There was a sharp hiss as the retro thrusters fired and the shuttle settled itself down sharply into the hanger bay of the cruiser. The ground shook slightly as five men of various races and creeds moved to stand in the entrance of the bay. One of them was a large man, with thick and heavy scales for skin smiled slightly as he watched the ramp descend from the shuttle craft. The others seemed average human in appearance, but each was different in their own way.
"Why did *he* have to come here now?" Asked one of the other men, bitterly. He straightened out his own black tunic then adjusted his utility belt.
Another man with salt and pepper hair smirked. "Are you nervous, Belk? Afraid of the big man?" The others chuckled slightly. He clasped his hands behind him as he pulled him self straighter in appearance.
Belk was of average build, but he was not weak in the slightest, but he had a temper and wasn't very stable. He smacked the commenter in the arm. "Is it too much ask to get a heads up?"
The scaled man chuckled deeply. "It would not be a surprise inspection then, would it?"
Another man, shorter than the others, however had twice the mass folded his arms over his chest. "He is the head, he can do what he wants, when he wants. Though he gives us the methods and means to survive in an other wise cut throat business, it means we give him respect."
Belk gave a dirty look to the shorter man. "Suck up." He ruffled back.
"Gentleman, I suggest that if you do not want to be spaced, that you will quiet yourselves." The command was gruff and somewhat fatal sounding as the last member of the group, standing just outside the group assembled. His own uniform carefully adjusted before he walked towards the shuttle craft ramp.
"Where does Larnen get off giving orders?" Scoffed Belk. "He has no further standing than any of us!" He shifted his shoulders, trying to brush off the imagined insult.
The scaled one spoke again, "He may not, but he has a better appreciation than you do of who we are, and who he is." The low voice spoke just as another black uniformed figure stepped down the ramp. His arms folded behind him, his posture sharp and solid. The newcomer stopped at the bottom of the ramp and began to speak with the one that approached him.
"The all powerful Travanix," Belk rambled off quietly. "I can't believe he's here."
Without looking at him, the shorter man spoke harshly. "I would be careful of such speech, my friend. You do not want to end up like Gralor. I recall that he was shoved into a disposal unit. Local authorities never did find all of the estimated 130,000 bits of him."
The next one off the ramp was a lady of some reform, dressed in a black dress that came to just above her knees. Her long red hair curled and gentle as it bounced against her back. She smiled brightly as the greeter took her hand and kissed it gently.
"Where does he get off bringing her on board? Isn't she just his apprentice?" Belk was in no short of judgements.
The larger scaled man sighed. "She hits just as hard as Lord Travanix does, Belk. Be very careful on how you address the Lady Hess. When he is not around, she speaks his voice." There was a light female laughter that filled the air. The Lady Hess nodded and smiled as she spoke to the greeter. Travanix only offered a slight smirk.
A few moments later, three females stepped down the ramp. All three wearing the same dress, their hair pulled back into tails. The one before them stood behind Travanix, the other two behind her. The two were twins, smiling darkly, as if to tell some secret then cut your throat out so you wouldn't repeat it. They were deviant, but they followed with no collar upon their throats.
"His girls are some of the best trained in the Circle. Though the Twins were not trained, but raised." One of the men said quietly.
Belk chuckled. "Raised from what? To do what?" He shook his head. "I take it then that the other girl is his First?"
The scaled one nodded. "Indeed she is. The apprentice and the slave girls are by far the most fiercely loyal and violent when defending him." He shifted against the door frame. "Be careful with them, Belk, I do not think they will take lightly to you if you mishandle or insult their master."
"We are the Circle!" Belk hissed back. "We punish them, they do not punish us!" He turned around, his back towards the guests.
He turned back around after a moment, to see Travanix leading the group of females towards the bay entrance. His arms folded behind him as the Lady Hess walked with a seductive elegance. The slave girls while behind even Hess, but were none the less as graceful. If not for their uniforms, they would have appeared as perhaps as ladies-in-waiting. The group stopped as they approached the other ones.
Travanix looked over each one of them, though Belk seemed flustered. "Before we begin the inspection, there is a small matter that must be tended to." There was very little motion, very little noise as the First moved with precision that could have only been taught and mastered. The slim needle-knife slipped from the hem of her dress and into the neck of Belk before anyone knew she was moving. She held her pose a moment, making sure to feel the last bit of his pulse fade away. She had placed her hand on his chest at the same time she drove the needle-knife through his neck. The twins looked at each other and giggled lightly. Hess seemed to smirk with satisfaction.
