nmyworld

When someone is in as deep a sleep as Ral, it’s only proper to knock first, otherwise you might see the true beast in the person. Unfortunately for Ral, this party didn’t knock nor fear any man’s fury.

A thunderous metal-on-metal crash echoed through the small cabin, throwing Ral - who was still in the same position he was when he first entered - off his bed and onto the cold floor. If it was their desire to get his attention, they did a great job. The ice cold floor against his bare chest was enough to get Ral to spring to his feet, leaping toward the captain’s seat in less than a second; all the while yelling obscenities. He peered out of the large window into the blackness of space and saw two shots - probably warning shots - fly over the top of his ship.

“This is a warning - any radio signal sent from your ship will be seen as a sign of aggression. Do not respond to this message or attempt to escape. You are out gunned. Prepare to be boarded.” The voice being transmitted was unwavering yet calm and scared the hell out of Ral.

He sat down in his chair scheming of ways to escape a foe he couldn’t see and whose intentions were unknown. Were they pirates? Only in the worst case scenario. Was someone playing a joke on him?

The distinct hollow metallic sound of a ship attaching to his own sounded throughout the cabin followed by a low-pitched hiss; it would only be a few moments now before they were on board. He leaned over his display and navigated to the boarding station camera. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to give him time to pull out a weapon in case they were ill-intentioned. He peered into the display while resting his hand on the firearm under his chair—this could be the last time he would breathe the smell of tobacco, hours old as it was.

Through his display, he saw the door open and a team of heavily armored men cautiously walked through, waving a white flag. Ral let out a huge sigh at the sight and spun around in his chair to overlook the cabin.

When the men entered his room, he remained seated in defiance and asked them, “Can I help you gentlemen?”