Phoenix woke with a gasp as the ship rolled. Grabbing at the edge of the bed, Phoenix felt for Jack across the mattress and a faint reply told him Jack was already on the bridge. The bed was still warm from their slumber and Phoenix looked about in confusion.
Was Jack trying to find the missing cargo again? The mystery of the shrinking cargo had most of the crew stumped as each day the food stores seemed to be going somewhere. At this rate, the cargo bays would be nearly empty when they reached the next port. Still better than the slaves they were meant to have.
Whatever was happening, it had been unexpected as Jack's coat still lay over the back of the chair which meant he must have run for the bridge with no time to wake him or grab his coat. Not a good sign.
Phoenix dressed quickly, wanting to be near Jack. The vessel rolled again and Eep flew from his basket across the bed. Phoenix snatched his falling pet before he hit the floor and Eep clutched at his owner's fingers with wide eyed fear. Phoenix kissed his little face and hugged him to his chest with equal fear. Something was wrong with the air. Too … I don't know. Electrical? Too … hard. Thick. Like breathing underwater. Never wanted to try that again.
Shouting. A smell like burning. What was that? A sonic boom? Screaming now grew closer and Phoenix backed away from the door as fear and pain washed down the corridor. Something was coming. Something bad.
Phoenix psychically screamed for Jack and felt Jack's horror and fear in his reply. Just one word, loud and clear like Jack had been standing beside him and had turned and yelled in his ear. He could see him. His gorgeous blue eyes wide and his expressive mouth twisted with rage. Run!
Phoenix ran into the walk-in wardrobe and slammed the door, levering the travel boxes against the hinges to jam it shut. His breath was harsh, his hands shook as he flew around the small space with panic and he struggled to calm himself as the baby kicked out with the adrenaline Phoenix was inadvertently feeding him. Yeah it's a him. Don't tell Jack.
When he felt the shaking subside, he reached for the nearest clothes and dressed as quickly as he could then pulled on the pair of strong boots Jack had purchased for their plans to walk the "baby belly" off once lump was born.
With a grunt of effort, Phoenix levered himself up the shelves and thumped at the ceiling panels.
Jack was right, Jack was always right. There has to be a loose panel for maintenance personnel kept out of sight in the 'robe. Come on God damn … there.
A panel flicked up into the black expanse of the "between" and Phoenix let out the breath he had been holding with a shaky laugh. With Eep safely deposited in the bag packed for "Baby Day" over his shoulder, Phoenix levered his body up another level of shelves and into the crawl space between decks.
A crash told Phoenix they were in their quarters, his quarters. His baby's home! The nest! Phoenix cursed his hormonal tears as he struggled to replace the tile as silently as possible.
When the banging began below Phoenix knew they were trying to get into the 'robe and he backed away until he hit a wall, then slid along to the corner hugging the bag to his body like a shield. A junction. As shots were fired and crashing announced that they were in, Phoenix slapped a hand over his mouth to stop the whimpering and reached into the bag to silence Eep who was swearing up a storm.
Three more bangs and pin-holes of light flooded through the bullet holes that now decorated the 'robe ceiling. Phoenix swallowed down his fear, trying to listen.
"Nothing! Told you." A voice boomed up through the tiles. "These boxes must have shifted when we blew the airlock to board. No bloody body home!"
"Where the fuck are the slaves then?" another voice demanded.
Feeling his owner's fear, the little Pyra was angry and scared. Something bad had come into their nest and they were in danger. Eep peeked out of the bag and inspected their hidey-hole. With an "Eep" he leapt from the bag and began to scuttle along the wall.
"Eep" Phoenix hissed, forced to follow the beast as he led him away from the destruction as the unknown intruders proceeded to ransack the room.
They came to another T-junction and Eep hesitated, his whiskers flicking at the dark. Phoenix marvelled once again at his luck, his Fenque blood allowing him to see in the dark as he watched the fluff ball looking around a corner. With a huff, Eep ran again, and Phoenix again followed.
