“What is taking so infernally long?” Dominarch growled as she looked up from the helm. Ahead of her were a circle of screens, depicting the battle on board the ship they had just captured. “You are dealing with four Decayons, why have you not captured them yet?”
A masculine, draconic being approached, wrapped in silky white and blue ribbons. “My Lady. they have set up traps across their entire ship and are proving non-cooperative.”
“I can see that, does not explain why this is taking so long!” Dominarch ran an angered hand across her horns, a vague attempt to defuse her annoyance. “Still does not explain why this is taking so long. I gave Draclik Ontaeous thirty Decayon soldiers to capture four new Decayon servants, yet somehow Ontaeous has not delivered!”
“Um, my Lady, these four are… rather hostile. They have already killed eight Decayons and, uh… They somehow managed to kill Ontaeous as well.”
Dominarch growled some more, but let her growl fizzle out into a sigh. “One of the Decayons isn’t even conscious, and only one of them is an Elder Decayon. Idiot gets what he deserves, going in like that. Get the Nousgameton, Draclik Issear, knock the three of them out as well as the idiots still on board. These ones might have some value.”
Issear bowed and did as he was told. He rushed off, dragging two heavily armoured draconic beings with him. After a moment of thought, Dominarch snapped her fingers, then stepped away from the helm.
“Draclik Vikelan, keep an eye out for me. I want to see these four in person.”
Another being, an antlered being with black and red plating and chitin scales, got up from his desk, then took Dominarch’s place at the helm. Satisfied, Dominarch then made her way out of the Captaincy, making her way down the main hall.
Just like most Decayon ships, the layout of the Dominarchtrix was surprisingly simple. One main hallway with rooms equally spread out on both sides. The top level was for Dominarch and her important crew. The second and third levels were more cagey and segregated, split into sections for her Decayon soldiers first, then into cells for her growing collection of ‘merchandise’. That being said, her stocks were pretty low lately, the Dominarchtrix had intercepted very few other Decayon ships, and she was not happy that her first catch in a while only contained four beings.
At the end of all three levels of the main hallway was a vast cargo bay. This contained not only supplies and stock, but also ten smaller ships, designed for combat if needed. However, there was an eleventh ship present as well, the freshly captured ‘Thantir Two’. Dominarch wondered briefly what happened to the ‘Thantir One’, then decided she didn’t care.
Scattered around the entrance of the captured ship were ten unconscious Decayon soldiers, with more on the inside. The whole ship seemed abnormally warm, and, as Dominarch approached, she could see why.
“Crafty bunch,” Issear almost smiled. “Whole ship was booby-trapped. One of the Decayons is a mind-manipulator, muddled with Ontaeous’s head and tricked him into going inside. Total of ten dead. Some of it is believed to be friendly fire, but most of the deaths were even from the fire-born or the Elder.”
“What of the merchandise?” Dominarch asked.
“Young Decayons have been collared and will be sent to the merchandise cells. Elder Decayon has been put in a stasis capsule…” Issear explained. “Initial thoughts, the Elder Decayon, if turned, would be a valuable Draclik. But those three are nothing compared to what they were protecting.”
Issear led Dominarch deeper into the captured ship, right to the cockpit. Inside was not what Dominarch expected.
“Is that a-”
“No, not quite. Definitely not a true Life Goddess, but potentially a hybrid of some sort. It was already injured and knocked out upon arrival, but we have sealed it inside a Sensory Deprivation Box to stop its energy leaking out and to keep it contained.”
Dominarch’s excitement ebbed slightly. “Pity. Quite an unusual specimen as well.” With a grunt, Dominarch picked up the large, plastic-coated box and threw it over her shoulder. “Stick the Decayons in with the other merchandise, then start cleaning up this mess. I wish to inspect this one personally.”
Issear bowed, then snapped his fingers, summoning his underlings. “Right away, my Lady.”