From him, there was nothing. "I believe the undisclosed issue has been dealt with." The body of the traitor slumped to the ground. "Now we can get on with our inspection."
"Why did *he* have to come here now?" Asked one of the other men, bitterly. He straightened out his own black tunic then adjusted his utility belt.
Another man with salt and pepper hair smirked. "Are you nervous, Belk? Afraid of the big man?" The others chuckled slightly. He clasped his hands behind him as he pulled him self straighter in appearance.
Belk was of average build, but he was not weak in the slightest, but he had a temper and wasn't very stable. He smacked the commenter in the arm. "Is it too much ask to get a heads up?"
The scaled man chuckled deeply. "It would not be a surprise inspection then, would it?"
Another man, shorter than the others, however had twice the mass folded his arms over his chest. "He is the head, he can do what he wants, when he wants. Though he gives us the methods and means to survive in an other wise cut throat business, it means we give him respect."
Belk gave a dirty look to the shorter man. "Suck up." He ruffled back.
"Gentleman, I suggest that if you do not want to be spaced, that you will quiet yourselves." The command was gruff and somewhat fatal sounding as the last member of the group, standing just outside the group assembled. His own uniform carefully adjusted before he walked towards the shuttle craft ramp.
"Where does Larnen get off giving orders?" Scoffed Belk. "He has no further standing than any of us!" He shifted his shoulders, trying to brush off the imagined insult.
The scaled one spoke again, "He may not, but he has a better appreciation than you do of who we are, and who he is." The low voice spoke just as another black uniformed figure stepped down the ramp. His arms folded behind him, his posture sharp and solid. The newcomer stopped at the bottom of the ramp and began to speak with the one that approached him.
"The all powerful Travanix," Belk rambled off quietly. "I can't believe he's here."
Without looking at him, the shorter man spoke harshly. "I would be careful of such speech, my friend. You do not want to end up like Gralor. I recall that he was shoved into a disposal unit. Local authorities never did find all of the estimated 130,000 bits of him."
The next one off the ramp was a lady of some reform, dressed in a black dress that came to just above her knees. Her long red hair curled and gentle as it bounced against her back. She smiled brightly as the greeter took her hand and kissed it gently.
"Where does he get off bringing her on board? Isn't she just his apprentice?" Belk was in no short of judgements.
The larger scaled man sighed. "She hits just as hard as Lord Travanix does, Belk. Be very careful on how you address the Lady Hess. When he is not around, she speaks his voice." There was a light female laughter that filled the air. The Lady Hess nodded and smiled as she spoke to the greeter. Travanix only offered a slight smirk.
A few moments later, three females stepped down the ramp. All three wearing the same dress, their hair pulled back into tails. The one before them stood behind Travanix, the other two behind her. The two were twins, smiling darkly, as if to tell some secret then cut your throat out so you wouldn't repeat it. They were deviant, but they followed with no collar upon their throats.
"His girls are some of the best trained in the Circle. Though the Twins were not trained, but raised." One of the men said quietly.
Belk chuckled. "Raised from what? To do what?" He shook his head. "I take it then that the other girl is his First?"
The scaled one nodded. "Indeed she is. The apprentice and the slave girls are by far the most fiercely loyal and violent when defending him." He shifted against the door frame. "Be careful with them, Belk, I do not think they will take lightly to you if you mishandle or insult their master."
"We are the Circle!" Belk hissed back. "We punish them, they do not punish us!" He turned around, his back towards the guests.
He turned back around after a moment, to see Travanix leading the group of females towards the bay entrance. His arms folded behind him as the Lady Hess walked with a seductive elegance. The slave girls while behind even Hess, but were none the less as graceful. If not for their uniforms, they would have appeared as perhaps as ladies-in-waiting. The group stopped as they approached the other ones.
Travanix looked over each one of them, though Belk seemed flustered. "Before we begin the inspection, there is a small matter that must be tended to." There was very little motion, very little noise as the First moved with precision that could have only been taught and mastered. The slim needle-knife slipped from the hem of her dress and into the neck of Belk before anyone knew she was moving. She held her pose a moment, making sure to feel the last bit of his pulse fade away. She had placed her hand on his chest at the same time she drove the needle-knife through his neck. The twins looked at each other and giggled lightly. Hess seemed to smirk with satisfaction.
From him, there was nothing. "I believe the undisclosed issue has been dealt with." The body of the traitor slumped to the ground. "Now we can get on with our inspection."