Entry for IF 2-6
Here you go
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äWhat the fuck....ô The words stood out in the dead silence that had ruled over the bridge for the last few seconds. Even the near constant chatter of the compiling-droids had been shushed. No one had managed to come up with the right words for their current situation till those words had been uttered.
Turning around, the man who had spoken pointed his finger at the girl standing behind him.
Her face was a mask of indifference. Her entourage too was silent, faces set in stone.
äA worldship.ô Jack practically spat the words out and he mentally noted that she did flinch a bit at the sheer venom he had put in those words. One of her hands unconsciously came up to put a strand of her dark hair behind her ear before she fought the impulse down.
äIt would seem that way.ô Her voice was still cold, completely empty of the anxiety she must have been feeling. He had to give her credit for that at least. She acted the Princess through and through.
äIt would se....for fucks sake, girl, do you realize what that means? Do you have any idea who you must have pissed off to get a goddamn worldship on our asses? Those things are monstrous. The sheer resources it takes to build even one are insane.ô
He gestured to the screen, still showing the dark giant form of the planet-ship. It was still spherical, a memory of its former life as a proper world. Whatever colors the surface might have had were gone though, replaced by dark steel, plastics and some of its more exotic components. Only the best hardware was used for a world-ship and the manufacturing process took close to a year. And that was with the workforce of an entire world behind. He had watched the building process himself once, on a manufacturing world affiliated with him. Tiny spires rose up from that artificial surface, billions of them, like tiny needles pointing straight at the empty sky.
Not a bad metaphor he mused, they were probably an assortment of missile batteries, laser batteries, sensors, drone-hangers.
Not that it needed those weapons to destroy his ship. The ôRecklessö was a good ship, old maybe but over the centuries he had made sure too keep it up to date with the newest technology he could get, even if that had meant pretty much tearing it to shreds at times. Some of the old hardware was just too outdated to integrate the new parts successfully.
Most other ships would find the ôRecklessö a target not that easily engaged. The engine alone was a masterpiece of human genius. Jack had spend more resources on its development than most civilizations ever saw over the course of their existence. He was willing to bet that he could out-run any other ship in this part of the universe.
The weapons systems he had left in the capable hands of his old friend Goo'shen. The old alien may have lost his sharp eye over the years as well as some of his marbles, but, he still had connections to his people.
And as far as weapon manufacturers went, Jack liked the Shen. It took guts for an entire race to specialize on weapons sale. Especially considering that the Shen were at most 1,20m tall, with the strength one would expect from a human child.
But they were top notch. Their factories never stopped, their engineers never tired. The sheer joy they took in coming up with new weapons of (mass) destruction would have seemed creepy if they didn't look like children having fun.
ôThe ôRecklessö is as good a ship as I could make it with my resources but those guys don't even need to shoot us...they just need to ram us and we're toast. Hell, if we get caught in their engine-backlash we're dead. The only reason why we haven't been vaporized already is because they most likely want us alive and because they can't really enter a star-system that easily.ö
ôAre you giving up already Captain? It seems the limits of the most famous pirate the universe has ever seen are not that far at all.ö Her voice was still cold but the mocking edge was neatly carried along. Enough of an insult to goad him into action, not enough to make him shoot her in the head and be on his way.
Jack narrowed his eyes before leaning forward, shortening the distance between their faces to mere a few inches.
ôLook Princess. The only reason why I didn't shoot you and your entire entourage of boot-lickers out of an airlock is because I pitied you and your whole ômy world is doomed, please please help usö routine. So why don't you watch your tone like a good little pampered princess?ö He eyed her carefully, waiting for any sign of her cracking but there was none. He had to fight the impulse to smile. As crazy as the girl was, for a child she wasn't that bad.
ôSurely there must be a way to bring down a ship like this? Did you not yourself boast about having more power at your fingertips than many civilizations.ö She said as she calmly ignored his implied thread. One of her eyebrows rose a bit after she finished, as if in doubt.
Was she starting to doubt his remarks? Or had she been doubting all along and was now trying to find out what he truly was capable?
Sighing he turned back to the monitor, staring at the world-ship again.
ôThere are and I do. Breaker-Ships were created with the explicit purpose of destroying world-ships or worlds quickly and from far enough away to survive the return-fire. But those things are damn expensive and the ones I can get would take time to procure.ö
Before she could answer, there was a shrill screech as the alarms went off.
