<span style="font-style: italic">(Including collaboration feat. Jin Locklee)</span><br/><br/>“Hmph,” Odrak grunted, lifting his blunderbuss from the prisoner’s head. “Was really hoping I’d get away with this one.” But what the quartermaster had said was true; it was the captain’s decision to keep this female alive, and Odrak had no authority to oppose either of them. Humans had a strange sense of justice. In wotaury culture the captain of a pirate ship would simply be tortured before being put to death. There would be no trial. “You heard the boss,” the wotaury growled, prodding the prisoner’s back with his gun. “Move it. And don’t even think about trying anything funny.”<br/><br/>The prisoner scowled at him, her violet eyes scrutinizing his body with cold yet calm calculations. Then she began limping forwards, her arms lightly swinging and brushing against her leather breeches. “Heh,” Odrak sneered. The female carried herself about like someone who was determined to be feared. If she were around his size, she might have been a worthy opponent.<br/><br/>“You, swabbie,” he faced the deck hand who had been left behind. He was one of those fresh green recruits that had only just signed up a few months ago. “Go get the ship’s doctor while you’re at it. Before the female breaks her other leg,” the boy had been assigned a task already by the quartermaster, but he could use some extra legwork. “Or don’t. I don’t care,” said Odrak, leading the female out of the prison hold and up to the main decks. The quartermaster wanted her at the helm with the sailing master, so that’s where he’d dump her. After that it wasn’t his problem, not until she started causing trouble.<br/><br/>The great expanse of empty space and stars greeted them upon exiting the lower decks, the three legendary planets gleaming in the thin sunlight of the mother star. Odrak paused for a moment to squint at the furthest of the three  planets: the target of their expedition. There was no doubt that the reward for making it past that asteroid field was incredible riches, and the success of this mission would ensure what remained of his future. Maybe he could even buy his way into the wotaury military, and start getting some real action. Yet for some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something slightly off about the whole ordeal. He knew his guts weren’t the most reliable indicator, but they’d gotten him out of trouble before…<br/><br/>He snorted, and started forwards again. “Get going, I don’t have all day.”