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"We've taken the time to optimize your inventory management system, for lack of a better term, in addition to physically sorting everything by category. You'll find a very handy, comprehensive spreadsheet has also been loaded into your ship's computer and distributed to your slates," Herron said, meeting Captain Mulroney's gaze with a smile. "Oh, don't worry, I know that no one likes spreadsheets—except for Liu—but she's made it easy to work with. It almost takes care of itself. And that's a guarantee."
The Captain grunted. Whether that was a dismissal or gratitude, Herron couldn't tell.
"Anyhow, my crew has everything secured now, so we won't be in your hair for terribly much longer. Oh, and Maddox has informed me that she's fixed your coffee synthesizer. Something about it being stuck in decaf mode. That can't be good for morale."
Herron looked around the cargo hold one last time, satisfied with the tidy space that had been a disorderly mess just an hour earlier. He slipped his slate into the thigh pocket of his crimson jumpsuit and rubbed his hands together.
"Captain Mulroney, it's been a pleasure. Please tell your ship security team that they've all been quite welcoming and that their zip cuffs will break down within the hour. Also, please let Mister—" Herron read the name tape of the bigger man that lay snoring on the deck. "...Jonas know that I've left three acetaminophen tablets in his front pocket for the headache that he will wake up with. I do feel terrible that we had to use a Disruptor on him."
The Captain grunted again.
Gratitude. Definitely gratitude.
With another job well done and done well, Herron turned and left the Captain and his security team and strode across the docking tube that led back to the Blazing Heart.
Liu was fastidiously cataloging the crates that Womack and Maddox had secured, while the latter had already begun to seal the airlock. Maddox was always so efficient, Herron mused, then climbed the ladder into the midship deck.
He startled, as he always did, when he turned toward the stylized Skull that was painted on the hab's wall—such a dreadful thing—then continued through the armory, computer core, around the ladder that led to the living quarters, and into the Blazing Heart's bridge.
VVilma glanced back at Herron from the pilot's seat, trying not to look bored.
"Ship's ready when you are, Boss. Good haul?"
"Oh, you know, the pirate's life for me," he chuckled. "Yo, ho, even."
"And the SysDef ship?"
"Left better than we found it, as always."
VVilma leaned back, tousled her short dark hair, then brushed her long bangs away from her face.
"Tell me again why we're doing this, boss?"
Herron let his perpetual smile fade, then sighed. "For the life of me, I don't know. But, if there's a bright side to it all, at least we're not just a band of lousy pirates. We're the good kind. Right?"
"Privateers?"
Herron considered that thought, but had to disagree. "I like it, but it implies that we do this for ourselves. Not that I wouldn't give the Fleet a big what-for if we could."
"One can dream," VVilma sighed. "Pushing off from the SysDef vessel now. Grav jump in sixty."
"One can dream," Herron repeated, then collapsed into the navigator's seat. "One can dream."
~
"I believe that I can further optimize our intake requirements," Liu said over her mug of tea. "Provided that the next ship follows the same patterns as the previous three."
"Do you now?" Herron glanced up from his book.
"I do," she stated confidently. Like everything else she did. "I believe that I can more than satisfy our quotas while drastically reducing the impact to our 'hosts'. It's as close to a win-win situation for everyone as I can produce. Given the circumstances."
Herron smiled. He had always known that hiring Shia Liu was one of his best decisions. The fact that she remained on board after the 'acquisition' was a testament to her character, and definitely not his leadership skills.
"I look forward to seeing your new process in action, Liu. Truly."
He jumped slightly as Maddox set her tray down on the table beside him, laughing softly, but intentionally.
"And where exactly will we find more of this action?" Maddox asked, eyeing the cube of mystery meat on her tray. "I do hope it's planet-side. My feet are dyin' for real gravity to pull them down into the dirt again."
Herron glanced down at the questionable food item. "You realize that no one knows what Chunks are made of, yes?"
Maddox shrugged. "Maybe, but I've never tried the Shepherd's Pie."
"I didn't realize that was an option," Womack rumbled in his thick drawl from the other side of the table, leaning in to squint at the tray. "If I were you, I'd just call it a day while you can."
"Too late to back out now." Maddox grinned, fork hovering.
"I'm going in!"
"Perhaps we should bring Templeton up here first," Herron said, rising. "Just in case this proves itself to be the bad idea it is."
"I'm right here," the Doctor exclaimed from beside Womack. "I've been here the whole time! Am I invisible to you lot?"
Herron swallowed the pang of guilt before it could dim his crew's vibrance. The Doctor was constantly overlooked, but not intentionally. Templeton was just quiet and had a habit of taking up as little space as he could. Everywhere.
"You do it to yourself, Rickert," Womack grumbled, fixing his bushy-browed eyes on the thinner man. "You can't go 'round sneakin' like a mouse and think you're being noticed."
"I do not sneak, thank you very little." Templeton crossed his thin arms, brow raised defiantly and trying hard to hide his grin. "Jimmy."
Herron leaned back to move out of the shared glare between the Doctor and the Engineer. Maddox absently shoved a forkful of Chunks into her mouth, her gaze shifting between the two men.
Liu rolled her eyes.
Neither man broke the eye contact, nor moved, despite the slight twitch of their lips. Herron mentally counted down from ten, while Maddox shoved another bite into her mouth.
...Six. Five. Four.
