Ki'Ti Rebellion EP2
Art by @FOKSICH - Story by @Villanite
“Are you done yet?” Varia called out from behind the door of the shower.
“No, Varia! I just got in here!” Kiwei responded from inside.
It had been two days since Kiwei had come aboard the Goldlight. In that short time, Kiwei had become comfortable with the crew and was now allowed to move freely about the ship as a guest rather than stay locked up as a captive.
Varia sighed, pursing her lips as she walked out into the hallway. “Well, if you had let me shower with you, you’d be done faster.” She muttered.
“You woulda felt her up and you know it, Varia.” Aries commented as he walked past her.
“ONLY A LITTLE!” Varia yelled out, waving her hand as if shooing him away. “Ugh. Dad.”
The slime looked at herself in the reflection of one of the room windows. She pouted her lips a bit before smiling. “Trance, can I be honest with you?!” She called out.
Trance called out from elsewhere on the ship, “Varia, stop yelling across the ship! Come talk to me!”
Varia popped her head into the cockpit to offer Trance a cautious smile. “I don’t want to hurt your feelings…”
Trance perked a brow. “What would hurt my feelings, Varia?” She asked as she put down the tablet and turned to offer the slime teen her full attention. This was when she realized that Varia never actually walked over but instead extended her neck out to pop only her head into the cockpit.
“Well, you see. Kiwei… she’s cute. And I kinda wanna try…” She sighed, looking to the side in hesitation.
Aries’ head popped out from the doorway. “Are… are you acting shy? If you wanna bang her, go for it. I haven’t called dibs or anything.”
Varia and Trance looked at Aries, both narrowing their eyes at him.
Varia shook her head. “Dad, that’s gross. You don’t call dibs on people. And who says bang anymore?”
Aries, realizing his mistake in speaking to his teenage daughter at all, looked elsewhere and walked away, limboing under Varia’s extended neck.
Trance smirked and nodded to Varia. “Ignore him. Go on, Varia, what were you going to say?”
Varia was curious to see if her father could finish his limbo successfully, but as he finished, she shifted her neck to touch his head, making him lose. While Aries complained, she turned to face Trance, ignoring him.
“I think Kiwei has a cute body, and I think I’d like to try copying it. I’ve been copying yours lately, so I don’t want you to feel bad, or like I don’t like it or anything.” She finally admitted, magenta eyes shifting downwards as she awaited Trance’s response.
Trance stared at the slime, her expression still processing while she absorbed the details and meaning of what Varia had just said. Finally, a smile slowly crept onto Trance’s face, a strange mixture of amusement, warmth, pride, and just a tinge of concern. “Varia… first of all, you do know we have this conversation every time Aries meets a new girl that you notice he likes, right?”
Varia turned her head to avoid eye contact with Trance as this fact was brought up. “I mean… I just…”
Trance reached out to pat the slime’s head. “Varia, it’s been fine every time you ask. It always will be.”
Varia’s eyes snapped up with surprise, then a smile spread across her face, and she wrapped her neck around Trance in a strange version of a hug.
“Having two Trances around is great, but variety is always nice! I say do it!” Aries commented as he walked by again.
“Dad! Shut up! I wasn’t asking you! What are you even doing? Why do you keep walking by like that?!” Varia yelled at Aries.
“Aura! Tell the girl!” Aries called out as he hurriedly moved to limbo under Varia once more.
A robotic female voice broke through on the speakers, “Varia. Your father is, as he puts it, trying to get his steps in. It seems that he has acquired a new app for his suit. It is a mobile game in which he can use his pedometer feature to earn points and gain powerups and outfits for a party of sexy adventuring anime girls earned through a lottery system.”
In her stunned state, Varia did nothing to stop Aries from his successful limbo under her. “Why…?”
Trance shook her head, patting Varia lightly. “Don’t. Don’t even ask him. He’ll just blow money on this like every other gacha, and then lose interest in it two weeks from now. Just let it go. Go check on our guest.”
Varia slowly slithered her head back to the torso she left behind at the bath to see Kiwei staring at her, confused. “Were… was your head… in the cockpit just now?”
Varia looked at the damp bunny girl, then nodded slowly. “Yes… is that weird?”
Kiwei grinned wide and shook her head. “NO! That’s so fucking cool! Show me what else you can do!”
In the cockpit, Aries took a seat and sighed. “Anything on the hacker?”
