(Pirate Vessel Nightfall,
Vulsore System)
Captain Marcela Stevens, known as the Red Fox to the public,
and either ‘Cap’n Stevens’ or ‘that fine piece of ass’ to her crews, depending
on whether they thought she was listening in on them, had the dubious distinction
of being the first Nomad to become a Pirate Captain. Like many seasoned gamers,
she’d chosen the hardest start available to her, to get the points to make
herself badass from the beginning. Unfortunately for her, that start had
dropped her into the lap of Marcus ‘the Rabid Dog’ Blackmore. She tried
fighting, but even being as good as she was there was no way she could take on
all the pirates at once. Someone got her with a stunner, and everything went
dark.
She was collared and enslaved. She had to endure the
tortures and ‘training’ that Blackmore put her through, but her persistence
paid off. One day, Blackmore forgot to give her orders not to do anything or to
go back to the crew once he was through using her, and fell asleep. After that,
escape was as simple as using the captain’s own bracer to release her. A bloody
mutiny later, and ‘Captain’ Stevens was the only living soul on the ship, aside
from the fresh slaves that had been captured (and the reason the former Captain
had been celebrating so hard). The slaves, not having anywhere else to go,
joined her as crew, at least until they could make port someplace that wouldn’t
shoot them on sight or try and enslave them again.
Madrigal Base was a shithole, but she was able to get some
new crew, and her story of how she killed the Rabid Dog brought her to the
notice of ‘Fierce’ Deverell Lark, and got herself brought in as Clan. Soon, she
had established a reputation as being one of the Clan’s rising stars. And
anyone that tried to stop her ended up very, very dead. That led to her being
given additional responsibility, which is why her Nightfall was the leader of this group of five ships from the Clan,
one of six such groups that made up the thirty ships of the Lark Clan, not
including the Leader’s Group of three ships. Only the Shaxidor and Duskspine
clans came close to their numbers, if they were all in place at once.
“Cap’n! We just got a message from the Maddy on those
automatic transmitters we got put in last year!”
Marcela smirked for just an instant at that. The
transmitters were HER idea, after all, a secret that could be used to warn off
the Clan if anything happened to the Maddy, or call them together if there was
a score too big for any group to handle alone and too tempting to leave alone.
But it hadn’t been used since a brief test, to ensure it worked. Something must
have happened.
“Well, what does it say, boy?”
“Cap’n Lark’s group has been taken by Black Star and the
Confeds! They were waiting at the ‘gate’ to the minefield. We got one other transmission,
too, someone’s trying to take control of the Maddy from inside!”
Marcela cursed. Of course, Black Star would have to come to
her area. She’d been warning Lark for months that the rapid increase in piracy
in the area would cause them troubles if the local politicians decided to call
in a ‘fixer’ to get rid of the problem. He’d not taken her seriously enough,
and now he was done.
“How much of the Clan was on the Maddy?”
The young pirate she’d put as her comm officer shook his
head, and said, “Don’t know, Cap’n. The message got cut off before we could get
any details. But there were at least three groups there when we left, with a
couple others expected in the next few days.”
She nodded, and said, “And what of the other clans? How many
of their ships were out? Who’s left?”
“Cap’n, there were ten Shaxidor ships in port when we left,
and seven Duskspine. But we passed ten more of the Duskspine as we left the
minefield, coming back after a raid. Can’t be more than fifteen ships from the
other two major clans out there, and a good portion of the independents and
smaller clans would have been stuck in, as well.
Marcela Stevens shook her head. “So, only twenty ships from
the Three Clans are left? There’s no way we’ll be able to get a group willing and
able to fight back against Black Star, certainly not and take the Maddy back.
Not with those numbers.”
Her Second, Amra ‘Deadshot’ Caitoris, looked over to her.
“You thinking that these Black Stars somehow managed to go and take the MADDY?
How would they get in?”
