Their ship coasted threw space with ease
Pirates of the Pegasus
Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate or any of the spin-offs. I am only using their characters, set and ideas as a setting for my own.
Prolog:
Their ship coasted threw space with ease. Drexil Marr, Captain of the Shorlander, rested on his elbows looking out a view port to the vastness of space. Not to long ago he had been in near constant fear of wraith attack or of the new Replicator nemesis that was destroying human colonies with a ruthlessness that was frightening to behold.
But now things had quieted down and there was once again room to breath, and space had become just a little less dangerous. Not that the galaxy was a lazy place where anyone, especially a captain could let there guard down. Over 400 lives rested within the Shorlander. Generations borne here and growing up here. Marr flashed onto his own memories of growing up aboard ship. How special it was to be a Traveler. So many humans were trapped on planet while his people could travel the stars without the ring of the ancestors.
He smiled to himself and let his eyes droop comfortably for a moment. "Captain," the first officer's voice roused Marr from his musings.
"Yes, Chaney, what is it?" Marr responded straightening up to resume the responsibilities of his office.
"There is an object approaching our position fast. Singular, looks like a wraith dart."
"I'm coming to the bridge." Marr said and headed there through the quickest route.
He stepped onto the bridge and accepted the nod from the helm and other system controllers that served as a salute among the Travelers. He stepped over to the scanning officer. "Show me what you have."
The young woman was new aboard ship and was a bit nerves to be directing the captain. To all Travelers ship systems were practically second nature but it was understandable someone would be nervous on there first assignment and interrogation by the captain of a ship. "A single object matching all parameters of a dart has come about from the dark side of the nearest moon. It is heading straight for us, very fast."
Marr looked at the console himself. A single dart, no hive ship, not even a cruiser. She was right, it was all alone. "Mr. Chaney, any hails or attempts at communication?"
"No, Sir. Weapons and gunners are on standby. Should I give the order to fire?"
"No, not yet," Marr said. "There may not actually be a wraith on board that dart. I have been hearing of the lantians flying stolen darts, perhaps this is an ally. Wait for any hostile action. Keep all scanners on guard for a larger ship." He could look out of the wide view port and see the small object in the distance growing larger as it sped towards them. A single dart, if it was an enemy what was it thinking? "Hail it." Marr ordered. This was bizarre.
"Hail sent…no response." Chaney reported.
"Fire a warning shot." Marr directed.
A red beam went perilously close to the dart's side stabilizer but it passed harmlessly. The dart maintained course and never even twitched. Marr was almost mesmerized by what he was seeing. This silent unknown, he didn't want to but he was about to give the order to have it shot down.
"Sir!" Chaney exclaimed. "More ships coming from the atmosphere of the third planet."
Marr felt his spine turn to ice. "Wraith?"
Chaney moved to the scanning console. "Three darts, and…four of our own strikers? There is a small carrier coming from the dark side of the moon, same as the first dart. Not wraith," Chaney looked up to meet Marr's eyes. "Its one of ours, the Black-hole."
Marr was even more confused. The Black-hole was one of the few purely combat vessels in the Traveler fleet. No families and the entire crew were meant as a support for emergency flash movements against enemies and fleet security measures. What was it doing out here? Strikers were small single man fighter craft. They primarily were used as short range patrol ships supported by a carrier like the Black-hole. But what of the four darts including the first one? Too many questions, this was unsafe for the entire crew.
"Mr. Chaney, pull out around we are getting out of here. Fire only on any ship that takes aggressive action. Hail all the ships make sure they know who we are."
Chaney set to his tasks, echoing the captain's orders and the bridge instantly changed from a quiet almost petrified crew to a melting pot of commotion and activity.
"First Dart skimming over our shields, it's releasing some sort of eradiated material along the shield perimeter."
"What is it?" Marr questioned.
The officer took a second to respond, "I don't know, Sir."
"Change course, evasive maneuvers, get us away from whatever it is. Blast that dart into pieces." Marr gave his orders and took the Captain's chair. From there he brought up the same data the sensor officer was receiving as well as external image feeds to let him see what was on the outside of the ship. Beams from the gun turrets fired carefully at such close range but the dart simply veered in simple smooth movements avoiding the fire. It was hugging their shields not touching it but so close it was almost impossible to fathom the kind of control the pilot must have over his craft.
"Other ships moving in. Carrier taking up passion to far rear. Weapons charging…" someone was calling within the bridge.
There was a small shutter. Confusion was evident on all present. "What was that?" Marr called out for anyone to give him an answer.
"Engines are down." Chaney answered.
"How the carrier has not fired…" Marr explained.
"Not the Black-hole, Sir," Chaney interrupted him. "Dart one. It waited till we hit maneuvering thrusters and our primary engines were exposed at the weakest part of the shields for but a second. He's taken them out with blasters."
It was inconceivable. A ship switching from primary engines to maneuvering engines would experience a moment of weakness toward the rear as the energy field reasserted itself around the cooling trail just beyond the engine itself. For a pilot to make that shot at the precise moment would have to be staged, there was no way a pilot could have that kind of timing and provide that needed angel.
"Sir," Chaney shook Marr's shoulder. "We are too slow; the fighters are laying down fire on all sides. The Black-hole is bringing batteries on-top of us.
"Sir," the communications officer yelled getting both senior officers' attention. "Incoming hail from enemy ship."
Marr closed his mouth not realizing he had been slack-jawed. "Put it on screen." He said filling his role as captain. Chaney new what to do without being told and moved to start repair and emergency operations. On the screen before the bridge Marr saw the image of a middle aged man, with a great many scars going down his face. He had black hair cut very short around his head and his hair was graying on the sides.
"Captain Marr, of the Shorlander, I presume." The man said giving a smile.
"Yes, and you are, Sir?"
"I am Colonel Razz Flaren, formerly of the Traveler offensive fleet. You and your ship are now prisoners of the HUNTERS."
"Colonel?" Marr said putting as much emphasis into his tone as he could.
"Captain, we have no wish to kill you or harm any of your crew. We know you have families and children onboard your vessel. As you can tell my fighters are fully armed and ready to lay a borage of fire on you and when your shields fail where will you be? Stand down, accept your defeat and I will send a boarding party to collect what ever it is we may require of you. We will even send out a distress call for you when we are done."
Marr remained calm; a call would already be going out. "And if you are planning on that distress call reaching anyone, I wouldn't, count on it. My carrier is equipped with jamming technology. We are after all an offensive craft. And you wouldn't want my ace pilot to take too much interest in your bridge. He can shoot amazingly well from that dart of his. But I'm sure you figured that out with your engines." Flaren smiled.
Marr looked onto his own controls, it was true, their emergency signal was being jammed and the smaller fighters were now swarming around them like an ring of dust and rock orbiting a planet. Their shields would not last under continuous fire. His attention jumped from his monitor to the view port of the bridge where a single dart flew almost leisurely past and came around. Its population stopped and it slowed on its approach till it was at rest right in front of the view port. Flaren's Ace…
Marr reactivated his end of the commutations. "We accept your terms, send your boarding party. Docking bay 3 is the most clear."
"Excellent," Flaren said. "Please provide a manifest of all cargo and supplies, include repair components and ship stores. Wise choice Captain, your crew owes you their lives." With that Flaren was gone. Marr watched of the view port and stared at the silent dart resting just outside the shields. He wished he could see into the cockpit and look into the eyes of the pilot. Who could it be, and where did he quire such skill?
Note: Hope you like it. This is a wraith/human relation story so please hold tight for more to come. I also have another story up if you care to look at it and that one I have a primary obligation to for the time being. But review and let me know what you think. Thank you for your patronage.