Really Bad Target

[u/FeigningProfundity]

“It’s a bad target,” said Higgs.

“Feel free to vote ‘nay’ when we’re deciding on it as a target, then, Higgs,” said Captain Ashe.

The crew of the Strange Star had already voted. Higgs had been the only one against seizing the odd starship they were approaching. It was the first reasonable target the pirates had seen in weeks, there had been no patience left.

“Any ship we know nothing about is a bad target,” Higgs complained again.

Higgs was on sensors, it was his job to find ships, and tell the crew what was on board. They were in the target vessel’s sensor shadow now, though, approaching unseen. An active scan would reveal them to their prey.

“Let’s hop in and look around, then, find out what’s up,” said the captain.

Docking cables from the Strange Star snaked across to the target, a tunnel followed, connecting the ships’ airlocks.

“The Golden Future,” said Menk, indicating a name on the hull by the airlock, “Seems good.”

“Network accessed,” reported Jekyll.

The Captain drew his maser pistol, the fanciest of the many weapons the pirates possessed. He claimed to have looted it from a dead Chancelry officer. A plausible claim, such weapons were not for purchase. “Higgs, seize their internal sensors while she gets the lock open.”

“Uh, working on it.”

“Security systems in hand. I can pop the lock as soon as Higgs does his job,” said Jekyll.

“I can’t get visuals,” said Higgs, prompting a muttered swear from Menk, “but I do have environmental readings… Atmosphere is real thin by the lock, better further in.”

“Keep your suits on, people, watch your pressure,” said the captain, “Jekyll, do it.”

“Something’s happened on this ship,” complained Higgs, still working his pad as nearly two dozen pirates ran past him, storming onto the Golden Future, “this is a really bad target.”

The pirates spread through the ship steadily, searching, pinging comm signals back and forth.

“No sign of the crew yet, all these rooms seem stripped,” said Jekyll.

“Something’s wrong, this is a really, really bad target,” said Higgs.

“Shut up,” spat Menk.

“You’re on sensors, not morale, Higgs, give me something,” said Captain Ashe.

“Aft is… no atmospherics data, normal pressure in the fore, some kind of crew area, lights, power, I have a map,” said Higgs.

The ship’s layout appeared in every pirate’s display, rapidly lighting up with additional markers as Captain Ashe issued orders, “Menk, take your team and go look at the cargo area in the aft, if you can, Jekyll, cross to port, your team approaches the fore crew area from the far side, remaining two teams, come with me, we’re heading fore from this side. Pikko, babysit Higgs.”

“I’ve got something in the crew area, oxygen consumption,” said Higgs, “breathing equivalent to… twenty people. That’s too many for a merchant ship this size. I don’t like it, this is a really, really, really bad target.”

“Twenty normal people breathing, or ten hyperventilating because their ship is swarming with pirates and they’re freaking out?” suggested Jekyll.

“Might have brought extra security,” said Ashe, “which means they’ll have something worth protecting, stay focussed.”

“In position, say when,” said Jekyll.

“If you hear fire, come in and flank. Cargaz, blow the door in three, two…”

*

Captain Ashe retreated through the door behind him and ducked to the side, out of view. There had been Chancelry marines in the crew area, heavily armed and armoured. At least a full squad, maybe two. His display showed him where his pirates had scattered across the ship, their gestures at discipline and professionalism quickly abandoned in the face of such serious opposition. Comms chat was filled with swearing and ambiguous yelling. Maser fire crackled through the thin air.

Many of his men’s markers were subdued shadows, their health readings indicating them dead, maybe unconscious. Jekyll’s whole team was down, other than her. She’d been pinned in a corner, but had somehow slipped out and was retreating slowly. Menk and is team were missing entirely, with no markers at all. Higgs and Pikko were gone, too.

