A Gaggle of Assholes

“Did you hear? Xenosi threw his hat into the ring.”

“That schmuck? What’s he gonna do, ‘please’ us into submission?”

Xenosi sighed, doing his best to ignore the whispering around the central hub as he poured himself a glass of water from the bar. “It’s fine.” He muttered to himself, walking past the two he’d heard gossiping on his way to the flight deck. It wasn’t worth it to try and explain his stance anyway.

Not that it mattered, in the end. Spoils to the victor and all that.

He sighed once more, tired of the day already when it had only just begun.

Taking a sip, Xenosi entered the flight deck and raised a hand to quiet that inevitable chorus of ‘commander’ that would ring from the crew around him. “At ease. All I want to hear is an estimated time of arrival.”

“Sir, we’re approaching the station steadily and will dock in exactly two hours.” A young rust blood piped up, saluting him before returning to her workstation to furiously type in some numbers. Xenosi paused to wonder if he remembered her name before taking a seat at the helm behind his navigators. “Thank you.” He mutters quietly, reaching the conclusion that it might be Magnii? He’s terrible at remembering names.

Focusing on the view ahead, he’s pleased to see the station coming closer and closer into light. Finer details came to head as he shifted in his seat, excited to finally be in the same cosmic orbit as Acanta. First time in nearly a sweep if he recalled correctly.

Oh they had so much to catch up on.

“Initiate protocol for landing. I want this to go as smoothly as possible.”

“Yes sir!”

Leaning back fully into his chair, Xenosi closed his eyes for merely a moment when he felt a presence come to a halt just to his right. “...Fennic, if this isn’t about landing or news of dire importance then I do not care.”

“Apologies, commander. It’s a message from the Empress.”

Fucking…of course it was.

Straightening up, Xenosi ran a hand through his hair and tried to look as put together as he felt he should appear before waving a hand. “You always bring me the worst news…Alright, patch her through.”

Fennic bowed his head and barked an order, leaving Xenosi’s side to badger the gold blood responsible for communication. His tone made Xenosi wince. He’d have to talk to Fennic about his volume.

His aggressive handling of lower bloods too…again.

A screen popped up, blocking the view of their approaching station. Empress Serene’s stoic face followed shortly after, looking a little grainy. The signal must not be up to par, he noted internally before offering her a bow and a small smile. “Empress. To what do I owe the pleasure of you–”

He’s cut off by her hand, a raised vein in her forehead and her furrowed brows did not bode well for him. “Silence. I don’t need your pleasantries, Xeno.”

Faltering, he straightened and nodded his head. “Of course. How can I be of service?”

Serene’s lips pull back into a tight, agitated snarl. “You put your name in the ring!” It isn’t a question, but Xenosi can feel the interrogation coming. “And you didn’t deign to tell me!?” Her voice rose the more she spoke, causing his ears to twitch as her pitch turned a little shrill.

Grimacing, he bit back a snark and offered a slight tilt of his head. “I have only just done so, your radiance. I was unaware the news had traveled so quickly.”

He wasn’t, it’d been haunting him for that last system hour but he wasn’t about to poke that bear.

“You should have sent me word of your decision immediately! Sooner than immediately, it should have been discussed with ME.” Her face drew closer to the screen, no doubt she was standing now, bracing her hands against the console to bolster her with a meager image of height.

He raises his hands in deference. “My Empress, as we speak I am arriving to discuss this very matter. May we reconvene in, oh let’s say…a few hours? This can all be worked out in person.” She opened her mouth to speak but Xenosi quickly continued. “I brought you your favorite stuffed shells from the Granite Republic, perhaps we can discuss over tea?”

Serene pauses, her hand raised in a fist before she chuffed quickly and sat back down with an exaggerated huff. “...Very well. You will find me in the garden deck at 1800 system hours and not a moment later.”

He eyed Fennic from his periphery and was relieved to see his guard nod. “Of course, your Majesty. You grace me with your generosity.”

Serene narrows her eyes. “Do not be late.”

The screen blipped out of existence and Xenosi felt a stab of cold run down his spine.

Slouching back, he sighed deeply and ran a hand over his face. He sat in silence for a moment before peeking one eye around the room at the dozens of faces currently watching him. “...You can all get back to work any time now.”

Abruptly the eyes looked away as various trolls continued their preparations for descent, the white noise of machines and trolls filling the cabin once more.

Xenosi snorted, amused momentarily before his leg started to bounce nervously. He’s tense, annoyed and a little angry at the idea of having to forgo seeing Acanta for longer to deal with their brat of an Empress. It was inevitable that his decision would draw her ire, he had just hoped he would have more time to plan for it.

He should have known, luck was never on his side.

A small ding jogged him out of his thoughts. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out his phone and blinked curiously at a small, familiar icon popping up on the screen. A little zebra shark swam across the screen before a small speech bubble popped up with one simple phrase. ‘See you soon.’