Waiting Shapeless

Chapter 38. Deep space, unknown location

Hud: Pardos

Hud was busy sloppily preparing a meal for himself when he heard the buzzer sound. His ship had received a message. He was on his way back to Gnumus to finish what he started with the Circuit, but he still had a ways to go.

He waited until after he had finished the food before making his way back to the cockpit chair.

The Pardos hungrily took an oversized bite off of the alien food before checking out the message. The thing he was eating was a large, musky-tasting bread-like thing with small fuzzy feather looking tendrils protruding from its skin sporadically. Hud had smacked it multiple times to loosen the fibers, then injected it with a gravy-like sauce for extra flavor.

Pretty tasty, although Hud thought it could use a little sodium chloride.

He peered at the message on the screen in front of him.

THIS IS THE SIGNAL. MEET AT RHAA STATION 62QF4 RETRIBUTION MAIN.

For a moment, Hud didn't understand the message. But then it struck him and his heart skipped a beat.

It was Gaunth.

A feeling of dread spread across Hud.

Unbeknownst to Gaunth, this message was a call for his death.

But could Hud even actually kill his friend? The one Rhaa that actually treated him kindly?

...Did he even have a choice?

The hooded beings. Weebles or whatever they were called. They said they could bring Natilliea back if he did this. Was that even possible??

Hud Put his meal down and dropped his head into his hands, his mind spinning with emotions.

He and Gaunth had already broken the Rhaa's rules with conspiring against them. If he didn't kill Gaunth, the Rhaa would kill them both anyway.

Escaping the Rhaa was impossible. Escaping this murder was impossible.

Should he refuse to kill Gaunth and just allow the Rhaa to kill them both for treason?

The Rhaa wouldn't care. They would find another hit-man, and take Natilliea back.

He cringed at the thought of Natilliea being back in the possession of the vile creatures.

Maybe he could just run away. Escape forever with Natilliea. He already had a different ship, unregistered with the Rhaa. He was also currently cruising through a forsaken, uninhabited patch of space.

What if he just... disappeared?

The thought drifted into his mind, but he had to push it away. In actuality he had tried this before. But the Rhaa were not stupid.

They knew that Natilliea was his vice, the one thing that he could not live without. They had the power to remotely shut her down, and had done so on several occasions when Hud had tried to escape with her before. The only way he could escape was by leaving Natilliea behind. He could never do that.

No, he had no other option. Even if the Rhaa or the Weavles or whatever were lying about bringing Natilliea back.

What did it matter anyway. That creepy alien was right; Hud hated the Rhaa. How hard could it be to kill one of them?

He had made his decision. He needed to kill Gaunth.

Hud hesitantly punched the station name into his navigation system.

The computer quickly found it. Hud engaged the ship onto the course and it automatically began its route to the location.

The crazy Circuit would have to wait; Hud was going to go kill a Rhaa.