I closed the door behind me as I entered the house. Work was tiring today. I wanted nothing more than to just veg out on the couch and chill. That would not do tonight though. I peeled my clothes off and took a nice warm shower, I started to feel alive again. I poofed my plumage for a few minutes to jettison any excess water then slipped on my jeans and a dorb leather belt. A white shirt finished my costume. I opened my wristband drawer and considered each for a moment. I slipped on the red one, I only felt like companionship tonight. I went to leave but paused to look at the closed drawer and quickly put the purple one in my pocket, just in case, then headed out.

  The night was dark and cool, very comfortable. I walked down the ne to the train station. I made my selection on the kiosk, to Ishkeilia Central and I sat on the bench. A young man approached and poked at the kiosk too. He had jeans and a belt on plus a purple wristband. He took notice of me and smiled, he came to sit next to me.

  “Good evening, sir.” He said. “Tonight is a fine night, don’t you think?”

  “Yes,” I said. “It’s quite a comfortable night.” I cast about looking to see if anyone was near and saw no one close. I turned and whispered to him. “We shouldn’t be seen talking. I’m more than happy to talk when we get there though. A bird’s beak easily squawks, you know?”

  He nodded and we waited for a few minutes before the train arrived. A few of my fellow korveinians walked off and we both entered. He went left so I went right and found an empty seat and slumped into it.

  It was about a half an hour train ride so I brought out my mobile to py some chess. It was somewhat simir to a korveinian game, zochi, but there was something more charming about it, to me at least.

  Suddenly someone poked my shoulder. I looked up, startled. It was a train employee. “Ticket, sir.”

  I ughed. “Oh so sorry. I was very focused. Of course here you are.” I handed him the ticket. He clipped it and handed it back to me. “Thank you.” I said as I accepted the ticket back.

  “Have a good evening, Mr. Avrankir.” He turned to leave. My smile disappeared. I went back to my game.

  The train stopped, I quickly made my st move and got my opponent into checkmate. I jumped up and went to the door to leave. I stepped out onto the ptform just before the doors closed.

  I left the station and walked to the ‘location’. I turned down the alley and tapped on the door. The slide opened. “Password?” The man asked.

  “Nen Hei Gorn.” I said. I heard the click of the door unlocking. It swung open and I entered the room. It closed and the man locked the door. I walked through the opening to get to the next room. The smoke was thick and there were low hushed conversations everywhere. I saw an empty seat and sat down. Another red wristband scooched closer to me.

  “Hey friend!” He said while smiling at me.

  “Hello.” I responded. “How are you tonight?” I saw the train man enter just then.

  “I’m doing ok, it's been a hard week at work,” he said. “I don’t have the energy for sex but I still wanted to come and have a nice evening with good gornazut men.”

  “Much the same with me, friend,” I sighed.

  “I wish we didn’t have to hide away,” he said wistfully. “I wish we could be out there and open with how we feel. Korveinian society is what it is though.”

  “Oh yeah I totally agree.” I shook my head. “I don’t think we'll ever be free to be out and who we are though. We have what we have and Korveinian society doesn’t look well on people like us. They don’t even tolerate human, khavneni, or uthradiri gornazut, what hope is there for us?”

  “We are the imperial core and yet are repressed as much as them.” His smile was sardonic. He looked so handsome, I felt a little excited by him.

  “I am enjoying the commiseration, it is very enjoyable, in its own way. I want to kiss you though.” I looked at him longingly. “I know you are just here for companionship–”

  “Companionship is just no sex for me, like I wouldn’t do what they are doing at the moment.” He pointed at a couch at the other end of the room. Two men were stroking each other, one went in, whole beak. “I enjoy kissing, let’s do it.” We began kissing.

  After some minutes the overhead lights fshed red. We pulled away. Everyone looked around at each other. We both leapt off the couch and headed for the closest alternate exit. The Down were raiding the sex house. We scattered like bugs, I got out and tried to calm myself as quickly as possible. Leaving the alley and joining the foot traffic on one of the main roads as nonchantly as I could.

  I made my way to the transport station and grabbed a ticket for home. I tried to py chess on the way home but was so frazzled by what happened that I blundered too many pieces to win. I closed the game.

  I looked out the window of the train. The river and trees seemed to be passing by. I sighed. I felt tired. The conductors stood next to me. I handed him my ticket. I felt really hurt. All I wanted was happiness and to live as my true and authentic self. All this life was giving me, however, is repression and the fecklessness of Korveinian rule. I hated it with all my heart. Yet… what could I do?

  Attempts at rights movements in the past were crushed forcefully. I couldn’t see how anything could change from another attempt at peaceful protest and violence would be met by more force.

  The train’s PA came one. “Next stop, Vozhnia. The doors will open on the right.” I walked to the door and held onto the bar until the train stopped and the door opened. I was back at my house minutes ter. I went to bed.

  I rolled out of bed the next morning and nded on the floor. What a night. I showered and used my fancy feather oil to make my plumage more shiny. When I got out, my empire coffee was ready, which is a caffeine drink that combines the native caffeine drinks of the four peoples. It has never tasted good but it gives the morning kick I’m looking for. I had a worm squeeze tube, trademarked by the Food in Tubes Corp, to eat and headed out to the train station.

  I arrived at Zhluende Urf and scanned to enter the astatrans. It was a quick wait, I was on the ship in no time and we were off to the Korveinian Orbital Shipwright and Repair - Tidara. We docked, I chuckled to myself at the uncommon meaning.

