A pirate's life for me
As the Galleon boosted back towards Saturn, Heavy Gunner 187-897734-B commonly called Bertala, was all but dancing.
She was happy. It was a good day to be Grineer. Not only had the Queens ordered her ship and its crew to clean out a nest of filthy humans, but in the process they had managed to find something that the Queens would love. An ancient cryopod holding a dormant warframe. Such a prize would more than make up for losing more than half of her clones, including her second in command.
Tenno were a massive thorn in the sides of the Queens. Oh, the propaganda said otherwise. Grineer were the strongest. Grineer rule was inevitable. Blah, blah, blah. Bertala didn't care about that. She got to hurt things. She got to hurt lots of things. That was all that mattered.
Tenno upset the order of her universe. They looked flimsy and fragile, but the strongest weapons barely scratched them. She had fought a Tenno once. It...hadn't been her best day. Indeed, that day ranked fairly low on her list of 'want to be remembered'. Of the three hundred and seven Grineer posted to her Galleon, she had been one of four survivors and that had been because she had been tossed off a catwalk during the fight and impaled on a strut that had been protruding from the side of the chasm. The pain had shocked her instantly unconscious and she had woken in the Reclaimers' care. Not something she ever wanted to do again. Grineer did not admit to fear, but somewhere deep down in the shriveled excuse for a soul she possessed, she understood fear. Tenno and Reclaimers warred for supremacy there. That rankled. A lot. Grineer were the strongest. They did not fear.
Bertala glared at the odd oblong thing that the her team had found in the ancient derelict ship and shook her head. Her squad stared at her and she snarled at them. They all found other things to do. She turned in a circle but- Wait a minute! Who was singing? A male voice. And... What were they singing?
Fifteen men on a dead man's chest—
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!
Drink and the devil had done for the rest
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!
She stared around wildly, but none of her squad seemed aware of the words. Either that or they didn't want to dare her wrath by commenting. She stalked around the pod once, twice, her Gorgon up and ready for any enemy. Maybe with this prize she could get a transfer to the Nightwatch. That had to be better than shepherding the miserable excuses for clones that she had been saddled with and...
She was so worked up in her rage that she almost did not see her third in command draw his Cleavers and slice at her back. But she hadn't survived as long as she had by being weak or inattentive when there was fighting to be done. A twist and the barrel of her rifle deflected the strike, a twitch and it was aimed. He had a bare moment to see the sole eye that was not covered by her prosthesis. He opened his mouth to speak and she didn't give him time. Half a magazine was excessive even by Grineer standards, since he was in light armor. The shower of blood and other things shocked the rest of her squad who stared at her as she spun in place, eye flinty. She reloaded automatically.
"Anybody else?" She demanded of her clones, her ire up.
She did not see the shadowed form behind her who raised a non-standard Marlock and blew her brains out with a single shot.
"You move." A voice spoke in flawless Grineer as the squad tried to understand what had just happened. "You die."
The form stepped into the light and it was a Grineer. But... The armor was odd. The Marlok pistol was steady in his hand even as the other appendage appeared with... What kind of blade was that? Not a Machete. No. It looked more like a Tenno blade than a Grineer one. It was long, single edged and slightly curved, almost wave like with a guard that seemed extruded from the metal. The odd Grineer nodded to the dozen clones.
"Just so you understand..." The clone commented almost idly. "What is happening is a simple transfer of ownership. You can profit by this. Or you can die." He shrugged. "Your choice."
"He killed Bertala!" One of the more intelligent trooper snarled. "Kill him!" With that, every Grineer raised weapons. "FOR THE QUEENS!"
"Okay." The stranger said with a shrug. Then he dropped to the floor and several weapons opened fire from the shadows behind him. The clones who had been aiming at him had no chance, caught out in the open.
"Boss, you got to stop doing that." A sour female voice sounded as the clone on the floor moved to the side, his pistol and sword ready. "Sooner or later, we are going to miss. Then where will you be?"
"Probably dead. It hasn't happened yet, Sora." The clone on the floor rose as a mismatched group of clones and humans stepped into the light. He put away his weapons. A dozen strong, they carried a mix of weapons that matched their scruffy appearance. "The rest?"
"Only one squad left in the barracks." The woman who stepped forward was a Grineer clone like Bertala had been. She was nothing like the gunner though. Her attire, while survivable and armored, showed a lot more skin that the Heavy Gunner had. Then again, Grineer did not feel comfortable unless they were in full armor. She wasn't Grineer anymore. Frankly? She had never been Grineer. "They are stuck. No techs with them and the doors are sealed. All the rest of the crew were hit by the gas. The ship is ours."
"Nice." The male clone stared at the cryopod and then shook his head before focusing on the others. "Let's get this tub out of the travel lanes. We need to change the transponder too."
"Boss." Sora was not having any of it. "We are on it. Cleaning, refurbishing,. Changing what needs changing. You hired us for a reason, no?"
"Yeah." The male clone gave himself a shake and then took a deep breath. "I am stalling."
