(Callie)
Callie listened intently, perched atop several pallets containing extremely delicate matter used to refine starship fuel.. It was the chemicals needed to create fusion reactor fuel for a ship's primary drive. She took in deep breaths through her nose, her heart racing in her chest.
The pirates, despite their early enthusiasm, were now walking through the ship wearily. Five of them were already dead, and she could tell the others wanted to flee back to their ship. At first she was concerned, but having a low caliber pistol aboard the ship was actually an advantage. She was the only one using live rounds.
After their first encounter, the pirates changed tactics from a full on boarding to a more split attack.. She grimaced, disappointed in herself. She shouldn't have killed five of them. If she was being honest with herself, attacking the pirates was a way to vent pent up stress and frustration.
She sighed. These pirates weren't the reason she couldn't return to Valia, nor the reason she couldn't be with Dustin. Nor would beating them all to death help her regain her friend Taniya. She was truly alone out here, and she needed to be in control. Lashing out at innocent pirates was a waste of energy and, in the end, futile.
Callie calmed her racing heart, pushing aside that bloodthirsty part of herself. The pirates split up into three groups of five, and now she could dismantle them without casualties. One group of pirates went to secure the cargo bay, one to secure the crew, and one to hunt her. Normally, that might be a sound tactic, but five uncoordinated pirates were easy pickings for Callie.
Especially since they all were using stun rounds. The stun rounds lacked the heavy impact of live rounds, taking much less energy to deflect with her barrier. Callie sighed, grudgingly deciding to take a more gentle approach than her knife or pistol.
She moved amongst the pirates, using them as shields. She used her power to knock them out of the fight one at a time.
The air filled with the energy of stun rounds, but in the confines of the hallways the pirates were getting in each other's way, especially once she got amongst them. They were grouped up tightly, causing more damage to each other than to her in the chaos. Surprisingly, two of the pirates were knocked unconscious by friendly fire, making the fight end quickly..
Using her negative art, she slammed them none too gently into walls, bulkheads, the floors and even the ceiling. Villuses' signature move was far from subtle, but it was good for disabling opponents. She stepped over the bodies of her defeated victims, not bothering to finish them off. Killing was no longer the goal, but she eye the downed pirates wearily just in case.
On the bright side, leaving the pirates alive had a benefit. The pirate captain might hesitate to leave if the crew was still alive and aboard the cargo ship.
Callie couldn't allow the captain to cut their losses, as she doubted the pirates would just let the cargo ship go after losing members of the crew. Even with her skill in the art, Callie would be helpless to defend the whole cargo ship from the heavy guns of a space ship..
She left the pirate group that was securing the members of the crew. She moved to the cargo bay, as that was the closest exit to the docking bay of the pirate ship. The cargo ship's blinking alarms shut off, making her sigh in relief. That light was annoying the hell out of her.
She winced, hoping the pirates weren't too hostile towards the cargo ship's crew. Done with the first group of pirates, she moved on, entering one of the cargo bays and scaling the stacked pallets just in time.
Beneath her, two pirates, a human and a Tallax, walked next to each other, flanked by three other humans. The human in the lead was scanning side to side with his rifle, while the only Tallax of the group was on all fours next to him. "This is juck. Why are we stuck searching the shipping containers?" The Tallax pirate asked, its voice deep and gravely..
The human responded, unable to match the deep rolling cadence in the Tallaxian tongue.
"Sorry for getting you stuck with this Purdin, Captain shimmer is still pissed at me for calling her a fox the other day." Reply the human, his tone deep and gravely, almost as deep as the Tallax.
The Tallax burst out laughing, sounding more like a deep rumbling growl than a laugh. " Ned, I knew making friends with you would come back to bite me in the tail. Next time you decide to insult the Captain maybe you should keep it to yourself! "Reply, Purdin, in a growling chuckle.
Callie cracked a smile, listening intently, having to focus to make out their words. Tallax was a tough language to understand, much less speak, as much of the syllables were on the edge of human hearing. As for the Tallax themselves. They were tall, slender, with razor-sharp claws and teeth. Her first instinct was to run her fingers through their thick fur. They looked so soft, like the fluffiest of teddy bears.
One of the humans in the back spoke."Focus, otherwise, you two are going to get us all killed!" The pirates quiet down, scanning the massive cargo bay with their rifles and back mounted rotary cannons.
After listening to the pirates complaining about their captain for a few long seconds, Callie decided to let this group pass unmolested. Their conversation had her curious about this Captain Shimmer. Sure, they were bitching about their captain, but they were doing it in a fond manner.
They clearly respected their captain, giving Callie an idea. Five were already dead, and five more were out of the fight. She wasn't sure if she should kill the others? Just because they were using stun weapons didn't mean they wouldn't kill the crew after they robbed them.
Would it make her happy to kill them all? No, no, it wouldn't. Would she lose sleep over it? Probably not. They were pirates, after all. With a new plan in mind, she rose from her stomach to her hands and knees. Waiting patiently, she allowed the five pirates to enter another cargo bay before slipping down the pallet's softly to the ship's floor plating.
She selected a setting on her comm, having the device jam the surrounding corridors. It was a weak effect, but it allowed her to move freely through the ship, undetected by sensors..
In the initial contact, she remembered seeing the Tallax in charge. Like a smart leader, the Fox was waiting in the rear, guiding its people through the raid. Cautiously, Callie back tracked, rounding the corner to the airlock.
Why did she want to confront the pirate captain? Well, it was mostly curiosity. Tapping her reservoir, Callie took in a deep breath. Her senses heighten and her skin tingled, as vibrant, positive energy filled her body.
Simultaneously, a shimmering barrier of silvery energy wrapped around her, connecting to create a barrier of negative energy. She peered around the corner, spotting two Tallax still hanging back, directing the pirates from their ship.
