The hold door was down as I watched Hammond pull off the road. He looked a good bit rougher than he had before. Dirt and grime coated his face and beard, but as he stepped out of the hauler after parking, he flicked his tab at me before saying anything.

  I checked what he sent, and the data was clear.

  Coordinates in the nebula, undoubtedly where the pirates were hiding.

  “This legit?” I couldn’t help but ask as I looked up and he nodded.

  “I’d trust my life on it.” He said simply, as he started unloading his stuff from the hauler.

  I looked back at the Tab, the data was clear. An old hunk of rock floating in the nebula in the middle of nowhere, and even navigation data to get there.

  From the information it was undefended, just a hidden little cove for them to dock and repair when needed. But the way the information was formatted… Sounds like this came from the pirates themselves.

  I shook it off, whatever was going on if Hammond trusted it, it was worth at least checking out.

  “Okay, take some time. Get cleaned up.” I told him, as I started heading up towards the bridge.

  “I can wait. How long till we arrive?” He asked, his gravely voice more urgent than I was used to.

  “I’ll need to check over the navigation system and find a sneaky path to the location. Wasn’t planning on rushing up there.” I offered and he stilled.

  He seemed to swallow whatever he was going to say and nodded.

  “Alright, I’ll hit the head.” I nodded in turn and hurried to the ladder. I could put this into the navigation computer, and get some better details. Maybe even a Warp emergence I could use.

  No, probably best to try and sneak through the nebula quiet.

  I’d have to check out the data before I could decide.

  I slipped not into my captain's chair but to the navigation console when I reached the bridge and transferred the coordinates over.

  “Help me find a path?” I asked the Crabbit still sitting on the console and she cheered .

  “You bet! Quick path! Quick path!” She chattered, and I smirked.

  “We don’t want the quick path. We need the sneaky path, we’re playing hide and sneak.” I told her, and she went still her face screen shifted until her optics were locked on my face.

  “Hide and sneak?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Hehehehehehehe!” She cackled almost evilly as she started going over the data, I noticed instantly as the console lit up with calculations that she was borrowing processing power from her sisters.

  Heh Crabbits always did take hide and sneak seriously.

  I settled in, let’s find the path that gives me the best chance for victory.

  Path, after path was pulled up, checked, and thrown away as the Crabbits and I worked. Finally we came to a decision.

  We’d leave the atmosphere, and jump to warp, go to a part of the nebula that was barren, facing out into nothingness, and pass through from there.

  It was slightly more dangerous, as the nebula was less scouted on that side, so I’d have to go slow, but it should be much harder to notice us over there. Pirates wouldn’t be checking a section of space that no one traveled through. They’d be keeping an eye on the more active areas.

  Hopefully. It was worth at least attempting to be sneakier. If it didn’t work, then it would be a battle regardless.

  I nodded satisfied at the plan, before I realized I had other tasks I needed to do.

  I’d want to batten everything down, and prep the nanopaste sprayers.

  This was a battle, and no matter how dangerous the Phantom Star was compared to a couple pirates, I had learned a valuable lesson from the Octavius.

  A good trick could ruin your day.

  Good thing I’d already come up with a few myself, just in case.

  As I hurried around the ship, locking things down, and talking to the Crabbits about a neat trick to hopefully secure us a win against anything strange, Hammond came up from the Hold, his hair still a little damp as he wiped at it with a towel.

  “We’re pretty much ready for liftoff. Going to jump to warp, and come around the Nebula from the rear. There’s less traffic that way, and it should let us get close without them noticing. I explained as I went around the halls, closing doors as I passed, and locking them down.

  They probably wouldn’t help if we got a bad hole, but maybe it would, you never know.

  “Got it. Where should I go?”

  “Oh, the bridge would be best, so you can see what’s going on, but if you want to prep your gear near the airlock? Or the hold… Probably the airlock. We’re going to have to board them at some point, the airlock is more secure.”

  “Airlock it is. I’ll get geared up then.” He said without seemingly worrying about the combat ahead of us, and hurried off.