Glancing to the monitor he had to wait only few seconds before a new image appeared, showing a field of debris.
ôI will assume that was....a planet?ö The compiling-droids beeped once and more information appeared on screen. The second to closest planet to this systems star. An uninhabitable waste of red rock and an acid atmosphere.
Now all that was left were space debris.
ôWell, it seems our friends out there are getting a bit impatient. We better think of something fast and..ö He broke off when another string of data appeared. Blinking he narrowed his eyes before glaring at the monitor with the world-ship again.
ôThey lowered their teleport shields. Do they want to invite us over for tea after that wholesome spectacle or what?ö
ôWhy don't you just storm it if we are given this chance?ö The question came too fast to be anything but prepared, most likely to make him lose his pace.
It did that pretty damn well as he turned back to the girl with an unreadable face.
ô....storm it?...Are you insane? No..wait..don't answer that, I know you are. It's a freaking world-ship. That thing must have a crew of maybe 10 billion people. What do you expect me to do? Use my magic-wand and make them our friends?ö Jack practically yelled as he finished, his patience finally having ran up. The princess had been one problem after another since he had come to this god-forsaken galaxy.
ôI fail to see what danger mere soldiers could pose to an immortal like you?ö
Her answer brought to halt any and all side-conversation that had been going on at the bridge.
ôThere is little reason to hide this anymore. You, Jack Podinsky, are a human. An immortal pirate.ö She took a step to stand face-to-face with him. Her gaze again as cold as ice.
ôAm I now? And suppose I am one of those immortal pirates....what do you think that would change when faced with this?ö He made a throw-a-away gesture to the monitor still showing the world-ship, looming in the inter-stellar room, waiting for them to leave the star-system they were currently in.
ôYou were there, weren't you?ö
ôWhere? I've been to a lot of worlds, princess, some nicer then others...some without overly curious beings prying into my private life.ö His answer comes out smoothly, supported by a lazy smile.
ôThe Declaration of Freedom....When humanity's golden age began. That moment, 12000 years ago when your kind broke free from their enslavers and spread out among the stars. You were there when it happened. You were one of the first to flee from earth, the first of the immortal pirates to reach for the stars, weren't you?ö He could detect traces of curiosity in her voice. And something else. He has been reading people for so long that it is a bit vexing that he isn't sure what she is thinking.
ôAnd if I was, what of it, princess? Do you really think I would still remember that, something that happened 12000 years ago? Sorry to burst your imagination bubble but I don't...and even if I did, what of it?ö This time his dismissive tone was spot on, he knew that the moment he saw the fire in her eyes.
ôHow can you say that? You are a living relict of freedom! More than that, if what the tales say are true, you must have seeded millions of worlds. Dozens of Millions. Hundreds of Millions even. And they all owe you loyalty. With that power we could fight against our enemies, no, we could crush them like ants. Destroy them and make sure they could never threaten our worlds ever again.ö Bulls Eye. He had gotten to her, finally.
Jack allowed himself a smile as he watched her passionate speech. When she finished he didn't even give her time enough to gather her breath again.
ôWell, sounds like you got it all planned out, your highness. Say..while we're at it, why don't we try conquering this entire galaxy. It's not like anyone here could stop me if I wanted to.ö
Her blush was still there but her expression was guarded again.
ôCome to think of it....that's right. No one here could stop me, no matter what I do.ö
He gave her a look that could only be called lecherous. In fact he was sure on some planets he could be accused of rape with such a stare.
To her credit she did not flinch, nor blush or give any strong reaction at all. Nothing betrayed her but the little vein around her temple, pumping, pumping and pumping.
ôI...apologize...this was uncalled for. Forget I said anything.ö Her voice was strong but the way she evaded his eyes for a moment was enough to show him that she was suitable chastised.
And now he could worry about that world-ship again.
ôCaptain? There is something you might want to know.ö Tain, his first lieutenant, a pure-breed Karan, a race of swindlers and gamblers renowned through their entire galaxy, came up to him, bending forward slightly to whisper in his ears.