“I’m a Nomad, remember? I’ve seen what that leader of the
Black Stars has done. Last time pirates became an issue for him, he went
straight back to their base, and blasted the hell out of all the pirates in the
sector. That’s why there’s so many newbies who piss themselves at the mention
of Black Star around here. And during the Imperial Civil War, he somehow
managed to infiltrate a NAVY FLEET BASE and take it over from the inside,
before ordering the surrender. You think the Maddy is more secure than a Fleet
Base in wartime?”
“What’ll we do then, Cap’n?”
Captain ‘Red Fox’ Stevens sighed, and closed her eyes for
just a moment. Then, she took a deep breath, straightened up, and said, “We’ll
not be standing against this current. With the Maddy gone, every pirate in the
sector will be scrambling for a new place, and they’ll be disorganized. Enough
that the Black Stars or the Navy can pick them off, a couple at a time. Let the
group know, we’re heading across the border to the Alliance, as a ‘mercenary’
group. You think a couple of those Alliance worlds would be willing to pay a
bunch of pirates to ensure that no other pirates get a hold in their system?”
Deadshot laughed, and said, “Aye, Captain. Especially with
those Kul’tiran snobs getting kicked around not long ago.”
(Pirate Vessel Freeman’s
Fate, Madrigal System)
“Well, this is damn peculiar, is all I’m saying. Shax has
never called us all in at the same time before. He hates the whole deal of the
whole Clan being in one place at the same time, even at the Maddy. Says it
makes us vulnerable.”
“Look, I get it, I do. But you heard the message same as I
did. The Cap’n is spooked, and he’s needing us back at the Maddy, so we can
plan a way to get out of this whole ‘Black Star’ situation without the fleet
getting caught.”
The first pirate shook his head. “Sure, Cap’n. But that
don’t mean it isn’t damn peculiar. What could have gotten to Shax so bad that
it made him act like this? And if I’m saying it, you know the rest of the boys
are saying it, or thinking it.”
“I know. And I’m wondering the same thing, myself. But we
ain’t going to get answers just sitting around in space. And if Black Star
really is out there, I like our chances with the Maddy’s defenses on our side
better than if we just see them in open space, you know? But hey, we’re almost
there, and we’ll be able to get the answers we need.”
And that was when the alarms began sounding.
(Pirate Vessel Raider
of Catan, Zanchul Station, Tietera System)
“Damn it all, what do you mean that Gilwarin has gone
missing? What the hell is going on?”
“Cap’n, we got the reports in. Looks like Gilwarin was
having a meet with Shaxidor at that restaurant he likes, the one with the real
meat. But they both got taken out sick all of a sudden, and disappeared before
they reached the Health Center!”
The Captain looked at the footage, and cursed loudly. “FUCK!
Gilwarin isn’t missing, you fools! He’s been grabbed! That was a professional
hit on him and Shaxidor! Disconnect us! I want to be out of this system as soon
as possible!”
“Captain! We’ve got troopers outside the airlock! Looks like
they’re going to try boarding us!”
“Shit! Navy just dropped stealth on top of us, saying
they’re the Luvon Gilrie. They’re
demanding we surrender or be destroyed!”
(CNS Nym Hailana,
Interstellar Space)
“Captain, we’ve taken another hit on the port quarter.
Engines at 68% and holding, for now. The Engineer isn’t certain how long he can
keep this going, however.”
“I know. We just have to keep it together until the convoy
escapes from the tarpit. The closest Navy ship is at Tietera, three days away.”
“What would make the Duskspine clan suddenly get bold enough
to try and attack a cruiser, though? Even if we are just a light cruiser, we
outgun their little corvettes and frigates. If we weren’t forced to cover the
convoy, we would have destroyed them all already.”
“I don’t know, but something must have made them desperate.
I just wish I knew what it was.”
“CAPTAIN! New ships coming out of warp, at the edge of the
tarpit! Seven ships in total, but six of them are barely larger than
shuttlecraft! Scanners say that they’re Black Star! That big ship is reading as
the Shinokage!”