Trance nodded lightly. “Aura got a hit, but he won’t be anywhere for a couple days. He stays off the grid except for this bar.”
“So we go early and wait for him?” He asked.
Trance shook her head. “Go early, and you tip him off you’re there waiting. This guy’s good, he’s only seen when he wants to be seen. This is a contact point for him, not a mistake. You show up during his business hours. Not before, not after.”
Aries sighed again, more aggressively, as he leaned back in his seat. “I’m bored, though.”
“Your app got boring?”
“There’s no harem route.”
“What?”
“I looked up a speedrun and it turns out there’s no harem route in the game. You have to pick one of the adventurers eventually.” He explained.
Trance stared at the man, then shook her head with an impish smile. “That’s horrible for you.”
The man grinned wide, flashing the sharp shark-like teeth in his mouth. “Right?!”
Trance finally smiled in return, shaking her head once more.
While Kiwei got settled in with the crew on the ship, back on the Ki’Ti home planet, Tiberus was adjusting to the changes that Kiwei’s situation had allowed for.
The Ki’Ti people were proud but also known for their committedly peaceful approach to politics and diplomacy. Oftentimes, this frustrated Tiberus, who had seen his planet go from a beautiful place that fundamentally coupled science and nature to an industrial center prioritizing production over preservation. He always dreamed his people would fight for their planet, but their peaceful traditions only led to nature being left behind.
Pride filled him for the first time as he watched all these people prepare to fight against the Alliance. His fighting spirit was being restored, and it took him by surprise.
“I miss you having that look on your face.” Kitra muttered as she looked at Tiberus.
Tiberus’ black eyes snapped up to Kitra, and he chuckled, shaking his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He waved it away before sighing, “Anyway, what’s up? Here to tell me I’m being dumb again?”
Kitra sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t know, Tibby. Are you still stuck on hating us because of some creepy dude?”
Tiberus looked aside for a few moments, then finally shook his head. “No. As weird as Idris was, he kind of made sense in the end. I don’t know; maybe he just knows something we don’t. The bottom line is that once the news about Kiwei’s grades and piloting records came out, it became easy for people to pin it on the Alliance covering up the execution of a potentially good pilot.”
Kitra nodded as she made her way over to where Tiberus was sitting. She placed herself on his lap with little hesitation and wrapped her arm around his head so he could rest against her chest. “Idris knew his shit. We’re going to win this rebellion. Now, Tibby… can we talk about us?”
Tiberus sighed, then nodded. He lifted his head to smile at Kitra. “You’re right. After this attack we’re planning, things will begin to look better for us... so yeah, I think this may be a good time to talk about us, Kitty.”
Days later, Kiwei, Trance, and Varia found themselves inside a bar on another planet.
“You really that interested in what’s outside the window?” Trance asked with a smile aimed at Kiwei.
The Kitian woman smiled sheepishly and looked around the bar. “I mean… I’ve piloted ships before, but I’ve never actually been on another planet. I didn’t know Kitians were rare in other parts, I’m always surrounded by them.”
Varia nodded, swallowing her french fries before speaking, “Mmmhm! You’re very rare. I am, too, though. It’s kinda cool. Trance, aren’t you rare, too?”
Trance shook her head. “No, not really. My people aren’t around here specifically, but they’ve spread over quite a few planets in the area I’m from.”
Varia narrowed her eyes. “But there’s something rare about you, no? Aren’t you a super genius?”
Trance chuckled and waved the words away. “Oh, I’m just good with robots, nothing special. Eat your food, ladies. Aries will be done soon. He’ll start eating anything you leave behind without even asking.”
Varia’s confirmation of Trance’s warning urged Kiwei to eat faster between her words. “So… Trance. Are you two married?”
Trance’s brows lifted high, and she offered Kiwei a mildly unsure smile. “I’m sorry?”
“No, they just fuck from time to time. Dad fucks everyone. But Trance is basically mom, even if they’re not married.” Varia explained.
Trance dropped her head with a heavy sigh. “Varia, please don’t just tell people my business like that…”
Varia blinked, then pouted a bit. “Oh… sorry, we always talk about it openly, so I thought…”
Trance shook her head, then smiled, patting Varia’s head. “No, no. I just wish you’d let me say it my way. It’s fine.” Trance then looked at Kiwei. “But yes, Aries has this… charm, I suppose you can call it.”
Kiwei furrowed her brows at this. “Really…?”
