The ship was eerie, silent, and almost lifeless. The crew worked in the quiet, barely moving, not speaking, afraid to incur any wrath from the Captain. It had been this way for a while.
Something had happened to him back on Planet 1138. The first mate had planned to stop by his room at the inn and had found the place completely wrecked. According to the survivors, a Saiyan had gone into blood rage, razing everything around him to the ground. They found the Captain in the next town over, drunk off his ass and dull eyes unblinking as the natives took their turns fucking him. Oh yes, something had happened to him, but they didn't know what and they didn't dare to ask. Not after he had snapped at everyone on the crew, blown a hole through the wall, and even ejected the galley cook into deep space for hinting at something being wrong. They would have left the crew entirely, if it weren't for the fact that the first one to even suggest finding a new ship was executed for mutiny. So they tiptoed around the ship, doing their jobs and avoiding him, waiting for the time when things would go back to normal.
Captain Turles sat in his quarters, staring at himself in the mirror. His hand reached up to graze the mating bite that Raditz had left him, healed over in these past 6 months. It was almost time for his heat. He bared his fangs angrily, digging his fingers into the scar, as if he could erase it from his skin. The blood ran down, and he couldn't help the guilty pang that went through him. Alpha gave us this, his instincts struggled against him, why defile what alpha gifted to us? He growled, tightening his grip and cursing as the memory flooded him once again.
Turles shoved the alpha off of him, his energy sparking to life, the harsh crackling static sound filling the room. "What. The. Fuck." He snarled, reaching up to his neck and eyes widening as he felt the blood. He stared at Raditz, and the alpha blinked at him, looking confused. The thought must have finally sunk in, because Turles could see the exact moment the alpha's eyes brightened with the knowledge. "What the fuck have you done?!" he cried, voice catching in his throat as he struggled to breathe, fangs bared at the alpha, going against his instinct to submit to his mate. The word left a sour taste in his mouth.
"I-I didn't" Raditz spluttered, one hand reaching for Turles and his scent sweetening the room, trying to calm the angry beta. " It just happened—"
"Get out." He growled, shifting away from him, eyes downcast. He didn't want to look at him, the churning feeling in his stomach was making him sick. He fought down the urge to flee and curled his fingers into the wound. A minute went by, and the alpha still hadn't moved. The urge to fight eventually won out, and Turles snarled, firing his energy at the alpha. It hit against the wall, next to Raditz's head. And he felt a strange combination of regret and relief at it having missed him. "GET OUT!" he screamed, charging another blast as the alpha scrambled around the room, shooting it off at him and noting with a twinge of pain that it connected with the alpha's tail. He could tell that Raditz hadn't gone far, his scent lingered outside the door, but Turles didn't care. He let the tears fall, sobbing as he scratched at his skin. The stench of sex and alpha clogged his senses, and he choked. He couldn't take it anymore. He needed to hurt. He needed to relieve the twisting agony in his stomach. He felt the beginnings of the trance creeping at the edge of his mind, and he closed his eyes, sinking into the void.
Turles swallowed uneasily, sweating at the memory. He should've anticipated this. That was why his carrier had told him to never take an alpha while in heat, if he wanted to remain unmated. But he couldn't help himself, he had been extremely horny and Raditz hadn't turned away from him, even with the criminal tattoo on his skin. Somewhere deep down he wondered if he had actually wanted to be mated by the alpha, just to make sure he wasn't going to be alone forever. He shoved the thought away angrily, curling his arms around himself. It wasn't his fault. He had made sure that the boundaries were understood before taking Raditz back to his room. And then in the heat of the moment, he had begged the alpha not to do it. It wasn't his fault at all.
He got to his feet, wincing as the first signs of heat made their presence known. He was feeling slightly warm, as if from a fever, but he knew that wasn't the case. Soon enough it would progress to the itching, burning feeling, and the insatiable need to breed. He didn't know how bad it would be this time, not after being bitten…Turles growled low in his throat, yanking his clothing higher to cover the bite. He had only taken to wearing the under armor after Raditz, it hid the bite as well as the scars he had made on his own skin and made him feel slightly less exposed. His crew didn't need to know. No one needed to know. The door opened, and he stepped out, heading to the bridge.
