"Shots fired, I repeat, shots fired! Entering sector Z-Z-nine-plural-Z-alpha!"

"Hold your fire, Captain! Take evasive action only! Do you copy?"

Kurogane grit his teeth and barked a "Yes, sir!" into the radio before relaying the order to Syaoran. Evasive action was hardly his style.

"Yes, sir!" snapped Syaoran, and suddenly the fighter starship was thrown into a tight spiraling dive. Kurogane shot a glance at his pilot.

"Call me Kurogane, kid," he growled. A smile touched Syaoran's lips but his eyes remained locked on the stars and space before him.

"Yes, sir," he said.

Alarms blared urgently through the whole ship, making it almost impossible to think. He muted them in the cabin.

"Captain! Enemy ship requesting video conference!" called Tomoyo.

"Deny until they agree to cease fire!"

"They have," said Syaoran as he leveled the ship to a less turbulent ride, then quickly tacked on a "sir."

"Then establish video link."

Moments later the video blinked on for all to see and the image of a very cute blonde filled the screen.

"Greetings, Captain Kurogane! This is Captain Fai speaking, but I'm sure you already knew that," he said, smiling. His voice was silky and dangerous, but hidden behind false cheerfulness. Kurogane narrowed his eyes.

"You again," he growled.

"Yes, me again," said Fai. Kurogane noted with some satisfaction the eye patch on Fai's left eye. At least the loss of his arm hadn't gone completely unavenged.

"Is there a reason you attack us, or is it just general malice?" demanded Kurogane. Fai laughed.

"Now, now, Kurgy, you should know me better than that," he scolded playfully. "Of course there's another reason!"

"Then what?"

Fai tilted his head to the side.

"Well," he admitted, "perhaps the actual reasons themselves were a bit unclear. But orders are orders, after all, even among us pirates."

"And have your orders been carried out in full?"

"Oh, no," said Fai, laughing. "I believe an all-out battle is what the Commodore had in mind."

"You won't get one," snapped Kurogane. "You know this sector is home to strictly peaceful colonies. Weapons of any sort are prohibited."

"Ah, yes. I was wondering why you wouldn't return fire. I wonder how long your ship will hold out, though?"

"You won't get in another hit. I've got the best damn pilot in the galaxy."

"Really? How intriguing," said Fai, laughing again. "I've got a pretty good pilot myself. Perhaps you've heard of her- her name is Sakura."

Kurogane glanced at Syaoran- a tightening of the jaw was all that indicated he even recognized the name. The boy had given up a lot when he joined Kurogane's crew.

"Well, I hope your weapons officer is just as good," he snapped, and then cut the link.

Without waiting for Kurogane's order, Syaoran took a turn so sharp the ship's artificial gravity failed for a split-second and the entire crew was thrown to the side. The display screen showed that Fai's ship had wasted no time in firing and the shots just barely missed them.

"Good job, kid," grunted Kurogane, then flipped on the intercom. "All crew to defensive battle stations. Abandon the hull. I repeat, abandon the hull. Medical ward should prepare long-term to receive wounded crew and prisoners."

"Captain, they have a Gatling laser missile," Tomoyo cried. Kurogane frowned.

"I am aware," he snapped. "Full power to engines. Syaoran, get us out of this sector so we can fight back. Petra, divide shield power between engine and decks."

"What about the hull?"

"Ignore it."

"Captain," said Tomoyo, "isn't the hull their most likely target?"

Kurogane narrowed his eyes.

"Are you suggesting I place cargo over crew?"

"No, sir."

"Good. Then you do your job and let me do mine," he snapped, then glanced at the display screen. "Syaoran! Why are still in this sector?"

"With all due respect, sir, I'm doing the best I can. If you haven't noticed, they won't let us turn around."

"Fair enough. Tomoyo, request the Peace Council's permission to return defensive fire within this sector."

"Already done, sir. Request is pending approval."

BOOM!

The starship rocked from the impact of the explosion. A dozen more alarms went off that Kurogane immediately silenced. He pulled up a map of the ship to see that the blow had just barely glanced off the shield. Still, it should have been avoided.

"What do you think you're doing, kid? Do you know how to fly this thing or not?"

"Sorry, sir," said Syaoran. He was gripping the wheel so tight his knuckles were turning white.

"Captain," called Tomoyo, "the Peace Council has denied our request!"

Before Kurogane could tell her to send it again, another explosion rocked the ship. The artificial gravity stalled again for more than a few seconds.

"Syaoran!"

"I'm trying to get us out of here, sir!"

