Page 42 of Salvaged By the Alien Pirate

The bond-sickness chooses that moment to surge, making my tribal markings flare like burning brands against my fevered skin. I grip the edge of the table, wings trembling despite mydesperate attempt to keep them still. Black spots dance at the edges of my vision, but I force myself to meet her predatory gaze.

"My health is not the concern of this council," I manage, though the words scrape against my raw throat. Sweat beads on my bronze skin, betraying the fever consuming me from within. "The implementation of our new security protocols is."

"Is it not?" Vornak rumbles, his scaled fingers leaving grooves in the obsidian table. "When our leader can barely stand during tactical briefings? When he brings unknown variables into our most secure meetings?" His golden gaze shifts meaningfully to where Neon stands in the shadows, her neural implants casting ethereal blue patterns across her skin.

"Neon Valkyrie's presence is necessary," I growl, though the effort sends fresh waves of fever through my blood. "Her expertise in cybersecurity—"

"Her expertise?" K'vex interrupts smoothly, all six hands moving in perfect synchronization now. "Or perhaps her... other qualities that seem to have captured our leader's attention?"

The insinuation ignites something carnal in my blood, hotter than even the bond-sickness burning through my veins. My wings snap wide despite the agony it causes, casting shadows over the assembled captains as I surge to my full height. The fever makes my tribal markings blaze crimson, but I channel the pain into raw dominance.

"Choose your next words carefully," I growl, letting my predatory nature show through. Even weakened, I'm still apex—still the warrior who carved his place in the void through blood and steel. "Unless you'd prefer to discuss your own... qualities. Like how your hands keep twitching toward those hidden weapons whenever secure routes are mentioned."

Several captains shift uncomfortably, but I'm not done. The bond-sickness might be burning me alive, but nothing will stop me from protecting what's mine. "If any of you questionNeon's value to the Brotherhood, remember this—while you've been whispering accusations, she's been tracking the Eclipse's movements. Finding their weaknesses. Preparing to strike."

Neon steps forward, her voice carrying that edge of steel I've come to admire. "If you have concerns about my capabilities, I'm happy to demonstrate them. Perhaps by exposing which of you has been feeding our secure routes to the Eclipse?"

My wings curl slightly around her—not caging, but claiming. Let them see. Let them understand that challenging her means challenging me. Even as the fever races through my blood, I bare my fangs in a deadly smile. "Well, K'vex? You seem particularly interested in our security protocols lately."

The chamber falls silent. K'vex's hands still completely—a tell I've never seen before. Her silver eyes narrow, calculating new odds, reassessing threats. "Merely doing my duty to the Brotherhood," she says, false concern dripping from every word. "Unlike some who appeared in our midst so... recently."

"Interesting choice of words." I activate the tactical display, though the holographic data swims sickeningly before my fevered vision. "Tell me, how many ships have we lost this week? Following routes that were supposedly secure?"

K'vex's lowest set of hands twitches—another tell. "The Eclipse grows bolder. We all know this."

"Yes," I agree softly, dangerously. "They do. Almost as if they know exactly where to strike."

The accusation hangs unspoken in the air, heavy with implications. Let her wonder how much we know, how close we are to exposing the truth. Sometimes the threat of discovery is more effective than revelation itself.

"And you believe one of us—" Vornak begins, but I cut him off with a sharp gesture that sends pain lancing through my wings.

"I believe the Eclipse has eyes and ears where they shouldn't." The words come out rougher than intended as another spikeof fever tears through me. "I believe someone is profiting from betrayal while our people suffer. And I believe—"

The bond-sickness chooses that moment to strike with devastating force. The room spins violently, my enhanced senses overwhelmed by phantom sounds and impossible colors. I grip the edge of the tactical display, wings flaring wide for balance, but it's too late. The captains' concerned murmurs merge into a deafening roar as my knees buckle.

"Captain!" Zara's voice cuts through the chaos, sharp with command. "This meeting is adjourned. We'll reconvene when—"

"When our leader has explained exactly what's wrong with him?" K'vex suggests softly, her words carrying to every corner of the room. "When we understand why he brings outsiders into our most secure deliberations? Or when the Eclipse has destroyed everything we've built because we followed a compromised commander?"

I force myself upright through sheer willpower, though my tribal markings pulse erratically with the effort. "Interesting, K'vex, how quickly you turn to questioning my judgment rather than addressing the real threat." My wings shift, creating shadows that dance across the obsidian walls. "The Eclipse grows bolder with each passing day, striking our most secure routes with uncanny precision, yet you'd have us waste time debating my personal affairs?"

Her composure remains perfect—too perfect, perhaps—as she spreads her six hands in a gesture of calculated innocence. "I merely suggest that clear minds make better decisions, Captain. Especially when those decisions affect all our lives."

"Clear minds also recognize patterns," I say, letting my gaze sweep across the assembled captains. "Like how our enemies always seem to know exactly where to strike. How they anticipate our defensive measures with suspicious accuracy."The words hang in the air, weighted with implication. Let them draw their own conclusions for now.

The other captains shift uneasily, exchanging glances that speak volumes. Vornak's scales ripple with barely contained tension. Ralith's tail twitches nervously. Even Shen'va's ethereal features tighten with concern. They're starting to see it too—the pieces of a puzzle they've been too blind to notice.

"Perhaps," I continue, my voice rough but steady, "instead of questioning my ability to lead, we should focus on securing our operations against those who would destroy everything we've built."

The tension in the room ratchets higher as other captains begin to shift uneasily, reassessing recent events in light of my accusations. K'vex's hands move in increasingly complex patterns, but I notice how several of the captains who seemed ready to support her moments ago are now watching her with careful speculation.

"This is madness," she says, but there's a note of uncertainty in her voice now. "You're clearly unwell, Captain. Perhaps it would be best if—"

"If what?" Neon steps forward, her implants pulsing with barely contained energy. "If someone more... amenable... took command? Someone who wouldn't notice the encrypted transmissions being sent from Brotherhood frequencies to unknown recipients?"

The revelation lands like a plasma blast. Several captains shift uneasily, hands drifting toward weapons more from instinct than intent. I notice how K'vex's six hands move in subtly contradicting patterns, betraying an inner conflict her carefully neutral expression tries to hide.

"What exactly are you suggesting?" Vornak demands, his obsidian scales rippling with barely contained aggression.

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