and…”
Tysen cut him off.
“No, Lieutenant. If this station goes down, those pods will be needed by the families on board. I’ll stay as long as I can.”
That bought him a lopsided and slight amused smile. "Al, didn’t anyone ever tell you that Nobles only do that in the dramas? Keep it up and I might start to believe you’re not such a bunch of asses after all!" Then Kip shrugged in resignation. "Alright. You’re the...Hey, wait a minute! Al, there’s another ship incoming. A big one!"
Tysen stopped talking- dare he hope?
He brought up a readout on the ship, it looked to be one of the heavy haulers used in mining, but something about it struck him as odd. He magnified the image, and then he saw them. The cargo hauler had pulled back housings to reveal missile launch ports, and even worse- Gunrigs. Makeshift combat drones used by almost exclusively by rebels and…
“Pirates.”
Not now, dammit! Tysen cursed inwardly. He had enough problems to deal with and now this?
“Kip, tell the haulers to scatter, and get the Crystal Leaf between that ship and the station. Try to buy the refugees what time you can.”
Kip nodded as a look of resignation came on his face and he said, "Al, the pirates are hailing us. You want I should answer?"
“I’m in command. Link it through to me directly.”
"Done. Audio only."
Another AR box appeared in Tysen’s field of vision, this one contained a roughly human silhouette on a grey background.
"Is this the Captain of the Star Guard Cutter Crystal Leaf ?"
The voice was distorted; all he could tell was that it might be female.
“The Captain is dead. I’m the officer in charge- Lieutenant Tysen. To whom am I speaking?”
"I am the Captain of the Raider Belleflower , representing the Volkstag Pirate Clan." There was a clear playful tone in the voice. "It seems you have a problem, Lieutenant Tysen, one that perhaps I might be able to help with."
This is a damn odd way to ask for surrender , Tysen thought. What does she really want?
“Go on.”
"My ship is a converted high gravity hauler with larger than normal gravitic drives. With our help you might just be able get that station back into orbit."
“And,” he said with suspicion. “In return for this you get?”
There was a short pause, then "Peace of mind? The knowledge we did our good deed for the day?"
She’s laughing at me , Tysen tried to fight down his growing anger. She knows she has the upper hand and she’s laughing at me.
“Look,” he snapped. “We don’t have time for this- just tell me what you want!”
"You’re not very experienced at this negotiation stuff, are you?" She mocked. "Okay then. I want all the cargo containers from the industrial storage hub. All of them. Give me that with no interference, and I’d say we’re even."
“Done.” Tysen didn’t even skip a beat. “Anything else?”
"Al! What are you doing? You don’t have the authority to do that!"
Tysen didn’t even bother to switch to a private link. “Shut up, Kip. I’m in charge and there’s half a million people on this station- they’re not going to die because I put cargo over their lives.” He glanced beside him, where Esther was watching him carefully, he ignored her.
“So, Lady Captain, do we have a deal?”
* * *
"The station is back in a stable orbit," Kip sighed. "We’re done."
It had been a long two hours since Tysen had traded cargo for the lives of the people aboard the Miraposa Three OTS, and Tysen had spent most of that time going over the events- wondering if he’d made the right call.
Kip’s words made him certain he had.
“Excellent. Good work, Kip.”
"Al, that pirate carrier is right off the starboard side. The weapons are back online, just give me the word and..."
Tysen stopped him. “No Kip, let them have access to the industrial hub as promised. I gave her my word, and she kept her side of the bargain.” Then he added- “Still, keep them targeted until this is all over,
Tysen cut him off.
“No, Lieutenant. If this station goes down, those pods will be needed by the families on board. I’ll stay as long as I can.”
That bought him a lopsided and slight amused smile. "Al, didn’t anyone ever tell you that Nobles only do that in the dramas? Keep it up and I might start to believe you’re not such a bunch of asses after all!" Then Kip shrugged in resignation. "Alright. You’re the...Hey, wait a minute! Al, there’s another ship incoming. A big one!"
Tysen stopped talking- dare he hope?
He brought up a readout on the ship, it looked to be one of the heavy haulers used in mining, but something about it struck him as odd. He magnified the image, and then he saw them. The cargo hauler had pulled back housings to reveal missile launch ports, and even worse- Gunrigs. Makeshift combat drones used by almost exclusively by rebels and…
“Pirates.”
Not now, dammit! Tysen cursed inwardly. He had enough problems to deal with and now this?
“Kip, tell the haulers to scatter, and get the Crystal Leaf between that ship and the station. Try to buy the refugees what time you can.”
Kip nodded as a look of resignation came on his face and he said, "Al, the pirates are hailing us. You want I should answer?"
“I’m in command. Link it through to me directly.”
"Done. Audio only."
Another AR box appeared in Tysen’s field of vision, this one contained a roughly human silhouette on a grey background.
"Is this the Captain of the Star Guard Cutter Crystal Leaf ?"
The voice was distorted; all he could tell was that it might be female.
“The Captain is dead. I’m the officer in charge- Lieutenant Tysen. To whom am I speaking?”
"I am the Captain of the Raider Belleflower , representing the Volkstag Pirate Clan." There was a clear playful tone in the voice. "It seems you have a problem, Lieutenant Tysen, one that perhaps I might be able to help with."
This is a damn odd way to ask for surrender , Tysen thought. What does she really want?
“Go on.”
"My ship is a converted high gravity hauler with larger than normal gravitic drives. With our help you might just be able get that station back into orbit."
“And,” he said with suspicion. “In return for this you get?”
There was a short pause, then "Peace of mind? The knowledge we did our good deed for the day?"
She’s laughing at me , Tysen tried to fight down his growing anger. She knows she has the upper hand and she’s laughing at me.
“Look,” he snapped. “We don’t have time for this- just tell me what you want!”
"You’re not very experienced at this negotiation stuff, are you?" She mocked. "Okay then. I want all the cargo containers from the industrial storage hub. All of them. Give me that with no interference, and I’d say we’re even."
“Done.” Tysen didn’t even skip a beat. “Anything else?”
"Al! What are you doing? You don’t have the authority to do that!"
Tysen didn’t even bother to switch to a private link. “Shut up, Kip. I’m in charge and there’s half a million people on this station- they’re not going to die because I put cargo over their lives.” He glanced beside him, where Esther was watching him carefully, he ignored her.
“So, Lady Captain, do we have a deal?”
* * *
"The station is back in a stable orbit," Kip sighed. "We’re done."
It had been a long two hours since Tysen had traded cargo for the lives of the people aboard the Miraposa Three OTS, and Tysen had spent most of that time going over the events- wondering if he’d made the right call.
Kip’s words made him certain he had.
“Excellent. Good work, Kip.”
"Al, that pirate carrier is right off the starboard side. The weapons are back online, just give me the word and..."
Tysen stopped him. “No Kip, let them have access to the industrial hub as promised. I gave her my word, and she kept her side of the bargain.” Then he added- “Still, keep them targeted until this is all over,
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