  I disembarked and headed to the lockers and donned my suit. Entering the airlock, I sucked all the air out of the little room to EVA to my work area. I pced a panel on the hull and welded it in pce. After I had welded several panels a voice came over the comm.

  “All workers, attention, all workers. Cease working and meet in the cafeteria. All workers, to the cafeteria.” I secured my torch to the hull and headed back to the airlock. I doffed my suit and walked to the food hall.

  “Do you know what's happening, Kay?” I asked one of the other welders, a human.

  She shrugged and kept walking. “How the hell should I know? We were both out there welding, Zhohash.”

  We arrived and there were some men in suits on the stage at the far end of the room. The doors closed when everyone had arrived in the hall.

  Over the PA system one of the men started talking. “We are at war.” Hushed whispers ripped through the crowd. War! With whom? “We are here to administer the customary loyalty oaths, since this is being converted to a military shipwright for the foreseeable future. We have set up some private rooms and we have twenty people, now, make some lines and we are going to go in and get this done nice and quick.”

  The lines moved rapidly. Kay grabbed me and I turned to see what she wanted. “I’m worried. I see korveinians leaving those rooms but I don’t see any humans, khaveni, or uthradiri coming out.”

  I looked to see. It seemed she might be right. “Maybe they are doing a more extensive interview with your people. The doors are locked and there's no way you are getting off this station without being checked at some point.” She looked terrified, I stopped, thinking she might become scared by my attempt at soothing.

  The lines rapidly shortened. Only korveinians came out. The pit in my stomach grew every time another person entered the line in front of me. “I am hoping for the best for you, Kay. Whatever happens, I still consider you a friend.”

  She looked sharply at me and whispered angrily. “Fuck you, korveinians!”

  I couldn’t bme her for that sentiment. Shortly, it was my turn to enter the room and so I did.

  “Close the door.” I obeyed, one of the men in the room offered me a seat with his hand. I complied, seated across from him. The two others were armed with psma pistols. I felt uneasy, this felt off.

  “Mr. Avrankir, welcome. How is work?” The man asked. He tapped the folder in front of him with a pen.

  “It is going ok.” I smiled. “It's hard work but it helps keep the Empire safe and stable. I find the work I do to be quite fulfilling.”

  “Good, good.” He pulled a piece of paper out of the folder. “You’ve been given good worker reviews and even helped to avoid some potentially catastrophic accidents. We are very impressed by you in that regard.”

  I smiled and felt more at ease. “Absolutely! I’m always happy to keep standards high.”

  He pulled out another piece of paper. No, a picture. “Is this you, Mr. Avrankir?” He pushed the picture to me. My blood froze and my heart ceased mid beat.

  It was me kissing that man from st night. I shifted awkwardly in my seat then cleared my throat. “What can I say? That is me. I want to say that I am totally committed to the korveinian cause, sir! To my st molting. I promise you.”

  “Be that as it may, my fine feathered faggot, we will be removing you from work.” He said evenly. “We can’t trust that you won’t get any smart ideas, your duplicitous faggotry must be sequestered, of course. Stay quiet, there's a good man, no commotions and perhaps you won’t be hurt too much.”

  The men brought out their pistols and aimed them at me. “You will come with us,” one of them said.

  I could do nothing but meekly follow. I was led into the back and brought to a prison transport ship and locked in one of the bay cells with several others.

  The pit in my stomach was tight. Was this really happening? How can this have happened? My future became so murky so suddenly. People who have been found out to be gornazut never lived long. I feared my life would soon be over as well. I was determined to survive as long as I could though.

  “What are you doing here, korveinian?” One of the other prisoners pushed me. “Korvys arresting korvys!” He scoffed. “We can get a little revenge, eh boys?”

  “Wait, listen, as you have noted, yourself, I have been arrested by the korveinian authorities as well. I feel that have no connection with them anymore.” I was desperate not to be beat up.

  “You’re still a korvy and a korvy is a korvy,” A blow fell on my head, I felt another in my stomach. They were generally swarming on me now. My body ached and I was in pain all over as I was dragged out.

  Through my swollen eye I saw them shoot some of the people that had attacked me. “Prisoners do not attack other prisoners.” I heard before I lost consciousness.

  I woke up in a haze. My eyes were blurry. I blinked until my vision was a little better. I had bandages all over from what I could see. I tried to move my arm but couldn’t. A nurse noticed my movement and began walking toward me.

  “Mr. Avrankir, you are awake.” Her voice was melodious. “You were attacked and fell into a coma for four days. You are being transported to a prison colony for your propensity for unspeakable acts with men.” She came closer to me. “If we hadn’t been ordered to save you, we wouldn’t have. My colleagues say you are a sick person and that our medical talents were wasted on ‘trash like you’. I’ve been told to tell you to go ahead and die already, that you’d be doing us a favor if you did.” She grabbed a thermometer from a drawer. “I now need to take your temperature and all I was given is this rectal thermometer,” her smile was betrayed by the sadness in her eyes, “you gornazut like things in your ass, right?” She shook her head and tossed the piece of paper she held down. “Well, it doesn’t matter if you do or not, this is going in either way.”

  She pressed the rge diameter thermometer in without any lube, it was intensely painful. Tears streamed down my face. She took out a camera and snapped some pictures. I felt vioted and embarrassed. Most of all, however, I felt angry.

  I pretended to sleep and overheard the staff. We were not heading directly to the colony. There were more prisoners to be gathered before we were all dropped off at the colony. It was the best news I could have hoped for, plenty of time to attempt to take over the ship.