A snort from the bigger man.
Three.
Templeton was shaking, practically vibrating the table, forcing Maddox to hold her plate down.
Two.
Liu sighed, drumming her fingers on the shaking table.
One.
Both men erupted in a fit of laughter, breaking the tension. Herron smiled as the sound echoed through the large galley.
"You almost broke the record, gents," Herron laughed with a quiet clap. "Nine seconds."
Templeton groaned in playful disgust. "I would have won that one. It's a good thing for Womack that he's a funny looking bloke. I couldn't stifle the giggle any longer."
"Bloke?"
"My apologies, Jimmy. Dude. A funny looking dude."
"Better," Womack grunted, turning to look at a greenish Maddox as the fork hovered shakily in front of her lips. "You good, Max?"
Maddox groaned, then—hesitantly—took the last bite of the Shepherd's Pie analog. Everyone watched as she chewed twice, then swallowed, somehow turning greener before she let out a burp that made Womack blush.
"Do you feel better now?" Liu asked, scooting away from the table. "Nǐ kàn qǐlái xiàng shǐ yīyàng..."
"Standard, Liu," Herron scolded gently. "Please."
Liu looked away from Maddox with a grimace. "Right, standard. You look like shit, Maddox."
Maddox dropped the fork, breathing out to let some of the color return to her face. Her stomach rumbled.
"Was it that good?" Womack asked, also backing away from the table. "You ate the whole thing."
Maddox shook her head slowly, trying not to retch. "It was terrible."
"Then why finish it?"
"I was hungry..."
Herron eyed Templeton. Templeton eyed Maddox. Maddox... turned greener.
Templeton sighed and stood, pulling the heaving woman behind him. "Come along, my dear Maxie. You can empty your gullet in the sick bay."
"...but I'm gonna be hungry again."
Herron shook his head, mostly in amusement, as Maddox's pained argument drifted down the corridor. Business as usual on the Blazing Heart. Loud, crazy and, on occasion, flatulent, but he wouldn't have it any other way.
Except for the whole pirate thing. It always came down to that one line item that he couldn't avoid or jettison into space. He shuddered at the thought.
"You're doing it again," Liu said from behind her tea, leaving him with little more than dark almond eyes and a shock of buzz cut dark hair to question. "Check the schedule, Captain. It'll help."
"Right. The schedule." Herron blinked, dispelling the gray fog that threatened to pull him into another spiral. He nodded and produced his slate from his chest pocket. "Right then..."
He looked at Liu, nodding thoughtfully. "Your shift's been over for two hours now, Shia. You should be asleep."
Liu cursed, probably in Mandarin, then gently set her teacup down and smiled politely as she stood. "Yes, sir."
"Thank you, Shia," Herron said as she passed.
"Sǐ hòu zì huì cháng mián..."
"Standard." Herron sighed, turning to Womack as Liu's voice echoed from the corridor.
"You wouldn't like it."
Womack shrugged. "Don't ask me, I only speak good ol' Akilan."
Herron regarded the bigger man, then shook his head. "You, sir, are due for your weekly firearms certification."
Womack's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Really."
Womack stood and hugged Herron before he practically skipped out of the mess hall and toward the armory.
"Akilan and their guns."
One more name to check.
Herron picked up Maddox's plate and fork and set them in the sink, then keyed the intercom.
"VVilma?"
A short, unnecessary squawk of static, followed by the pilot's silky voice, filled the silence.
"Yeah, Cap?"
"You're due for firearms certification. Put the Heart on Autopilot and meet Womack in the armory, please."
"Firearms? I'm a pilot, Captain. If I need to raise my voice, the Heart's got me covered. A pistol isn't quite the same."
"No it isn't, but all the same, it needs doing?" Herron reasoned.
"I remember when we only needed to re-cert every six months, Cap."
"As do I, but present matters call for present readiness. Must I ask again?"
He knew he didn't.
"On my way, Cap. Please tell me Jimmy's wearing deodorant today."
~
Herron massaged his temple as he stared into the starfield that filled the Blazing Heart's forward view port. His tea had gone cold while he sat in the pilot's seat to find a measure of solace in the cold space between the stars. It never surprised him when his thoughts turned back to that day; they always did when he was alone in the quiet of the ship. It was one of the many reasons why he encouraged the crew to be their most unapologetic selves, after all.
Cold or not, he sipped on his tea. He grimaced against its bitter edge, but he wouldn't let it go to waste.
Caffeine is caffeine.
A soft shuffle rose from the deck below. Maddox, most likely, hunting for a midnight snack, even after her Chunks mishap. That woman was always eating despite—or possibly, because of—being in the best physical shape of anyone on the Blazing Heart, including Liu's lithe form.
"Maybe you should take that as a cue, eh?" Herron said to his slumped reflection in the duraglass. "Some pirate you are, looking like half a sack of potatoes."
Another soft shuffle, then VVilma's voice fluttered behind him.
"I'm not sure if half a sack is right either, Cap. Sorry to interrupt."
Herron waved her in with a flourish of his half-full mug.
Half-full, he thought. There's still that.
"Re-certs complete," VVilma announced, leaning against the duraglass that wrapped around the Blazing Heart's bridge.
"I had figured you'd be done thirty minutes ago. Everything alright?"
VVilma nodded. "Jimmy wouldn't stop talking. Just blah, blah blah..."