Varia grinned in response. “Uhuh! He’s so dreamy!”
Trance chuckled and nodded, leaning back in her seat. “It’s frustrating, honestly.”
Kiwei looked between the two for a few moments before asking, “What makes it frustrating? The fact that his ridiculous approach to flirting actually worked on you? No offense.”
Trance laughed and shook her head. “No. Honestly, that’s the worst part of it all. It’s that the way he actually charms you has nothing to do with that stupid banter he seems to think is flirting.”
The women continued their conversation for a few more minutes until Kiwei suddenly felt a chill down her spine. Her eyes widened, and the fur on her ears stood on end. She looked up to Trance with panic in her eyes. “Trance. Something isn’t right. I felt this the same day with the senator.”
Trance furrowed her brows for only a moment before realization washed over her. “Oh, Kiwei… I guess you wouldn’t have noticed it since we’ve been on the ship together all this time.”
Kiwei offered Trance a confused stare.
Varia looked between the two. “Hm?”
Trance chuckled. “It’s Aries. Sometimes, when he’s around, you feel this… survival instinct, I guess? I’ve noticed it before. It can be very offputting. Then you kind of just get used to it sometimes.”
Varia nodded. “Oh. That. Yeah, I don’t feel it. Others do. Whatever, Dad is Dad.”
As if on cue, Aries’ towering figure approached the table. The man’s golden eyes locked in their natural frigid glare. Yet within a moment, that all shifted. His lips curved into a grin, and those wicked eyes took on another tone entirely. Kiwei stared for a few moments before finally hearing his voice.
“Hey? Kiwei? You okay?” He asked.
Kiwei blinked and realized she had been staring. When she looked between Trance and Varia, their teasing expressions confirmed it. “Oh, no! Nothing. I’m okay. Anyway. Hacker?”
Aries nodded slightly as he sat in the booth, stuffing a chicken tender Varia had left behind into his mouth. After taking some of Trance’s drink, he began to explain.
“So apparently, Kiwei’s little display has spurred on the rebellion. They’re growing in numbers exponentially because shortly after she was accused of attacking a senator, the rumor spread that she was killed. Apparently, our little Kiwei was a promising space pilot, and there is a conspiracy theory based around her now. The Alliance knew she’d be a threat, so they killed her.” Aries told the group.
The women all looked at each other before Kiwei spoke up. “I’m not dead, though.”
“Exactly!” Aries exclaimed. “Which means that’s a bunch of bullshit meant to rile up the rebellion on purpose. So we checked on a hunch, and it turns out that after you pass it through a series of particular servers with particular passwords that our hacker already had… we know that the counter-mission came from a member of the rebels. So! Since the hacker didn’t actually hack all that much, we got a discount! Who wants to go to the strip club?”
“We’re saving the extra money.” Trance answered.
“Yeah! Strip club!” Varia cheered.
“Who?” Kiwei asked.
Aries sighed, offering her a sad smile. “Can we just go to the strip club?”
“Tell me who poster the counter-mission. Who set me up to die?” Kiwei demanded.
Aries nodded. “It came from Tilen, the leader of the rebellion.”
Kiwei nodded slowly, looking down at her remaining food. “Okay…”
Varia allowed for about five seconds of silence before she lifted her hand. “Strip club?”
Aries offered her a surprised expression. “Oh! That’s a good idea!”
Trance glared at both of them.
“Strip club sounds nice, actually. It’d be interesting to see all the other races here.” Kiwei answered, offering the group a teary smile. “Fuck the rebellion.”
Varia stood up and cheered. “Fuck the rebellion! Strip club!”
As Varia and Kiwei made their way outside the bar, Trance looked at Aries while the two began to follow. “You’re going to talk to her, right?”
“I have to. Even if it’s personal for her, I need to know why they set us up. This isn’t just about a rebellion. It wouldn’t explain why these postings were both aimed at us.” Aries explained.
Trance nodded. “When Aura noticed that pattern, I admit it concerned me about her, but I think she was a pawn in all of this.”
Aries sighed a bit, scratching at his chin with his golden claw. “Maybe… I’m not so sure.”
“Gut feeling?” She asked.
“Gut feeling.” He confirmed.
The remainder of the night was defined by debauchery and lust. Trance tagged along to keep the group in check, but a few drinks also had her dancing. Kiwei was able to let loose entirely, and with Varia, the two made sure they each touched every breast they could find.