  After a few days, I was thrown into an isotion cell. I had some broken ribs and scrapes and bruises still but the medical staff was competent at their work, if extremely hostile otherwise.

  I caressed the metal panels of my cell. I recognized them from many years ago. This ship, knowing it is a prison transport, was the Heivia, named after a condemned gornazut. A woman from the age of starward expansion, she was not killed because she was too valuable as an incubator.

  That justification always felt so gross to me. I had done research on every person who had given their name to a prison transport that I helped build. She was staunch in her love for women, a true grandmother of the gornazut. All the gornazut who knew of her, revered her.

  I brought myself back. I sat and thought for sometime, trying to remember where the critical parts were that I could attack from my little cell. Anything I did from here would be tracked down to here, I needed an end game pn before I could attack the critical areas, I decided. So then, how do I get into my enemy’s rear areas?

  If I could remove a panel entirely I could use it as a bludgeoning weapon and try to take a psma pistol, coupled with cutting a critical system that should eventually draw them to this room.

  Now I need to think about the consequences of this tentative pn. I might be asked to show my hands while the door is unlocked. I wouldn’t be able to get to the panel fast enough in that case. They could bring too many guards for me to overcome, that would also just be losing. There is also the possibility that, at some point, this ship was rewired in some way that removed critical systems wiring from this area of the ship. There is nothing I can do about that.

  Ok, so is there anything I can do to make my ideas more viable? I could just refuse to show myself, perhaps they will just blunder into the trap. As for them bringing too many… idea! I could cut the electronic door locks and let the other prisoners out and cut off the atmos-filter to stop the filtration of air. That could work.

  Steps! 1. Identify location of critical wiring. 2. Completely remove panel. 3. Cut the electronic cell locks, wait a few minutes then cut the atmos-filter.

  That done, I only had to wait for the most opportune moment to put the pn into action. A day or so after we bring the next group on board would be the best time. We would be too far from help and the extra bodies would bring more chaos.

  The pn was finished. I started looking at the panels above to decide which were hiding the wires I required.

  After struggling against the panel for the next few days, I finally got it loose and parsed the wires behind it. I pced the panel against the wall near the door for ter.

  I gamed the scenario out in my mind in several variations: one, two, three and four guards. I wanted to be prepared for any eventuality but knowing I can’t control everything, I did the best to attempt to control what I could.

  I was in a holding pattern for the rest of the time. We finally picked up more prisoners three days after I got the panel off and exposed the wires. I waited another day and after I ate the midday meal they pushed under my door, I decided to enact my pn.

  I pushed the bed under the wires and severed the door locks for the other prisoners. I could hear the commotion almost instantly. I waited half a minute and decided it was long enough, I severed the wire for the atmos-filter. My skin felt warm. My hand was shaking, this was the most high stakes moment I’ve ever had in my life.

  I tried breathing to calm myself.

  In the moment I decided to throw the mattress off the bed and pushed it against the door to try and trip the responders up. Every little advantage could mean life or death. I grabbed the panel and hid beside the door.

  I stayed crouched by the wall for what seemed like one hundred years. I kept breathing, trying to keep steady. I heard muffled sounds from outside.

  “I think this is the room, we’ve got to fix it now.” The lock clicked open. The first person tried to run in and tripped over the bed and fell face first onto the bed. The person behind stopped quickly but was off bance.

  I swung the panel, heard and felt the crunch of his skull caving in. His feathers flew out into the air as his body fell onto the other person. I turned my panel on him and it was done quickly. I grabbed both of their guns and left the room, only two, easy enough.

  I went toward the chaotic sounds of a scuffle. It had mostly died out by the time I arrived. The weight of numbers told the story here. They executed the st guard by the time I entered the room. Their weapons trained on me right away but were less tense when they noticed I was the person some of them had beat recently.

  “You,” one of them said.

  “I cut the locks to the doors that allowed you to escape,” I said quickly.

  He nodded. “If anyone could it's an isoted shipwright Korvy,” he sounded displeased to know that I had sprung them. “Fine, you live, for now. Did you have more of a pn or what?”

  I tossed my extra gun at him. “I was thinking of taking the bridge. We can decide what to do after that. I’m not nguishing the rest of my life away in a camp, waiting to die. I don’t think any of you want that either.”

  Most nodded. “Sorry for the beating, Kov– erm, what is your name?”

  “Zhohash,” Kay said. “I worked with him, he always treated me well. Unlike some of those birds.”

  “Yeah, Zhohash. Please come with me, we have the advantage right now but can lose that quick. We need to get moving.” I said desperately.

  “Right. Those with weapons, let’s move.” I smiled at Kay then turned to follow those who left for the bridge.

  “Names Oluxander, thanks for getting us out,” Olux said. “But tell me, how did you get out?”

  “I lured the guards to my cell by cutting off one of their critical systems.”

  “Which critical system?” He asked, a look of worry crossed his face.

  “Atmos-filtration.” I tried to soothe. “I pnned on reconnecting it once we have control.”

  “What if you died? What about the rest of us?”

  I looked at him. I opened my mouth then closed it. “I will have to consider my pns more thoroughly next time. I had not considered that angle.”

  “Yeah, well make sure you do so there can be many more next times.” He admonished.

  We approached the door to the bridge, it was open. I reached to poke the edge of the door to test for a force shield, my finger passed through. I looked at and nodded to the assembled company. We were ready.

  “Fast and violent,” Olux whispered.

  “As part of this whole thinking things through thing, perhaps we just take them captive, just in case?” I asked. “The ships have fail safes.”

