Renegade: (The Spiral Wars Book 1) by Joel Shepherd

Author:Joel Shepherd [Shepherd, Joel]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2015-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

The chah'nas crewman barely fit in his chair. Phoenix did not have a brig, as such, just excess crew quarters that could be used as such in a pinch. That meant wall-bolted chairs between bunks, all human sized, and barely accommodating a 7-foot-plus frame, wide shoulders and elongated shoulder-blades accommodating that formidable extra pair of arms. The lower pair were cuffed behind his back, the upper pair on the tabletop.

Erik stood by the opposite bunk, not wishing to have to look up at the big reptileoid. Jokono stood at his side, and watched. Private Carlson stood by the door, armed despite the prisoner’s restraints, just in case. Chah'nas weren’t just big, they were strong, and this one looked as though he’d been working out. Chah'nas soldiers were augmented too, like humans.

“Greetings ally,” this one said, in contemptuous deadpan. A chah'nas mouth didn’t look particularly well-suited to human speech, with big lower tusks and underbite, but like humans they were omnivores, and had nimble vocals. This one spoke in a deep, bass growl, four eyes fixed unerringly on Erik about wide, inverted nose. “This is not much thanks for the species that saved your species from extinction.”

“You attacked a human vessel in human space,” said Erik. “That’s an act of war against any species, it’s about the only thing all species of the Spiral agree upon. Why do it?”

“I am a lowly crewman,” the chah'nas said. “I don’t know these things.”

“My marines caught you near the bridge. Three chah'nas but only one spacesuit. You got the spacesuit.”

The chah'nas’s nostrils flared. “So what?”

“Among chah'nas, the suit would always go to the higher rank.”

“I am marginally higher ranked. A common crewman nonetheless.”

“What’s your name?” Jokono asked calmly.

“Kel-ko-tal.” Barely taking his eyes off Erik. Eye contact was a sign of respect… but ‘respect’ among chah'nas did not mean what it did among humans. Chah'nas always tried to best those they respected. “I am of Ko-sheel caste, warrior third-grade, by way of Ama-shaal caste, warrior fourth-grade. Not that that means anything to you.” Contemptuously.

“You’re right,” said Erik. “It doesn’t mean a damn thing. Your ship proved no challenge for mine, both my ship and my marines are without a scratch or a casualty.”

A glare from Kel-ko-tal, and finally a lowering of the eyes. If you could get dominance over a chah'nas early in conversation, you took it. “We were ambushed,” he muttered. “It was not a fair fight.”

“And what would a lower-ranked crewman know of the tactical situation?” Jokono asked. “Even human lower-ranked crew rarely know what happens on the bridge, yet you describe events like you were there.” Kel-ko-tal growled, perhaps realising he’d been outplayed.

“Civilised peoples have rules,” the alien muttered.

“We do,” said Erik. “Rules like not attacking other species’ ships in their own space. Once you do that, it’s war, and there are no rules in war.”

“We are not at war! We are supposed to be allies. Human and chah'nas, we were victorious together, and now you dishonour that effort with your treachery.

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