Upon Silver Devil: Chapter Three

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[I can't say i've ever seen him drunk actually. I haven't seen him in nearly ten years.] Hmm that'd be interesting. [He got tall.] He smiled oddly, trying to make light of what was clearly pretty awkward and difficult.

"Plus the contract says we have to keep the kids safe, taking them along on the mission would not be keeping them safe." Rigel said.

"That is true," Tala said. Right, that contact. Darn. She shook her head, earring swinging with the motion. "We must ensure that the Silver Devil has enough crew to function. Without Luka, she will be down her best pilot. Without James, she will have no healthy medic. Without Rigel or I, she will have no leader. We must be sure she will not be an easy target for pirates."

"I will stay with the Devil and Dawn" Rigel said. He wasn't leaving her now.

Esk shrugged. "Then send Tala and Shane. Tala's scary as all hell and Shane's a good soldier, worst case scenario, he can get them both out of there right?" He looked to Shane. He could do that right?

"but I SHOULD go." Luka protested weakly.

Esk stared at her. "And what exactly are you gonna do when dear ol' dad decides he's rescued enough people and it's time to count his losses? Stomp your feet really hard?"

Luka glared at him. He had a point, but he didn't have to be such a dick about it.

"What kids?" Esk asked Rigel.

Oh yeah, Esk didn't know. "Hytar's cost of freeing the slaves was that we take two kids and teach them to control their powers. The boy doesn't know how to block out psychic communication at all and the girl keeps the boy calm. They are shifters, at least partially."

Shane nodded, he would do his best to bring everyone back alive, plus him going, he could talk to the star dragons and have them prepared or at least know when to fight.

"The boy says they are about twenty years old, so perhaps they are not entirely useless," Tala added. Although Ivor had seemed like he'd have a lot of difficulties, hmm. "All right, I will go with Hytar's crew, as will Shane. Swarm, will any of you be joining us?"

"I'll stay with the Silver Devil," James said. "We really do need a medic here." He was a bit disappointed, but he could always get Shane to fill him in on all the news later.

Swarm bobbed up and down. "We can accompany you if you so desire." They split into two.

Esk folded his arms. "Two shifters?" He looked skeptical, he didn't like this. If his father's terms involved these people he suspected there was some selfish reason. "Why does he care about two random shifters?"

Luka frowned. "He said their mother wanted them safe... and she was an asset."

Esk still looked skeptical. He didn't trust his father at all.

"He also said the boy, Ivor, could become an asset once he learned to control his powers." Rigel added then shrugged "Maybe he fathered one of them, who knows. The contract was to take them and teach them in exchange for the slaves being freed from the hold."

Esk made a face. "Just what we need, MORE of his damn offspring."

Luka tried not to laugh.

Esk glared at her. "Yes, i'm well aware I include myself in that statement." He looked back to Rigel. "So we're picking up more strays huh? Seems about right." He sighed. "As you wish captain."

"I spoke with them. They seemed strange, but I don't think they're overly dangerous," Tala said. "We shall hope they are not bothersome either."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. It'll be weird, but we've handled weird before," James said.

Esk smirked. "Can't be any more useless and irritating than half of Vestia's crew."

Swarm seemed to have wandered off again.

"Maybe you have another brother." Luka smirked back.

Esk snorted.

Tala wiggled her ears. "On Vestia, you can escape them. On the Silver Devil, you cannot. This shall be worse."

James looked smug. At least the new passengers couldn't hear his thoughts.

Esk groaned. "Thanks for that reminder." He turned and went to leave, to go tell Dawn what was going on.

Rigel smiled then looked to the others again "Alright, you should pack up what you are taking." He said to the ones that were leaving.

Shane nodded and went to his room to get ready.

~~
Dawn had been trying to listen in from the bed. She smiled at him as Esk came back in the room.

Tala nodded and went to her room to pack her duffel bag. It would only take her a few minutes, she didn't have much stuff to pack at all. She still had her gun stored in the pocket space in her horn, so she didn't even have to pack that, yay.

"How much could you overhear?" Esk asked Dawn bluntly.

---

Luka looked awkward. They would be okay right? She'd feel just terrible if all this led to great tragedy. She looked to Rigel. She hoped he knew what he was doing. He was smart right? and sensible. And pragmatic. He must know what he was doing.

"Not much, something about kids?" Dawn said with a shrug.

~~
Rigel looked to Luka and dipped his head. This would certainly be an interesting trip.

"They'll be fine," James said, reading Luka's expression. "Tala and Shane won't let anything bad happen to themselves or Swarm, they're way too resourceful and tough for that."

Esk sighed, sat down and explained what he knew to Dawn. That the kids weren't kids, apparently, but that his father wanted them to 'take care of them' anyway and that Tala and Shane were going with Hytar to ensure the dragons stood a chance.

---

Luka nodded slowly. "Still... that man scares me.. more than I remember." She lowered her head.

James nodded. "He is creepy as all heck. But he signed a contract, and supposedly he does adhere to contracts he signs." He frowned suddenly, "Was there a clause to ensure that he doesn't dispose of any people we send with him? I don't think I saw one when I was reading over Rigel's shoulder." Yeah, the others were making him paranoid.

Luka frowned "you don't think he would right?" She looked unsure. I mean, Esk wasn't a reliable judge of character but still... what he'd said about his dad coupled with what they'd seen of him....

Rigel sighed and shook his head "He didn't hurt Dawn or me when she contracted to rescue me. I doubt we have to worry about that, especially with the possibility of other jobs coming up later on. He is a businessman, he wouldn't ruin a business or likely wouldn't put those two kids in danger."

Dawn listened then nodded and settled on the pillow. "I hope everything works out. Shane and Tala will do all they can to help keep the slaves safe."

James considered Rigel's words, then nodded. "Yeah, if he kills any of our crew, he knows we won't be making any more deals with him. He probably wouldn't sabotage himself like that, right?"

Tala came back out of her room with her duffel bag. "He would not dare. He may not know much about us, but he knows that dragons who create stars are not to be trifled with, and that we are companions of the queen of the star dragons."

Luka nodded. Rigel made sound points. "And Tala would trample him into the ground if he tried anything right?" ahh there was an image.

Rigel nodded and smiled "Yeah, he wouldn't purposely hurt our people both for future profit and because we will have the kids."

"All shall be well," Tala agreed. She looked at Rigel, "When we leave this space station, will you take the SIlver Devil back to meet Vestia?"