She assumed it was for quick fallback, but the airlocks were open, allowing access to the small pirate ship. Assessing her options, her eyes landed on a button next to the airlock controls.
With a burst of speed that defied normal human limits, Callie passed through the airlock into the pirate ship. Her target wasn't the two Tallax but the manual controls for the airlock. She slammed the button, starting the manual override to seal the outer doors.
The inner door slammed shut, and outside she could see the Cargo ship's airlock automatically slam shut as well.
The two Tallax looked startled, just staring at her for several long moments. They couldn't believe their eyes. Noone should move that quickly. As for the ease with which she dismantled most of the crew, it was simply impossible.
Callie smiled, raising her hands to symbol in a sign of peace. She was willing to bet the two Tallax in front of her didn't have stun rounds in their magazines. Normally that would be a bad thing, but in the confines of a small ship, next to the airlock, it was a good thing.
"Dont shoot, I'm only here to talk!" Callie said, in Tallax. She could swear that both of them were equally stunned, clearly both baffled at her.
"What do you want?" The captain asked uncertainly. Callie smiled confidently, giving their two back mounted rotary cannons a dismissive glance. Her casual tone and stance were clearly making both of the Tallax extra cautious and angry.
Those two rotary cannons on their backs were a concern, but she if she got in close she could disable the captain with the monomolecular edge of her knife. Then she could hold the captain hostage and get what she wanted, anyway.
She smiled, staring straight into the bright yellow eyes of the Tallax with the white fur. The captain was tall on all fours, the Tallaxe's shoulders coming up to her chest. At the sight of Callie, the captain unsheathed claws the size of Callie's fingers; the claws gouging into the metal floor plating like it was butter.
"Captain Shimmer, it's a pleasure to meet you." Callie said amusedly, in the too deep growling tongue of the Tallax. The rotary cannon on the back of the second Tallax started spinning, focusing on Callie's chest.
"It's a displeasure to meet you. Why did you attack my crew?" Captain Shimmer snarled, bearing a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth. The effect was intimidating, but it was ruined because the captain had a helmet on protecting Callie from those teeth.
"Don't get your delicate foxy feeling in a bunch. I only killed five of the crew. The others are doing well, for now....." Callie said casually, her tone flippant, without remorse. The brown furred Tallax to the captain's right twitched its tail angrily.
"Can I kill her, captain Shimmer?" the vice captain asked. Callie gave Lenny a challenging glare, unconcerned at the rotary cannon. She stood there completely relaxed, knowing her confidence was unnerving.
"Stand down, Lenny. Let's see what she has to say."Captain Shimmer said, her tone annoyed. The Tallax turned to Callie, who seemed completely relaxed, even under the gaze of two massive rotary guns.
"Really? A fox named Lenny? Are you serious? That's so cool!" Callie stated curiously. The vice captain sputter in indignation. "Who are you calling a fox?!" Lenny demanded. The captain cut in."Whats wrong with the name Lenny?" His name wasn't literally Lenny, but that's what it translated to in her native Etrian.
"Nothing, never mind!" Callie reply, smirking in amusement. She noted there bent knees. They were both poised to pounce. Just because they wouldn't fire their rotary cannons inside their ship didn't mean they wouldn't try gutting her with their claws.
"Well, what do you want?" Captain Shimmer asked, her posture tense. She watched the vice captain Lenny, watching the fox's lips move as it spoke to someone. Callie smiled, knowing the other pirates would rush back to box her in.
It was too bad they were locked out of the ship. She moved in front of the manual locking display for the airlock, knowing the two Tallax wouldn't risk shooting holes in their own ship.
"Its very simple. I want to join your pirate crew."Callie said, calmly. Shimmer snorted, her tail swishing in annoyance.
" Stop playing games. If you wanted to join us, then why did you kill members of my crew?" Shimmer asked angrily.
"At first, I was going to kill all the pirates. After killing a few of them, I got bored. Their training was inexcusable. It was sloppy and uncoordinated. Your people did more damage to each other than I did."Callie said with a scowl.
"Your saying you didn't kill all the crew because they were too weak?" Lenny asked angrily, seeming personally insulted by her words. Callie shrugged her shoulders..
She met Captain Shimmers' bright yellow eyes, giving the Tallax captain a stiff smile.
"Your crew needs training, and I have nothing better to do. Thanks to your pirate crew, my ride is gone. Now I need a new ride. Your ship will do for now."Callie said thoughtfully, as though the pirate ship were her personal taxi.
"Are you serious? You cannot just kill some of my crew, attack others and then demand to join us!" Shimmer said, some of her fire returning..
"I thought you were pirates? Don't pirates kill people for a living?" Callie asked dubiously, raising an eyebrow.
Shimmer shifted, her bushy white tail swishing in annoyance. "That is besides the point, you can't just join the crew."Shimmer said. Callie cracked a predatory smile, and both of the Tallax took an instinctual step back.
"That is a problem. I guess I have no choice. I won't join the crew."Callie said. The two Tallax relaxed a little, the captain letting out a sigh of relief.
"I am taking over this pirate ship. From now on, you and your crew are going to answer to me."Callie said, confidently smiling in triumph.
"And what if we don't agree to follow you?" Shimmer asked, her alien features scrunching up with concern. The Tallax captain clearly didn't like the idea of turning over command, but she was clearly terrified of Callie.
"Then I will start killing your crew until I find a captain more...... Accommodating."Callie said, dryly her light hazel eyes so cold that the two Tallax couldn't help but shudder in fear. They both had seen something terrifying today. Five of their crew were dead and five were beaten so badly they would need some of the extremely valuable energy gel to recover.
And not only that, she didn't have a single wound on her. She looked like dismantling the crew was nothing more than a walk through the forest.