It's been a hard, long week. Restoring discipline once broken is not easy. Especially in the company of thugs like the skroges. However, I quickly managed to regain respect in those circles where it seemed to have been lost forever. Some of them were even afraid of me - Grote, for example, flinched every time I went into his surveillance cell. I could have torn him to shreds for slander, but I didn't. That's a lot of credit to a guy like him. I was able to calm down even the slithes - during the week I didn't see a single case of immense drug use in the workplace. The exception was Yenel, who tried his best not to reveal his stoned state. However, after one incident a couple days ago, I decided not to touch him at all...
- Kserd... you know, I have to admit something, - he said in a suspiciously low, languid tone.
- I'm all ears.
- Of all the vipers, you're the most brutal, - he stretched out, moving closer to me, - If I were a woman, I wouldn't hesitate to... - he ran his fingers along my neck, his breath exhausted by the smell of medicine.
- Fucking hell, Yenel! - I bounced about two meters away, - How much dope have you taken?! - my hair stood on end.
- I haven't eaten anything, - he grinned at me with his fangs bared.
- I can fucking see that! Go sleep it off, motherfucker! - I slammed the door shut, flying out of there and breathing a sigh of relief.
As I walked down the corridor to my office and looked at the soldiers walking toward me, I heard the strange information Garg and Ord were discussing.
- I heard that two hundred new specimens would be brought to the ship for experiments.
Ord choked on his water when he heard Garg.
- Are they out of their minds? They'll have to put two of them in a cell.
Even one hundred samples is a lot. And two hundred?! Why so many?
- Well, they say the scientists are stalled in their research. They want to speed up the process, - Garg shrugged.
- How do you speed it up? - Ord looked questioningly at him.
- Well, as far as I know, they want to not only inject drugs, causing mutations, but also fertilize them. They need more material for that.
- What amazing nonsense, - Ord clapped himself on the forehead.
- I agree. They're out of their minds... they'd be better off replenishing the brothels.
Hearing that made my insides boil. How long will this atrocity continue? What's in our Leader's head? This idiot will lead us all to ruin if he doesn't change the direction of his policy globally. I was curious if this was true at all - it all sounded very strange. I spent the rest of the day looking for information about it.
By evening, I was lying in my quarters, watching the galactic news and smoking a cigarette. The acrid, white smoke spread throughout the room.
- The ruler of the planet Moelis, Laesvold the Third in his address to the Galactic Commonwealth admits that their nation will be unable to do anything against the skroge should they find a way to invade. This statement caused a serious public outcry, causing many to speak out against this stance of the ruler, calling him rash and cowardly.
Well, if such a thing was said by their ruler, then things are really bad for them.
- The hereditary princess of the planet Moelis, Eline Firebringer, stated that she strongly disagrees with her father's position, and in case of a skroge attack, she will lead the army personally.
After that they showed the inspiring speech of the red-haired princess. However, my eyes were fixed on her seductive figure, and I listened to absolutely everything she said, but I was surprised at how much popularity she had as a politician.
- I would never submit to a woman, no matter how beautiful she was, - I concluded, turning off the TV. I was about to go to bed when there was a knock on the door.
- Hey, are you asleep already? - I heard Aurtror's voice from behind the door.
- Should I be? - I shouted.
- Come to our place. We'll play cards.
- Just a minute.
I didn't want to go to sleep, so I didn't hesitate, and in a minute I was there. Yenel, Garg, and Aurtror were playing and drinking some kind of stupefying liquid, as usual.
- Sit down.
- We're discussing the news Garg gave us.
- You're already aware of it, aren't you? - Jenel wiggled his tail.
- If that's what I think it is, then yes, - I said.
- Our captain has lost his mind, - Aurtror said, crossing his arms.
- It's not the captain, Aurtror. It's our Leader, his orders.
- How do you know that?
- I looked it up. All the ships and laboratories where research is being conducted have received the same order, - I pointed out.
- At this rate, there won't be any human women left at all, - Garg said sadly, - There aren't enough human women left.
- No one will give you any more, - the redhead laughed.
- Shut up, Aurtror! - Garg flared up, and with a slight flick of his hand, he swept the cards off the table, which fell smoothly to the floor.
- There. Collect them now, - Aurtror pointed at the cards on the floor.
- Pick them up yourself! - Garg muttered.
- In all seriousness, - Yenel began, - have any of you had sex with girls under your guard?
- Are you crazy? No, of course not. They're all completely concussed. I understand them, though, - Aurtror crossed his arms.
- I had one! - Jenel grinned with all his fangs.