She let her voice trail off into the comfortable silence until Herron set his mug down.
"We're being sent to Procyon II," he said. His throat felt raw. "We're to collect 'service fees' from a L.I.S.T. colony. In the name of Mr. Kryx, naturally."
"Naturally," VVilma repeated while she twisted her hair's longer front bangs into a loose braid. "Why do we let them do this? It's been two years since—"
"The acquisition," Herron said, turning in the seat to face VVilma. "Because if we don't, then we'll have to pay for it. Technically, neither of you have to do a thing. Just me."
"But, we all stayed. You did what you had to, and we stayed. Even if it meant becoming pirates."
Herron stared into his mug for a moment.
"It's not what I had planned for everyone. Years of service, just so I could build something real. Something good to last for as long as there was someone that needed us. For you."
Herron took a long pull of the bitter tea and grimaced again, tasting more than just the tea on his tongue.
"When the Fleet left us defenseless and helpless to stop them from boarding, I knew that the dream had come to a screeching halt."
VVilma let her braid fall to rub her neck, then ran her hand through the shorter hair on the back of her head. Something he knew VVilma did to comfort herself.
"I would have marched out of the airlock myself if it meant you could all just go free," Herron continued. "But I knew, especially in hindsight, that you would all follow, one by one, after me, if I had. So, I made the only viable choice we had left and here we are—Employees of the Crimson Fleet. Yo, ho."
They sat in silence for a long time before VVilma pushed away from the viewport, the irises of her eyes flashing in a glowing pink ring as she reconnected to the ship's computer through her cybernetic link.
"It's still my shift, Cap," she said, standing in front of the pilot's chair. "Get some rest."
The mug was empty. Herron shrugged and pushed away from the chair and swung a leg around the ladder to the lower deck. "Goodnight, VVilma. Procyon tomorrow."
He glanced up at her glowing eyes one last time, before climbing down.
"Goodnight, Dad."
~
"One more time, Maddox. Please." Herron stepped around the navigation table to get a better view of the settlement's layout.
"Okay, here we go. Short and fast this time," Maddox said from around a lollipop.
Womack snickered quietly. "Short and fast would be you."
Herron shot the big man a glance, ending the joke before it could get a running start. "Please, Max."
"Short and fast," she continued. "VVilma will make planetfall and approach the Settlement from the East. We'll do the usual soft landing on their pad and greet the security team. Disruptors only. Then meet with the settlement leaders to discuss our mutual needs. Easy peasy."
Easy peasy. Herron never enjoyed the initial contact with their... clients. There was always a sense of hostility lingering in the air—and rightly so—until he could prove that there were benefits to their unexpected visits. He never departed a visit without leaving their client in better shape than he found them.
It was only right.
"By the books, people," he said. "Mind your P's and Q's. Maddox, once we've opened up a line of communication, you're on securing the area. Womack, inventory counts. Liu, assess their infrastructure, make improvements where you can. Templeton, determine what the local medical staff needs and see to it that they get what they need, where possible."
"And me?" VVilma's voice cut in through the ship-wide address system.
"Keep the Heart pulsing and an eye on the scanners. Just because we're here, it doesn't mean there aren't other buzzards on the wing."
"Copy, Cap. No birds equals good days."
Herron looked at his crew, meeting each of their eyes. They were a good crew. The best crew. Family in as much of a way as his own daughter was. They deserved better.
"We've got you, Cap," Maddox said cheerfully.
Herron smiled. It felt wrong at first, but the more he looked at his crew, the more he meant it.
They are the best crew.
Herron snapped his fingers, feeling energized. "Alright, people. We've a job to do. Suit up and be ready for planetfall in—"
"Ten minutes," VVilma chimed in.
"Let's make sure it's a job well done and done well!"
~
The Blazing Heart shuddered violently as the updrafts and the heat of re-entry rocked the ship, causing Womack to careen into Herron with an embarrassed chuckle. Maddox was whooping loudly, clearly enjoying the ride, while Liu was snoring softly into the comms.
"Visor, Maddox," Herron scolded gently. "Just in case."
Maddox made a face, something between disappointment and disgust. "But these suits smell bad!"
He knew she was right, but better a bad-smelling suit than vacuum if something went wrong.
Maddox frowned and snapped her crimson helmet's visor into a locked position, leaving him to stare at the pigtailed smiley face that she had drawn on it.
"...fine," she grumbled, then took a long, loud sip of her protein shake from the helmet's hydration tube.
Herron turned to the Doctor with a questioning glance.
Templeton shrugged. "It's water-based. Nothing to clog her suit's filtration system."
Good enough.
"Hang in there, everyone," VVilma's voice crackled through the comms, cool as ice. "Twenty seconds to transition to full-atmo."
Herron had to smile at her comfort with the big ship. Four years with the Vanguard did so much more than give his only daughter university tuition.
"Ten... Five... Aero control surfaces deployed. Two... Hang on to your lunch, Maddox."
Maddox whooped again as the deck suddenly rushed upward, forcing everyone's knees to buckle as the Blazing Heart caught Procyon II's thin upper stratosphere.
"Tā mā de! Tài méi lǐ mào le!" Liu shouted from the deck, dusting herself off as she stood. She looked at Herron through her reflective gold visor. "I know, I know. Standard."