  Olux shook his head and growled. “You have a point, only shoot if necessary.”

  We started streaming into the room. As I entered one tried to pull out a pistol, a bolt of white hot psma leapt forth from our side and burned across their face and shoulder. The smell of burning flesh and feathers was sickening. The man fell to the ground, writhing in agony.

  “Hello captain.” I said in an attempt at a steady voice. “We are taking over this ship. I suggest you give up, we might even get your friend there some medical care if you give up now. What’s your answer, captain?”

  He pressed a button on his chair then an arm bred. “Self destruct activated. Five minutes until engine detonation. Please leave quickly and calmly. Have a nice day.”

  Psma covered the captain from several different directions. I scrambled to the chair and prodded the burning corpse off the chair. I pounded an override code into the console and the arm fell silent.

  I shot a gre at the next highest ranked person I saw. “Well commander? Can you see that your situation is futile now? I helped build this ship, yes this ship specifically. Surrender, now!”

  He gritted his beak. After a few moments he stood and reached for his pistol. Several people switched to aiming at hiim. He put his other hand up. “I’m just tossing it down. Please hold your fire.” He carefully unclipped the weapon and took it out, pointing down, finger not near the trigger. It plunged to the ground as his grip fell away from it. I nodded at him in approval.

  “Now, the rest of you too, one by one,” They obeyed and we had the ship. I turned to Olux, “I’m gonna go repair the wires, to get the atmos-filter and locks working again so we can hold these people more easily.”

  He nodded and I went off to complete my work.

  We argued about what to do for a while and nded on the idea of attempting to liberate some of the other ships heading to the prison colony. We had a tracker that reports the locations of military and prison vessels through the korveinian satellite network.

  We set an interception course for the ship closest to the colony and set the engines moving at an appropriate speed. It was less than a day before we were to arrive.

  In the meantime, I walked with Olux to see if any of the people from the ship would be useful. I suspected he would want to get rid of anyone who wasn’t, I, however, had other pns for what to do with them.

  We came to the cells where I had been beaten. The ranking korveinian we had captured stood up.

  “So, what's the pn here?” He asked. “Or are you going off half spiralled here?”

  “Hey, maybe shut up with that dumb shit.” I said emphatically. “You have made an enemy of us so we are responding with resistance.”

  “We’re gonna kill you korvys, if you aren’t useful to us.” Olux growled.

  “Correct, or if you are actively detrimental to our efforts, we will send you out the airlock.” I added. “Do you have anything you wish to add, now?”

  He noticeably defted. “How can we be helpful then?”

  “We need the pilot and the medical staff for sure. As much as I can get around the systems, I sure as hell can’t direct the ship well enough.”

  “I’ll join you, I promise to be good!” It was the woman who assaulted me with a rge diameter thermometer. I scowled at her.

  “Any other medical staff?” Her hand shot up. “Anyone besides her?”

  Silence.

  “Fine. How about the pilot?” One man started bobbing his head, then he stood and raised his hand.

  “There are our two, then.” Olux said. “Send the rest out the airlock.”

  “Hold on, we need to talk about that. The rest can still be useful to us.”

  “How so?” He looked like he wanted to challenge me.

  “We can trade them for some of your kind or some gornazut korveinians.” I argued. “Otherwise who knows how long they will nguish in those colonies!”

  He had a displeased look on his face. “You have a point there. Loathed I may be to admit it. Fine,” he started to walk away. “Take those two out of the cells. Keep the others locked away, but if any of them do suspicious things, I’m tossing them out of the airlock!”

  “I agree,” I said.

  The cell door opened and the pilot and nurse were allowed to leave. Pistols trained on them, they were escorted to their work areas.

  “Hey, gornazut,” the nurse said to me, “come with me for a moment? I want to talk to you.”

  I rolled my eyes at her. Not really wanting to hear whatever she said, I entertained the idea of just walking away. At the thought of her begging forgiveness, however, I decided to go with her instead.

  “So?” I ask, shortly as I fell into step with her. “You wanted to talk?”

  “Yes,” her voice was wavering, “I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier.”

  I gave her a dismissive wave. “Your apology is both unnecessary and too te for me to give a shit about.”

  “Yeah. I am not trying to curry favor or anything.” She was fidgeting like she was nervous. “The truth is, I was just giving you the standard disrespect we are expected to show to gornazut.”

  I scoffed. “Is that supposed to make me feel better about your actions? ‘I only did it because it’s what we all do, ahaha fuck you faggot!’”

  She recoiled as if I had punched her, her head hung low. “I am also a gornazut,” she whispered. “I deeply regret what I did, but it was the least of what the others would have done to you.” She wiped her eyes clear of tears. “I was kinda hoping we could be friends. I don’t want to save myself, I want to help liberate gornazut from korveinian social oppression.”

  I stopped and looked at her, as if I was seeing her for the first time. “Perhaps… Perhaps we can work together then.” I said, pcing my hand on her shoulder. “I am going to talk to the pilot. I haven’t totally forgiven you, but I am willing to work with you, don’t make me regret it…?”

  “Khajra, my name is Khajra Ughni. I’ll do my best to win you as a friend, Zhohash.” She called out after I started to walk away. “Zakherin is like us, by the way.”

  As I walked by the cells on my way to the bridge, the jailed Korveinians chirped at me. I pointed two fingers at them as I walked passed to return their disrespect. I entered the bridge and saw Olux and Zakherin I supposed they are talking about the controls.

  I walked over to them. Olux looked up. “Zhohash, fine to see you again. How’s the woman? Can we trust her?”

