Pain spread through his body in waves. Tormented inside and out, Salco tried to sit up, but the leading arm he was used to striking the enemies of democracy with... pulled him into the void, toppling his feeble body onto its side.
Hitting his shoulder against the floor...
Or was it his elbow?
Forcing his eyes open, the Jabiimite, through a swollen black eye covering most of his face, tried to make out anything in the pitch darkness surrounding him on all sides. The impenetrable gloom seemed alive, or perhaps it just seemed that way because of the unceasing pain throughout his body?
Jerking his head in a pathetic attempt to shake off the clumps of sweaty hair, matted and dirty, stuck to his face, Sharous reached out with his hand again, only this time toward his face...
But nothing happened. No matter how much he waved it, hoping to clear the dirt and remnants of dried blood with hair stuck to it, the only thing he achieved was the vile scent of cheap anesthetic, bacta, and pus that hit his nose.
Bringing his hand closer to his face, he touched with his other palm the place where his forearm should have been... and now a crudely treated stump yawned. A single touch to it nearly sent him back into the darkness of unconsciousness.
Howling in pain and horror, he carefully, with trembling fingers, examined what had once been his arm, realizing with bitterness that he had lost it forever.
"Damn you..."
Jerking sharply, the Helldiver hit the back of his head against the wall, making his head spin instantly, and his eyes, which had just begun to adjust to the dark, were again covered by a veil, circles, and bright dots that seemed determined to crawl into his tired eyes.
Nausea broke through all barriers. Remnants of blood and gastric juice left him, forcing him to double over on the floor.
"Cells..."
The quiet realization came to Salco. Scraping his fingers along the floor, hitting the joints between the stones. This was definitely not a man-made layer of rock, and since he wasn't in a bacta tank, in total darkness and barely alive, then...
"Awake, are we-s-s," light struck his eyes, forcing him to cower and reflexively cover himself with the stump of his arm. Hissing and cursing through his teeth, Sharous tried to see his captors, perfectly aware of who they might be, but he wasn't given the chance. "Drag him to Chieftain Ras-s-suz. He wished to s-s-speak with the pris-s-soner."
Strong hands with hard scales and claws digging into his skin grabbed him by the armpits and dragged him toward the exit of the cell, toward the light. Feeling a new surge of pain from a multitude of unpleasant sensations at once, Salco involuntarily cried out, receiving satisfied chuckles from his enemies in response.
"Soft little human... When the Chieftain is-s-s done with you, we will eat you whole..."
A strange thought that had crept into his head pierced his mind. Looking with disbelief at the looming stump of his right arm, Sharous lifted his head and met the attentive gaze of yellow eyes with vertical pupils. A powerful head, a maw filled with dozens of sharp teeth, and a mockery radiating from the entire figure of the Yinchorri...
"I s-s-see it only jus-s-st hit you," licking its snout with its long tongue, the xeno leaned closer so that their squad commander wouldn't hear. The gruesome whisper of the alien creature burned his ear, making him twitch in the firm grip. "I didn't even bother cooking it... Swallowed it in a couple of bites-s-s, he-he-he."
Clenching his teeth in rage, Salco moved his head back even further, forcing the xeno to lean in even closer, then, regardless of the pain tearing through his head—he struck the foul creature right on its elongated nose.
A crunch rang out. The Yinchorri howled like a wounded bantha, clutching its snout, especially its bleeding nose. And even though at that moment "Beacon" was ready to fall unconscious—pride and joy did not leave him.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Lunging at the daring prisoner, the cannibal was instantly pinned to the ground by his commander, who, grabbing the subordinate by the tail, pressed the fool's throat to the ground with his foot. "Kha-a-a-a..."
"Forgot your place, Shais-s-s?"
"Forgive me-s-s," Shais gasped out the answer to the question. The commander's cold gaze and equally threatening tone clearly hinted that there wouldn't be another chance, so the weaker and smaller lizard nodded his head actively, expressing total submission.