"On approach to the settlement. Angels two-seven-five and descending. ETA twenty-one minutes. Augmented UI active. Squawking ident now." VVilma's voice filled the ship, but it always somewhat sounded distant to Herron when she became the Blazing Heart. "Cleared for landing on the main pad. The Welcome wagon is already mobilizing."
The settlement appeared on the vidscreen set into the landing bay, several smaller structures ringed around two larger buildings with a single large communication dish mounted atop the largest of the two.
"I'm willing to put down good credits that they're moving head honchos into the bigger structure," Womack said through the turbulence.
"Too obvious," Maddox chirped. "I'm thinking it's one of the smaller structures. Fifty creds."
"Deal." Womack grinned. "You in Liu?"
"Fine. Hundred creds." Liu grinned. "But, I say that they will be hiding in plain sight."
"A hundred's better than fifty. I'll be more than happy to take your money," the big man laughed before turning back to Herron. "You good with this, Cap?"
"A hundred credits, it is." Herron nodded. "I'll toss in another hundred to everyone if we can do this without having to stun anyone."
"Easy peasy," Maddox said between loud slurps and the loud hydraulic hiss of the Blazing Heart's landing gear extending.
"Gear lowered and on final approach. Everyone find something to hold on to. Braking in three. Two. One."
A loud roar filled the landing bay as the Blazing Heart's landing thrusters fired, spinning the ship laterally as VVilma pointed the bow and landing bay toward the settlement. A louder thud, followed by a whining shudder of the thrusters announced the ship's arrival on the duracrete pad.
"Ladies and Chaps," Herron grunted as he keyed the ramp release. "Best behavior, please. We have an image to uphold."
"Aye, Captain. A job well done and done well." They shouted in unison as the ramp came to a thudding stop on the hot pavement.
Womack pushed ahead of the group as they strode down the ramp, halting once his boots touched the duracrete landing pad. The others stopped behind him.
He held his hand out in front of him, palm up.
"Don't you do it," Maddox groaned through the comms.
Womack's helmet speakers clicked on, lending a staticky warble to his voice. "Klaatu barada nikto."
Several loud groans filled his helmet as they watched the Settlement Security team trade confused glances.
"One of these days, Jimmy, someone is going to call you out on your dork level and tell you that you're using that wrong," Maddox sighed.
One of the Security Officers—a thirty-something man with graying hair and a brown jumpsuit—stepped forward, weapon held in low ready, and squinted up at the group of red-suited pirates.
"STANDARD ONLY. NO SPEAKY WHATEVER THAT IS," he shouted in a slow drone, shaking his head.
Womack turned to look at the group, arms raised at the elbows. "Is this guy serious?"
"You're the one that had to start with the gibberish." Maddox crossed her arms. "Go on, make it right."
Womack shook his helmeted head and cleared his throat. "We come in peace. Can you understand me now?"
The Sec Officer frowned at him, gripping his rifle tighter. "Since when did the Fleet ever come in 'peace'?"
Herron stepped out from the crowd, empty hands raised. "I know how this may look, but it's not that."
"Uh huh. And what should this look like?"
Herron moved in front of Womack and extended a hand. "A business proposal. I'm Joseph Herron and this is my crew. We'd like to speak to your leadership, if we may."
The officer glanced at the hand, then at the suited group, and back to Herron before tentatively shaking his hand. "Haws. Raleigh Haws. Try anything stupid or think you can sell any of that ship warranty bullshit and I'll shoot you where you stand."
~
"You'll have to excuse me, but please, explain to us all why we should give you a damned thing?"
Acting Governor Marissa Corlew stood on the porch of a small, unassuming house, flanked by Raleigh—the Chief of Security—and the settlement registrar, Kenni Dawson. All three looked down at Herron as he stood on the stone walkway that led to the front door. None were all too pleased by his presence. Even less so by the crew standing awkwardly just beyond and the Blazing Heart looming above everything.
"It's not that you're 'giving' us anything," he said. "It's more of a barter deal. We need the items on the list that Liu forwarded to your slate. You desperately need the services we offer."
The registrar shifted uncomfortably on a rocking chair, while Haws watched wordlessly. The Governor narrowed her eyes at Herron.
"And what services might that be? Protection? I've dealt with you pirate-types before. Protection. The oldest racket in the book."
Herron nodded in agreement; it truly was just that. But...
"Your settlement needs massive updates in infrastructure processes. I'm certain that your medical supplies are woefully understocked. And, as for protection, yes, but also no."
"What does that mean?" Haws asked.
"It means that, yes, we are members of the Crimson Fleet. But, we come to help, in exchange for a small portion of items that are taking up space in your warehouses. We ask for it politely and will help your community thrive. Turn us away and the next Fleet vessel to land here will not be interested in asking."
Corlew stood silently, like a stone pillar of graying auburn hair.
"We could use the medical supplies," Kenni said quietly from the rocking chair, earning a sharply reprimanding glance from the older woman.
"Can you stabilize the power grid?" Haws added. "We have rovers that we can't charge."
"You too, Raleigh?" Corlew spun on the Security Chief.
"What Mr. Herron is requesting isn't unreasonable," Kenni said again, just barely loud enough to be heard. "He's not asking for credits or anything difficult to obtain locally. Just raw materials and minerals."
"What would a pirate crew need minerals for?" Corlew nearly spat.