"It's not going to be worth it if we take another hit!"

"We won't," said Syaoran firmly, frowning.

"Exiting sector Z-Z-nine-plural-Z-alpha," announced the sleek computer voice. Kurogane sighed.

"Good job, kid," he muttered. Sometimes it was hard to believe the boy was only seventeen. Syaoran took the ship into a sudden dive and then spun around to face the pirate ship. For the first time, the ship's name was visible, printed on the side- The Phoenix. Kurogane chuckled to himself. How symbolic. There was a short stand-offish pause and then Fai's face blinked onscreen again.

"It seems your pilot really is all that," said Fai, beaming. "I must congratulate you on your escape. However, it also seems that we've taken out your right weapon." He tilted his head to the side and smiled. "If you surrender your cargo, perhaps we can avoid an all-out war."

"No deal," said Kurogane, frowning. Fai sighed.

"Ah, well," he said. "I just thought it was an offer worth mentioning."

The image disappeared and was replaced with empty space, pinpricks of light that were actually stars, and The Phoenix.

"Take it away, Syaoran," said Kurogane.

~X~X~

"The Phoenix is requesting another video conference, Captain," said Tomoyo coolly. Kurogane frowned.

"One more shot and I can take out their last engine, sir," offered Syaoran. Kurogane considered this briefly, then shook his head.

"Establish link," he told Tomoyo, and the video flickered on. The image was heavily pixilated.

"It appears you've won, Captain Kurogane," said Fai with a smirk. "Congratulations on that stunning victory." He clapped his hands slowly.

"Are you just going to state the obvious, or is there a reason you called?"

"Ah, yes, of course. Straight to the point, as always," said Fai. He leaned forward, resting his chin in his hand. "I would like to negotiate the terms of our surrender."

Kurogane scoffed.

"Negotiate? There is no negotiating. Your ship is defenseless and we are still operating at full power."

"Mostly full power," corrected Fai with a smile. "I see your artificial gravity has failed. Besides, we are a pirate ship. You've only taken out the weapons you can see. Perhaps we can't win, but we can put up one heck of a fight. How many crew are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of full surrender?"

Kurogane frowned. He had the distinct impression that Fai was bluffing, but he had surprised him before. And he wasn't entirely willing to risk the lives of his crew because he was too stubborn to listen.

"What do you have in mind?"

Fai smiled.

"My ship and crew go free. I will turn myself in to you as a prisoner of war and willingly give up information about the rest of the fleet, to the exclusion of my own ship, including the whereabouts of the Commodore himself. I will face any and all charges brought against me in court with a guilty plea." There was a pause while Fai let his offer sink in. "Sound fair enough?"

Any other captain would have taken the offer in a heartbeat. Kurogane was not any other captain. He opened his mouth to snap 'no'.

"Captain," Syaoran suddenly said, his voice choked with emotion. He fixed pleading eyes on Kurogane. "Sakura is on that ship."

The penalty for piracy was death. Syaoran had only been able to escape this face himself because of his undeniable talent behind the wheel and many strings pulled on Kurogane's part. Kurogane could only begin to imagine what pain it would put Syaoran through to watch his former fiancé… dang it. He was starting to get soft.

"You're lucky I like you, kid," he muttered, then returned his gaze to Fai's. "You have one hour to prepare. Then we'll beam you and any prisoners you have on board. Understood?"

"Perfectly."

~X~X~

Fai sighed and slid out of his seat. It was, he thought with more than a hint of sadness, the last time he would ever see it or this ship. Hopefully the same would go for his crew.

"We'll come back for you, Captain," said Sakura softly, turning around in her chair to face him.

"You most certainly will not," snapped Fai. "You will not give Captain Kurogane or the rest of the Starfleet any excuse to back out on our deal." Then his voice softened. "And I am no longer your captain." He turned to face the blue-eyed blonde standing next to him. "First mate Yui Flowright."

"Yes, sir!" snapped Yui, standing at attention. Fai smiled.

"You are officially promoted to captain of the Phoenix. Treat her well."

Yui frowned.

"Sir," he said. "Are you sure you don't want me to take your place?"

"No," said Fai, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Not this time, brother."

And then he left the cabin for the last time.

~ Okay, so I've actually already finished this but I'm posting it in 3-4 parts because 1) I haven't finished typing it up yet and I'm impatient, and 2) more people see it that way because it stays at the top longer every time I update. Sorry to make you wait ^^'

Please review, subscribe, and check out my other KuroFai's! I'll love you forever if you do XD ~