ôThis world-ship was manufactured at Balath III, Captain, in the Milky Way.ö
ôYou're kidding me?ö
ôNo, with as much accuracy as we can expect given our situation we can say that this world-ship was build by one of our own planets.ö
Jack couldn't help it. He snickered loudly before catching himself again and turning to the Princess.
ôWell, seems like you got your wish, girl, we're going to do the suicidal thing and board this little ball of death and plasma over there.ö This time he can identify the glimmer of hope in her eyes as what it is.
ôAnd since you were the one you came up with this you will accompany my men and I.ö At his words the entourage behind her suddenly lost their carefully cultivated calm as they cried out in indignation.
ôHow dare you even suggest such a thing, you damn pirate. The princess is far too valuable to our people to squander her like this.ö
ôWell, too bad. She brought us into this shit-hole of a situation, she sure as hell is going to help me get us out of it. So, your royal highness, can you handle a weapon or do we have to use your feminine charms as your only weapon?ö
This time she did blush a bit but in the same moment her right arm blurred and a short, knife-like weapon stopped a mere half an inch before his throat. He made an effort to ignore the weapon and and stared at her face instead, whistling slowly.
ôImpressive, so they taught you more than just politics on that mudball of yours? Any other talents you'd like to share with me, Princess?ö
ôI have acquired sufficient survival skills over the last few years to fend for myself, Captain. I will not be the weak point of this operation.ö Her voice was still as cold as ice, but her face...her face was a whole different story now. Maybe it was because her entourage couldn't see her face from this angle but for the first time since they had met she was smiling.
She was holding a blade to his throat and talking in a voice that could have frozen anyone spine instantly but he couldn't help it.
Jack smiled back.
ôGood, good. We'll make a proper little pirate out of you yet, your Highness. Off we go then.ö
He completely ignored the outcries of her little boot-lickers as he took out a smooth silvery ring and threw it at her, smirking at her confused expression.
ôWe're teleporting in, that's your ticket to the adventure, your signature ring, put it on and we can leave.ö
Nodding she slipped it on, before looking back at him again.
ôLet's go. Tain, you have command till we come back.ö
ôOf course captain, good hunting.ö
There was nothing to prepare them for the teleport. A moment where up and down seemed to switch a thousand times and then it was over. Their surroundings had changed, black had displaced the gentle blue of the ôRecklessö.
ôHow do we proceed form here, Captain?ö Her question was followed by a sound not unlike that of slurping as her dress suddenly become tighter and smaller, losing any ends that might trip her.
ôWe wait for our gamble to pay offö His answer was short and fast, and sure to perplex her. Before she could question him though they felt a shudder run through the ship. From somewhere far away a screeching sound could be heard.
And the thump thump of explosions all around them. Throwing Jack a confused look the Princess readied herself for any enemies that might follow this ruckus.
ôYou see, what my first lieutenant told me was quite important. This ship was build on a world that I seeded. Quite some time ago.ö
He grinned.
ôNow, when we teleported here, a message was send to this ship, on all frequencies as well as a self-replicating message-virus, because, as much as I admire their sheer guts of using a ship that was build by me against me, this might prove....very vexing for them.ö
He could see her eyes light up as she realized his intent.
ôYou told them who you are....and what you intend to do.ö
Another set of explosions can be heard and felt and then a door in front of them opened, as several soldiers, clad in black and grey entered the corridor they had arrived in. Before any shot could be fired the first scream echoed through the corridor.
ôHE'S HERE. OH GOD, HE'S HERE. RUN YOU FOOLS!ö
The soldiers had taken but a single look at Jack's figure, clad in his overcoat and with his ceremonial sabre by his side before they turned around and ran.
ôWell...we can't expect all of them to react like that, after all no one would staff a ship like this with a crew from a single planet. But this disturbance will prove useful at least. Let's go people.ö
Taking the lead, he went straight for the door. Only to throw himself down and into a roll as lasers and bullets suddenly impacted against the corridor wall behind. Another roll and he was out of the arc of sight again. He stood up and slowly drew his Sabre, before gesturing for the others to support him. The Princess and the soldiers at her side advanced with no sound, slowly fawning out as to not offer an optimal target for any explosives. Coming to a rest next to him she draw her knife and activated its energy-field.
ôIt seems not all of them fear your as they should?ö Her question was barely a whisper as they waited for any sign of their enemy.