"Good," releasing his kinsman, the lead Yinchorri, who looked like a true giant compared to the naked and mutilated Salco, tore him from the grip of the second guard and lifted him into the air by the throat to the delight of the other xenos. "And now you..."
Bringing his snout close and baring his fangs, the alien breathed a vile, foul aroma mixed with raw meat into Sharous's face, nearly knocking him out with it.
"You fought worthily-s-s, but one more s-s-stunt like that and I will personally eat your liver," shaking the gasping Salco, who barely had the strength to understand what was being said, the Yinchorri held him in the air for a few more seconds before throwing him back into the hands of the guards. "Your life is-s-s not as-s-s important as-s-s you think. Why are you s-s-standing there?! Take him to the Chieftain!"
The last was intended for the broadly smiling guards, who, hearing the commander's nervous voice, jumped as if scalded and almost ran with Sharous on their shoulders.
The rest of the way passed quietly and without incident... for the Yinchorri.
Fighting through pain, fatigue, hunger, and cold, the Jabiimite noted what was happening around him, and with every second, he liked it less and less.
Hundreds, maybe even thousands of people in various clothing were working under the supervision of huge, aggressive lizards scurrying between them and constantly prodding the poor souls with electro-whips or blaster butts.
The large xenos felt calm and at ease among ordinary civilians, simple people, miners, traders, and laborers who were unlucky enough to be in the wrong place when the hordes of Yinchorri raiders descended upon them from the skies.
Tired, broken, exhausted by heavy labor, they barely moved their feet, paying absolutely no attention to what was happening around them. Their eyes, faith, and the hope that once burned in them had gone out, and no one cared about another prisoner being carried to be fed to the monsters.
Empty, dead eyes... thousands of eyes, to be exact. Humans, Twi'leks, Zabraks, Nautolans, and many others. Humanoid races made up the bulk of the prisoners, which was unsurprising, given that those few xenos of other species...
At that moment, Salco saw the gruesome trophies decorating this labor camp on all sides. Hundreds of skulls, skeletons, hides, and simply tormented bodies around which insects and scavengers of all types gathered.
Beside some of them stood the Yinchorri themselves, grinning cheerfully and pointing fingers, sometimes recalling how a prisoner behaved before death, how they screamed or pleaded. They enjoyed it, sharing stories like cheerful tavern tales.
"Damn xenos..."
Spitting at his feet, though his saliva was so dry it was starting to resemble toothpaste, Salco immediately heard a cough beside him.
"And they told me you were great protectors and warriors," someone grabbed him by the chin and lifted his head toward the sky; a tall, gaunt Yinchorri looked him up and down with a contemptuous gaze. Unlike the others, he didn't hiss on every word, and his accent was quite acceptable, as was his soft, velvety voice. "But apparently, like all legends—it was just another lie..."
"Stupid alien creature..."
Before Sharous could finish, a clawed hand slashed his shoulder blade. Not deep, but enough to ensure he felt the displeasure of his escorts.
"Know who you speak to, worm!"
One of the guards swung again, but the tall Yinchorri stopped him with a simple wave of his hand, causing the escort to bow respectfully and freeze like a statue again, displaying the most loyal qualities.
"With your words, you only confirm mine. Fear has seized you, and it forces you to say this." Hiding his paws with long fingers in the sleeves of his robe, the Yinchorri Chieftain pointedly contorted his face. "Though what else could be expected of you? Weakness drives one to..."
"Ha-ha-ha," breaking into laughter, which clearly surprised everyone gathered, even the few slaves who had stopped with interest to eavesdrop on the conversation—while the guards, engrossed in the Chieftain's talk, didn't react, wishing to hear the next turn of the dialogue themselves—"weakness, fear... too many smart words for those who were recently fucking and eating their own children waist-deep in shit."
The lizards bared their teeth. Saliva dripped from their fangs, and a furious hissing scared off the passing slaves, forcing them to retreat further, but among them were a few brave souls who stayed to listen anyway.