  “I think we can.” I said with a nod. “It seems like this one,” I patted the bird’s back, “might also be fairly trustworthy, according to her.”

  “She vouched for me?” I nodded at the man. “That's either very good or very bad.” He started to poke at some of the control systems.

  “If you or her betray us, we toss you both out the airlock,” Olux said with a chuckle.

  “So,” I said, trying to put the man at ease, “why did you decide to help us?”

  “I’m just trying to survive the situation which I find myself in.” He said. “You said you are going to toss people out the airlock that aren’t useful then I will make myself useful. That’s it really.”

  “Is that really it?” I leaned in close and started rubbing his back. “Is that the only reason you have decided to help us, Zakherin?”

  He jumped up and kept his eyes on the ground. “What did she tell you?” He asked. “Nothing is certain, sure, but really I’m just trying to survive.”

  I crossed my arms. “She said that you were like us, gornazut. Was she mistaken?”

  “I am. She should keep her beak shut though. It’s dangerous information to be out there. I need to stay safe after all this is over, you know.”

  I ughed. “Bold of you to assume we are going to survive.” I smiled wide. “We will do our best, but it is more likely that our efforts amount to little. We are in great danger right now.”

  “Yeah, then why’d you take over the ship?” He asked.

  “This is better than being in a death colony. The chance of escaping death is better than the guarantee of it on that pnet.” I trust a finger at it on the map. The engines lept and we started to move toward it fast.

  He quickly cut the engines and programmed our previous course again then turned the engines back on at a lower speed. He scowled at me. “Please don’t do that.”

  Olux’s eyes were narrowed at me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know that was going to happen. How did that happen?”

  “That is a pre-programmed course. You brushed against it so the ship made the automatic calcution. That’s how the controls work. Luckily, however, I was able to override it before we strayed too far.”

  “There you see?” I said to Olux, “He fixed the course without prompting, that is definitely a point in his favor, don’t you think?”

  He nodded. “I think so.” He ughed out loud. “What is my world coming to? Suddenly I find myself in the friendly company of korveinians!”

  “Can I ask? What is the pn after we grab this other ship?” Zakherin asked.

  Olux and I looked at eachother. “Keep attempting to liberate the attacked peoples.” Olux responded.

  “Perhaps attempt to make contact with the enemies of the Korveinian Star Empire. Keep attacking behind the lines for sure. We should also find a good pce to hide out, be proper pirates.” I felt excited by this sudden career change.

  “This is going to go well.” Zakherin’s comment dripped with sarcasm. “Fuck, well if this is it,” He looked up at me, “perhaps we could… get together? If you want?”

  “Gay korveinians! Now that’s something.” Olux said with a chuckle and a smile.

  We came near the area where we would ambush the other prison transport. We powered down the engines and set the distress transponder to a low power to try and trick them into attempting to board. We grabbed our weapons and posted up near the docking port, hidden. Miss Ughni id on the floor nearby as a distraction.

  The scraping of metal screeched loudly in my ears. I stayed down and waited. The airlock wooshed open. The seven korveinians rushed in, a few went to Khajra while another engaged the lock on our ship so we couldn’t separate. Both engines were now disabled until both locks were disengaged.

  “Hey, she's still alive.” One of the men said. “Come here, help me sit her up. Ma’am, are you ok? Can you hear me?” The others came over to see what was happening.

  I tapped, metal on metal and we swarmed out of our spots. “Alright, that's enough. Surrender now.” I said, my weapon trained on them.

  They gave up quickly, they hadn’t even brought weapons with them.

  “How many of your compatriots are left over there?” Olux asked. They didn’t say anything. “Take them to the cells.”

  “Based on how many were on this ship, there are probably fifteen more over there.” Olux nodded at my assertion. “Shall we, then? I think we might liberate their armory first, then they can’t fight back.”

  “Seems a good idea to me.”

  We went in and sneaked up to the armory and liberated their weapons. Several korveinains came to check on it, an arm must have been triggered. They streamed in at us but were quickly captured as well.

  We headed to the cell block and found no resistance. We threw open the cell doors, releasing the prisoners and armed them. They turned their weapons on me.

  “We should do these Korveinians in.” One of them sneered. “They’ll sell us out as soon as they can. I was hiding but was turned in by their kind.”

  Olux rested the barrel against the man’s skull. “If it hadn’t been for him we would have been delivered to the colony already. Lower your weapon. He is with us.”

  He bared his teeth. “If they try anything funny, I’m shooting. You understand me, korvy?” He let his weapon fall to his side, he still stared daggers at me.

  “I will point out that they are against me and people like me,” I countered. “They have been repressing and suppressing gornazut since before the Korveinians set out for the stars. I was also a prisoner.” I pointed at the Korveinians that had just come out of the cells. “They were also locked up.”

  “I’ll figure out your game.” He retorted.

  I rolled my eyes to his face. “There is no game. We are here and we have to support each other. Do you not understand what’s at stake here?”

  “Just watch yourself, cause Rumalin will be watching you.”

  I shook my head. “Come on, we need to capture the bridge. Otherwise, what are we here for?”

  He lowered his rifle from em and we were off. The bridge fell easily, without so much as a shot being fired. We proceed to lock the Korveinian crew members away.

  Forty humans, uthradiri, khaveni and gornazut Korveinians came out of there safely.

  Forty more people that would now not have to suffer the deprivations and horrors of the Korveinian penal colony system. We can do more.