ôTrue....but that's why you're here. Ready?ö He had expected an immediate answer and turned to her as non came.
Again, that look he couldn't quite describe.
ôWill you really do it?ö
ôHm?ö
ôMake me a pirate? Can you really do that?ö He didn't show any reaction at first, but when he finally answered she could hear the grin in his voice.
ôThat depends, your highness....but come to think of it...you never told me your real name?ö
ô...Xanthia...my name is Xanthia....ö Again that undefinable emotion. How long had that name not been used, he wondered. How long are you royalty? That's a life-sentence, alright.
ôWell then, Xanthia....you want to be a pirate? You think you have what it takes to be free? Fine, then I will teach you what I means to be a pirate!ö
His arm and sabre blurred for a moment and then it was gone. No, she realized with a start, it was embedded into the side-wall of the door, up to the hilt and she could hear the sound of someone in a great deal of pain from the other side.
ôFirst Lesson. Don't expect anything. Nothing is assured in this business, least of all survival.ö
There was no flash, no muted glow of an energy-field. And yet when he pulled the sabre, it cut through the ultra-hard steel and plastic as if it were made of warm butter.
ôIf you want to survive, you have to roll the dice and hope lady luck likes you more than the bastards trying to shoot you full of holes.ö
All hell broke loose as the door exploded inwards, crushing one of their soldiers immediately. Weapons fire poured through the entry and then the first soldiers rushed in.
ôSo, you think you're ready for the biggest gamble in your entire life, Xanthia? You think yo have what it takes?ö He was shouting over the sound of explosions so that she could hear him.
In contrast her whisper was next to impossible to hear. She was looking him straight in the eyes as she answered and he didn't need to hear what word she spoke to know her answer. Her knife in her enemies throat was enough. She was a survivor. And honest to god he found that more attractive than any low-cut dress she might have had.
Of course now he owed Tain 20 credits for falling for that murderous little Pirate turned Princess.
A slash to the side decapitated a soldier almost as an afterthought. Oh well, he should have known better than to gamble with that damn Karan. He never won.
He watched her knife flash through another soldier before she rolled to the sight and away from the incoming fire.
Well he could live with the consequences.....this time.
Here you go
---------------------------------------------------------------------
äWhat the fuck....ô The words stood out in the dead silence that had ruled over the bridge for the last few seconds. Even the near constant chatter of the compiling-droids had been shushed. No one had managed to come up with the right words for their current situation till those words had been uttered.
Turning around, the man who had spoken pointed his finger at the girl standing behind him.
Her face was a mask of indifference. Her entourage too was silent, faces set in stone.
äA worldship.ô Jack practically spat the words out and he mentally noted that she did flinch a bit at the sheer venom he had put in those words. One of her hands unconsciously came up to put a strand of her dark hair behind her ear before she fought the impulse down.
äIt would seem that way.ô Her voice was still cold, completely empty of the anxiety she must have been feeling. He had to give her credit for that at least. She acted the Princess through and through.
äIt would se....for fucks sake, girl, do you realize what that means? Do you have any idea who you must have pissed off to get a goddamn worldship on our asses? Those things are monstrous. The sheer resources it takes to build even one are insane.ô
He gestured to the screen, still showing the dark giant form of the planet-ship. It was still spherical, a memory of its former life as a proper world. Whatever colors the surface might have had were gone though, replaced by dark steel, plastics and some of its more exotic components. Only the best hardware was used for a world-ship and the manufacturing process took close to a year. And that was with the workforce of an entire world behind. He had watched the building process himself once, on a manufacturing world affiliated with him. Tiny spires rose up from that artificial surface, billions of them, like tiny needles pointing straight at the empty sky.
Not a bad metaphor he mused, they were probably an assortment of missile batteries, laser batteries, sensors, drone-hangers.
Not that it needed those weapons to destroy his ship. The ôRecklessö was a good ship, old maybe but over the centuries he had made sure too keep it up to date with the newest technology he could get, even if that had meant pretty much tearing it to shreds at times. Some of the old hardware was just too outdated to integrate the new parts successfully.
Most other ships would find the ôRecklessö a target not that easily engaged. The engine alone was a masterpiece of human genius. Jack had spend more resources on its development than most civilizations ever saw over the course of their existence. He was willing to bet that he could out-run any other ship in this part of the universe.
