blasters and wear their helmets. I wanted more than just that. I wanted to be like them and I guess I'm one hell of a lucky man cause now, I'm one of the general's third in command and his left hand man.'' Captain Kassus said and he remembered fondly the memories he spent with the troops.

''Did you ever have a desire to kill someone, captain?'' Tina asked randomly. ''Someone whom you so hated that when you see a chance, you just couldn't help yourself?''

''Why'd you ask a fuckin' question like that?'' Captain Kassus asked back.

''No reason.'' Tina answered and she couldn't help but talk more. ''Except, I'm kidding of course. I want to kill zygerrian slavers.'' she said. ''I hate them for what they did to my home and working people I cared about to death. I hate them for selling me to the Nerican and what they did to me. But sister Inanna and brother Hadad finished them so, guess it's one off my list. I still hate the zygerrians.''

''Knowing the zygerrians, it's not hard to imagine what they did.'' Captain Kassus remarked. ''I know enough stories to picture what you endured. Easy to picture, hard to understand but I understand the feeling of wanting to kill someone you so hate.''

''Really? You do?''

''Aye. I wish to kill the Vong overlord, the leader of these bastard far outsiders, for their hand in killing cousin Gary.'' Captain Kassus said. ''And that's just the start of my damned 'list'. You told me your sad story so I'll tell you mine, alright girl? But promise me you won't tell it to anyone.''

''I promise, captain.''

''For a long time, I wanted to kill my own damn uncle, that abusive little, pedophilic little shit. Always taking his anger out on me, always ordering me around, talking shit to me and beating me. One time, he beated me so hard I could hardly move at all. Had a damned full body ache for three days. Then, there was my own family. My mom was a cheating, unfaithful bitch who didn't care about her own son. I doubt she even looked at me as such. I remember once, that she gave some of our credits-we had few at time-to my damn cousins and when I asked for a bit, she said I was annoying. When I got sick, she angrily said that she wished I were dead. My older sister followed her ways and my father, he became a drunken fool of a man;  a mere shadow of himself. I wanted to kill every last one of them as I grew up.''