"You broke a small squad, losing several thousand... but soon my brothers will come for you." Raising a fanatical gaze to the Chieftain, Salco saw with internal satisfaction the first droplets of doubt and possible fear germinating in his stupid, deficient head. "Sam Altman... he will come for you... for every slaver and invader... for everyone who dared to trample Holy Liberty..."
Despite the lizards gripping him tightly, who looked with surprise at the insane prisoner who had suddenly changed his behavior, Salco lunged forward, feeling his bones creak and muscles tear.
"He will come..." the Helldiver repeated as if mesmerized, fiercely confident in his words. "And no one will be able to stop him. Not your filthy savage kinsmen... nor you, wearing that pretty little dress and not even understanding its meaning..."
"SILENCE!" Striking the prisoner's face with the back of his hand, the Chieftain grabbed him by the crown of his head. A strong hand squeezed the skull with fury, enjoying the agony and pain on the prisoner's face, but at the last moment, the lead Yinchorri stopped, as if reconsidering their conversation in a new light. "I know what you are planning... but you will not get what you want, and an easy death will not be your reward."
For just a second, the lizard saw a spark of fear in the interlocutor's eyes, causing it to purr with satisfaction.
"You will be tortured as an example to others. Long. Painfully. And cruelly." Laughing with a coarse, eerie laugh, the Yinchorri waved his hand, sending the prisoner back. "You will beg for death..."
****
"This is a very bad idea, Sam." Grumbling in my ear for the past hour, Miranda nevertheless confidently led me through the crowd of people captured into slavery. Having piled a mountain of rags on ourselves and some bandages on our faces to hide our armor, we strode confidently through the vile camp, which was the embodiment of everything the Helldivers had sworn to fight. "A very, very bad one..."
A smile crept onto my face, for the Yinchorri home planet was by definition a dangerous place even before. And now, when the lizards had declared war on the whole world... the blue-skinned Twi'lek understood as well as I did that we were exposing ourselves to senseless danger, but I simply couldn't do otherwise. Every moment of delay, of idling on the sidelines while the troops prepared and moved into position... while the scouts gathered vital data... all of it was killing me, forcing me to remember again and again the bodies of my personal bodyguards who died because of the "mole."
Stepping around a corner to let a large squad of Yinchorri in good armor pass, we followed them, taking cover in the shadows and blending with small groups of slaves who paid us no mind.
All the people were gravitating in one direction, toward the center of this vile place, where there was a semblance of a square with a huge platform around which the xenos and their prisoners were gathering.
By some miracle not stepping on a body lying underfoot, I suppressed the rising anger within me. Every second in this cursed place set me off, and only Miranda's presence and the last remnants of my brain kept me from starting a fight alone against everyone.
"Just like before... just like the Helldivers always did."
Clenching my teeth tight, I turned away from a vile scene, the mere sight of which made my heart beat like crazy.
A dozen vile xenos gathered around a fire—joking cheerfully and drinking—while a human body was visible on a huge spit.
"Bastards... Steady, Sam. Steady..."
"We should leave," grabbing my hand as I was about to step onto the square, Mira turned my face toward her, looking into my eyes with trepidation, "it's too dangerous..."
But before she could finish, the loud blare of a war horn swept over our heads. Deafening, primal, as if dragged out of the most ancient times, it called everyone to obey and fall silent... and this applied not only to the slaves; even the Yinchorri themselves dropped everything they were doing and, standing at full height, fixed their gazes on the very center of the camp, beginning to converge there.
"Something is going to happen... I feel it, we need to see this." Tearing my hand from Mira's grip, I followed the others, blending into the crowd, shrouded by the gloom of the approaching night. Sparse fires didn't provide enough light, and only the massive platform was lit so brightly it began to sting the eyes. "Damn it..."
Gusts of wind tossed the tongues of flame, forcing the fire to writhe under the pressure of another element. Every second, beams of light raced across the faces of those gathered, merging in a mad dance and further distorting the tormented faces of the prisoners and their cruel tormentors.