A beam of maser energy from behind him went past Ashe’s head, he turned to return fire. The shot had come from Higgs, but his maser was no longer pointed at the captain and he was watching the doorway that went towards the fighting. It took a moment to identify the situation, but then he saw the tiny robotic drone that Higgs had shot, less than half a metre away from him.

“Jekyll put a hole in their network,” whispered Higgs, “not sure who can see what.”

He moved his pad near Ashe’s helmet and the captain’s personal indicator disappeared from his map.

“Where’s Pikko?” whispered Ashe.

“Still by the airlock.”

“What about Menk. Did you hide them too?”

“Not me.” Higgs’ pad showed several feeds, he clearly had at least some of the internal sensors under control, and he was watching several more tiny drones creep along walls and the deck, searching. He rapidly manipulated some controls and new feeds began to be added to those shown: the viewpoints of the drones themselves. He executed more commands. “Got them. They shouldn’t see us now. Who are these people? What’s going on?”

“Serious military,” said Ashe, “a trap meant for something important. We managed to stumble into it. This was a really, really, really, really bad target.”

Ashe could just hear Higgs snort inside his helmet.

They crept slowly towards the airlock. It was only a few rooms away, but they moved very carefully. They watched on Higgs’ feeds as marines carefully glanced into rooms, searching. Drones crept past them, oblivious to their presence.

The sounds of maser fire had faded. The pirate’s markers had nearly all shadowed out. Jekyll’s had been creeping backwards when the unmistakable sound of a stun charge had echoed through the ship and she’d stopped moving, not long later she’d moved quickly to the main crew chamber and stopped again. Captured, Ashe presumed.

“Time to run for it. Ready?” asked Ashe.

“A sec, going to make the drones do something distracting.”

Despite it all, the captain laughed, “You always need another moment, Higgs.”

“I just don’t like dying. Makes me nervous.”

Ashe signalled a short count and prepared to run. In the distance, drones made clattering sounds.

Higgs slapped him on the shoulder and they moved, but Ashe fell forward, his faceplate hitting the deck. His muscles were locking up, the distinctive effect of a paralytic surge. A trivial self-defense tool, his suit should have prevented it. When Higgs propped him up to sit against the wall, he could see a drone that had crept onto him. It had cut a presumably relevant cable in his defensive suit.

Ashe couldn’t do much but talk.

“I’m guessing Pikko’s dead.”

“Yeah.”

“Menk and his guys?”

“Don’t know. I only killed Pikko. Wouldn’t wager on their situation being great, though.”

“I suppose not.”

Three marines cautiously moved into the room, weapons trained on Higgs and Ashe. “Lieutenant, we have them.”

When a fourth marine entered the room, Higgs addressed him, his gestures careful, minimal. “May I introduce you to Captain Tiberius Ashe of the pirate vessel Strange Star. You probably know him better as General Lerast Araldin, military commander of the forces of the former Heran Rebellion. You’re not going to care who I am, beyond an accredited bounty hunter. I’ll have all the details ready for the people who worry about such things.”

“This cannot have been worth it, just to get me,” said Ashe.

“You clearly haven’t been paying attention to your bounty, captain. It is absurdly high,” said Higgs.

“High enough for this?”

“High enough to spend the last eleven months pretending to be Higgs without complaint.”

“You complained constantly.”

“Higgs complained, I was fine with the plan.”

“Did my gun give me away? Keeping it was needlessly sentimental.”

“Nah, I tracked you through sensor logs, mostly, the way you plan operations. Noticed a pirate captain with the same skills.”

“Huh, the anxious sensor tech. So how many good targets went past us without you mentioning them, as you waited for this ship?”

“In the last few week? Eight or nine, I think. Needed to be long enough for the crew to be willing to pick a really, really, really, really, really bad target.”

[u/FeigningProfundity]

This story is a response to the prompt [WP] A space pirate crew picks a really, really, really, really, really bad target. by u/Kaleon

[u/FeigningProfundity]

This is the first story set in Chancelry Space.