  Now if only I could get my stomach to stop doing flips.

  —--

  A quick burn off the planet and then just far enough that I could drop into subspace, and as far as the system was concerned, we were leaving.

  Sure, plenty of sensors in the system would be tracking our travel through the system, but as we started heading out away from the nebula, it would be obvious we were leaving and we would drop from anyone paying attention.

  Then far away, in a burst the Phantom Star returned to real space.

  I did what I could to lower any sensor registry from there. Our sensors went dark, as we turned and just followed the path I had decided on before ever lifting off.

  Hammond stood uneasy beside me, the guy was covered in guns now, a massive rifle strapped across his chest that I was pretty sure was a really high end laser kept catching my eye.

  It had a pretty song.

  But I focused on maneuvering us back to the nebula and then once we were inside, I turned back on the sensor systems, setting it to very short range.

  “Well even if they did notice us, they won’t now. This Nebula might as well be soup for all the return we’re getting.” I muttered, and Hammond relaxed only partially. I noticed the way his hand kept clenching and unclenching.

  He was nervous, his eyes never leaving the sight of the nebula we were flying through. The multicolored gas cloud glowed even this far from this systems sun. It rippled as we passed through it, reflecting sunlight into a refractory brightness.

  There was a blip on my Tab’s screen, just barely there for a moment. I gave the ship a sharp adjustment, just in time to miss an asteroid floating in the soup letting us fly around it.

  “Give the sensors a bit more power.” I told my Crabbits, and I watched my Tab clear up a little bit on what I could see. Didn’t want any more close calls.

  Dangerous, this was really dangerous, but I was fairly confident. I just needed to get close.

  “How long until we get there?” Hammond asked, and I hummed, not really wanting to take the time to check.

  “Navigation ETA?”

  “Oh! That’s me! Hmm. Fifty eight minutes!” She called back, and I nodded.

  “That long?” He asked, as I once more, shifted, flying part of the gas cloud, so I could avoid the less dense areas.

  “We’re trying to be sneaky.” I explained, Sure, we could have arrived in a very short amount of time, but that would have been very direct, and very obvious.

  I reversed thrust, reaching over on my Tab, to flip the engine output.

  Then dipped down, flying around what could have become a moon if not for this nebula being sucked up by humanity.

  “There’s no straight path that isn’t watched, so we aren’t taking one.” I explained, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw his face firm, and nod.

  Good, I really didn’t want to argue about the path I’d chosen anymore. It was already not fun to fly through.

  Constantly checking the Tab, adjusting course, and speed, all so that I wouldn’t smash into something.

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  But, if everything went to plan, we’d be there soon.

  —--

  Sinclair Kirkbride

  On board the Huskarl

  The computers surrounding her hummed, and she did her best to ignore them. Her boot clad feet up on the console her chair set all the way back.

  She was so done with this job. Who’d have thought being a Pirate would end up just being a job?

  “Hey Sin! Anything out there! The boss is getting hungry!” The voice echoed into her room along with a pounding on the door.

  “I’ve already said there isn’t! Fuck off!” She shouted back and Tiko walked off grumbling. Damn right. She looked around her little room. It had taken a long time before she was trusted enough to basically own this space. She was the undisputed Queen of The Huskarl’s sensor, and Electronic Warfare Suite.

  EW specialists weren’t common, and pirate ones… Well they were there, but usually whoever they could throw into the job considering how important it was to any sort of raid.

  She’d started out like that. Just some dumb kid enamored with some other dumb kid that was talking up how he was a pirate.

  Eventually she had become important enough that she could kick people out of her space and have some creature comforts.

  She glanced at the screen, actually looking if there were any targets.

  A few had potential, but she looked away from it.

  Piracy had seemed so much fun and exciting when she was a teenager. Fourteen years and numerous close calls had killed the adventure.

  That and the realization that the people she was with weren’t exciting outlaws, but terrible people.

  She looked at the broken holo emitter. The old holo picture of her and Trent. Now First officer Dread, long destroyed in a fit of pique at him once more trying to have his way.