But worst of all was that there, in the very center, on the massive platform, stood a diagonal cross made of human bones. And on it, like a banner or some mocking standard... hung my comrade and loyal friend, Salco Sharous, the commander of my personal Shock Troopers.
"You have heard these stories many times about saviors and fighters for freedom," mockingly pronouncing the last word, the tall lizard with the gaunt figure spread his arms wide. Smiling carnivorously, he stood beside Salco, placing a paw on his shoulder and digging his claws into the flesh, "but it is all stupid fiction... for these very Helldivers are nothing but the same meat as you."
A sharp flick of the hand, and blood seeped out from a trio of new scratches, while a groan of pain swept over the hushed crowd. Only a few Yinchorri whispered to each other with satisfaction, allowing themselves a bit more than the rest.
A deafening silence, during which, it seemed, every breath Sharous took could be heard.
"Nothing but food for us. Servants for us... Dirt under our feet!"
Tossing his paws to the sky, the freak thundered the last words to the roar of the satisfied crowd of his kinsmen, who towered like towers over the huddling humans.
"No one will save you." New crimson lines traced the mutilated body. Stripe after stripe, like a mad artist, he inflicted new wounds, running his claws over broken bones, frayed tendons, or bruises swollen with blue. "And your fate is merely to become our stepping stone to reigning over the galaxy..."
With difficulty keeping myself in check, I moved through the crowd, getting closer and closer, while an agitated Miranda tried to hold me in place.
Clutching my worn camouflage cloak, the Twi'lek hissed like an angry cat while I, like a tank, stubbornly pushed forward.
All this time, the vile creature continued to torture Salco, delivering his insane speeches to his raving kinsmen. The people around...
Warily looked away and wept, afraid to watch this gruesome execution, but gradually... with every second of this disgusting spectacle, calls for mercy rang out more often in the crowd. Pleas into which all the sincerity of compassion was poured, along with malice toward the foul aliens.
My fingers were already punching the coordinates of this place into the wrist-mounted Omni-tool, and I didn't give a damn about the plan, the headquarters, the ideas, or any other shit that Somnia loves so much... I just wanted to burn all these bastards.
When I was about twenty meters from the "stage," the Yinchorri raised his hand, calling everyone to calm and silence, forcing me, like many others, to stop.
"The prisoner wishes to say something," leaning toward Salco, the lizard smiled sneakily while poor Salco barely caught his breath, "something important..."
Pointedly raising a finger, he whispered one last thing into Sharous's ear before stepping aside, satisfied with the work done. Clasping his hands together and smiling with the most sincere and carnivorous smile, the xeno waited for a confession from the Helldiver, and I was afraid to hear it.
My new surge was no longer to be stopped by anyone... no one except Salco himself.
Barely opening his tightly pressed eyelids. Greedily gulping air, feeling his lungs burn... he wheezed with effort, struggling to lift his chest to catch just a little more oxygen at the end.
His dejected, tired, and almost defeated gaze slid over the crowd. Time mercilessly slowed its pace, and I could appreciate the sight of my comrade and friend in all its "glory."
As if searching for someone among the crowds of the resigned and weeping, among the hordes of the greedy and cruel... he finally stumbled upon me.
A hint of a smile traced his swollen, dry lips. A fierce, fanatical fire ignited in his eyes as if for the last time. He looked directly at me, never averting his gaze, drawing a deep breath into his chest.
"FREE-E-E-DOM!" A piercing cry that shook the soul struck the ears of everyone gathered, startling the self-satisfied lizard on the stage. The howl, which seemed to reach the stars themselves, was one into which Salco had poured his entire being.
For a few seconds, he held the final note, fading before our eyes. The whites of his eyes lost their former luster, and his tense body slumped in its restraints like a doll whose strings had been cut. Hanging his head dejectedly, the Helldiver smiled one last time.
Snatching my Pistol, I activate the beacon with the coordinates, calling for a drop of the entire Corps from orbit onto my position. My hand easily leveled at the target, and in the thunderous silence, the gift from the old Tusken Raider, which had undergone so many modifications...
Tore the foul lizard's head to pieces.
***
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