- I know your slimeball tricks. You can't even call it sex! - Garg said.
- You don't know anything about eroticism.
- What about you, Kserd? - Garg asked.
I was immediately reminded of her earnest request for it. Her embarrassment and the tender, long kiss that followed... and my denial of it. Even though I'd suffered that loss, and for the first couple of days I'd spent the night shooting huge doses of artecidin and bawling like a raped prostitute, I'd slowly begun to get over it. But the memories of it still depress me. Especially the promise I made to her that I didn't keep.
- No. I didn't, - I said dryly, barely suppressing my sadness.
- Strange... - Yenel grinned, - You know, - he hissed, pausing briefly, - The women on the planet Moelis are so sexy... saw them on TV today.
- Is this about the princess? - Aurtror asked, wincing. - No, she's beautiful, no doubt about it. But her pictures are all over our social media! I'm tired of that red-haired beast, I want something new, - Whatever you say... I won't insist, - the slug lit a cigarette, - But I was talking about Moelis women in general, not about her.
- Would you please stop talking about women?! - Garg couldn't stand it, - I haven't been able to call anyone to my place for a week now, everyone's fucking busy! I told you today that they should send these newcomers to brothels.
- Yeah, and you'd fuck them all. So they wouldn't get up. It's hard to get up when you're sprawled out on the bed, - laughed Aurtror, getting off the booze.
- I'm so sick of you messing with me! If Kserd hadn't been here, I'd have kicked your ass! - the brute finally exploded.
The redhead laughed.
- Well, don't burn. If it makes you feel any better, I haven't fucked anyone in a week, either.
I stayed silent, drinking another cup of warming liquid. These conversations were only making my already sullen state worse, bringing to the surface the heavy memories I'd been struggling to suppress. Damn women, they're nothing but trouble. I'm afraid to even talk to one now, let alone call whores.
- You know, since I'm drunk, - Aurtror began, - I need to talk, - he set the bottle of Jupiterian liquor down on the cabinet, clinking it loudly.
- Wow. That was promising. Come on, - Garg said.
- I'm so sick of all this, - the redhead immediately took it back and took a swig from his throat, 'This routine, these disgusting experiments they majestically call 'research,' this stupid fucking politics! - He threw the empty bottle into the corner, and it shattered.
Oh, wow. How much did he drink? I didn't expect him to say out loud what I'd been thinking about lately. There was silence in the room. Jenel and Garg looked at each other.
- What?! Don't I have the right to speak my mind for once in my life?! I'm not known to have violated anything!
- You should keep your voice down, - I elbowed him in the side.
- I pissed on everything, - the redhead took another bottle.
- In fact, you said what we all think about from time to time. But we're afraid to say it out in the open, - I confirmed.
- Not that I feel sorry for anyone on other planets, - Aurtror went on, 'but you know, all these women's deaths are a clear indication that we've reached a dead end, and we can't do without the help of other civilizations,' he concluded.
- Yes, but I don't think anyone else will support our ideas, - Garg said, though it seemed insincere to me, - Yenel, don't be silent.
- I don't really care, - he was drunk and didn't seem to know what he was talking about.
- I wish I could run away to some other planet... women, peace, freedom, - Garg said dreamily.
- Yeah, you wish. Ask Cindy to turn on the simulation for you, - the slug grinned.
They spent the rest of the time playing cards and drinking the rest of the fun liquid. When I got back to the cabin, dizzy and barely able to move on my feet, I collapsed on the bed, nearly breaking it with my body weight. I lay like that for about ten minutes, staring at the ceiling. The things I'd been trying so hard to forget for the past seven days kept coming back to my mind. If I didn't stop thinking about her now, I was going to have to do drugs again. I turned on the TV - it was making it easier for me to fall asleep lately.
***
- Today on the news:
* The head of the Galactic Commonwealth is urging all nations within it to keep a close eye on the machinery controlling the force fields to prevent hacking. This is especially true for nations experiencing temporary material difficulties in maintaining it.
* Scientists from the planet Boa have discovered an unknown galaxy, temporarily named NGC-789, located at a distance of a googol of light years. It is believed to contain four black holes at its center. Attempts to contact its inhabitants have so far been unsuccessful.
* A candidate for mayor of Ka-Nect on the planet Kunlas has promised to provide free artesian slugs for the entire population of his beloved city. Workers on the farms that grow the rare delicacy slugs have been protesting for days.
* The prince of the planet Bonasis, Lokka the Reverend, made a live marriage proposal to Eline Firebringer, princess of the planet Moelis. The reaction of the princess herself has not been reported.