Ok this was just written and yes everyone is feeling wretched, and yes, it's angsty…I really can't help it. Sorry xx
Planting the Seeds of Family
Chapter Eight.
With Proctom on the floor his body in the grip of a seizure, instantly Iztel dived to the ground waiting for it to pass and knowing there as nothing he could do until it did, though hoped it was a quick one.
It sailed into three minutes, and Iztel grew concerned as a familiar sound of footsteps, came into the room, and everyone froze at the sight of Peter in the doorway, who saw the two men on the floor, and instantly grew scared remembering the moment in the Hanger bay, and all the blue blood and he begun to cry hysterically.
Yondu was only a few steps behind, and his terrified son rushed towards him and buried his face in Yondu's coat and just cried in fear and terror, which Yondu understood as he entered the mess and saw it in a state of organised chaos.
Iztel with ease had managed to manoeuvre the unconscious Proctom onto his side and checked his airways as the young Ravager was coming too, and even in his delirium was humiliated by all of this.
Proctom was coming to terms with the fact he was defective, and for the entire crew of the Ravagers to have witnessed it, was a sign of failure to him, even with Iztel's constant reassurance that it wasn't.
The MasterChef motioned for the Jamsean and Gunnsen to get him to the med bay. Proctom probably needed a stretcher, but Iztel refused to degrade him further, and the Ravagers who had grown up with Proctom managed to half walk half drag him out of the door. While Yarovesky who witnessed this just silently picked up the eight-year-old slave and followed the Ravagers so he could get treatment.
Kraglin by now had come down and joined them, and even though having Peter with them was an issue, leaving him was impossible under the circumstances, since both Yondu and Kraglin had to be there. So, in the end, they just took the toddler with them, even though Peter's tears had stopped and he just wanted to be held. Down in the med bay, Yarovesky lay Omevic down gently on the biobed while Proctom, in all honesty, was half thrown on the bed, with Iztel biting his lip to tell them to be gentler with him.
With that done and both sprawled over the biobed, the medic checked out Proctom first, then grew alarmed and rechecked the bio-signs. Yondu noticed the medic didn't direct his comments to him since he was the fucking Captain, but to Iztel, as if the almost blind Ravager had authority over him!
"Right, two seizures in the last few days, it's led to heightened muscles contracting, so he'll be feeling exhausted, and abnormal cells are firing at the same time. Due to the fact he's recovering from a brain bleed, which puts his predicament in a more dangerous situation".
"Meaning", Yondu asked before Iztel could, "Meaning, that his brain is all over the place putting him at risk of stroke, paralysis and possible death if this isn't sorted…".
Iztel cursed and run a hand over his face, "So if he has another fit, he could possibly die".
To his credit, the medic didn't mince words "If we can't get his condition stabilised, he will die…but right now all we can do is sedate him, to get his brain a rest from the constant trauma".
With Proctom oblivious to this, and just looked more haunted and paler than usual, the rest of the crew turned their attention to the skinny eight-year-old, who was coming back to consciousness in a very familiar place, with familiar people.
He once again froze at the sight of the Ravager crew, while the medic just did his job. Kraglin was holding Peter who had calmed down and didn't even seem to notice what was going on. Though they knew it was misleading, but this wasn't the time to even go there.
"So, heightened senses, elevated blood pressure, adrenaline flowing through the body…still lacking in nutrients but the only reason he passed out is that he was scared".
Even with his family in the room, and everyone else who for some reason just wouldn't leave, all Yondu could do was address the clearly terrified eight-year-old.
"You do know you have nothing to be scared of don't you". There was a moment, while Omevic tried to understand this, but in the end just shook his head, confused by the question. "I know him Master", was all Omevic said.
While Yondu just exhaled but saw the looks passed between Jamsean, Gunnsen and Yarovesky, it was only a feeling moment, but it was the moment he realised they wore the same look on their faces as the young child, masking for years, that they were ok.
Yondu Udonta who spent years pretending he was ok with what the universe had thrown at him, now suddenly realised he was surrounded by people who weren't.
A few hours later, Omevic had been discharged to his room and was sleeping, in truth he was huddled under the blanket on the floor, wondering how badly he had messed up as he usually did.
Proctom was still recovering under constant guidance, and in the small gym, two bodies were contacting each other. Though it was a strange time of day, to the rest of the crew, who were stupid enough to step in to exercise. With the same "fuck off" look on their faces, everyone just vacated the vicinity. They were Ravagers, but in the presence of two Ravagers who were screwing each other and had a tempestuous relationship, this was a moment of privacy.
All they did was strip off and trade blows with each other, just lost in the contact of their own bodies before Gunnsen spoke up "I want that fucking kid gone, I just want him gone".
There was no answer to that, all Jamsean could do was nod and fight some more. "If the Captain wants to keep him on…"
"He's fucking us, he's us at eight. The same look, I saw that look every time I looked in the mirror. God, all those years, and suddenly I have to see that". Gunnsen wasn't known for being the more level-headed of the pair, years of being a slave had left him with a short fuse, and there was only one man in the galaxy who could deal with that
"It's not the kids' fault" Inferred Jamsean, and to that Gunnsen, suddenly pushed him against the bulkhead, causing an echo in the room, swats pored off both their faces, in a way it could have been confused with tears.