The weapons systems he had left in the capable hands of his old friend Goo'shen. The old alien may have lost his sharp eye over the years as well as some of his marbles, but, he still had connections to his people.
And as far as weapon manufacturers went, Jack liked the Shen. It took guts for an entire race to specialize on weapons sale. Especially considering that the Shen were at most 1,20m tall, with the strength one would expect from a human child.
But they were top notch. Their factories never stopped, their engineers never tired. The sheer joy they took in coming up with new weapons of (mass) destruction would have seemed creepy if they didn't look like children having fun.
ôThe ôRecklessö is as good a ship as I could make it with my resources but those guys don't even need to shoot us...they just need to ram us and we're toast. Hell, if we get caught in their engine-backlash we're dead. The only reason why we haven't been vaporized already is because they most likely want us alive and because they can't really enter a star-system that easily.ö
ôAre you giving up already Captain? It seems the limits of the most famous pirate the universe has ever seen are not that far at all.ö Her voice was still cold but the mocking edge was neatly carried along. Enough of an insult to goad him into action, not enough to make him shoot her in the head and be on his way.
Jack narrowed his eyes before leaning forward, shortening the distance between their faces to mere a few inches.
ôLook Princess. The only reason why I didn't shoot you and your entire entourage of boot-lickers out of an airlock is because I pitied you and your whole ômy world is doomed, please please help usö routine. So why don't you watch your tone like a good little pampered princess?ö He eyed her carefully, waiting for any sign of her cracking but there was none. He had to fight the impulse to smile. As crazy as the girl was, for a child she wasn't that bad.
ôSurely there must be a way to bring down a ship like this? Did you not yourself boast about having more power at your fingertips than many civilizations.ö She said as she calmly ignored his implied thread. One of her eyebrows rose a bit after she finished, as if in doubt.
Was she starting to doubt his remarks? Or had she been doubting all along and was now trying to find out what he truly was capable?
Sighing he turned back to the monitor, staring at the world-ship again.
ôThere are and I do. Breaker-Ships were created with the explicit purpose of destroying world-ships or worlds quickly and from far enough away to survive the return-fire. But those things are damn expensive and the ones I can get would take time to procure.ö
Before she could answer, there was a shrill screech as the alarms went off.
Glancing to the monitor he had to wait only few seconds before a new image appeared, showing a field of debris.
ôI will assume that was....a planet?ö The compiling-droids beeped once and more information appeared on screen. The second to closest planet to this systems star. An uninhabitable waste of red rock and an acid atmosphere.
Now all that was left were space debris.
ôWell, it seems our friends out there are getting a bit impatient. We better think of something fast and..ö He broke off when another string of data appeared. Blinking he narrowed his eyes before glaring at the monitor with the world-ship again.
ôThey lowered their teleport shields. Do they want to invite us over for tea after that wholesome spectacle or what?ö
ôWhy don't you just storm it if we are given this chance?ö The question came too fast to be anything but prepared, most likely to make him lose his pace.
It did that pretty damn well as he turned back to the girl with an unreadable face.
ô....storm it?...Are you insane? No..wait..don't answer that, I know you are. It's a freaking world-ship. That thing must have a crew of maybe 10 billion people. What do you expect me to do? Use my magic-wand and make them our friends?ö Jack practically yelled as he finished, his patience finally having ran up. The princess had been one problem after another since he had come to this god-forsaken galaxy.
ôI fail to see what danger mere soldiers could pose to an immortal like you?ö
Her answer brought to halt any and all side-conversation that had been going on at the bridge.
ôThere is little reason to hide this anymore. You, Jack Podinsky, are a human. An immortal pirate.ö She took a step to stand face-to-face with him. Her gaze again as cold as ice.
ôAm I now? And suppose I am one of those immortal pirates....what do you think that would change when faced with this?ö He made a throw-a-away gesture to the monitor still showing the world-ship, looming in the inter-stellar room, waiting for them to leave the star-system they were currently in.
ôYou were there, weren't you?ö
ôWhere? I've been to a lot of worlds, princess, some nicer then others...some without overly curious beings prying into my private life.ö His answer comes out smoothly, supported by a lazy smile.
