Free NASTRAGULL: Pirates by Erik Martin Willén Page A

vessels left the asteroid and rendezvoused with the Bitch .
    By then, most of the pirates had gathered in the main cargo hold, and they greeted and cheered the crews from the shuttle and the frigate while bragging about their success. After things had settled down a bit, the main hatch slid aside and in walked Zuzack with his senior staff. He had dressed for the occasion in a dark blue coat with gold piping on the collar and sleeves. Around his massive waist was a black leather belt with several blinking instruments attached to it. A large holstered gun and several knives balanced the weight on the opposite side. His long black hair had been tied back and braided into several tails, each decorated at the end with teeth from a different sentient species. Around his head he wore a dark blue scarf; his uniform was of a slightly darker blue, his knee-high boots black and polished. He dripped with jewelry.
    His staff were all armed, and each one was dressed much like their leader. As they entered the chamber, the crew began to cheer their leader. Zuzack took it all in like a flower takes in sunlight; he loved the flattery of his crew.
    There were some pirates, numbering about 200, who didn't share their fellow comrades' enthusiasm; indeed, most looked at Zuzack with disgust. Almost all were female, and all of them had gathered in a loose knot away from their Captain's biggest fans. From the looks of it, Myra was their leader. Among them were Alexa, Nina, Miska and Mohama. None of them wore any sparkles or jewelry; instead, most were dressed for combat.
    Alexa herself favored a loose, white open blouse, tight black pants and black boots. She held a matching waist-tight black jacket over her shoulder. Around her hips was a thin black belt with a round silver buckle, and she was armed with two guns attached to holsters on either side, along with knives thrust into her boots and waistline. The injuries sustained in the last battle had been healed, and she smiled dryly, revealing all her brilliant white teeth.
    Nina was dressed with a cream-colored tunic and gray leggings, all overtopped by a long brown coat. The coat was decorated with dried bloodstains and several scalps deriving from as many sentient species. Various bulges under her coat suggested the presence of various unknown weapons. Miska and Mohama still wore their space combat fatigues; and regular hand blasters, similar to Alexa's, decorated their thighs. Their thin, muscular tails twitched like dangerous serpents behind them. From time to time, they snapped them like whips. 
    Zuzack glanced at them, his expression unreadable, and jumped up on a large crate that had been placed in the center of the room just for this purpose. He wanted to look over his crew—or rather, down on them—and be heard. He stood there, raised his hands dramatically, and smiled, cheered by the sound of his happy crew egging him on. Then he stopped smiling and lowered his arms, glaring at the defiant group of mostly women off to one side. They glared back. Zuzack made an extravagant gesture with his arms, signaling to his crew to be silent while he turned his eyes away from the women. It took a moment before silence reigned in the audience chamber.
    Zuzack loved the knowledge that he had the power of life and death over almost three thousand pirates. He stared down at them, trying to look them all in their eyes, looking, perhaps, for any traitors. He made sure all of them knew that he was their only and ultimate leader. He avoided turning his gaze towards the defiant group of mostly female pirates. Just as he took a deep breath and was about to launch into his speech, he noticed that one of his men was leaning against a pillar with his eyes shut.
    Zuzack's eyes narrowed to thin black slits. A female pirate who stood next to the sleeping man gave him a nudge with her shoulder; but by then it was too late, because a millisecond later the sleepy pirate's head exploded, splattering the people around