  She had thought he was the one for her. The scoundrel corsair couple that would rule the sector in terror.

  Instead she had caught him in bed with others, again and again, and his abuse had gotten… Rough.

  Luckily she was the crew's EW specialist. So when she finally put her foot down and broke up with him, the Boss had protected her from his wrath.

  Fucking piece of shit.

  Now she was trying to get out. Limiting the amount of attacks the Corsairs complete until she could escape was just smart business. Hopefully she’d be able to hack in a new ID and be free from the past.

  She’d sent out feelers to a few different groups, data and information through some merc connections. Hopefully one of them would get her out. Her skills were useful after all, and fucking over the Corsairs would be a benefit to anyone with half a brain.

  “Hey!” The voice called out from the other side of her door and she jumped, quickly getting to her feet, slamming a hand across the screens to bring up a fake display.

  “Boss!” She called out as she opened the door, looking up at the large man with his silly sprawling beard and eye patch that he didn’t actually need, but used to play into the part.

  “Sin, I’m growing real impatient.” He growled glaring down at her.

  “Sorry Boss, I heard. I’m looking, but there’s some weird movements in the Nebula right now. Some of the ships traveling around are almost… Too easy. I’m thinking bait, so I’m doing some extra scans and-” Her voice died as he raised a hand with a massive finger pointing nearly into her nose.

  “I don’t want to hear it. We rule this nebula with the navy gone, and everyone knows it. I want a target, and I want my loot. You understand? We have a business to do, and you’ve been slacking.”

  “Yes Boss. Sorry Boss.” She acquiesced instantly, fearful he might actually react.

  Captain Barbatos, which was a fake name, his real one hidden so deep even Sin hadn’t managed to find the man's original ID. Looked at her with his one eye practically glowing.

  He was usually pretty reliable the sort of man that was a natural leader, but he liked being feared. Sometimes he took it out on the crew almost randomly to remind them to fear him as much as they loved the Creds he brought them.

  “Good. Get me a target.”

  “Yes Boss!” She said standing up straight and looking contrite.

  He turned and walked away and Sin had a moment where her heart was pounding and her hands shook. She needed a Klitz, it’d calm her nerves, and then she needed a damn target. To get him off her ass.

  She shrugged, whatever, another batch of ‘innocent’ civilians would be under the Corsair Pirates thumb. Not the first time, not the last, and not her concern.

  Hell if she picked a good one, she might be able to get some extra creds for her escape.

  She turned back inside making sure the door was shut. She took a moment to wipe her hands across her face, and then through her spiked red hair. Pushing the mess back behind her ears as she calmed down, reaching for the pack of Klitz she had hidden behind some monitors. Fuckers would swipe them if she didn’t hide them.

  She quickly ran the end across a bit of metal, and the end started smoldering, putting the other end into her mouth she inhaled, and exhaled.

  The smoke was light and soothing.

  “Alright, who's in trouble today?” She wondered, as she sat back in her chair actually active this time and pulled up the real sensor report, and started accessing the data she’d pulled on each of them.

  Hauler? No. Transport? Possible, but it was already too close to landing.

  That one was possible, she could have the Huskarl in position and sending the distress beacon shortly…

  She exhaled and nodded. Slapping her comms. “Found a gas transport that’s taking the earthward path. Looks like traffic got him thinking he’s safe.” She spoke instantly, and not long after the sinister laughter of Barbatos came over the line.

  “Good! Good! Get that distress beacon of yours ready!” He roared out and she could hear the crew all roar along with him.

  Pirates.

  She rolled her eyes. She turned to her baby. The system that let this whole network work.

  Normally distress beacons are sent over subspace, and everyone would get the message. Anyone getting the message would come by to help, but that would lead to a lot of attention.

  She smirked. This was a message sent directly to one ship at a time, they’d never notice it was a message and not a distress beacon. The message hacked into comm systems as it was sent out, and made it look like just a normal run of the mill distress beacon.

  Even better, she could configure it to look like an allied ship. Let’s see this Gas Hauler was owned by… Ah Stellar Course.