ôThe Declaration of Freedom....When humanity's golden age began. That moment, 12000 years ago when your kind broke free from their enslavers and spread out among the stars. You were there when it happened. You were one of the first to flee from earth, the first of the immortal pirates to reach for the stars, weren't you?ö He could detect traces of curiosity in her voice. And something else. He has been reading people for so long that it is a bit vexing that he isn't sure what she is thinking.
ôAnd if I was, what of it, princess? Do you really think I would still remember that, something that happened 12000 years ago? Sorry to burst your imagination bubble but I don't...and even if I did, what of it?ö This time his dismissive tone was spot on, he knew that the moment he saw the fire in her eyes.
ôHow can you say that? You are a living relict of freedom! More than that, if what the tales say are true, you must have seeded millions of worlds. Dozens of Millions. Hundreds of Millions even. And they all owe you loyalty. With that power we could fight against our enemies, no, we could crush them like ants. Destroy them and make sure they could never threaten our worlds ever again.ö Bulls Eye. He had gotten to her, finally.
Jack allowed himself a smile as he watched her passionate speech. When she finished he didn't even give her time enough to gather her breath again.
ôWell, sounds like you got it all planned out, your highness. Say..while we're at it, why don't we try conquering this entire galaxy. It's not like anyone here could stop me if I wanted to.ö
Her blush was still there but her expression was guarded again.
ôCome to think of it....that's right. No one here could stop me, no matter what I do.ö
He gave her a look that could only be called lecherous. In fact he was sure on some planets he could be accused of rape with such a stare.
To her credit she did not flinch, nor blush or give any strong reaction at all. Nothing betrayed her but the little vein around her temple, pumping, pumping and pumping.
ôI...apologize...this was uncalled for. Forget I said anything.ö Her voice was strong but the way she evaded his eyes for a moment was enough to show him that she was suitable chastised.
And now he could worry about that world-ship again.
ôCaptain? There is something you might want to know.ö Tain, his first lieutenant, a pure-breed Karan, a race of swindlers and gamblers renowned through their entire galaxy, came up to him, bending forward slightly to whisper in his ears.
ôThis world-ship was manufactured at Balath III, Captain, in the Milky Way.ö
ôYou're kidding me?ö
ôNo, with as much accuracy as we can expect given our situation we can say that this world-ship was build by one of our own planets.ö
Jack couldn't help it. He snickered loudly before catching himself again and turning to the Princess.
ôWell, seems like you got your wish, girl, we're going to do the suicidal thing and board this little ball of death and plasma over there.ö This time he can identify the glimmer of hope in her eyes as what it is.
ôAnd since you were the one you came up with this you will accompany my men and I.ö At his words the entourage behind her suddenly lost their carefully cultivated calm as they cried out in indignation.
ôHow dare you even suggest such a thing, you damn pirate. The princess is far too valuable to our people to squander her like this.ö
ôWell, too bad. She brought us into this shit-hole of a situation, she sure as hell is going to help me get us out of it. So, your royal highness, can you handle a weapon or do we have to use your feminine charms as your only weapon?ö
This time she did blush a bit but in the same moment her right arm blurred and a short, knife-like weapon stopped a mere half an inch before his throat. He made an effort to ignore the weapon and and stared at her face instead, whistling slowly.
ôImpressive, so they taught you more than just politics on that mudball of yours? Any other talents you'd like to share with me, Princess?ö
ôI have acquired sufficient survival skills over the last few years to fend for myself, Captain. I will not be the weak point of this operation.ö Her voice was still as cold as ice, but her face...her face was a whole different story now. Maybe it was because her entourage couldn't see her face from this angle but for the first time since they had met she was smiling.
She was holding a blade to his throat and talking in a voice that could have frozen anyone spine instantly but he couldn't help it.
Jack smiled back.
ôGood, good. We'll make a proper little pirate out of you yet, your Highness. Off we go then.ö
He completely ignored the outcries of her little boot-lickers as he took out a smooth silvery ring and threw it at her, smirking at her confused expression.
ôWe're teleporting in, that's your ticket to the adventure, your signature ring, put it on and we can leave.ö
Nodding she slipped it on, before looking back at him again.
ôLet's go. Tain, you have command till we come back.ö
ôOf course captain, good hunting.ö
There was nothing to prepare them for the teleport. A moment where up and down seemed to switch a thousand times and then it was over. Their surroundings had changed, black had displaced the gentle blue of the ôRecklessö.
