The Star Pirate's Return

Chapter 5: Spud

"Eliminated? We agreed our intervention was necessary across the galaxy to save lives, Darlena, not end them."

"We can't save them all, and I wouldn't want to-we've got to cut out the rot. In time, we'll bring them all in. Just not yet. There's a proper moment for us to enter the stage."

"Oh, it's theater now? I thought you cared for these people."

"I do, Simon. Think from their perspective. These people decided fifty years ago to cut ties with Earth, and they went to war for it. It has to be their choice, not ours, if we truly want to mend old wounds. We learned that with some of the other rebel colonies."

"If they knew what we know, the changes we've made, they would choose to join us. We agreed about this!"

"I want them to know. We've made such wonderful progress rebuilding. And they would be right to join us-I still believe that-but not yet. Let me explain. I'll start with the girl."

***

"Willis, meet me in the hangar. We're going after Spud. Truly, mop up those fighters and give us support at the wreck. He's still there, right Myra?" Captain Anson demanded, sprinting through the halls of Wanderlust toward the shuttle bay.

"Just finishing up," came Truly's calm reply. "Down to four."

"Scans say Spud's alive, but I can't talk to him. He must have damaged his comms in the crash." Hesitantly, Myra began an apology on the Captain's private channel. "Victor, I'm sorry-"

"Not now. Just help me fix this." He seethed with restrained anger, struggling to compose himself before addressing the crew on the common channel. He'd deal with her later, but for the moment he needed her expertise to salvage what he could of their mission. "Myra, transfer full control of Wanderlust to Silver and Ferro. You're restricted to comms and sensors only, is that clear? The stock AI will take over your other duties."

"Yes, Captain," Myra replied, unable to keep the sting of shame from her voice. Humiliated, she fed a roster of the final remaining threats inside of Deep Fog onto the crew's display lenses. "Most of the pirates on board are already dead, but there are eleven left. One lieutenant, two sergeants, the rest are grubs." She also created a three-dimensional map of the wreck and tagged each pirate with their location inside. Last, she lit up Spud with a bright blue beacon at the bottom of the chaotic scene. "There's our boy. The bridge is still partially intact, but we need to move quickly."

Victor rounded the corner to the shuttle bay. Inside, he found Willis already waiting, fully suited in his white armor, carrying two stuffed weapons bags from the armory and wearing a bulky medical pack. With a nod at the gear, Victor asked, "What you got?"

"Everything we need." Willis dropped the bags and spread his arms at the empty hangar around them. "Except for that one thing."

As he moved to the massive cargo doors, Victor ordered, "Ferro, take us in close. We'll have to jump. Myra, depressurize the hangar and give me our best point of entry. Silver, you're in command until I get back with Spud."

On Victor's lenses, the map of the ship's remains zoomed in close to Spud's blinking marker. Most of the hostile targets clustered around him, but only a few were actively moving. Their crewmate's tag remained still. "You're sure he's alive, Myra?"

"I'm sure." She didn't waver in her response, and marked a twisted passageway leading from a hatch on the hull, through several other rooms, and finally to Spud and three pirates on the bridge. "That's where you want to enter. Part of the hallway is caved in, so you'll have to cut through an interior wall and move through the barracks. Lucky for you, that's also where the rest of the pirates have holed up, so you can take care of them all at once and secure Deep Fog before you rescue Spud."