Omoikane 05 We’re All Pirates Now
Omoikane 05 - We’re all pirates now
We loaded up all samples and data and made our goodbyes to Shard-Entelopa. As we moved slowly to the warp point, several Shard ships shadowed us.
"What are they doing?" Tarla asked.
"They're going to watch us go to warp and then try to observe us at warp. They're curious about our warp drives and they want to get data to try and reverse engineer them," Li'ira explained.
Tarla looked at the helm station carefully. "What would you like me to do?"
"There's nothing we can really do about it at this point, Ensign. Except try not to hit any of them," I said. "Lay in the course as ordered."
"Course laid in, all engine and navigation systems report ready, Sir," Tarla said
"Warp six. Engage."
Disodium warp is much faster than dilithium warp. We saw three ships try to pace us. One gave up quickly. One gave up when their engines were glowing. The last one kept going until his engines were cooked. We out-distanced them handily.
I hope no one got hurt.
I also hope they ruined their sensor readings by overloading their engines like that.
-*-
A few days later, we got a message from Starfleet Command. "Divert to planet Saukassas. A Damyip repair mission will meet you there."
As we turned, I booked up on Saukassas. The natives looked like horses run through the people-maker. Their faces were sort of disturbing. They were horse-like, but with eyes closer together, allowing for binocular vision. So the shape was just wrong.
They were being courted as allies by the Bendarri Empire.
Okay. Friends of the Bendarri were friends of mine.
-*-
As we got close to the Sexatar sector, the location of planet Saukassas, Stephanie got another alert on her tactical board.
"Weapons fire, again, Captain. About four light years away. Reads like Orion disruptors."
"Set course to intercept and engage, best speed," I turned to Li'ira. "Pirates? This far out?"
Li'ira nodded. "Rumor has it they have a base on a planet in the sector. Agusoapa. Avian people."
I shook my head, "Yellow alert."
-*-
We came out of warp some distance away to scan and take a second look.
An Orion galleon was fighting an Orion light raider. The Orion galleon was a classic Orion ship. The Light Raider was one of their export jobs. It looked like an Orionized Klingon raider.
Both ships had chewed each other up pretty badly. Neither was in any shape to hurt the Omoikane at all.
"Open hailing frequencies," I said. "This is the Federation starship Omoikane. We're available for humanitarian assistance."
Both answered into a split screen and yelled at once
A Golden Orion man, flushed and sweaty, yelled, "We are on a legitimate trade mission with legitimate cargo, and this pirate attacked us!"
The Raider Captain was a humanoid mouse person, with antennae just forward of his ears. Their fur looked soft.
"Fuck you and fuck him," the raider captain said, "you claim to love freedom so much, help us liberate the slaves in his belly."
"Scan the Galleon," Li'ira said.
"That's a lie! I do not give permission for a search!" The Orion said.
Tillean completed the scan, "Multiple life forms in containment cells. He's a slaver."
"This is outrageous! Respect our ancient culture!" The Orion sputtered.
"Nice sensors!" the Mouse Captain said.
"Okay," I turned towards the Orion Captain, "Here's how it's going to go. You're going to stand down and hand over all slaves. If you do this, I'll take them and move along. Make a fight out of it, and I'll take your ship away."
"Now you're a pirate, too! This is unspeakable! I'm reporting you to Starfleet Command!"
"Move us into transporter range. Red alert. Stephanie, ready boarding parties. Li'ira, you ready to command a galleon?"
Li'ira pulled a phaser out from under her chair and checked it theatrically, "No. But I'll get it back to base."
"You'd put that animal in charge of my ship! Impossible! You're perverse! Insane!"
"Slaves. Now." I said.
"Okay! Okay! Okay! I'm ruined, but my cargo is yours."
I heard something, "Not just cargo. All slaves."
"You already have a green! Mine are like my children to me!"
"I like the noises you're getting out of him." The Mouse Captain said.
"Phasers. Target his warp drives."
Tarla very carefully locked onto the Galleon’s warp drives.
The Orion Captain's face screwed up. On the one hand, I felt like a bully. On the other hand, he was a slaver.
"Make your choice. I haven't got all day."
"Fine! Fine! Take them!"
"Heave to, shut down all engines and defenses."