ôHow do we proceed form here, Captain?ö Her question was followed by a sound not unlike that of slurping as her dress suddenly become tighter and smaller, losing any ends that might trip her.
ôWe wait for our gamble to pay offö His answer was short and fast, and sure to perplex her. Before she could question him though they felt a shudder run through the ship. From somewhere far away a screeching sound could be heard.
And the thump thump of explosions all around them. Throwing Jack a confused look the Princess readied herself for any enemies that might follow this ruckus.
ôYou see, what my first lieutenant told me was quite important. This ship was build on a world that I seeded. Quite some time ago.ö
He grinned.
ôNow, when we teleported here, a message was send to this ship, on all frequencies as well as a self-replicating message-virus, because, as much as I admire their sheer guts of using a ship that was build by me against me, this might prove....very vexing for them.ö
He could see her eyes light up as she realized his intent.
ôYou told them who you are....and what you intend to do.ö
Another set of explosions can be heard and felt and then a door in front of them opened, as several soldiers, clad in black and grey entered the corridor they had arrived in. Before any shot could be fired the first scream echoed through the corridor.
ôHE'S HERE. OH GOD, HE'S HERE. RUN YOU FOOLS!ö
The soldiers had taken but a single look at Jack's figure, clad in his overcoat and with his ceremonial sabre by his side before they turned around and ran.
ôWell...we can't expect all of them to react like that, after all no one would staff a ship like this with a crew from a single planet. But this disturbance will prove useful at least. Let's go people.ö
Taking the lead, he went straight for the door. Only to throw himself down and into a roll as lasers and bullets suddenly impacted against the corridor wall behind. Another roll and he was out of the arc of sight again. He stood up and slowly drew his Sabre, before gesturing for the others to support him. The Princess and the soldiers at her side advanced with no sound, slowly fawning out as to not offer an optimal target for any explosives. Coming to a rest next to him she draw her knife and activated its energy-field.
ôIt seems not all of them fear your as they should?ö Her question was barely a whisper as they waited for any sign of their enemy.
ôTrue....but that's why you're here. Ready?ö He had expected an immediate answer and turned to her as non came.
Again, that look he couldn't quite describe.
ôWill you really do it?ö
ôHm?ö
ôMake me a pirate? Can you really do that?ö He didn't show any reaction at first, but when he finally answered she could hear the grin in his voice.
ôThat depends, your highness....but come to think of it...you never told me your real name?ö
ô...Xanthia...my name is Xanthia....ö Again that undefinable emotion. How long had that name not been used, he wondered. How long are you royalty? That's a life-sentence, alright.
ôWell then, Xanthia....you want to be a pirate? You think you have what it takes to be free? Fine, then I will teach you what I means to be a pirate!ö
His arm and sabre blurred for a moment and then it was gone. No, she realized with a start, it was embedded into the side-wall of the door, up to the hilt and she could hear the sound of someone in a great deal of pain from the other side.
ôFirst Lesson. Don't expect anything. Nothing is assured in this business, least of all survival.ö
There was no flash, no muted glow of an energy-field. And yet when he pulled the sabre, it cut through the ultra-hard steel and plastic as if it were made of warm butter.
ôIf you want to survive, you have to roll the dice and hope lady luck likes you more than the bastards trying to shoot you full of holes.ö
All hell broke loose as the door exploded inwards, crushing one of their soldiers immediately. Weapons fire poured through the entry and then the first soldiers rushed in.
ôSo, you think you're ready for the biggest gamble in your entire life, Xanthia? You think yo have what it takes?ö He was shouting over the sound of explosions so that she could hear him.
In contrast her whisper was next to impossible to hear. She was looking him straight in the eyes as she answered and he didn't need to hear what word she spoke to know her answer. Her knife in her enemies throat was enough. She was a survivor. And honest to god he found that more attractive than any low-cut dress she might have had.
Of course now he owed Tain 20 credits for falling for that murderous little Pirate turned Princess.
A slash to the side decapitated a soldier almost as an afterthought. Oh well, he should have known better than to gamble with that damn Karan. He never won.
He watched her knife flash through another soldier before she rolled to the sight and away from the incoming fire.
Well he could live with the consequences.....this time.