The Ulippa System was many things: cold, dark, boring, and lonely being some of its most prominent traits. With a heavy sigh, Throk cast a glance at the clock on the wall to see only a few dobashes had passed since the last time he checked, causing him groan loudly before slouching down in his seat. He was miserable out here in a system where nothing happened and only a sprinkling of sentries to keep him company, and he had Prince Lotor to thank. The very thought of the cocky emperor pro tem caused his hands to clench into fists and his teeth to grind as he was filled with bitterness. He knew full well why he was sent out to this dreary outpost by himself and it certainly wasn't because his services were needed here. Lotor had sent him here to keep him immobilized, to prevent him from causing any uproar.
"Cursed brat. I'll surely repay him in full for this." Throk grumbled under his breath as he slammed his fist down on the dashboard in front of him before returning his gaze to the clock once again. As he watched the hands slowly move according to their specific unit, his eyes slowly started to grow heavy till they finally slid closed, the Galra's head nodding forward as he started to drift off to sleep. However, just as the final bits of his consciousness were being immersed in the realm of dreams, the loud screeching of the post's alarm system jolted him awake. After recovering from his initial shock, he turned his eyes to the right side of the dashboard, where the feed from one of the security cameras in the northeastern main hall on the second level showed footage of a dozen or so assorted aliens hacking several of the sentries to pieces. Eyes widening, he immediately pressed the button on the left side of the dashboard that would send out a distress signal to Prince Lotor and any nearby Galra ships, but to his surprise and horror, the command was rejected and he instead received a painful shock from the dashboard before it turned off completely.
"What in blazes is going on?! Turn back on, you piece of crap!" He exclaimed angrily as he repeatedly hit the dashboard over and over but it did not respond. Cursing, Throk grabbed his blade and ran out of the command center, heading towards the stairs since the elevators would undoubtedly be nonoperational as well. However, just as he threw open the door, a swift blow to the chest sent him tumbling backward, hitting the floor with a loud smack. In the now open doorway loomed one of the last creatures Throk would have expected to see roaming open space: an unusually tall female Syrose with ginger hair, freckles, aqua-colored scales, and sea blue eyes. Clenching his jaw, Throk attempted to raise his blade, but the woman swiftly knocked it out of his hand before pinning him to the floor with her boot, the sheer force of her leg forcing the air from his lungs.
"What have you found, Reiya?" A voice cooed from behind the woman.
The Syrose girl turned her body slightly towards the newcomer, enabling Throk to catch a glimpse. Blues irises with slightly lighter blue scleras. Long magenta hair wound into a tight braid. Alluring curves that made it quite clear that this was a female. Blush pink skin dotted with darker pink flowing designs, circles, and dots. However, the feature that stuck out the most was the being's massive butterfly wings that glistened bright pink and black in the light.
"A Lepidoptan?! What's a Lepidoptan doing out here?!" Throk wondered as he gazed up at her.
"Hmm, seems this bucket of rust houses at least one lifeform after all." The Lepidoptan woman cooed as she knelt down next to Throk before roughly grabbing his chin. "How unfortunate for you."
"Who are you?! What are you doing aboard this outpost?!" Throk spat fiercely as he jerked free from her grasp and continued to squirm about beneath Reiya's foot.
"I thought that would've been obvious, big guy. Don't you know an enemy when you see one? No wonder you were sent to guard this miserable place. You're utterly pathetic." The Lepidoptan sneered. Rising back to her full height, the woman looked Reiya in the eye and stated, "Load him onto the ship with the rest of the loot while Widget and I go see what we can get from the computer database here."
The Syrose woman nodded mutely and silently watched the Lepidoptan and another shorter, light chartreuse-skinned alien dashed in the direction from which Throk had come. Once they had disappeared from sight, she grabbed Throk's discarded sword and hung it on her belt before swiftly punching in the temple, knocking him out cold.
As his eyes slowly eased open again, Throk grimaced as his head gave a painful throb before he proceeded to glance around at his new surroundings. He appeared to be in the windowless hold of a ship, surrounded by dozens of crates labeled with the Galra Empire's insignia. His hands had been wrapped around a pole before being securely fastened with a pair of heavy duty handcuffs, and a duo consisting of a shifty-eyed Unilu and a hulkish Balmeran stood guard of the what seemed to be the room's only exit. Immediately, everything became very clear to Throk. These weren't just any old resistance group or horde of mischief makers; these were none other than pirates.
Clenching his teeth, Throk tugged at his bonds to test their strength before grumbling a string of foul remarks under his breath and slouching down where he sat.
"What's the matter? Are your cuffs too tight?"
Throk's eyes immediately snapped up to see the Lepidoptan standing in front of him, her hands planted sassily on her hips and her lips twisted into a mocking smirk. Immediately, his temper shot up like a rocket and a beastly growl resonated from the depths of his throat.
"You're going to pay for stealing from the Galra Empire. Once Prince Lotor hears about this, you and everyone else on this ship will be dead or imprisoned within the hour!" He barked fiercely, bearing his teeth at her like a dog. The Lepidoptan merely raised an amused eyebrow at him as the twinkle in her eye grew brighter.
"I have a feeling Prince Lotor won't waste much of his time coming after these measly resources, much less you. Don't worry though; Galra slaves are quite popular on the black market at the moment." she cooed cheekily.
Throk's eyes widened slightly. A slave? Serving at that secluded outpost had been bad enough, but becoming a slave? He would rather serve as a footsoldier again than stoop as low as to become a slave. He had to find a way out of this and fast.
Suddenly, an idea, a golden idea, popped into his head that caused an eerie grin to spread across his face.
"I don't know. Selling me on the black market might not be the best idea. I could be of much more useful to you than you think." he purred raspily.
The Lepidoptan's expression twisted from an amused grin to a suspicious scowl. "I doubt it. What could you possibly have to offer me that is worth more than your price on the black market?"
"Information. Vital information. Information that will enable you to raid larger ships with more worth than these scraps. I might even be able to find out if Lotor will be on any of the ships. I'm sure he would fetch a much higher price on the market than I ever would. However, I will only do this for you if you release me in return. How about it?" Throk smirked as he practically watched the gears start turning in the girl's mind.
"Why would you betray Lotor? This could very well be a trap." the Lepidoptan mused as she eyed the Galra warrior warily.
"Lotor left me to rot at that outpost. I merely wish to return the favor." Throk replied smugly. "Do we have a deal or don't we?"
The Lepidoptan grew silent for a moment as she mulled over his offer. It seemed a little too good to be true, but if was being sincere then this was an opportunity she couldn't afford to waste.
"Fine, but you are staying down here till I have the prince. After I have him, I will let you go." she answered finally.
"I understand." Throk replied calmly while looking a little too pleased with himself. Growing slightly uncomfortable, the Lepidoptan turned on her heel and swiftly made her way towards the door, the other two pirates offering her respectful nods as she passed. Throk watched her with smiling eyes as she left.
"This is perfect. I'll deliver this band of rebels right to Lotor's doorstep. Perhaps he will then return me to the main ship or at least a closer outpost." he smirked to himself. "Stupid Lepidoptan girl. You're going to regret this day for the rest of your life."
Meanwhile, as the doors to the hull slid shut, the Lepidoptan girl sighed and shook her head dismissively.
"Stupid Galra. You think you have me right where you want me, don't you? You're in for a rude surprise." she chuckled to herself before she headed back to the ship's control room.