  Olux came up to me as I worked on unlocking the systems so we could take the ship with us. “So what’s the pn now, Zhohash? There are no other ships coming with prisoners for a while, judging by that map.”

  “Yeah, I think we can’t survive like this for too long.” I said as Rumalin sidled up to our conversation. “I think we have to find a pnet or somepce that will give us safe harbor and a pce to restock things and refuel the ships.”

  “What are you doing?” Rumalin asked forcefully.

  I stood to look at him and threw my hands in the air. “I’m unlocking the systems so we have access to the entire ship, is that ok you? Do I have your permission to continue taking over the ship?”

  Olux whistled at one of the people from our ship. He pointed at Rumalin and jerked his up with his thumb outstretched. Two people came over and tried to drag Rumalin away.

  “Wait,” I said. “He is an annoying asshole, we need to trust each other though.”

  “How could I trust a korveinian?” He asked, shaking off the men that had held him. “I was kidnapped as a child and dragged to a different pnet and forced to work there for years. THEN! One day these assholes come into where I work and kidnap me again. I’ve been passive until now. I’m tired of being an on looker. I want to go home and be with people like me. I’m sick of these bird fucks.”

  “I understand that korveinians have done some not so great things to you and billions of others. I am on your side, I want to work with you to save people. Not just gornazut, but khaveni like you, humans like Olux and Uthradiri too.”

  “Zhohash is on our side.” Olux put in. “We have other things to discuss, we need a pn for what to do next. We can’t continue on with this spurious witch hunt of yours.”

  “Like I said, we need to find a safe harbor. Before that, though,” I said looking at the panel then to Rumalin, “is it ok with you if I finish unlocking the ship now?”

  There was no getting around it, we were surrounded. There was a battle group headed our way, likely curious as to why two prison ships were loitering near the colony but not going to it. I gave the consol housing a light kick with my talon.

  “Shit.” I said. “Olux, Zakherin, we have a huge problem and need to find somewhere safe to be like right now. We are being hunted.”

  “Shit, he’s right.” Zakherin said as he was looking at his screen. “No, no, no. It's an entire battle group. Battleships and carriers and all. We will be rinsed like feathers in a storm if we stay here.”

  “Where can we go? How long do we have to decide?” Olux asked as he came to look at the ship location screen.

  “Yeah, hold on,” Zakherin poked the screen a few times, it beeped each time. The tactile feedback felt satisfying even from this far away. “The computer calcutes it is going to take about two days for them to get here. Some of those ships can get here quicker though and we should leave as soon as we figure out where we’re going.”

  “What's our armament, can we hold the scouts off?” Olux asked, to no one in particur.

  I cpped a hand on his shoulder and with a big smile, “Minimal, we are in dire straits.” I clicked over to the pnetary information screen. “Look there and see if any of these pnets are safe. I’m going to do the same on this screen over here.”

  After some minutes Zakherin spoke up. “Um I might have an idea of where we might go.”

  “Well go on, man! Where is safe?” Olux demanded when he didn’t continue.

  “Well, you know, safe is a retive term, but I know where the Korveinian space fleet would think twice about going. I’m not sure how safe a pce it would be.”

  “Where?” I asked, curious about where he was talking about.

  “DSS10039-36-1, it’s about a day and a half away and about two days for their scouts and an extra day for the rest of the fleet, I think.”

  “That is a weird gravity well designation. What is it?” I found the archive description and clicked on it, my jaw dropped as I read. “‘Gamma rays and pnetoids big enough to crush the ship with collisions being common.’ I don’t know about that.” I clicked back to the map of space.

  “I don’t see any other pces that would be safe, we are in the imperial core,” Zakherin said. “Hold on, I’m going to check something really quick.”

  “What do you think, Olux? I don’t know where to go. Do you have any ideas?”

  He scoffed. “I’d rather be cooked by gamma rays than to be recaptured by the korveinians.”

  I pursed my lips and looked at Zakherin. “What are the odds we could outrun the ships?”

  “That is precisely what I was just checking.” His face looked grime. “I’m gonna level with you, it doesn’t look good, we are both slower than them and there are more ships stationed close to our position in all directions that we will absolutely be captured or destroyed in short order.”

  “One option,” Olux sat down, he shook his head.

  “It’s not a good option.” I looked from Olux to Zakherin. “Well, what else can we do? Nothing. We have to take our chances in that dangerous pce.”

  “I see no other way around it.” Olux echoed.

  “Cool, will you tell the other ships,” I asked, “Rumalin is just going to give me shit for trying to kill him if I were to suggest going to such a scary sounding pce.” He nodded and picked up the phone. I turned to Zakherin, “plot the course and engage when the others have theirs in.”

  I started to walk off the bridge. “Where are you off to?” Zakharin asked.

  “I’m tired. I want to go to bed, but I am going to grab a bite to eat before because I don’t remember when I ate something st.” I replied, then started out again.

  “Um,” I stopped and looked at Zakherin. “How would you feel about eating some dick? I’m starving for some.” He was biting at his beak while looking at me.

  I smiled. “Swing by when you’re finished.”

  I quickly squirted a tube of Worms, trademarked by Food in Tubes Corp, into my mouth then went to my room, hoping to then fill my mouth with something else.

  He knocked on my door after fifteen minutes. “Hey,” he smiled, “may I come in?”

  “Absolutely, please come on in,” I smiled. Realizing I knew very little of him, I decided to ask, “where are you from?”

  “I was born on one of the phase one settlement pnets, Kolper.”

  I sat up quickly, “oh wow, your family was a pioneer family! That's super cool and interesting.”

