"Shane and Byblos have a chat..."

[Shane 0]

Byblos entered main engineering carrying some parts acquired from the Dr. Phantos expedition equipment budget. The Nausicaan did not see the Cyborg at his usual terminal. Could a man that big be in access tube fixing something? "Chief Shane! I have some of the parts you requested from the Phantos equipment fund? Where do you want them?!" Byblos shouted.

 

A clatter came from the green glowing warp core assembly, followed by muttering and grumbling. "Quit yer yelling, ya qoH." griped Shane as he floated out from the confusing mixture of equipment, lying on a hoverpad. "Put 'em in the cargo bay, where else would you keep 'em?"

“Geez will you lighten up?” Byblos replied, annoyed. “I am not yelling, if I were I would be making those "Feddie" Ears of yours squeal in pain! Okay Cargo bay.” He grunted as he turned to leave. “Ex-Federation Engineers...crabs.”

 

Four huge claws suddenly clamped down on the back of Byblo's head and the big Nausicaan was shoved forward into the bulkhead by the door with a loud crunch. The breath was knocked out of him as he was thrown onto his back against the hard grated flooring. A shadow fell over Byblos as Shane knelt down and grabbed his collar with his real hand, hauling him up to look eye-to-eye. A fire of anger burned in the cyborg's eyes like no other and he spoke in a low, menacing growl, "Call me a Feddie again and I'll shove yer tusks up yer..."

Byblos looked at the Cyborg eye to eye, now was the time. The time of "breaking in" his father had taught him over a decade earlier on another ship. This was going to hurt, actually he was already hurting...but he had to break Shane's grip and more importantly his armored shell inside of him that was clearly evident.

 

"So you like my teeth? Well, allow me to introduce something else about Nausicaans…" Byblos promptly delivered a knee blow to the cyborg human's crotch, quickly adding an uppercut to Shane's jaw as insurance to break Shane's powerful hold. All Byblos could muster against the man called "Shane" was to break the hold after the combination and knock him over on the deck. "So you don't like the lovely Federation, so noted. I don't care for them either. But half this crew has had dealings or careers with them in the past. And you will need their back one of these days…as I will need yours...when the Guardians or Feds come!"

 

The Nausicaan spat blood away from Shane. "The Federation first destroyed my family..my shipmates. Then the Guardian pigs decided that wasn't enough and they killed my brothers one by one on Tranquility! Believe me Shane you are not the only one who has his demons on this ship. You cannot allow them to win!"

 

Now it was Shane's move and the Nausicaan was either going to get killed now, or finally get to know this individual whom for some reason he did not understand fully yet admired. The Nausicaan extended his hand offer help to get Shane off to deck, "Share your pain with me brother..."

 

The big cyborg stared at Byblos and the fury in his eyes started to dissipate slightly. But then resolve seemed to take over and the anger was replaced with cold, expressionless stone. He pushed himself up to one knee with his organic hand and swung up upwards with his bionic. The full, weighted power of the metal arm caught the Nausicaan across the chest, throwing him up off his feet and sending him flying across the Engine Room. Byblos hit the bulkhead with a grunt and landed in a heap on the floor. Shane stared him down without emotion and spoke as such, the anger buried once more. "Pain is the only thing I've got left. No one will take that from me."

 

Byblos took the hardest blow he ever had taken in his life. His father told him what the consequences "breaking in" could be. Now the risk his Captain had told him had manifested itself. The Nausicaan was sitting against the bulkhead after painfully straightening himself out. Oddly enough...he thought he was just flying through the air for a moment. Like a...

 

Byblos started laughing with a few coughs of blood. Shane cocked his head slightly, confused. The Nausicaan looked up at him, "Hah! So that's what that Guardian felt like when you chucked him across the spaceport on Tranquility…” he coughed up more blood and began laughing uncontrollably. “You sure you didn't inflict pain on his sorry ass?”

 

"Ahh...Nausica, first time I had my ass kicked by a human just now…errr…physically." More blood coughed up with a tooth," I yield." Byblos started to laugh again then quieted. " Listen, though I’m sorry to bring something up you weren't ready to talk about, I cannot be sorry for the happy memories of Guardians getting tossed like targs...or getting clotheslined to the underworld…you have brought me. For that I will always be in your debt...demon chucker! Hah!"

 

“Listen, help me get myself up here and let's get this deck cleaned. If the Boss finds about this, he will be pissed and turn our collective rears in. I'll take your gear to the Cargo Bay and,” Byblos chuckled again, “assuming I make it down there. Lesson learned.“

 

Shane wasn’t too sure of what to make of the laughing man. Finally, he shook his head as he walked over to help Byblos up, mumbling under his breath. "You Nausicaans are all nuts..."