"We sell it." Herron said plainly. "Most of it anyway. Which more than makes up for the monetary demands of the Fleet. All while keeping your settlement intact and in the black, financially."
A burst of static, then VVilma's voice in Herron's ear.
"Scanner just picked up a grav signature. Something just jumped into orbit."
"Mr. Herron. Don't move."
Corlew whirled on her companions. "Both of you inside. We need to talk."
Herron watched as the door closed behind the trio, then tapped his earbud to key the mic.
"What do you see, VVilma?"
A pause.
"Can't tell yet. The gravitic wake is obscuring the ship's profile. I'm monitoring this closely."
This wasn't a good sign, regardless of who may be in orbit. A SysDef ship, or worse yet, a curious Freestar Ranger would be very problematic. But either would only be a problem for Herron and the crew. Another Fleet vessel had the potential to be much worse for all involved.
The door opened and Corlew stomped onto the porch, no less annoyed by the whole affair.
"Keep me posted, V." Herron keyed the mic off and smiled warmly. "Ms. Corlew. I trust all is well?"
"We are far from 'well', Mr. Herron. But it has been made abundantly clear by my associates that our little home is in need of your 'assistance'."
Corlew grimaced as if the word itself had a bad taste.
"Do not let their trust in you absolve whatever guilt you may or may not be feeling," she continued. "We all know this is nothing more than extortion with manners. Let your people do what you said they would."
Herron nodded.
"You are right. That's exactly what it is, and I am sorry for it."
When he turned, the crew had already left. Each on their way to begin their assigned tasks.
They were a good crew. They deserved better.
"So, what now?" Corlew asked. "Do you just stand there and hold us hostage while your people ransack the place?"
"Do I need to?" He asked honestly. "I would prefer to be useful. What can I do to help?"
"Take off and walk out your airlock."
"Nearly did that once. And now I'm here."
Corlew's face screwed up in confusion. She opened her mouth to speak, but another crackle in his earbud made him hold up a finger.
"Wait one," he said, turning and keying the mic. "Go, V."
"Cap, I can't tell what's up there, but I don't like it. I've offloaded the provisions for the settlement, but I need to get in the air to investigate."
He didn't like this. Something about the mystery ship made his gut tighten, sending a nearly-forgotten wash of adrenaline through his body.
"Do it. And V, be careful."
A pause, then her voice over the roar of thrusters igniting. "I will, Dad."
Herron watched as the Blazing Heart lofted its bulk with a deliberate slowness, turning and angling its bow upwards before VVilma sent it hurtling skyward. He watched the former UC Longsword vanish into the blue.
He glanced at Corlew, now joined by Haws and the younger registrar as they stared up into the sky.
"If you would, please step inside," he asked politely. "We have a potential situation and I'd prefer that you, as well as your residents remain as safe as possible."
Herron keyed the mic again. "Maddox, an update?"
The response was almost instantaneous.
"Secured. No pushback from local Sec. They were a bit confuzzled when I asked them to set up watch over their civilians. We have a total headcount of fifty-three, including the—"
"Good. Good. VVilma's taken the Heart up to investigate a jump signature. We hope it may be nothing more than a passerby, but things could get dicey."
Corlew and the Kenni girl had disappeared, but Haws glared at him from the bottom of the steps.
"Copy, Cap. Should I distribute the party favors to Liu, Womack and Templeton?"
"Not yet. Not until we know what's up there."
Herron keyed the mic off, not waiting or needing a response. He took another look at the sky, hoping for one more glance of the Blazing Heart, then met Haws' glare.
"Whatever it is that's going on, you aren't doing a thing without me," The man growled. "These people are my responsibility. If you've brought something down on us, I'm taking you down too."
Herron sighed. "Rightly so. If we're lucky, it's just SysDef."
"We?"
"Yes, we. You rid yourselves of my crew's presence. And for us? We won't have to be pirates anymore."
Haws squinted at him, trying to make the math work in his head. "And if it's not?"
"Then, good sir, it means that the devil you know is better than the devil you don't. For all of our sakes, Mr. Haws, I hope this isn't the case."
Herron demagnetized the Novablast Disruptor from his back and turned toward the landing pad. "Feel free to join me. You may just get a front row seat to your liberation."
"Are all of you pirates this damned hard to figure out?" Haws asked, following Herron despite his own concerns.
"No. Some of us are decent people put in bad situations. Good people tend to make for terrible pirates. Sadly, most are exactly what you think they are."
"And that is?"
"Monsters."
Another crackle, halting Herron in his place.
"Cap, it's a Fleet Ghost," VVilma's voice was layered under ice. "They're hiding in an asteroid field. I don't think they know we're here, but I have a bad feeling about this."
Herron swallowed the curse that tried to escape his mouth.
"Wait. Two. No, three more ships just jumped in. Two more Ghosts and a Banshee. We've been made, Cap! They're hailing us."
Herron turned to Haws. "Speak of the Devil and, surely, he will appear. Get your Sec Teams ready. My crew and I will do everything we can to prevent our 'friends' from landing here."
Then on the mic. "Patch them through the All Team channel."
A slight shift in the crackle was Herron's cue. "Greetings, fellow Captain."
"Mr. Bird," a heavily-accented voice rumbled in Herron's ear. "You have been a difficult man to find, yes?"
"Herron. Not bird, Ptolemy."
