Lynx Kleesan - A True Brigand in Service of...

[Gryphus]

Chapter Two

Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind;
The thief doth fear each bush an officer.

The mistakes were made.

My vessel had crossed the very unstable area in the Lower Omicrons and I was caught by The Corsairs. It's needless to say on how they may treat the ones who trespass their borders - especially if they are criminals not in the service of the Empire. This said, I had a very little to say.

They spoke their own language I could not understand. Two of my crewmen were outright killed in a very barbaric way - an axe to the head, with the latter rolling idly. Only later I could realize these two were criminals sought so hard by the Corsairs - and only a good mood of one of these strange people helped me out and rest of my crew.

I could not speak the whole Corsair language, their bird-like fast like a whip steam of words. It took them a long while to realize I'm not familiar with their chat, except for catching a few very obvious words, such as 'corsairo' or 'muerte'. Since then, I counted the very lasy minutes of my life... But then, something changed.

One of these barbarians came closer to me. He took my face in his hands and twitched my head in all possible directions. "You look like some sort of Kusarian and Libertonian mule," the man noted with a low pitched voice. I tried my best not to tremble, but it was a great unknown if my head wouldn't join the other two. "So I assume you can speak the Libertonian language, yes?"

"Y-yes," I mumbled with a stutter, to which the Corsair brute laughed with an outburst. I flattened myself even more, unsure what to say further.

"Mutt," the Corsair noted. "If you were flying the GMG colours, we'd already play with your pod outside. Bastardo, you don't even know how lucky you are. What's your name?"

"Lynx," I darefully reply, although followed with a loud gulp.

"Lynx? En serio? Are you named after a damn cat!? PHAH! That's the most amusing thing I've heard in this entire weak, so I won't kill you - and I'll even spare your crew." The man's words lit up sort of hope inside my almost-dead soul. I had heard about the Corsairs before, their brutality being way beyond status of legendary. But now? I can't really recall what I was thinking at that moment, but it was likely praising all the possible gods over there. "There's only one thing, however. If you want to be let alive - you have to oath the eternal loyality to the Corsair Empire, Gato.

The sudden change of mood made me hear my own heartbeat. It wasn't really I could really choose between the death and service, so I had to choose the latter. "I will be grateful to be in... service of the... Empire..."

I only hoped it wouldn't lead into a... fate worse than death.