Waiting Shapeless

Chapter 48. Deep space, unknown location

(Happy Mother's Day!! To everyone who is a mother and to everyone who wants to be a mother 🥰)

Hud: Pardos

Hud opened his eyes.

He was in a strange craft, laying face up on the floor.

The room was lit with a sickly yellow light, and over the top of him flowing along the floor was a thick, swirling mist. He recognized that mist.

He sat up quickly.

A twinge of pain shot through his chest as he moved and he clutched at the spot.

Natilliea.

He looked down at his chest in a panic. She was gone.

"Settle down, Hud. She's right here."

Hud quickly turned around on the hard floor.

There was Gaunth, standing at the edge of the room. Next to the Rhaa on a table was Natilliea.

Hud stood up from the floor and grabbed Natilliea wearily, slinging her back over his shoulder. She hummed warmly.

He stepped away from Gaunth, eying him suspiciously.

"You shot me." Hud said, the events on the Rhaa station now returning to his mind.

Gaunth chuckled. "You were going to shoot me, you bastard!"

"You shot me... I'm not dead... How did I get here? What happened?" Hud looked down at his chest where Gaunth had shot him.

There was nothing. No wound. Not even a bruise. Even the pain he had felt earlier was practically gone now.

"It was a show." Grinned Gaunth. "You played your part beautifully."

"...What are you talking about?" Hud glanced around nervously. Then he dropped his voice to a soft whisper. "...Is it... safe? To talk about..?"

"Yes Hud. That's what I'm talking about." Frowned the stalky Rhaa. "The plan worked beautifully. We're free now."

Hud's head churned. He was free? From the Rhaa? "How??" He said in astonishment. "They found us out! I was going to kill you for treason!"

Gaunth shook his horned head.

"No. The Welvet. You remember them?"

Hud nodded. The strange, tall beings from the Seroah universe.

"They told you they were working for the Rhaa? They lied. They work for the PPF. Undercover."

Hud blinked. "So... how did they know about your plan to betray the Rhaa?"

Gaunth grinned. "I told them, stupid."

The confusion on Hud's face must have been blatant.

"Alright, let me break it down for you nice and simple like." Said Gaunth, his smile fading. "Our plan was to leave the Rhaa. Right? I contacted this special branch of the PPF, the Umifetter is what the branch calls themselves. This Umifetter of Welvet, they have been working towards breaking into the Rhaa organization for years now. See, the PPF in recent years have been trying to cut out all of it's corruption, starting with the Rhaa.

"So when I came to the Umifetter and told them I not only had a way of catching the Rhaa unaware, but getting them inside the main Rhaa vessel, they jumped at the opportunity.

"Don't you see?" Laughed Gaunth. "We faked our own deaths! The guns they gave us, they don't kill!"

The picture was starting to set in for Hud. "So they wanted the Rhaa to see you kill me, and..." Hud said, putting the pieces together. "So someone must have shot you?"