RavensDagger

  Chapter Twenty-Four - Meet the Freebootas

  They started as pacifists.

  Aire y, abandonih to look for their fortunes iars, or at least, ieroid belt, because that was as far as they made it.

  The vent, like all the religious fanatiake it out into space, were particurly practical. They believed in teology, they didn't have any major superstitions that would keep them down, and they were retively open to trade and discussion with others.

  Their faith was, for the most part, based on the druidaic. A love for nature which turned into a desperate o escape Earth.

  The irony wasn't lost on them.

  And so they settled in the belt. Devout pacifists, w together to form a peaceful little unity that wao mind its own business, vert the occasional person tired of the grind, and whose primary faith revolved around a set of simple tenants.

  The first was the simplest and most potent: No man shall bear arms against another man.

  That didn't work out so well for them, not when their new home was close to the burgeonire for piracy that was Ceres. A whole y of people that were unable or unwilling to fight back? That was like putting a hobbled rabbit in a pen with starving wolves.

  And so the vent almost died.

  Almost.

  The rule was 'no man shall bear arms.'

  That said nothing about an angry self-procimed witch with a stolen assault rifle awenty pissed off girlfriends.

  The vent's home had turned into a safe space for pirates to e a. They'd steal what they wanted, bully the locals, and generally treat them all like shit. They got used to treating the station like a sed home. They let their guard down.

  In the space of a week, the vent turned into a spao pirate wao visit. Not when every previous pirate had their flensed corpses draped across the station like garnds on a tree.

  From there, the vent grew to be some of the most fearsome bounty hunters, pirates, and freebootas in the system.

  That was what the Held Together was dealing with. The third geion of people who'd bee the most vicious sort of pirate, not because they wao, not because of greed, but out of pin y.

  The creassengers argued in circles for the full three hours before the pirate ships were right on top of them.

  Ivil kept to herself in that time, just watg the tensions rise while tributing nothing to prevent it or push that rise. Instead, she enjoyed watg the reas of everyone. Aurora had gone on the defensive, and seemed increasingly ish. Twenty-Six grew more and more despo, and Missy was growing more casual to the idea of tossing Aurora to the wolves.

  That high tension might have been why everyone jumped as the s panel beeped to tell them of an ining message.

  The captain walked over and stared. "It's a tight-beam, from the lead ship. IFF dispys as the Amelia Earhart."

  "Are you going to answer?" Missy asked.

  The captaiated. "Clear the room," she said

  "I'd rather not," Ivil replied.

  It had the captain's hackles rising, but it also put her in the unenviable situation of having to iate with a crowd. Ivil suspected that if it came to it, the captain would sell Aurora to keep her ship and crew in one piece. It was a lot harder to sell someoo pirates when they were in the room.

  The captain adjusted the little camera lio the 's panel, sat down, then accepted the call. The s filled with fuzz for just a moment before the call ected properly.

  The person oher end immediately gave Ivil pause.

  She was a woman, maybe a few years older than Ivil herself. Long blonde hair tied ly so as to be out of her face, and wearing a white-and-gold jumpsuit with armoured shoulders. The front of it was slipped down, revealing... a lot more than was strictly necessary to reveal. Not that Ivil minded, in the moment.

  "Oh good, you answered," she said. Her voice was husky, a faint purr at once alluring and menag. She'd spoken four words and already Ivil had the impression of a cat that liked to py with its meal.

  The captain swallowed. "I'm the captain of the Held Together," she replied. "I don't imagihis is all a misuanding and you're just saying hello as you slip by?"

  The pirate chuckled. "I'm afraid not, captain. I'm vent Captain Rouge Herring, and you're my delicious little prey. This is a courtesy call. Don't try to run. It'll just mean that we have to blow yines and that'll make everyone's life more plicated. So here's what yoing to do. Yoing to fully shut down yines, and yoing to sve your man thrusters to my ship."

  "What are you pnning on doing?" the captain asked.

  "Sweetie, I'm going to do whatever I want. And so are you. What I want, that is." She leaned forwards, almost spilling out of her jumpsuit, but soon enough Ivil was focused on her smile. "You do what I say, and you might e out of this in one piece, okay?"

  The li dead.

  The captain leaned bato her seat. She didn't move.

  Missy did iead. "Fuck!" she shouted before pung the side of a sol oher side of the bridge. The bridge was otherwise quiet while the s crackled and popped.

  Missy looked around, then stomped out of the bridge.

  "Should we..." Donny started.

  "You have that old gun of yours, still?" the Captain asked.

  "Yeah," he said.

  "Might be a good time to find it."

  He he as well.

  Twenty-Six hesitated, then with a sigh, she moved over to the sole that Missy had punched, opehe panel on its side up with a twist, and started to look at the wires within. Ivil wasn't sure what the value of fixing that now would be, but she didn't tell Twenty-Six not to bother. If it kept her busy, then it was for the best.

  "We're going to fight," the captain said.

  "I didn't bring any ons," Ivil replied. "But I'll help where I ."

  "As will I," Sonic added.

  The captain nodded, and soon Hawke was sent te up what ons he could. Twenty-Six tio tinker quietly in the er. She was breathing hard, on the verge of tears.

  Ivil started to approach her, but was stopped by Sonic. "Ma'am," Sonic muttered. She was keeping the versatioween them, maniputing the sound so that only the two of them would be able to hear.

  "Yes?" Ivil muttered.

  "What do you pn on doing?"

  Ivil sidered it for a moment. "I nning on waiting to see. That pirate was... attractive." Sonic made a sound that might very well have been a sigh. "But she's also a pirate. I'm not too keen on their ilk. Oher hand, this ship is... not ideal. I wouldn't mind seeing where all of this leads, but if the time es where the... potentials are actually threatehen I'll step in."

  "You could take them out now," Sonic pointed out.

  "Easily. But I don't want to. Not yet," Ivil said. Soniodded slowly, then stepped back, allowing Ivil to move past. "If it es to it, though, could you keep an eye on everyo would be a shame for them to die."

  "Of course," Sonic replied.

  Ivil walked over to Twenty-Six, then she gingerly reached out and touched the younger woman on the shoulder. Twenty-Six jumped, then blinked up at Ivil. Her eyes were a little watery, and definitely worried. "Are you alright?" Ivil asked.

  Twenty-Six nodded. "Yeah. Just... Missy broke something. Usually it's Donny that breaks things. I... I don't know if I fix it."

  Ivil g the sole. The wires within looked burned, and she caught a faint odour of melted psti the air. A short circuit? That seemed unlikely, but then the Held Together was a junker, so perhaps it wasn't all that surprising. "Do you need help?"

  "I o rewire it," Twenty-Six said. "It's easy enough."

  Ivil had the impression that Twenty-Six wasn't actually worried about the sole. It would have been foolish of her, and everything she saw poiowards Twenty-Six being clever. "Would you like some help?"

  "I'll mawenty-Six said. She just stared at the mess of wires, not moving. Finally, she reached towards it, but her hands were trembling, and she dropped them. "I don't like it," she said.

  "I see," Ivil replied. "What if I promised that you'd be safe?"

  Twenty-six chuckled darkly. "Thanks. I don't know... I don't know if that would actually help any. But thanks."

  "Just stick close. No one will hurt you while I'm around. And maybe if everything ght, we'll e out of this ier shape thaarted? That's certainly happeo me a couple of times."

  "Thanks," Twenty-Six said again. "Really, I... I'm just worried."

  "And that's natural. There's a lot to be worried about. I don't know about this old ship, but you, at least, I keep safe. I promise. And that's a promise that's worth more than you might imagine."

  ***

  RavensDagger

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