"Is a heron not a bird?" Ptolemy spat.
"Yes, a heron—one R—is a bird. Herron, two Rs, that's me. I don't suppose that you're here with the Dagon and an escort of Ghosts for a grammar lesson and some tea. Why are you here, Ptol? This is my haul."
"Joseph," Ptolemy clucked. "Certainly you wouldn't deny an old friend a seat at the feast? Especially when our dear Naeva has caught rumors of a certain captain leaving so much delicious meat on the bones of his victims, eh?"
"We've more than satisfied our tributes to Naeva and Delgado," Herron let the edge in his voice show. "They have nothing to complain about. And you, Ptol, are not welcomed to my table. Not then. Not now. Old 'friend'."
"Now, now, Joseph. Your days in that pathetic Vanguard are showing. If it were not for Ptolemy, you would have enjoyed the sweet silence of the void instead of your place among the Fleet. You dare take my gift and spit in my eye at the same time?"
"If it weren't for 'Ptolemy'," Herron said slowly as he tried to manage the flush of anger that welled up from a hidden place. "My crew and I could be doing some real good out here. Instead, you've turned us into petty thieves. I will never forgive you for that."
Ptolemy sighed, somehow sounding like he was actually disappointed. "Then I must do what I should have done years ago. But I will start with that pretty ship of yours first. Then, Ptolemy will be coming for you, little bird."
The comms dropped abruptly, leaving only the pounding of Herron's heart in his ears.
"I've got multiple missile locks," VVilma's voice cut through the red mist that filled Herron's reality. "Shields to full. Dropping into AUI and engaging."
"VVilma! Get out of there! Jump away now!" He searched the sky frantically, looking for any sign of the Blazing Heart.
"Countermeasures deployed. PDCs online, firing. Frak! That was close."
Herron spun, the Disruptor snapping up as Haws touched his shoulder. "What can we do to help?"
"Protect your people, Raleigh. If those ships make it here..."
Haws nodded, then moved off to gather his Sec team.
"....C'mon, you son of a... Guns. Guns. Guns."
The empty blue sky felt like an open airlock door. Herron would willingly step through it, just to have everyone safe again. But, that wasn't an option. Neither was pretending that his twelve years with the Vanguard meant nothing—or that VVilma hadn’t followed him into it for a reason. There was nothing he could do for VVilma with his boots in the dirt.
The rest of his family needed him.
"Splash one! Now, get over here you little..."
They were a good crew. They deserved better.
"Maddox. It's party time. Everyone, meet me at the landing pad."
"Hell yeah."
Herron stood over the large yellow and black crate that sat on the duracrete pad, lifting the lid.
Twelve years of dignified service came to an end, all because he didn't want to pull another trigger again. Two more years of making it right by helping those that needed it.
"—off my ass! Taking hits, shields holding. Damn it! Use that EM cannon one more time and I'll shove—"
Now, two years of trying to still help others while under the heel of the Fleet, pulling the trigger was the only way he could help.
"—two! Lining up a run on the Banshee. Guns! Guns!—"
The weight of the Orion was almost comforting as he hefted the laser rifle from the crate, leaving an odd mixture of nostalgia and disgust.
Nevermind that, Herron thought, slapping a charge mag into the weapon and pressing the PRIME key. The sharp whine of the power sounded like the voice of an old friend.
"—can't shake the bastard! Shields still holding. Damn these EM blasts! Heads up, the Banshee is making for atmo."
Herron wanted to be there. To do something. "Jump, VVilma. We'll deal with them planetside."
"No can do, Cap. Setting up another run on the Banshee—"
"Dammit, girl!" Herron shouted as Maddox and Liu stopped short at the crate. "Leave the frakking Banshee and jump to safety!"
"—on target. GUNS! GUNS! GU—"
No static. Just silence and the sound of a father's heart shattering.
The world spun around Herron as he searched the sky again, his mouth working without knowing what he was saying.
Someone was still trying to reach VVilma through the comms. They sounded desperate, but he couldn't parse the string of words that they were saying. Just the speck of light that blossomed in the sky. Was that the Blazing Heart losing its control of its reactor?
Hands touched his face, pulling his eyes away from the sky. No more blue, no more VVilma. Just dark eyes.
“Huí dào wǒmen shēnbiān lái, Herron.”
Mandarin?
"Standard, Liu," Herron muttered as he realized that he wasn't trying to talk to his daughter any more.
"Come back," Liu said again, her eyes pleading with his. "We loved VVilma, but we need you here. We will cry for her once this is done."
Herron wiped his face and risked one more glance skyward, then froze. The speck of light had grown.
It wasn't a rapidly expanding ball of plasma. It was a ship.
Landing thrusters.
Ptolemy was coming to take more from Herron. To take everything he had left to care about.
Ptolemy was coming to die.
"Once this is done," Herron mumbled. He wanted to scream and empty the Orion's charge pack into the approaching ship. To tear it apart, piece by piece until he found Ptolemy, then rip him apart with his own hands.
That wasn't the man he was. Nor was that what VVilma saw in him.
Herron took in a deep breath, then let out slowly.
"Womack, take your big guns and find high ground," he said, letting the coldness of his voice calm the fire that burned him from the inside out. "Stay concealed until the ship lands. When the first boot touches soil, give them hell."