  She switched the message to a SC ship registry, and prepped the distress message.

  “Okay Boss. Message is ready just need to get us-” She stopped mid call, as she looked at her screen.

  That… That wasn’t right.

  “Sin?”

  She spun her chair and looked at the screen.

  What was that? The sensor was getting something, and the data was coming in, but that wasn’t right.

  She pressed the Tab, commandeering the power she needed to enhance the image. That was… On the completely wrong side of the Nebula, nothing came from that way. The only-

  “Sin! The Black Hole is wrong with you girl?”

  That was an enemy ship. Coming straight for them. Was it one of her contacts? She hadn’t heard anything, or was it just a Kenish Warship here to hunt some pirates?

  No, the Duchy was at war, they wouldn’t bother coming here… Right?

  She flipped switches, her sensors clearing up as the ship drew closer, and the additional power gave her what she needed.

  That… That was not one of her contacts. That was too big to be Daylight Mercs, or Cosmosaic Shipping. It certainly wasn’t Stellar Course. Maybe some crazy bounty hunter? She had passed the info to Connor to put into the bounty office…

  So she had a choice, inform the Boss, or use this as her chance to escape.

  She reached out and hit the distress beacon, the same one she had just configured.

  “Sorry Boss, something’s up with the beacon, the signal didn’t upload right, give me five?”

  “For Holes sake, get it working!”

  She returned to the beacon and uploaded a new message. She couldn’t use Comms, not directly, not without the Boss noticing, but the beacon was entirely under her control.

  She activated it, something no one on the ship but her would notice.

  *I’m trying to escape from these pirates. They’re using me as an electronic warfare specialist. If you agree to get me out, I can help you take them down.*

  It was audacious, but… She had to try. That ship coming out of the murk was a monster, and the Huskarl wasn’t going to do shit to stop it. Maybe the Mauve Raider could slow it down, but she wasn’t on the Mauve, and she’d rather fuck these assholes over for all the bullshit.

  Then, Sin rushed around her room. Grabbing everything she might need, she had a data drive with some useful stuff stashed, and of course her bug out bag under her chair.

  It was only then she got a message back. A large data file.

  She blinked, it was requesting to be uploaded?

  She hesitated, was it a virus? She couldn’t do shit if they locked her out of everything…

  Then she flipped it on, loading it anyways. Fuck it.

  “Ah Hello! Hello!” The voice came out of the sound system on her Tab, which now had a pair of digital eyes looking back at her.

  “Uh… Hello?”

  “Yes! I’m here to help! I’m a Crabbit!” It greeted her cheerfully, and she was struck dumb for a moment trying to understand, even as the lights on all her systems flashed as it started accessing them…

  It started accessing them?

  Oh Black Hole at the center of all….

  “A-a-AI?” She whispered in terror. She had just let an AI access her system!? Was that massive warship some AI deathfleet!?

  She felt her back press against the wall as she watched the eyes bounce happily around the large Tab screen before it blinked and looked at her. Directly at her. Despite just being a digital construct it was looking at her.

  “Control Override. Opening all exterior hatches! You should stay inside.” It informed her, and suddenly Sin could hear the rumble of all the oxygen in the ship rushing away…

  All but what was in her room.

  She was doomed.

  —--

  “Ah! Second ship is powering up weapons!”

  “That’s fine, we already confirmed our target. How’s the signal?” I asked as I started really putting the power into the engines. We had a cleaner map of the area, so I could fully let the Phantom run loose.

  “Ooh! They’re bad at math!” My sensor Crabbit informed me, yet despite that I could see the targeting lock on the enemy ship distort and fail.

  They were now jamming.

  Damn. I hadn’t managed to get close enough for an alpha strike, but at least the pirate freighter was no longer a threat.

  Not all the pirates had been sucked out with their entire atmosphere, unfortunately old Earth movies had lied to me about the dangers of decompression. Unless you were right at the front of the breach, so an entire force of the oxygen sucking out was behind you, you’d probably get thrown around a bit but be okay.