"I know it's not, but it happened. It happened to us…it happened to us". Gunnsen voice dropped to a whisper.
Gunnsen grabbed Jamsean by the arms suddenly, he wasn't sure to wrestle him away or bring him closer.
"Why are you with me? You could have anyone, why me" and in response, Jamsean just stroked his mates face gently. "Because it's always been you" he replied, and the Xandarians stared at each other for a moment, and begun ripping each other's clothes off.
It wasn't about love, these two would never admit they loved each other, this was just about feeling something, less wretched then they felt. Falling to the ground, they joined in a combination of sex and sweat, as Yondu who we observing this flicked off the camera, he was monitoring the pair off.
Shit he wasn't going to be a hypocrite, abbot this, before Peter it was an anything does mentality, and if these assholes wanted to make them feel better, then so be it.
In another part of the ship, even after the chaos of the day, Yarovesky was at the second bridge, which no one used anymore due to its isolation, even though it afforded a perfect view of the stars. Most of the equipment had been in shutdown for years, and the consoles didn't work.
It was clear that once upon a time it was the man bridge from the previous captain who had heard stories about but Yondu for some reason was social like Xandarians and liked everything in his own space. Right next to his office, was the main bridge and then the monitor station.
Staring into space and just drinking one beer after another, when he heard footsteps behind him, but didn't even bother to turn around.
"Did Yondu order you to check up on me?" Yarovesky asked Horuz who just seemed to try to appear nonchalant, even though the Xandarian had no idea if he came across like that while holding several bottles of beer.
"No…just wondered if you wanted more beer…and to talk". Horuz had no idea what was happening or why he cared, he just felt a need to reach out to the former slave. Yarovesky tuned suddenly and took one of the outstretched beers, and the Xandarians eyes met again, just for a fleeting moment, and once again something stirred in both of them, which was instantly dismissed.
Yarovesky studied the stars some more with Horuz just drinking next to him, and perhaps it was the beer or the presence of the Xandarians next to him, who never had to suffer. Yarovesky's voice was nothing more than a whisper, but he finally spoke up.
"Ya know, I've been here for five years…made me mark as a navigator, tried to pretend it never happened. Back then, we didn't give a shit about anything, just survival. But back then, when I came to getting the kids ready…they were always confused. I was older, so I had to reassure them that it would be ok, lie to them. Wonder if they would make it back or not.
I saw them all go, Proctom, Jamsean, Gunnsen and them damn kid, and I never did anything about it. They came back in pieces, one time there was a group and only Proctom came back alone. I watched him get beaten and did nothing…"
Horuz just tried to digest this, "You know you weren't to blame".
"I know I wasn't, fuck I was a slave as well. But it doesn't stop how I feel about it. And then I had to work next to these guys for years, but no one ever said anything about it, never even mentioned it. But I was older, I couldn't have done anything, but I should have done something".
Yarovesky down his beer and cracked open another one.
"I remember him you know, I remember him. Three years old going off with the others, and I had to lead him to now Master and Omevic was looking at me, pleading with me and I did nothing. Looking back, shit I could have started a rebellion did something, but just watched and did fuck all".
Yarovesky just exhaled and looked at the stars some more, before turning to Horuz, "I just wanna make it right you know, just make it right by someone".
Horus just got closer to the navigator and spoke almost with a whisper, wondering if he was talking bollocks, but he had to say something. "You know, the others did alright, Proctom is living with Iztel…Jamsean and Gunnsen are screwing each other".
"Proctom has fits, and Jamsean and Gunnsen are so messed up, it's a mystery that they haven't killed each other yet. Naaa, they're all fucked up, and now we have an eight-year-old to deal with". Yarovesky just shook his head but said in the sincerest tone Horuz had ever heard. "I just want Omevic to have more than this…is that too much to ask?"
There was no answer to this, so the two Ravagers just stood in silence, though both of them found each presence comforting which they were not going to voice out loud.
Several decks away, Yondu Udonta was sitting in darkness, with his mate stretched out next to him deep in slumber. Peter even though he was upset had settled back into his own bed with no issues, and Yondu hadn't told Kraglin he was doing this.
Few knew of his internal senses as he closed his eyes and sent his mind throughout the ship. Under his headpiece it looked like fireworks were exploding, as he begun to focus on his crew, only concentrating on the ones he needed too.
Sending his mind through the ship, he could sense Iztel leaning over Proctom, the concern in Iztel's mind was intermixed with the total chaos from Proctom's who even his semi-conscious state Yondu could feel the ache of misery and pain.
Deep in the ramshackle gym even with their colliding bodies, Yondu could sense their reconciliation, which was masking the agony of their pasts. On the secondary Bridge, Yarovesky's loneliness and desperation overwhelmed him, like a shroud.
Yondu wasn't going to tell his crew about this, they wouldn't understand, but behind him he could hear Kraglin shuffling up and understanding what was happening placed his hand gently on Yondu's scarred blue back, just waiting for him to talk. The fireworks died down in Yondu's headpiece, and to took few moments, for Yondu to process this.
"Kraglin, I don't know what the fuck we're going to do. I thought about making that child a Ravager, but he can't stay. Omevic has to go and as soon and possible. He can't be here much longer".
Kraglin just swung his legs over and leaned his body next to his mates. "I know, but what the hell are we going to do with him".
To be continued