The violet skinned doctor had helped Rachel into a wheelchair and was now wheeling it along the ship’s cramped feeling hallways. The space was more than enough for human sized creatures, but Rachel spent all her life in rooms and halls sized for much larger species. She guessed that maybe this was actually spacious by human standards, but to her it felt small.

The ship, from what she could tell, was clean. Clean in an almost eerie sort of way, like someone had been scrubbing the floors and walls with a fanatical vigor.

When she asked about it, the Torweni doctor shrugged. “The Bosun needs to keep the deck crews busy or else they’ll cause trouble. Normally we’d arrange some shore leave, but your fellow officers have displayed a despotic level of excessive force and incompetence.”

Rachel scowled “You judge us, but your world is probably no better.” She retorted bitterly.

“It is. By a large lead too. The Union may have better technology, but Torwen is a world where a global majority of poverty has been defeated. We’ve been at peace for over a century, have achieved universal free health care, education, rigid social support networks, and more importantly our people don’t look at the police with fear and hate. Whereas the Union seems to fail its every ideal. I have seen more poverty, discrimination, oppression, and crime since leaving my supposed ‘deathworld’ than I ever thought possible. Personally I’m of the opinion that it takes conscious effort to be this corrupt and oppressive.” The doctor retorted.

“Says the woman who joined a pirate crew. Of course you would see crime if your hanging with criminals.” Rachel shot back.

“Allegedly. I allegedly joined a crew of alleged pirates.” the Doctor said. “I went on a date with my boyfriend-”

“-The one you tased?” Rachel interrupted.

She scowled “Yes, him. On our date we found a little girl who had been separated from her family, we helped her find her mom, and for our troubles the SS tazed and beat us in thanks. And from what the rest of the crew has seen, that sort of treatment appears to be the norm here.”

“A few bad eggs” Rachel protested, but it sounded weak even to her ears. She remembered the Cék’ek officer pointing a gun at her chest.

“Maybe” the doctor said, “but its been my experience that free and benevolent government’s don’t have a need for a secret police force specifically outfitted to deal with only one demographic of society.”

“The Union doesn’t have a secret police force.”

“Oh, and what would you call dark robed spooks who violently oppress deathworlders.”

Rachel scowled at the doctor behind her. “The ADCU was founded because deathworlders are too dangerous for ordinary people to handle.”

“Sounds speciest to me.” The doctor retorted. She looked up “we’re here.” She announced as they arrived before a closed door.

It slid to the side with a whoosh, and the doctor pushed Rachel into what was either a staff meeting room, or a satanic alter.

Rachel stared at the pirates choice of table “You really take this whole satanic pirate thing too far.” She grumbled.

Astarte raised an eyebrow. “Allegedly.”

Rachel really hated that word.

“Officer Heart” A familiar male voice said. She turned away from Astarte to see a bizarre sight, Judge, sitting stiff backed next to a mountainous pirate with bright orange hair.

She had dismissed him at first because he looked just like another one of the pirates, wearing his dark blue robes and hakama he looked like everyone else here. Even the Torweni wore traditional style robes.

“Judge?” Rachel asked, not believing her eyes.

He nodded “I am glad to see you are alive and well.”

“Yes” Astarte said, “but why are you in my old wheelchair?”

“The others were all taken up.” the doctor said, “and how do you know this one was yours.”

“You spend a month stuck in a wheelchair and you learn to recognize its squeaks.” Astarte said with a wave of her hand. “Again, why is she in a wheelchair. You said the surgery was a success?”

“Because-” the doctor said through gritted teeth, “her surgery was less than eight hours ago, and she should be taking it easy.” It sounded like the doctor had this particular argument before.

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Astarte quirked an eyebrow, “is she able to sit at a normal chair, or will we need to get the ramp out so she can sit at the table?”

The doctor frowned. “Sitting should be fine, but I don’t want her walking about.” The doctor relented. She pushed Rachel up to the seat next to judge and helped her into the surprisingly comfortable chair.

Judge gave her a concerned glance, and Rachel nodded to let him know she was fine.

“We should begin-” Judge said, but Astarte cut him off with a raised hand.

“Not yet, I made a promise.” Astarte clapped her hands, and a burly women with full length arm tattoos pushed and cart in and began passing out glass beverages with a red and white label.

Rachel read the label. “Coke?”

“I did make a promise.” Astarte stated plainly.

Oddly Rachel felt touched by that, even knowing the pirate had been deceiving her the whole time.

Judge glared “Can we start now?” he asked sarcastically.

Astarte leaned on one hand “Sure, why not. So, mister chief of station security, why are you on my ship?” her tone was casual, but the hostile looks from the rest of the assembled crew sent shivers down her spine.

Judge met her stare with a glare. “I came to ensure the safety of my subordinate.”

“Well as you can see she’s safe. Should I bill the SS for the cost of her treatment?”

Judge’s eye twitched in annoyance. “I am also here, to ask for help?” he said slowly, as of pained to say it.

“Our help?” Astarte said slowly, as if testing how the words felt. “Help with what?”

“Capturing Zera, and bringing my brother to justice.” Judge said.

Astarte’s eye brow went up, and she sat straight in her chair. Her posture still relaxed, but her eyes sharp. “I have no interest in your family politics.”

Judge raised his own eyebrow. “Our family politics, niece.” He stated calmly.

The room tensed, and the looks Judge was getting now went from hostile to murderous.