"Alright, alright. We surrender."
I muted him
I turned to the Mouse Raider Captain, "I am Captain Hailey of the Federation Starship USS Omoikane. Do you need any assistance?"
He looked around his bridge. An Orion at the tactical station said, "I don't recommend it, Skipper. They're nosy cops."
He turned back to me, "I'm Captain Raada. Is what he said true?"
I nodded slowly, "Yes. Exploring and enforcing Federation regulations are among our jobs. You're the first member of your species I've met."
"We're the Musari. We don't have much use for other people's rule books."
"Do you have any injured? We can help you with that."
He looked off-screen and then nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, we'd like that if you could."
"Alright, please come within transporter range and we'll beam your injured to our sickbay."
-*-
Lira beamed into the captain’s quarters.
The eight women and girls stared at her with big eyes.
Li'ira sighed, "[Okay, what did they tell you?]" Her Orion had almost no accent.
The tallest of the women said, "[They said the Federation would put things in our heads to make us say evil things!]
Li'ira said, "[The only thing in my head is anger about how you've been treated. Come with us. I know of a whole city of Greens. They sing, dance, eat good food, and wear pretty clothes. My sister is the Queen of the city, and everyone teases her about it.]"
The Orion women tilted their heads in confusion.
"[Its weird, but its fun, and no one can ever make you do anything you don't want to do.]"
"[How do we know you're telling the truth?]" The Tallest demanded
Li'ira thought about it, "[I have to have a magical antelope come vouch for me.]"
More head tilting. One of the little girls laughed "[She's silly!]"
With a whooshing flow of air, Tippalan appeared in the quarters.
**I am Tippalan.**
One of the little girls immediately began petting the Omoikane's counsellor. "[She's soft!]"
Tippalan craned her head around to give Li'ira a look **Magic Antelope, Commander? Really?**
Li'ira shrugged. "It beats making them read the Admiral’s book right away."
Tippalan licked Li'ira's nose.
The little Green Orion girls giggled.
Li'ira gave an exasperated shrug "[Yeah, it's like that.]"
-*-
On the slaver's port wing weapons deck, the mostly Orion crew stood against the wall with their hands up, except for three people. An Orion, a Human, and a half Klingon knelt behind weapons stations. The smell of smoke, ozone, and burned metal was strong in the air.
The armored hatch to the compartment opened. The Half Klingon man fired a disruptor through the hatch.
A voice came back through the hatch, "Attention - if you're surrendering, come on out with your hands up."
The surrendering crew moved, and the Half Kling man shouted, "If any of you heads for that door, I'll kill you! Fight, damn you! Damn these Musari and Federation fucks straight to Grethor!"
"Are you sure?" The voice asked
"I'm a shitty Klingon, BUT I'M A KLINGON!"
One of the surrendering crew people said, "Krunk. Seriously. I'm here for the money, man. I'm not here to die a glorious death."
"Coward!" Krunk raged
As it looked like Krunk might just shoot the other crewman, shapes sparkled into existence in the compartment.
"How'd they-?" One of the crew members asked. He was cut short by the stun grenades going off.
Krunk was on his knees. Everything was swimming, and his head buzzed to the point where it was impossible to think. He tried to raise his disruptor, but his hand wasn't moving right.
He barely saw when a Starfleet Security officer stunned him again.
-*-
Yoloia awoke from being stunned. It sucked as it always did.
She rolled to her side and discovered, happily that she was still clothed. Usually waking from stun involved being stripped.
Someone was there. A lot of someones.
She squinted. A green she didn't know in a Starfleet uniform. Commanders pips. Obviously, some sort of post-stun hallucination. And the Captain's harem. Yoloia grimaced. She wasn't looking forward to being captured as a prize. But that was life.
"Sister." It was. Loyoja, her sister.
"Ugh, we're property of Starfleet now, huh?"
"Maybe. But it'll be different."
"How different?"
One of the little girls... Yoloia thought it might be her own sister’s kid, whispered conspiratorially, "They have magic antelopes."
Loyoja shrugged and grinned, "Why not? Come with us."
Yoloia thought about it. There would be no pay for this voyage. The crew was likely to be resentful and angry about that.
"Sure. I'm in."