Eep stopped and patted a ceiling tile, then began scratching at the corner of the tile. Phoenix pulled him away.
"Wait, is it safe?" he whispered to Eep who seemed to think about it, then go back to scratching.
Phoenix carefully levered the tile up several inches and peered into the room below.
The Mess. Phoenix could see Chef Laurence and several service staff huddled in the back of the room and he whistled softly to get his attention. Being part Felengi, the chef heard the call and looked up, directly at Phoenix. He shook his head and flicked his eyes to the left. No, not safe.
Phoenix looked over where he had indicated and three huge creatures were standing by the main doors. They looked like they were covered in greasy black fur with elongated snouts and pointed ears. What really drew Phoenix's attention was the sonic blaster one kept playing with while they spoke to each other in guttural grunts. Borgans! Shit.
Phoenix again forced his breathing to calm and his heartrate to slow before replacing the tile. As long as they kept feeding them they would be safe. These creatures loved food and looked at food makers as important. The baby moved again and Phoenix thanked him for the reminder that there was more important things right now. Eep seemed to consider this as well, before suddenly darting off at speed.
Phoenix knew he couldn't catch him and regretfully settled against the bulkhead with a sigh of discomfort. Pulling the bag open, he began to assess what he had. With mere weeks to go until the birth Jack had grown weary of Phoenix's repeated packing and re-packing of the grab bag so he had thrown it in the 'robe in a fit of rage. Phoenix knew he was as nervous as him and forgave him but the bag had stayed there. God, good thing!
Baby clothes, a blanket. A pain pad. A silk nightshirt Jack said would look sexy in the medical bay and a spare set of clothes. A bottle of water and some packets of peanuts and mixed fruit. Chocolate. In the very bottom he found what he was really looking for. Placed there long ago when he had been going a bit "loco" as Jack had put it. Phoenix slowly removed a six inch blade and placed it on the floor, then placed the other matching dagger beside it.
Replacing everything else in the bag, he made sure the food and water was on the top. The blades came with soft leather scabbards which Phoenix expertly tied to his forearms using his teeth to help tighten the straps with the tips pointing at his elbows before sliding the blades home. This meant he could pull from either side, if one arm was damaged this meant the other still had a weapon.
Something he had been loath to hide from Jack, these were all he had of his family left. The blades. He feared Jack would take them, they were collector's items and would sell for a lot of money which is why they were a guarded secret in his family. He had promised his father that they would never leave the bloodline. One day his son would wear these striking blades.
As Phoenix was pulling his sleeves back down Eep returned. The sound of his claws clicking as he ran along the metal grating was echoed several times over. With shock phoenix realised Eep was not alone. Three large black ship rats ran alongside and as Eep stopped in front of Phoenix, they did as well.
"So this is where you get off to when you go hoarding your goodies?" he whispered as Eep looked adoringly at one of the huge rats.
Eep stepped away and the rats flanked him. He stared at Phoenix long and hard. Phoenix stared back with confusion. What was that? A thought like a feather touch flickered against his shields and with wonder Phoenix lowered his shields enough to let it in.
Not words, less than that. More like flashes of images. Moments of colour and light. Oh! Phoenix focused on Eep and opened his mind.
"Mine"
Oh. Phoenix grinned stupidly in the dark at his little pet.
Eep? Is that you sweetie?
You mine!
Yes Eep, I'm yours and you're mine. Always.
Yes. Yes. Me Eep. You nest mate.
Eep. Phoenix felt tears and cursed for the hundredth time at his hormones.
We go. Safe. We go. Nest mate. Nester!
Phoenix nodded and Eep began to scurry down the dark. God, Jack was never gonna believe this! Phoenix felt his grin again in the dark and couldn't help but snigger at the mental image.
Eep. Three rats the size of cats and a heavily pregnant Phoenix all slinking along in the dark crawlspace. They were climbing, then turning. Phoenix was getting hot and it was stuffy but Eep's squeaks of encouragement kept him going.