The big red haired one at Judge’s side rose. “Ya scum suckin, bottom feedin, bastard.” He growled. “I should snap yar nech righ’ ‘ere an’ now.” His accent so thick Rachel could hardly comprehend it.

“Bosun!” Karega snapped. “Sit down.” He ordered.

The hairy man, who must have been the Bosun, glared mutinously at Karega. “Anee brother o’tha coward doesn’t deserve ta breath our air. I was da wan who found Lucile, beaten an’ swollen wi’ child. I saw the haunted look en da lass’s eyes as we weened her aff da poison dey fed her. I won’ suffer his existence fer wan minute.”

“Terry” Astarte said softly, “Lucile knows, and she has agreed to wait. Would you take her vengeance from her.”

The mountain of man looked conflicted, but the fury left his shoulders. “Noh” he said sullenly before sitting down.

Astarte’s hawkish gaze focused on Judge. “How do you know?”

“Officer Heart retrieved your blood after Zera’s first attack. We did a DNA test.” Judge answered.

Astarte’s eyes briefly flicked towards Rachel before returning to Judge. “And how do we know that it wasn’t you? Correct me if I’m wrong, but DNA would only confirm our relationship, but not paternity.”

Judge’s face hardened. “I am quite certain.”

“That’s nice” Astarte said sweetly, “But that doesn’t do jack shit to assure us your not the man we need to kill.”

“He’s like me” Rachel felt herself blurt out.

Astarte turned her way. “Like you how?”

“He’s… like me, but with men.” Rachel said staring at her lap, too ashamed to meet Judges eyes after she betrayed his secret.

“Rachel-” Judge said, his voice filled with betrayal.

Astarte sighed, “For fuck’s sake.” She interjected. “I don’t give a damn if your gay or not. Half the people in this room are queer in one way or another. It’s only a big deal on stupid back-asswards stations full of hypocrites and bigots.”

Rachel looked up, only to see half the people around the table nod in agreement. Including Karega, the hairy bosun, and the burly women.

Judge cleared his throat. “I also have files. Files that show he has done such things before.”

Astarte looked back towards Judge. “I’ll want to see those. Any recent cases?”

He shook his head. “No, I was brash and let him know I was onto him.”

“Then he must have a new source, predators like that don’t just change over night. How did you learn?”

He looked down. “I found one of his, ‘girls’.”

Astarte raised an eyebrow. “As in victim, or illegitimate daughter?”

“Both.”

Astarte looked surprised. “I’ll want that info as well.”

Judge scowled “No, I will not betray the confidence they placed in me.”

Astarte quirked her head to the side. “I’m not going to hurt my own half-sister. I just want to get them off station. Things are bad enough for humans as it is, and after what Zera did this morning-”

“What did she do?” Rachel interjected.

“There was a massacre at Chion park this morning” Judge explained. “It is the other reason I came here today. Zera must be stopped before her antics cause a mass hysteria towards the station’s human residents.”

“I wouldn’t have pegged you as someone who cared about the suffering of humans on this station.” Karega added with notes of surprise.

Judge scowled. “Whatever your opinions of the ADCU, know that before I created the task force things were much worse for humans. Officers killing humans on a daily basis resulted a weeks of rioting and terrorist attacks. The ADCU made dealing with Deathworlders no longer the prerogative of the street level officer. I have been trying to mend the rift ever since I took the job, but deathworlder criminals like you and Zera make that a seemingly impossible task.”

Rachel nodded “As soon as we clean up one gang of Terran thugs another one appears. The latest one has even begun kidnapping people in broad day light.”

The doctor, who had seated herself across from Judge quirked her head. “This gang wouldn’t happen to be a bunch of chimps by any chance?”

“So you’ve heard of them.” Rachel said in surprise.

The crew exchanged troubled looks.

Astarte sighed. “Yes, we have. My chief of ship security ingested a bit of their blood during an altercation. We have since then been clued onto the existence of a potential bioweapon targeted at Terrans. It blocks common sense while raising the victims hormones into a flurried state of aggression. We call it the murder bo-”

“Unity 79” the Doctor said, speaking over Astarte.

The pirate gave her doctor a pitying look. “Give it up Bones, your never going to win this debate.”

The doctor crossed her arms. “I am not writing ‘murder boner’ virus in any professional medical report.”

“Murder boner?” Judge asked questioningly.

“My crews nickname for the bioweapon.” Astarte explained.

“And you are sure it is a bioweapon?” Judge asked skeptically.

“Yes” The doctor stated with confidence. “The virus bares obvious evidence of genetic tampering. I don’t know the full details, but its specifically targeted at Terran biology. It interacts with an unknown element in the nucleus in Terran blood cells to produce a sort of pseudo-virus that then attaches itself to certain elements in the brain. Stopping the production of some hormones while increasing the production of others.”

“Beyond the DNA evidence of tampering its effects are too blatantly targeted to illicit a certain type of behavior.” Astarte said. “We’ll need more live specimens to be sure. But we’re confident that a good portion of the irrational actions of Terrans on Unity may be attributed to this bioweapon.”

“How can you be so sure?” Rachel challenged.

“Because, despite the harsh treatment of Terrans, and the discriminatory laws targeting their livelihoods, the people here are acting far too aggressively. I’ve seen destitute people living in slums act with more rationality.” Astarte said confidently.

“And what purpose would that serve?” Judge snapped.

Astarte leaned back. “Genocide.”

Rachel and Judge were stunned into a silence. But the rest of the pirates seemed to just accept this as true, like they all knew that the Union was trying to commit a species wide genocide.