  Shame, but it would definitely keep them out of the fight long enough, which was good since Hammonds bounty target was on that ship, and currently working with a Crabbit.

  We’d gotten lucky they had been so quick to accept a Crabbit upload.

  I looked over at the Crabbit settled in the corner, the poor things Tab screen was dimmed, as its mind was elsewhere.

  It also had a whole horde of additional Crabbits in the ship giving their extra processing power to make sure it’d be able to control that ship for a bit.

  I shook it off and focused. “We’re charging in. Get me a starboard broadside aimed and ready.” I demanded, and Tactical started whispering numbers under her breath.

  It was kinda scary, but she was my scary.

  “A broadside?” Hammonds rumbling voice cut in, questioning.

  “I want to get in between the two ships in case they decide to fire on their allies before trying to escape.” I explained and Hammond instantly nodded. He’d been very firm that I had to do everything I could to keep his bounty alive. So that’s what I was doing.

  I hadn’t expected him to react so strongly when we got a distress message that was actually a normal comm. What a weird trick.

  I looked up from the Tab just in time to see a lucky shot ballon our shields. The blue cloud of energetic particles expanded before dimming out of view as the ballistic round slammed into us.

  It was a lucky shot, and not a threat. “Keep their lock ons off me.” I reminded, and the Crabbit continued to work.

  They were a little sluggish. Too much of their processing power was given to the invading Crabbit right now.

  Something to consider for the future. Maybe a box full of processors to give them more power in emergencies? Wouldn’t be good long term, but for short bursts- I shook off the wandering thoughts, and flipped the button on the Tab before pressing it again.

  The Nebula burned a little as the Thermal Lance turret started firing its lasers. Missing unfortunately, but I wanted the pirates on the back foot.

  They might not even realize what kind of weapon it was at the bow of my ship.

  I watched closely as the turrets lasers managed a lucky hit, but I didn’t flick the switch for the Lance to open up.

  “How's their jump coming?” I asked. This wasn’t like the last time I’d faced pirates. We weren’t working with a Kenish Navy Frigate with a military level of finesse towards Electronic Warfare. Nor were we outnumbered and prey. I was the biggest ship in the area, and these pirates were scavengers, preying on the weak. Of course they’d try to jump into subspace and escape once a warship showed up.

  It was one of the reasons Electronic Warfare was so important. If I flooded their sensors with enough false data their Warp Controller might not be able to handle the data to safely jump.

  Right now the Crabbit at the EW station was more on the offense than defense. Trying to keep that ship in real space so we could take it out.

  Another hit to the Phantoms shields flared up, but it was minor at best. These pirates only had armaments capable of threatening civilian ships.

  In return I now had an angle, not just the Thermal Lance turret, but the new Laser batteries on the starboard side fired, And I watched as the pirate ships shields flared, as a few of the lasers managed to hit as the green lasers searched through space for their targets.

  To the Phantom they were just prey.

  Then it was time. Just before the Phantom would cross over the barrier from long range to knife fighting, I accelerated even more. A little bit of extra speed I’d been saving.

  It meant that the moment we crossed the barrier, the pirates largest weapon, a Rail Gun of some sort, missed, as they’d been using data from my previous speed.

  Without the ECM interference, the Phantom’s sensors locked.

  “Firing!” I called out and thumbed the button on the tab for the Thermal Lance.

  If the lasers and weapons shooting through the nebula had lit up the gas into a kaleidoscope, the Thermal Lance ignited a star. Everything went pinkish white, and the viewport dimmed in response to protect my eyes.

  “Direct hit! Math was correct! Math is best!” The Tactical Crabbit cheered startling Hammond as he looked from her to me, but I just focused on the viewport.

  The glare faded as the reflection of the light on the gas faded, and it showed my deadly work.

  I swallowed as I watched the former pirate ship list to the side.

  It wouldn’t be jumping to subspace anymore.

  “Where’s the other ship?” Hammond prompted, after a while and I blinked away the scene seared into my mind.

  “Right. The other ship.” I turned, the Phantom. Work wasn’t done yet.