Pixie Hazard by Archibald Bradford (top young adult novels .txt) 📕

“I’m none too pleased myself.” One of the Junkers replied sourly; “They was clan.”

Rufus Fairchild stormed into the airlock then, stopping face to face with Dwight; his view of the bodies blocked by the other man.

“What is it? Did Derrick an’ the boys bring me my cargo?”

The dour-faced drag-queen waited as the nervous man turned and gestured helplessly at the dead Junkers.

“No sir. They... uh, shit, you can see.” He mumbled as his hand fell back to his side.

The commodore’s ruby lips parted in an ‘oh’ as he took in the grizzly sight of the dead men.

After a moment he slowly dropped to his knees beside the remains of the tattooed Derrick.

“Oh my baby, look what they done to you.”

Other members of the crew came down then to see what all the fuss was about, taking in the sight of their leader cradling his first mate’s head in his lap.

After several moments Rufus sniffled and spoke in a thick voice.

“Derrick has been by my side since well before I took office. He always had my back, always.” He reached out with one ruby-nailed hand and patted one of the other corpses on the shoulder; “And these others... they was clan too. They was good boys.”

He looked up and the crew did their best to hide their revulsion at all of the freshly smeared makeup on the tearful man’s face.

After a long moment of silence Rufus stood, Derrick’s bald head hitting the deck with a faint thump that made Dwight wince.

“First they stole my cargo, then they done killed my baby boys.” The commodore’s face was red with rage as hot tears washed more mascara into his beard, his teeth grinding together as he spoke through them; “I do believe I have lost my composure.”

Another long silence reigned as the crew waited with bated breath to see what the drag-queen intended to do about it.

It was interrupted shortly after though by the patter of approaching feet as a member of the bridge crew came sprinting towards the airlock.

“Commodore! That ship done rabbited but I got a feller on the horn by the name of Dee-Marco. He’s talking too proper for me to unnerstand all of it, but it sounds like he has some idea where... they... is going.”

He finished with much less enthusiasm than he started as he took in the gravity of the situation in the airlock.

Rufus lunged towards him, yanking a broad-bladed knife from the back of his dress and putting it to his throat as he slammed him into the wall.

Though he dressed the part of a lady, the commodore came by his position honestly.

That is to say, a lot of pretenders to his dress had been readily gutted by that knife so there wasn’t a Junker in the clan who didn’t fear it.

With the feel of the razor’s edge of the cutter at his jugular, the messenger did his very best to hold perfectly still as the garishly painted man opened his mouth and took a full four seconds to articulate three words:

“Where. Are. They?”

Chapter 28:Secrets Sting

Bunny caught up to Maria in her bunk, watching as the marine tore off her jacket and tossed it aside in agitation, her naked breasts wobbling as she sat down on her bed heavily, her face in her hands.

The K’or-Macka was quick to sit beside her as she began to vent her spleen.

“He lied to us, he lied to me!”

The cat-girl rested her head against the blonde’s shoulder, one hand rubbing her back as she tried to placate her.

“I know.”

“He could have gotten us all killed!”

Bunny let out a quiet and involuntary yowl in her throat, her tail swishing on the bed behind her.

“I don’t think he meant any harm by it though.” She ventured, but Maria wasn’t having it.

“It doesn’t matter what he meant, he left us in the dark and people are dead because of it.”

Deciding that maybe her friend wasn’t ready for her voice of reason just yet, Bunny just sat with her and listened, waiting for her to calm down some.

Several minutes later, she tried again.

“I don’t really understand everything that is going on but... before he came to us, Bryan made a contract right? Which is like a promise?”

“I guess.” Maria grumbled as she tilted her head down to rest on Bunny’s, the K’or-Macka’s ears tickling her cheek.

It was impossible not to return the affections of a cuddlesome cat, no matter what troubles one faced.

Bunny’s arm squeezed her waist as she reasoned things out.

“He promised them he wouldn’t say anything, and he didn’t, even when those mean Junker guys were beating him up. Even when DeeDee was being scary and yelling he tried not to say anything.”

The image of Bryan, bound and floating in the Junker cargo-hold flashed into Maria’s mind, giving her pause.

“Where are you taking me with this Bunny?” She finally asked.

Snuggling against her tighter, the cat-girl turned her face to give her naked shoulder a tender kiss.

“Someone who keeps their promises is a good thing Mare-bear. I just think that maybe you shouldn’t give up on him over just this one mistake.”

“It was kind of a big mistake.” She responded drily; “He was an idiot.”

The K’or-Macka was pouting now.

“I’m not super smart either, I know that. But that’s only because I’m so high up among the stars, far from the shores of Macka and surrounded by new and strange things all the time.”

Maria’s smile fell away, a look of concern taking its place.

“Bunny, none of us think you aren’t smart!”

The feline alien waved her hand in the air and shook her head impatiently.

“That’s not the point! Bryan is like me! When I first left my home! Everything was new and