Story-5: RAGE
"Sing, O goddess, the rage of Achilles son of Peleus, that delivered countless plagues upon the Achaeans. Banishing down to hades so many sturdy souls" As a young Xeno studies student Kal'a had read an ancient Terran text named the Iliad, the first few lines best described the Terran race.
Nothing could stop an enraged Terren, no army, no fortress, even time it's self. Kal'a witnessed the terrible power of Terren rage first hand while serving on a Terren cargo ship.
A few weeks into the voyage the ship was attacked by Jasari privateers, the ship exploded into a chorus of screaming and gun fire as the Terran forces attempted to drive the Jasari off the ship but even well equipped soldiers couldn't stand against the sheer number of Jasari streaming into the ship.
The crew was soon overwhelmed and the remaining survivors taken down to the cargo hold, the panicked looks in the eyes of the Terren crew told they knew what came next, Jasari were brutal at the best of times but their sadism reached new heights when it came to Terren prisoners.
Only three of the original twenty crew members had survived the initial assault, two Terrens and Kal'a. As they were pressed to kneel the Jasari captain entered the room. He surveyed the room, all six of his compound eyes glinting with sadistic pleasure.
He sauntered down the stairs and stood in front of the crew "So" he said slowly "You know what comes next" he chuckled as he withdrew a large steel spike from it's container "I will grant a quick death to the one who steps forward first" he exclaimed while bouncing the spike in his clawed hands.
"Fuck you bug" a voice rang out, Kal'a turned to see the ships cook Anderson staring defiantly at the Jasri "You want something to kill, kill me, but don't you lay your fucking claws on the others" He shouted before spitting a thick string of mucus at the captain, it flew through the air landing squarely in the captains face.
The captain slowly wiped the substance from his face "Pick him up" the captain barked to the two Jasari stood behind him, the woman next to Kal'a began to scream, struggling against the Jasari holding her back. "Bring him in front of the woman" the captain barked as he finished wiping mucus from his mandibles.
As the Jasari threw Anderson in front of the weeping woman he began whispering to her "Its alright, its alright" he whispered to her as the captain began striding towards him, as he felt the captains firm grasp on his shoulder he gripped the woman face "I love you" he said as he braced for his imminent death.
Suddenly the spike came down, not on Anderson but the crying woman, the spike pierced her face and travelled down through her stomach and into the ground, pinning her up right. Anderson let out a yell that shook the very heavens, a wail of pure agony that seem almost inhuman.
Tears streamed from his face as he crawled forward, gently caressing the now dead woman's face. Another ungodly, inhuman wail tore its way out of his throat and he smashed his fists into the metal floor of the cargo bay.
The Jasari captain grabbed Anderson by the hair and yanked his head back "That should teach you some ma-" the captain barely made it though his sentence before Anderson lunged upwards, smashing his head into the captains.
The captain stumbled back and lost his footing crashing hard to the ground, Anderson spun around a leapt on to the captain, his screams of anguish replaced but something far more terrifying, rage.
The room filled with the screams of the captain as Anderson began to rip and tear at his face like a feral animal, Anderson tore away the captains armoured shell as he screamed, Kal'a looked around to see the other Jasari frozen, stunned by the ferocity and savagery that was happening mere feet away from them.
Anderson ripped off the captain's mandibles before plunging a finger into each of the captains eyes, the captain howled in agony as Anderson began crushing his skull. The other Jasari began to rouse from their trance as the captain skull gave way with a wet crunch.
The cargo hold felt silent aside from Anderson's rapid and deep panting, the Jasari looked at each other warily, unsure of how to proceed as Anderson slowly rose from the captains mangled body.
"Run" he whispered "RUN" he screamed, his voice brimming with malice and wrath "GO, MAKE PEACE WITH YOUR GODS, SAY YOUR FINAL GOODBYES TO YOUR FAMILY!" he screamed "I give you this one mercy, this one act of kindness that was stolen from me" he growled as he turned to face the dead woman.
He wandered over and dropped to his knees before her "Your final hours will be haunted by the knowledge that I am coming for you, you can try to hide, flee the the farthest corners of the galaxy but I will find you" he choked out between heaving sobs.
"And when I do" he chuckled slightly "When I do his death will pale in comparison, the horrors I will inflict upon you will send the devil himself running and screaming." Anderson sounded like a man possessed, his rage and sorrow had left him broken and deranged.
Humans were known for their creativity as well as their brutality, Kal'a shuddered at the thought of what awaited the Jasari in their final moments. He looked around to see the Jasari slowly backing away, ten armoured privateers all slowly backing away from a single human who knelt crying on the ground.
He could see it in their eyes, fear, true fear. They quietly filed out of the room leaving the cargo hold silent once more.
Rescue soon came, a Calaphat trading ship took Kal'a and Anderson in, offering them safe passage to the nearest spaceport, Anderson said nothing the entire two week trip back despite Kal'a's attempts to speak to the man.
He simply stared, stared and stared and stared until they arrived, Anderson quickly disappeared, leaving Kal'a alone. Kal'a never heard from Anderson after that but he heard the stories, tales of a sadistic bounty hunter targeting Jasari privateers.
Entire ships slaughtered, some of the crew dismembered, vaporised by their ships fusion cores, some even seeming to have been mauled by some unknown creature, Kal'a knew what that creature was.