He turned to a tear-soaked Maddox. "Stay low and kill anything that's still moving. Liu, use the settlement's data network to hack the ship's computer. I want all of its weapons disabled before it settles."
"What shall I do?" Templeton asked.
"Keep us alive."
"What are you going to do, Cap?" Maddox asked, wiping her eyes as she hefted an eight-barreled microgun from the crate.
"I'm going to make sure they come out."
Without another word, everyone grabbed their gear and moved to their positions, leaving Herron to lean against the crate. He set the Orion down and looked at his hands.
"We're the good kind of pirates. Right, V?"
When the sobs came, he didn't stop them.
-
Herron made his way to the edge of the landing pad as the Dagon settled into a wobbling hover, its descent more of a barely controlled crash than a soft landing.
Haws stood beside him now, shouting over the roar of the thrusters.
"I never thought I'd say this, but if you're planning on facing these assholes down by yourself, you're wrong."
"Do you have children, Haws?"
"Two. A boy and a girl."
Herron put a hand on the chief's shoulder. "Go home. They need you."
"That's the thing, Herron. They're why I can't let you do this alone. Just like your crew. Some things are just like that, boss."
"You're a good man, Haws. I'm sorry that I brought this to your doorstep."
"So am I. But, I'm glad it was you and not whoever that is," Haws said with a chuckle. "You really are a bunch of lousy pirates."
Herron nodded in agreement as the Dagon's thrusters died and whined to a stop. Several loud bangs and the hiss of hydraulics announced the lowering of the ship's landing ramp.
"Time to meet the Devil you don't know," Herron said with a tired sigh, letting the Orion hang loosely at his side.
A tall, slim figure stood in the bay, bearded and thin-haired, arms outstretched and bathed in orange warning lights. A voice boomed from the crimson and black ship's external address system.
"Why so standoffish, Mr. Bird? Come give Ptolemy a warm hug."
"Why don't you come and get one," Herron challenged. "It's a short walk. Just like you said once."
"Why do for myself what others will do for me?" Ptolemy looked back at the suited pirates behind him and flicked his head toward Herron and Haws. Two men stepped forward, the larger of the two dragging a large axe behind him as he stomped down the ramp. His boot hit the Procyon dirt with a thunderclap, halting the man abruptly.
The axe clattered to the ramp as he fell to the ground with a six-inch hole blown through his helmet.
The second man froze, but fell a split second before the report of Womack's Novastrike tore through the air.
"I'm waiting," Herron shouted, then keyed his mic. "Liu, where are we with the hack?"
Her reply was terse. "Breaching the firewall. The cybersecurity is more robust than that ship has any right to have."
Three more pirates stepped out from the bay, moving faster toward the end of the ramp. The first one fell before he could step off, the other two fell feet from their counterparts.
Ptolemy roared, no longer concerned with using his words. A group of six rifle-wielding pirates charged down the ramp, their war cries accented by a high-pitched whine. One of the pirates skidded to a halt and ran back toward the Dagon as a solid stream of 7.77mm hate cut them down with a continuous BRRRRRRTTTT.
Ptolemy's eyes widened in fear as he took in the carnage. Turning, he shouted commands into the ship.
"I'm in," Liu said into Herron's earbud. "Captain, he's arming the ship's PDCs!"
Herron and Haws stepped back as the multi-barreled weapons began to move, barrels spinning as the weapons moved through their calibration cycles.
"Everyone pull back! Solid cover, move!" Herron shouted as he sprinted behind Haws toward a duracrete outbuilding. The men slid into the gravel and dirt, flattening themselves just as several short blats of .50 caliber fire tore the surrounding buildings apart.
"Sitrep!" Herron called out, fearing the worst, between blats.
"Good here," Womack said, laughing hysterically.
"Same," Maddox added, much less enthusiastically. "But that sucked!"
"Liu, shut it down!" Herron yelped, ducking back behind the building as another salvo whizzed past.
"Working. Whoever's on the other end is good."
"I've got a clear shot at one of the—" Womack started until another short blat cut him off.
"Jimmy!" Maddox screamed.
Womack's heavy breathing filled the comms. "I'm fine. That definitely wasn't a clean shot."
Herron dropped his head to the gravel in relief, then a thought crossed his mind.
"Where are your civilians, Haws?"
"Main building," Haws grunted as another salvo ripped into the duracrete. "The big one with the dish. Safe, unless that madman takes that ship up."
"Shia, tell me something good," Herron peeked around the corner again, ducking back as three cannons tracked his movement. "Anything!"
"Shǐ! Best I can do is to slow them down!"
Slower is better. "Make it happen! Maddox, Womack! Take down as many of those PDCs as you can when I move."
"Move?" Maddox squeaked.
Herron rose, getting his feet under him. "Yes. Moving. Now!"
"Wait, where are you going!" Haws shouted behind him as Herron sprinted toward the Dagon, zigging one way, then zagging the other while plumes of dirt and duracrete erupted around him. Sharp thunderclaps and the higher-pitched BRRT of Maddox's microgun answered the dull blats of the ship's cannons.
"Got one!" Maddox cried out in triumph. "Two more left!"
Herron ran hard for a stack of heavy crates that sat near Ptolemy's ship. He glanced up at remaining cannons, both now reacting slower to his movements, then at the leering pirate captain.
