(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?”
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“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!”