A Delivery of Boy Toys

"Not if I can help it." Süren pointed into Altan's face. "You want a war to happen right here, you got a war."

"We've got weapons pointed directly at the Raptor 650," Altan smiled, unfazed. "If you want to be the first to die in this war you're starting, by all means, start it."

Altan turned to the person standing next to him.

"State your demands from them."

The mealy smiling face of Baron Hughbert appeared on split screen next to Altan.

Süren sighed in disgust.

This was the ass who had been prowling around this area of space, not allowing legitimate travelers safe passage.

To pass his area required high bribes to all the pirate ships that prowled the space between the dragon world and Erenveil. Sometimes, the same ship hit a traveling ship two or three times, demanding travel toll or protection money.

If there was ever a need to eliminate a nuisance plague, it would be Baron Hughbert.

"What are you trying to pull off, Baron Hughbert?" Süren called out.

"My business is not with you. I want to talk to the Emperor." The Baron snarled.

Süren nodded and gave a gesture of hand-off over to Emperor Rex.

"That's better." Baron Hughbert smiled. "This message is for the Emperor of Erenveil. It is a message of good will."

"Good will?" Emperor Rex spat. "GOOD WILL MY ASS!!! Tell your dogs to stand down and back off, you fool!"

"Ahhh. Language, language. There are women and a young girl within earshot."

"Who gives a shit. You've got over a hundred warships pointing your weapons at us for no goddamn reason." The Emperor howled with rage. "We're just traveling through. In fact, we're in dragon space! If you are looking for intergalactic war to rain down on your head, this is the way to do it!"

"No need to speak of war. Those things are nasty and come without prompting from us. All I need is a bit of your attention."

"Eat shit and die." Emperor Rex shot a death stare at Baron Hughbert.

He laughed. "Hahaha. You are so funny Emperor Rex. I do not want to harm anyone onboard that ship. In fact, the only ones I want are the twin Princes. Release them to me, and of course, the girl has to go to Altan, and you are free to leave."

"What?" Emperor Rex howled.

"Are you growing senile, Emperor?" Baron Hughbert's eyes were dead serious. "I said I want your twin boys. They will be treated well, I promise. They would make good husbands for my two girls."

Jason and Jared shot loaded glances at each other.

"Wait." Jason held up his hand. "Are you holding all of us hostages because you want me and my brother as boy toys for your daughters?" Jared pointed at Baron Hughbert.

The Baron's face looked pained. "They want you as husbands. They have never been with any man and would not know what to do with boy toys."

"Hahaha" Jared laughed. "And so your method of finding them husbands is kidnapping the poor sods and forcing them to marry your ugly spawn?"

Baron Hughbert's face paled. He could care less what they though of his daughters. The point of having the twins marry his daughters was to bring legitimacy to his reign in that area of space that was pirate-dominated.

With the royal twins living there, it would also permanently secure the passageway between dragon space and Erenveil. Once they were publicly married, the twins could be under permanent house arrest so his daughters wouldn't have to suffer under their hands.

Baron Hughbert stared at the Emperor. "The longer you dally, the longer you will be stuck in this far-flung corner of the galaxy."

"You need my good will to pass through our pirate space unmolested to get back to Erenveil. It's your choice."

As all this was going down, Candace stood there with her mind wide open, letting all her husbands in on the noise that was coming through.

The men were silent, not because they were speechless but because they wanted to hear what was going on through her mind's ear.

Dante and Slate had already begun assembling and mobilizing their forces, and Byron was already reaching out to Mattheus Cordera.

'Jason. Jared. Go with the Baron.' Dante ordered. "Take over his ship.'

'You got it Bro. Back us up and we'll play along.'

'Your back up is coming in sixty minutes.' Slate snarled. 'Make that fifty-nine.'

Jared and Jason laughed at each other.

"Alrightey then, folks." Jason announced to the Emperor and the rest of the group.

"I'm not going to make anyone wait for anything. No need to force a girl on me." He swaggered like a stud muffin.

Jared laughed. "That's right. I don't mind dipping my stick in a willing chick. It might even feel good!" He shuffled his crotch upward, as if readjusting his junk.

Candace held her breath, trying hard to hold onto her stoic glass mask. Even with back-up coming in an hour, it would still be rather dangerous for them to be onboard the pirate ship, alone and without any other assistance.

Still, she had to trust her husbands.

"I'm not going anywhere with anybody." Lyra announced. She turned her bright blue eyes towards Altan. "If you want me, you'll have to come get me yourself."

"I would if I could My Beauty, but I am currently on Avalia. Go with your brothers, Jason and Jared. They will transfer you back to Avalia to be with me."

He spoke as if it was just an ordinary trip that his bride would be taking to join him on their homeworld, as opposed to what it actually was, a bridal kidnapping.

"Look, me and my brother are willing to go with you, but we are not willing to force our sister to come with us." Jared insisted, his large arms folded across his chest.

The Baron's eyes narrowed. He only agreed to grabbing the girl to keep Altan happy, but now that his ships were already in place around the Raptor 650, he no longer needed the Second Prince's assistance.

He turned to the twins. "Take a transport pod to the Black Vulture. It will be waiting for you."

Altan's green-gold eyes flared. "What about Lyra?"

"I don't need her. I only want the twins. You figure out how to extract her off the Raptor 650."

"That was not part of our agreement, Baron." Altan hissed.

"Our agreement was that you would call back the Avalian forces so my pirate ships could get between them and the Raptor 650. It had nothing to do with the Princess Lyra."

Altan's face showed his shock at such blatant betrayal.

"It's not too late to engage the pirate ships in a fight, Baron." Altan snarled. "You may have the Raptor 650 surrounded, but Avalian forces are all around you."

Süren glared at Altan. What a stupid fool, to be so easily bested by such a nasty slime ball as the Baron Hughbert.

"Stand down, Altan." He shot Altan a warning look. "By the time you can get to this ship, there will be nothing left of us but space dust."

"But he—" Altan pointed at the Baron.

"Lyra must not be harmed!" Süren snapped back.

His brother was such and idiot! Just by breathing Avalian air, he was a danger to the dragon world!

Süren turned to the twins. The fact that they had agreed so readily to be taken in meant they had a plan up their sleeves.

Jared gave him the slightest of a wink.

Süren nodded.

"Go." He gave the final command.