Aries made friends with the strip club owner, and after a few drinks, Aries had a few new mission contracts, and the group was given permission to use the strip club for the night. Cheaper than a hotel and more comfortable than the cots on the Goldlight.
The following morning began to come from a distance as Aries made his way to one of the balconies of this building. “So they just converted a mansion into a strip club. That’s honestly kind of cool.” He commented as he leaned against the railing of the balcony. Once again, he was barely dressed, but this time his body was covered in lipstick marks from his neck down his torso.
“How many shades is that?” Kiwei asked as she followed the trail down his muscular figure.
“Oh, I don’t know. Probably a whole lipstick catalog.” He admitted with a grin.
Kiwei offered him a chuckle as she sipped her water. “Did they compete to see who could mark the furthest, too?” She asked.
Aries smirked, “Furthest down my body, or the shafts?”
Kiwei refused to look at him, biting her lower lip while she fought the smile on her face, shaking her head.
“Wow. Okay. So you make secret dirty jokes, but don’t know to handle it when people just acknowledge them. That’s fun.” He teased.
“Shut up. Don’t you have a harem to tend to? Sire?” The last word was sung in a tease. “Is that seriously what you asked them to call you?”
“You don’t like it?” He asked.
She chuckled. “You’re the worst.”
He nodded. “Yeah. But enough about me for once. How are you doing?”
She perked a brow, then shrugged.
He smiled slightly and nodded once more. “You thought it was someone else, didn’t you?”
She nodded slowly, then sighed. “Yeah… Yeah, I did. Tiberus. We were kind of a thing.”
“You weren’t happy it wasn’t him?” He questioned.
She shook her head. “No… is that bad? I was scared it was him. When you said it was the rebellion, I assumed he betrayed me, and I wanted you to confirm it… but when you didn’t… I was disappointed. I mean. I’m still pissed that it was the leader, and that still hurts me. Tilen was a nice man… but why did I want Tiberus to betray me so badly?”
“Because you don’t deserve to be happy.” Aries told her.
Kiwei spat out a mouthful of water. “What?!” She snapped her eyes onto him.
Aries shrugged lightly. “Isn’t that it? Isn’t that what you tell yourself? It’s what I do. I convince myself that things are going to go wrong because I don’t deserve for them to go well. I’m a bad person, I deserve bad things. You don’t do that to yourself?”
Kiwei sighed, lowering her head. “I mean… yeah… but I’ve never had someone just fucking say it like that.”
Aries chuckled a bit. “Well. Do you believe it, or do you just think it?”
“That I don’t deserve to be happy? What do you mean? That’s the same thing, isn’t it?” She asked.
He shook his head. “Mmm-no. Believing it means that no matter what I do, no matter what you do, no matter what happens in the world, you believe that you don’t deserve to be happy. If you just think it’s true but don’t believe it’s true, though… that means there’s a chance, no matter how minor, no matter how tiny, that you might think you might deserve to be happy.”
She stared at him for a while before shaking her head with a sigh. “That’s dumb. I mean, sure. I guess maybe everyone deserves to be happy. Isn’t that just one of the basic rights of sentient life?”
Aries nodded slowly. “Ah. Good. Then I’ll believe in you and won’t feel guilty about doing what I want.”
She furrowed her brows. “What do you mean?” She asked, inching away from the man and crossing her arm over her chest, though despite her body language, her expression made it clear that she was joking.
He narrowed his eyes, unamused by this. “Stop it. Tomorrow, I’m going to visit the senator who you tried to kill. He owes me for saving him. I’m also going to ask him for permission for me to get involved in this war without political repercussions. I need to find out why your old boss set me up, so I have to pay those rebels a visit.” Aries explained. “If you want to come, you can. If you don’t, it was nice meeting you.”
“Don’t you have to turn me in?” She asked.
“Slippery rabbit. Oh well.” He said with a bit of a grin. He then began walking back to his room.
“Vill.” She called out. “What if I believed it? What if I believed I didn’t deserve to be happy? What would you have done?”
Aries sighed as he stopped walking. He stood with his back to her and stared into the distance for a few seconds. Finally, he turned to look at her with a big smile. Despite the scary nature of his regular expression, that smile was filled with so much warmth that she could feel it on her cheeks, yet his words and the undeniably honest tone behind them sent a morbid chill down her spine. “I would’ve become the newest source of your misery.” He answered before walking off, leaving the woman to her thoughts.