“Let me go! You insect! You station trash!”
“Cut his heels,” Tanin said without even raising his voice.
Gissrn cried out. He tried to thrash, but he wasn’t going anywhere. The twins, moving in sync, stepped forward. Each one grabbed him by the leg. They wrapped their arms around his calves. They cut him so fast, she didn’t even realize it happened until Gissrn screamed. The twins stepped back, blood now trailing down his feet to drip on the floor.
“You don’t have power,” Tanin said as Gissrn gasped, mouth gaping like a fish, staring down at his feet in horror. “What you have is wealth. Now, I will grant you, wealth does a very good job of masquerading as power. You have enough wealth, and you can buy a lot of power. And you can even claim to own it. That’s power in its own way. But it’s fleeting and highly conditional. You lose that wealth, or someone offers something better, and all your power is rendered worthless.
“Take me, for instance. Your wealth is meaningless to me. Your title is just a word. In my eyes, you are the one without power. Meanwhile,thisis the power that I wield.”
He held out his hand, indicating not to the Humility, but to the guys down below. All of them giving Gissrn such cold, heartless stares, it made shivers go up Garnet’s spine. But even as it scared her on some bone deep level, she still turned further into Tanin. Seeking comfort fromhim.
“Command them to let you go,” Tanin said calmly. “Offer them whatever you want. If they release you, I’ll even spare you.”
It was obviously not going to work. Gissrn had to know that. But he was also desperate enough, or foolish enough, that he had to try.
“M-Money!” He stuttered, looking at the males surrounding him. “I’m wealthy! I can keep you in luxury for the rest of your lives. O-Or power… Titles! Females! Whatever you want! I can make people worship you asgods!I can-”
“Break his left arm,” Tanin said quietly.
Trove tightened his grip on the limb and turned, pulled it across his chest and with a mighty jerk –crack!– snapped the bone right at the elbow. Gissrn screeched in pain, his left arm now hanging uselessly in the air.
“Wh-Whatever… Whatever you want…” He pleaded, drooling as the pain overcame him. “I can give you… please… you…”
“Break his right arm.”
Vytln just had to squeeze. His large fists, strong and rough, crushed the bones like they were dried noodles. The noise Gissrn let out made goosebumps break out all over her skin.
“Drop him,” Tanin ordered.
Rok did so. Unable to bear his own weight, he slumped to the ground, broken arms flopping useless beside his twitching body. He was shaking and babbling in agony.
“Rip his cock off,” Tanin said.
The twins grabbed his legs and lifted them up, putting all his weight on his chest as he screamed and tried to thrash, but without his arms, he had no way to gain any traction on the floor. He was helpless as Rok reached between his legs and-
Garnet winced, looking away. She didn’t see what happened, but she heard the rip of fabric, the shriek of the tortured and damned, then a thud as a body hit the floor.
When she turned her eyes back, it was to see a large puddle of black blood expanding below Gissrn and Rock stepping back, one of his lower hands releasing something grotesque and fleshy. It hit the ground with a wet splat, unrecognizable as anything but a hunk of destroyed meat.
“This, Gissrn, is power,” Tanin said calmly, though Gissrn was just shaking, unable to even turn his head any longer. “These males don’t follow me because I pay them. They follow me because theychooseto. I have their loyalty. I have their respect. That is what it means to wield true power.
“Now, I’m going to kill you. Not because I have to. Not because I’m afraid of you. Not even because I fear the consequences of what might happen if I don’t. We both know you’re too scared of me to try this again. No. I’m going to kill you because I want to. Because you dared think you could touch my female. Because you threatened her. Because you made her cry. Because you have annoyed me one too many times, and I squish insects that annoy me. Vytln. Throw him in the engine room. Not too far in. I want him to die slowly. Screaming. When he’s dead, incinerate him. Mix his ashes into the refuse. He’ll be gone at the next supply stop.”
“Aye, captain,” Vytln grunted, bending low.
He grabbed Gissrn by one hand and began dragging him from the room. Gissrn was screaming again, begging. Pleading. Babbling. But he couldn’t move, couldn’t fight, as Vytln took him away.
Garnet watched him go, not even a stab of guilt or regret tickling her. It seemed like justice in her eyes. Cold, painful justice, but justice, nonetheless.
“Clean up the blood,” Tanin ordered. “Make sure all traces of it are gone.”
“Aye, captain,” Trove said, grinning as he walked away.
“Rok, get rid of Neelai. He’s not going to talk, so we don’t need to kill him. Rough him up a bit, give him a warning, and let him go.”
“Aye, captain,” Rok said, turning to approach the unconscious bounty hunter.
“You two. Go make sure no one saw him coming and there’s no trace he was ever at this station.”