“Incoming transmission!”
“On screen!”
“This is the BSN Shinokage. We have received your distress call and
are willing to offer our assistance as part of our existing anti-piracy
contract in this sector. Keep those freighter’s safe, Captain, and we’ll get
these flies off you.”
(A private room in a respectably discrete restaurant, Dimiya
City, Dimiya)
Alok Paxisys truly enjoyed this restaurant. Whenever
possible, he tried to have his meetings here. It wasn’t that it was known for
having great food, or even having a reputation for discretion. For those who
knew, those things were both true, but the reason Paxisys enjoyed this place
was that it was barely known at all. It was one of those little restaurants
that never made the news, never ran ads, and never seemed to be completely
empty, even at slow times. The majority of the clientele were simply businessmen
and women looking for a decent meal and a drink on their break from work, or
perhaps something to eat on their way home after. It was so positively normal
that it was completely unremarkable to most people.
For a spy, who made a business of blending into crowds, it
was like heaven. A couple people in business suits chatting as they ate? No one
paid any attention, so long as they kept their voices to a reasonable level.
You just had to make sure to talk around any sensitive information, and anyone
who might listen in from a couple tables over would simply think you were
talking about yet another business deal.
He had just finished his first drink when his companion for
lunch arrived, looking quite pleased with himself. “Oh-hoh! Zumrora you dog!
Did you get that account you were talking about? Or perhaps that redhead you
were eyeing finally fell to your charms?”
Maeral Zumrora chuckled, and shook his head as he sat down.
“I’ll tell you about it in a moment, but it’ll keep until the kitchen gets our
order.” As if by magic, the server appeared at their table, and once they gave
her their orders, they relaxed a bit until after Zumrora took his first sip of
his beer. “Ah, I do enjoy the drinks here.”
Paxisys chuckled, and took a sip of his own drink. “So, I
take it things have gone well for you?”
“Oh, better than I could have possibly imagined. You know
that contractor we’ve used in the past? Well, he’s definitely showing solid
work yet again. If I didn’t know he’d refuse, I’d offer to take him on permanently.”
“Ah, yes, that one enjoys his freedom too much to get tied
down to any job that someone else gives him. So, he’s gone in and done his
troubleshooting routine again, I take it?”
“Yes, somehow he managed to get an invite to that exclusive
retreat in the Madrigal System, and started cleaning house before anyone knew
what hit them. Efficient work as always. And the intern we sent with him
managed a pretty big score, herself, recovering some lost assets that had been
missing since the last major reshuffle. Getting to close the K. Daven account
is a major feather in her cap, you know.”
“And what about the competition? I know there was some
staunch opposition in that area, from at least three companies, right?”
“Oh, they’ve been hit hard by legal action for the stuff
they’ve been doing. Two of them are almost completely out of commission, their
assets seized. The third had a group that went rogue, and we think they ran for
it. There’s some minor players out there, as well, but they’re not anything the
local office can’t handle.”
“Excellent! I think this calls for another round of drinks!”
“Ah, Paxisys, I knew there was a reason I liked you!”
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Be sure to read my published works!
Frozen Soul series (Sci-Fi Supervillain story):
Frozen Soul https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071R125QT
Tales of the Void Traveler https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ52G37
Rules-Free VRMMO Life (Dark Fantasy GameLit):
Volume 1 - Tutorial
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VPRNDB
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rules-free-vrmmo-life-stuart-grosse/1128941349?ean=2940161995297
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rules-free-vrmmo-life-omnibus-i-stuart-grosse/1128953195?ean=2940162052081
Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL
Omnibus I - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2KR7Y
City of Champions Online (Superhero GameLit):
Issue I - Origin Stories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SHXQS1
Lewd Dungeon (Dungeon Core GameLit):
Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB34DHF
Omnibus 1 - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FBPF6HR
The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T
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