His crew tensed as he stepped onto the bridge, and Turles grit his teeth together. He didn't want this kind of relationship with his crew. He had never wanted them to be afraid of him. They weren't his friends of course, but they were the Turles Crusher Corps. They were loyal to him, and he had broken that trust between them. Probably not the best thing to do, but none of them were Saiyan, and Turles knew they wouldn't understand the animalistic instincts of his race, even if they had their own similar customs. The beta sighed as he took his seat in the Captain's chair, leaning back and staring out at into space. Even if he had been a little…inconvenienced… these past months, their profit had not been. In fact, they had managed more successful raids than ever before, and he suspected that was the only reason the crew stayed with him. Well, that and the executions.
He watched, bored, almost restless, as they descended to one of their base planets. They frequently stopped at their bases, to unload goods and trade items at the ports. It was the easiest way to ensure that they were never caught red-handed. It was also the easiest way for both Turles and the crew to let off steam, the former for his heats and bloodlust and the latter for their sanity. Months spent in space in cramped quarters had strange effects on people. Turles blinked, the orange color of the atmosphere surprising him. Kabocha. It was where he had recruited Cacao and Daiz. They didn't usually stop here, as it was close enough to Planet Vegeta to cause problems for Turles, being exiled and all. He glanced over at the ex-prince, who had straightened up in his seat at the sight of his homeland. "Daiz." He said quietly and sighed when the teal-haired man flinched. "I want to stay at the palace for the next few days. Contact the Queen and have her make arrangements." The Kabochan lifted his brows, but nodded, linking his scouter to the ship and making the call. They had an agreement, after all. When he had first set out to conquer this planet, Daiz had led the rebellion against him, the bounty hunter Cacao also lending support, but they had been no match for the Saiyan. But he had liked them and their spirit, so he had recruited them and left the government intact. All he asked of them was that they always provide shelter to him and his crew, and to not turn them over to Frieza or the Galactic Patrol. However…Turles knew he was being difficult. He didn't usually stay at his crew's homes, preferring to let them have their own space, but it was his heat. He should have some comfort afforded to him. And besides, Daiz's palace was big enough for the both of them.
The ship docked at the port, and Turles adjusted his cloak over his armor. Battle armor was common enough around the universe, but his tail would be a dead giveaway that he was Saiyan, and he really didn't want to deal with any alphas today. So he hid it behind him, the cloak covering his form as he stepped off the ship. He could almost hear the sigh of relief go up from his men, but he ignored it, following Daiz to the palace.
The Queen was waiting for them when they arrived. She inclined her head to Turles, and he nodded. "There are some other guests staying with us this evening, Captain Turles." She said softly, brushing her hair back from her face. "I hope that they will not be a concern to you."
"I'm sure it will be fine." The beta said, turning away from her. Why should I care about other guests? It's not like I'm looking for trouble or anything. I just want to spend my heat in privacy. He was just about to follow a servant to his quarters when suddenly he was thrown to the ground, a bright white light shining in his face. He blinked, recognizing the light as energy, and bristled. "Daiz!" he growled, eyes darting to his crewman. The Kabochan shook his head, eyes wide.
"Captain, I had nothing to do with this, I swear—"
"SHUT UP!" a voice roared from above him, and Turles strained upward to see who had spoken. Shit. This is not going to end well for me. "You are harboring an enemy of my race, and you thought it would be perfectly fine?!"
"Prince Vegeta, please, we had no idea that he was your enemy," the Queen stammered, backing away from the two Saiyans. "We did not mean to offend you—"
"No idea, huh?" the alpha growled, and Turles squirmed underneath him, suddenly all too aware of his heat approaching. "The criminal tattoo on his face wasn't enough of an indication?" His head was shoved back as a hand closed around his throat, and he choked slightly.
"Please, Your Highness, your symbols are strange to us and we did not know he was a convict—"
"I don't want to hear it. Leave us. I will deal with him as I see fit." The alpha growled, glaring down at the beta beneath him. He heard footsteps hurry away from them and with a sinking feeling he realized Daiz must have left the room as well. He was on his own now. Turles bared his fangs weakly and the alpha sneered down at him. "Name, criminal?" He hissed and the grip on his throat tightened, but he still did not speak. He didn't want to give the royal the satisfaction. Better to die than to lose his pride. Better to die now than to die pining for a mate he didn't have and—
"Turles?"
Fucking.
Shit.