  “Yeah, one of my grandmothers was able to visit the Castra, the ship her grandmother was born on, once engine technology was better. It was the upgrade from sublight to uberlight drives. Where were you born?”

  “I was born and raised on one of the new settlement pnets, Tidara. I just want to say, you really care about that, I think you are so cute when talking about engines and your family.” I leaned in and kissed him. He grabbed my cheek and kissed me back.

  We continued to kiss until we fell into bed fully. I pressed him down and stroked my hands over his torso, I helped take off his shirt and leaned in to kiss him further while taking off my shirt too.

  I leaned back and looked at the bulge in his pants. I gave it some pets before unhooking his pants and exposing his penis, it twisted around sultrily. He unhooked my pants and my cock was released. I smacked his dick with my cock and we both giggled. I kissed him again before going down and licking it.

  “Wait,” He was breathing heavily, “I want to suck too, flip this way.” I moved as he wanted and we began imbibing each other’s penis’. I loved the feeling of his warm and spiraled member.

  It felt so freeing not to be worried about being rumbled and scarpering after. I had never tried before, I always felt it was always too dangerous to try and get away fast enough. I always brought the band with me, just in case.

  “Hey, want to try putting it inside each other?”

  He nodded. “Have you ever tried that before? It will be my first time.”

  A knock at the door made us both jump. “Zhohash, its Khajra. Can I come in?”

  I looked at Zakherin and id next to him and brought the bnket over us. “Yeah come in.”

  She walked through the door and turned right away. “Sorry! I didn’t realize you were… well anyway I can come back ter, or you can come see me sometime soon.” She went to press the button to open the door again.

  “Wait!” I said. “Um, do you know how to insert a penis into a cloaca?”

  Her hand dropped and she sighed. “What the hell, I’m down for some fun.” She turned and began taking off her clothes. “I want some compensation though! I demand a good railing too.”

  “Yeah no problem, I like women too.”

  Zakharin looked at me. “Oh wow what? You like both? Weird.”

  “That’s not that weird, I like both, but prefer women.” She countered.

  “No, no, no. I am very, very much only into men. I love warm cock in my hands and mouth.” He said with such passion.

  “Well ok, I will give you a good railing then, Khajra.” She nodded smugly as she tossed her bra aside.

  “Good, now,” she sat on the bed and showed us her butt and expined how best to have sex. I followed her instructions and on him and it felt so good. She was a great help, we both thanked her.

  “My turn,” she bounced on the bed happily. Her breast spped against her plumage with a satisfying flump. We kissed and she id on the bed. “You don’t have to help, but it would be more fun if you did,” she said to Zakherin. He grabbed my cock and rubbed it against her vagina. It felt warm and wet. I gave her my tongue and she spasmed and moaned. I pyed with her breasts as I pped up her pussy.

  “Ok, ok, come on, get up and get inside me. I want your cock, Zhohash,” I penetrated and she convulsed. “Oh my god that feels so good.”

  I began to thrust but after a moment paused. I looked back at Zakherin, “hey, you could fuck me while I fuck her at the same time, if you want.” He nodded and I felt the pinch of his dick entering me. A penis in my butt and mine in a pussy, it all felt so right and I began to thrust again. I grabbed her nipples and lightly squeezed.

  I felt him finish before I did, he started to dress himself. When I finally came, I colpsed onto my bed, all energy left me. I sighed heavily. “That was pretty awesome, we should do this again sometime.”

  Zakherin shook his head. “I don’t mind you fucking us both, but it will be apart from now on.”

  I smiled. “That's totally fine, my pretty boy.”

  He blushed. “I have to go. You and I can do this more ter.” He paused before he pressed the button to leave. “Thank you for your help, though, Khajra.” And he was gone.

  “Too bad, he would have been fun to py with too. I wish I had a woman, but you’re good to have fun with.” She kissed me and dressed herself while I passed out.

  We approached the gravity well, it was only an hour away now. The korveinian scout ships were nearly on us though. Zakherin sat at the controls, I watched as the four ships streamed their way in an interception course.

  “Are we gonna make it?” I asked. “I’m worried, did we calcute everyone’s speeds right?”

  “I made us a little slower and them a little faster in my calcs, I didn’t calcute if they would over cloak their engines though.”

  “So because you didn’t do your due diligence we are going to be caught?” Olux asked.

  “What can we do then? We are in this situation, we can try to think our way out.” I watched the map, and an idea came to me. “Ok, ok, they are approaching from this side,” I pointed at the map, “can we turn slightly to come out on this side? They should be too afraid to go through the gravity well. What do we think of that idea?”

  Olux came over to look at the map and my idea to evade them. “Shit, it’s better than getting caught right out. I say we give it a go.”

  I looked at Zakherin. “I think that’s the best we have at this point,” he booped some buttons, “I’ve got the new heading punched in, awaiting your order.”

  I picked up the inter ship comms and pressed the button to call our other ship. “Rumalin, come in. We are slightly changing course.”

  “You best not be trying to screw us, korvy.” I rolled my eyes. This man was so annoying.

  “Zakherin, please inform the other ship of our new heading, if you would.”

  “Heading, change to 0 1 8 2 9. Elevation, no change. Akno a good copy.”

  “Good copy on heading change to 0 1 8 2 9. Good copy on elevation no change,” their korveinian pilot replied. Zakherin nodded.

  “Engage new heading,” I order. I didn’t feel anything, but looking at the map I saw that our course was taking us to the far side of the system, retive to the korveinian fleet’s scouts. I waited for minutes. The korveinians did not change. My plumage rexed, as I started to feel like we might be more safe now. “Think we got it.” I plopped myself into a chair. “We are gonna be ok.”