No better time than the present. With a grunt, Herron pivoted and ran for the Dagon's landing bay and launched into a hard tackle to bring the tall man crashing into the bulkhead with a shriek.
Herron's Orion clattered to the deck as he shook off the impact and charged the dazed pirate, sliding in low and throwing him over his hip and into a stack of supply crates.
Herron pounced, ready to drive his fist into Ptolemy's face. The man shifted and a flash of steel in the orange lighting ignited a white-hot pain in his gut. Ptolemy pulled the knife from Herron's gut and clambered to his feet.
"You dare challenge me on my own ship?" He spat. "When Ptolemy is done with you, I will let Dagon drink of your blood, little Bird."
Herron clutched at his stomach. Hurt, broken, but far from done.
"Yeah, well, you'll have to kill me first."
Ptolemy circled the wounded man, waggling his knife like a toy.
"I'm sure that your pilot felt the same way. You should have seen your ship, floating lifelessly. Maybe I should make you walk the airlock next to it. Blazing Heart... Bah!"
Herron straightened against the pain, his fists balled tight.
"Did Ptolemy strike a nerve?" He laughed. "Let's see what else I can strike."
He lunged at Herron, catching nothing as the bleeding man sidestepped. Growling, Ptolemy flipped the blade downward and spun, intending to drive the knife into Herron's temple. The blade slipped harmlessly over Herron's head to throw Ptolemy off balance. A fist slammed into his face, then another, followed by Herron's boot that launched the pirate down the ramp.
Ptolemy landed face down in the bloody dirt. For a moment, he laid there in a daze until he heard the whine of the PDC servos and scrambled to his feet.
"Shut them down, you imbeciles!" He shouted, waving his hands frantically until the cannons went offline. Ptolemy turned back to the landing bay and his world exploded in pain and stars.
Herron watched the man fall again, then flipped his Orion back and shoved the barrel into his face.
He caressed the trigger. Just a light squeeze. For VVilma.
She wouldn't want this.
He did.
She deserved better.
Herron shouted at the pirate, pouring all of his hate and anger into it then tossed the rifle aside.
For VVilma.
Herron reached down and grasped the back of Ptolemy's jacket, dragging him across the distance back to a slack-jawed Haws to toss him to the ground.
"You deserve far worse than this, old friend," he said, then looked at the Security Chief. "Do whatever it is your laws require of him."
The Dagon's thrusters roared to life, burning at full throttle to lurch skyward.
"Liu, tell me that their weapons are off-line."
"They're arming their missiles, sir!"
The Dagon rose higher, angling back and away as two missile launchers extended out from the ship's hull.
"We need to bring—"
Something impossibly fast slammed into the ship, followed by another that blew out the port thrusters and sent the Dagon careening into a rocky outcropping, ripping the ship in two.
Static crackled faintly in Herron's ear as the Blazing Heart streaked past the landing pad.
"—ash four."
Herron watched his daughter circle the ship back and fell to his knees, not caring about the tears or the pain.
"Job well done and done well, V."
He felt a pinch. Then a cooling wave filled his belly, easing the pain. He looked down to find a trauma pack clinging to his belly and Templeton holding it in place with a concerned smile.
"Don't mind me, I'm invisible..."
~
"I had just rebooted the Heart when I heard the airlock open," VVilma said, absently tilting her bottle to watch the beer slosh from one side to the other. "Those mother frakkers never saw me coming. Firearms recertifications, who knew they'd come in so handy?"
She looked up at Herron and his raised brow. "What did I do?"
"Language, V."
"Seriously, Dad?"
Marissa Corlew's living room filled with laughter until the Governor cleared her throat.
"Well, now that you're officially out of the pirate business, what plans do you have in store?"
Herron didn't know how to answer this. He had believed that his dream had been dead for so long that anything but piracy felt like a story that wasn't his to tell.
"To be fair, I haven't a clue. When this all started, all I wanted to do was help others."
"What about what we talked about the other night?" VVilma asked. "Privateers?"
"Oh, I like the sound of that," Maddox said.
"But, aren't privateers still pirates?" Haws said from the couch beside a fidgeting Kenni.
"Yes, but no," Herron said. "Privateers are sanctioned operators, authorized by a government to act in its interests. Pirates answer to no one but themselves."
"So, you'd need a government to sanction you in order to become a privateer?" Corlew asked, looking at Haws with a grin.
"Yes, unless my recollection is wrong," Herron said, pulling a sip from his bourbon.
"In that case, Mr. Herron. We'd like to sanction you and your crew as our Privateers." Corlew stood and extended her hand. "Kenni could have the official documents worked up in the morning."
Herron looked at her hand, then met Corlew's eyes. "But, why us?"
"Because you have a soul, Mr. Herron. Look at yourself and the people that follow you. That means something. And, if I'm going to select someone to watch over us out there, it's going to be someone that would rather fix a problem than shoot it. That someone is you. So, do you accept?"
Herron looked at his crew. "What do you think?"
Maddox was smiling so wide that she had forgotten about her pie.
"Hell, yeah, Cap!" Womack said, raising his beer.
Templeton gave him a small nod.
"Tā mā de duì!" Liu shouted. "Frak yes!"
Herron looked at VVilma. Her smile was the only answer he needed.
They were the best crew. They deserved better.
Herron stood and took Corlew's hand.
"The crew of the Blazing Heart are at your command," Herron announced. "Yo ho, even."