Finally they all stopped and Eep looked smug as he patted a tile. Nest Mate, Nester Here!
Phoenix looked through the honeycomb grating directly down on to Jack's head. Oh, my clever sweetie!
Eep preened and nodded at the rats. See? Me good!
Phoenix was about to call to Jack when a shot rebounded in the space below. Jack was blown back into the control panel as Leia screamed with fright.
As Jack's body slumped to the ground Leia began to scream obscenities. The Captain checked Jack and looked over at Leia shaking his head. He's gone. OH Gods.
The bond snapped like an elastic band flinging back at his heart. Phoenix felt empty. Hollow. No.
A scream filled the space around him and he realised it was Eep. His little fingers locked in the grating as he looked down at the blood pooling around Jack's body. His body was rigid and the fur on his back was standing straight up like porcupine quills as he shrieked with rage.
No! Nester!
Running water, no a rock slide. Phoenix tried to work out what the sound was coming closer as he rocked back and forth with grief. Rats. Hundreds of rats. Black, ginger, white even a bald one. Rats streamed towards them as Eep finally managed to pull the grating up. Their paws joined his hands as they heaved the grating away and some began to flow onto the bridge below as the rest continued to swarm the crawl spaces of the ship.
Phoenix crawled to the hole and looked down as he sobbed to see the floor seething with the rats racing towards the pirates. Their screams were joined by Eep's roar of courage as he leapt at the face of one of the intruders, his teeth gleaming as he unsheathed his fangs.
Phoenix dropped silently to the floor and assessed the room. Jack lay in the corner with Leia clutching at his body. The captain has Jack's head in his lap as he stared stupidly at Phoenix.
Phoenix felt a feral snarl escape as he leered at them then turned to face the pirates. One was backed against the wall swinging his gun back and forth as he shot into the undulating mass of furry bodies bubbling towards him. Another was in a corner screaming as Eep scratched at his eyes, holding his ears for leverage and racking his face with his back feet as rats moved about inside his baggy clothing clearly biting him.
One he hadn't noticed ran at him (idiot, they always go in threes) and his hand found it's blade, the blade found it's ark and the Borgan's blood found the wall in wide, steaming spurts.
"Stop" stop!
Eep gave a bark and the rats retreated to surround Phoenix's feet. Eep stood defiantly with one back paw on Phoenix's boot as he stood stiff legged snarling and spitting at the confused bleeding men. With a cold, calculating stare Phoenix reached over and flicked the inter-vessel comms to life.
"Hello, the person you have reached is really fucked off right now so if you would like to leave your message after the scream we'll get back to you later." Phoenix droned in his butler voice. "Alternately, if you are an uninvited guest on this vessel I suggest you run because I will find you and if I don't my little friends will. You have until a count of ten to drop your weapons and lay face down on the floor. Any intruder who fails to do so will be dealt with accordingly. Believe me, they can ALL count to ten! Goodbye."
Phoenix flicked the comm off and leaned back to stare at the men. They stared back and then at each other.
"You know you're down to five now right?" he said conversationally as the rats inched closer.
"Two"
"One" Phoenix barked. Eep gave a battle cry and the rats just ran.
One of the two remaining men threw his guns at his feet and hit the deck to land with his face inches from his dead partner's death mask but number three seemed a little slow. They always travel in threes. Two guards and one officer. Typical Borgans! Number three stumbled as the rats swarmed his body, his screams rent the air.
Over several decks below them screams echoed through the vessel as other rats bit into delicious Borgan flesh.
Nix?
Phoenix felt a familiar pull and turned to see Jack rising from the floor. A trick? Am I finally going insane?
As Jack reached for him Phoenix began to scream and Eep stopped his onslaught to look back.
Nester! You up.
Eep ran to Jack and climbed his leg. As Jack pulled Phoenix into his arms Eep reached his chest and was entombed in the embrace.
Home!