  “Zhohash, we might have a problem.” Olux said he was still looking at the map. “They’ve split off but I think we are going to still be ok. We are still on the further side from where they seem to be going.”

  I jumped up to have another look at the panel with the map. It seemed as though they would try to fnk us. “Fuck. Can you calc that out, Zakherin? Will we enter the system before they can catch us?”

  He booped more buttons, I loved the sounds, I needed to remember to thank whoever made those. “Seems we will beat them by three to five minutes.”

  “We will be safe. Or not.” Olux smiled wide. “We have little to defend ourselves with. What’s the idea then?”

  “I don’t think our disabled ship trick will work as well on a military ship, they will certainly be more prepared.” Zakherin put in.

  “We will just have to take all of our advantages.” Then it popped into my mind. “Oh!” I pulled up a list of ship schematics.

  “You have an idea, Zhohash?” Olux asked.

  “Yes, those scout ships, they have a weakness here.” I pointed at the hull just before the engine assembly. “The armor here had to be thinned in order to reinforce the engine housing. In some of the test flights, the engines actually fell out and crashed into a pnet. Many people died in the crash. Anyway our small armament should be able to penetrate right there.”

  Olux picked up the comm device. “I’ll call and inform Rumalin, that idiot will think you are trying to trick him or some dumb shit like that. Of all the people they could have chosen, that guy really annoys me.”

  “Me too.” We were only a few minutes from exiting uberlight travel now. “Give me an estimate on how long it is until they arrive?”

  “I’d say we are definitely going to arrive before them.” Zakherin added after a moment. “Barely, but we will arrive before them. A minute at most.”

  The next few minutes passed slowly. The anticipation made my feathers stand on end. I slid into the weapons station to quickly familiarize myself with the controls. The Short Distance Targeting Sensors showed the ships nearby then I could pce a reticle on the area I wanted to bst. Seemed easy enough, I just hoped the targeting motors were well kept.

  We slowed to sublight, the star system was before us. The other prison ship showed up on my targeting sensor a few moments ter.

  “Move into the outer rocky-ice cloud as quickly as possible, our smaller size among the rocks and ice are a small advantage for us.” Olux said.

  I smiled and nodded at him. “Good idea, every little advantage helps.”

  “Right moving in!” Zakherin got the ship moving toward the icy bodies. Olux told the other ship to do the same, I saw them plodding along with us.

  We reached the outer edge of the cloud when I saw them, two ships, beyond. “See if we can get close enough to a bigger icy rock so they can’t detect us.”

  Zakherin shook his head. “Our beacon is what the sensors work on, not the physical presence of the ship, this isn’t like radar or echolocation or something like that.”

  “Good to know,” I felt a little embarrassed. “I suppose disabling the beacon is a bad idea?”

  He opened his mouth to speak, closed it then looked right at me. “I was gonna say we don’t have that kind of expertise on board, but if anyone can do it, it's probably you, being a shipwright person.”

  “We can take care of that ter, we need to focus on the situation at hand.”

  “I disagree,” Olux said forcefully, “those controls are easy enough to understand, get the medic up here and disable that beacon. That would be a huge advantage.”

  Khajra came in and I gave her a quick rundown of the controls and the weak point on the scout ships. I grabbed what tools I could find and went to the signals control assembly. I had to crawl through a wire space to get to it, it was tight, but being a fit man, I squeezed through retively easily.

  The assembly was locked behind a wall panel, I unscrewed and pced it to the side. I found the power cable, but it hooked into the entire sensor array, no good there. I set down the tool box and found exactly what I needed, an RF cap. I unscrewed the RF in on the beacon module and capped the cable. I pressed the bridge button on the maintenance intercom panel.

  “Ask our fellow ship if they can see us on their sensors now.” I said to whomever could hear.

  A few moments went by and Olux responded. “They can’t see us any more, well done.”

  I expined what I did so, the other ship could replicate my work. Just then I felt something sm into us and if there had been any room to do so I would have fallen to the ground.

  “What was that?”

  “They still have eyes, we aren’t totally safe yet,” Khajra replied.

  I made my way back to the bridge, we took two more hits before I made it.

  “I don’t know I guess since we don’t have our beacon they want to take care of us first.” Zakherin shouted as I entered. “I’m doing the best I can but this ship is not as agile as those scout ships are.”

  “Look,” I interrupted, “that rock is huge and has a cavern, try hiding in there, it worked in that human movie, you know, the one with the lightning guy at the end? He gets tossed down a shaft and dies.”

  “It's better than taking another hit out here.”

  We were about to round another icy rock when Khajra called out, “There's a ship there, dip down some.”

  We came around and she bsted the weak part I had shown her and nearly instantly our foe’s engine fell out and it careened into the other enemy ship. If sound could travel through space it would have been a sicken crunch. Their entire forward section caved in, the fractures were visible with the naked eye. No one could have survived it.

  “Our other ship has disappeared from our sensors.” Khajra reported.

  “That shot was amazing. Well done,” I cpped her on the shoulder.

  “You can show me what a good job I did ter.” She ughed conspiratorially. I retracted my hand. “The other two ships just arrived.”

  “We need to leave,” I said. “The beacon on that ship still works, but without engines their power supply is on backup only, they can’t shoot. We need to hide now.”

  We flew a few thousand kilometers away to hide among the ice and rocks to keep away from but also stick close to this dangerous star system.

  For now, we were safe.