He turned his back on the cryopod and the group followed as he strode from the bay into a larger room. Inside the room, four unarmored Grineer knelt, binders on their hands and feet. Grineer Reclaimers, the most fanatic and insane of any clones. The boogeywomen of the Empire, they were the ones who took clone bodies and recycled them. They did not always wait until said clones were dead. Then there was their other pastime.
"What are you doing?" The one that seemed in charge demanded as he entered the room. "You won't get away-" Her rant was cut off by the male clone's Marelok.
"I have very limited patience with your kind." The male clone wasn't angry as the body fell. Indeed, he seemed utterly emotionless. "You hurt people just to do it. I have no problem with violence, directed or not as long as it has a purpose. Your purpose is causing pain." He took aim at the next Reclaimer, but Sora stepped forward and he paused.
"Peter, we have to give them the choice." She said softly, her face worried. "Those are the rules. We have to follow the rules."
"We all know what they will choose!" The male clone -Peter- said with a scowl.
"Peter?" The Reclaimer he had been aiming at paled. "It can't be."
"Yes it can, you ignorant witch!" Sora snapped. "We will offer this only the once. Forswear the Queens and join our crew. Or die."
"Never!" Two of the three Reclaimers exclaimed as one. The third, the youngest looking, stared from the Peter to Sora and back, her eyes huge.
"H-45671234098!" The eldest declared. "Don't you dare!"
"I do not know why..." The young looking Reclaimer said weakly. "But I know you. Don't I?" Sora moved to her side and pulled her to her feet effortlessly. She led the bound clone from the room.
"H-456734098!" The eldest cut off as Peter drew his sword. She was screaming obscenities when his sword fell. The other did not speak, simply stared as he turned to her. She made no noise as he ended her as well.
"Get this filth off my ship." Peter commanded. Two humans nodded and slung their weapons to start cleaning up. The others started moves to stand by the consoles and started working to get the Galleon moving.
Peter smiled slightly as the team did in minutes what might have taken a crew of Grineer hours or more to accomplish. The clones were rarely the brightest of bulbs. Then again, he had started the same place, so...
"Boss?" Peter turned to see Sora standing by the hatch. He eyed her and she nodded. "All set for the scan." Peter grimaced but nodded. There were many things he did not like about being in charge. "She thinks she knows you, but is not sure from where."
"Could be." Peter grunted as he started for the hatch. "Been in Reclaimers care more than I want to remember."
"Me too." Sora scowled. "How far down will you go?" Peter just looked at her and she slumped a bit. "I get it, Peter. We have to be just as merciless as the Grineer or we have no chance against them. But if we have to scan every single potential recruit... That will get very messy."
"There are other ways to ensure compliance." Peter said quietly. Sora froze in mid-step but hurried to catch up when Peter did not stop.
"Peter..." Sora's voice was soft as he approached an armored hatch.
"She is the only one on the ship who can operate the medical gear, such as it is." Peter 's tone had frozen again. "Yes, we need her or one like her. But we also need to be able to trust her. A Grineer cannot be trusted, You know this."
"Peter..." Sora swallowed hard and then bowed her head. "I know." She reached down to rub her flesh and blood leg. "I just... It is wrong." She stilled as Peter paused and reached out to grasp her shoulder gently.
"Hold tight to that feeling." Peter said softly. "I need you to keep me from going too far, Sora. I want to see the entire system burn. I want to rend and tear and kill until what Tengus did to me is nothing but a bitter memory. But I can't. All I can do is go on."
"I know." Sora said weakly, undone by the simple gesture of trust and compassion. Grineer did not do such things. Then again, Sora and Peter were not Grineer anymore, were they?
"Keep me within my limits." Peter begged Sora who stared at him and then nodded. "Yes, they are more than a bit ridiculous. But I have to stay there or everything we fought so hard for will vanish. I do not want to destroy this hope before we even have it, Sora. You do not have to come in if you do not want."
"You stood with me in Rathuum." Sora said softly as she covered his hand with hers. "I stand with you. Now and always."
"Thank you."
The door opened to horror. The Reclaimer was restrained on table that her kind used for interrogations. The only thing that could move were her eyes and they were huge under the restraint that held the probes in place. Sora was thorough, she had placed the probes already. Knowing her, she had seated each properly, searing through the skull and entering the memory center with little damage to the actual brain. The other tubes had been placed as well. Stood to reason. Sora had once apprenticed to a Reclaimer, at least until the evil one had tired of her and thrown her away.
"Pieter Garga..." The Reclaimer begged. "No."
"I don't use that name anymore." Peter said softly as he moved to stand by the head of the table. "I am not Grineer anymore thanks to ones like you. But don't worry." He reassured her coldly. "I know what I am doing. You will live through this if you are honest with me."
He flipped a control and a pasty white substance started flowing through one of the tubes attached to the Reclaimer. She stiffened and...started to cry! He ignored her weeping. It would turn to screams soon enough.
Later
Peter nodded to Sora as they left the room. Behind them, the whimpering was soft.
"They don't have a clue." Peter said with a nod. Sora did not react and he sighed. "Sora..."
"I don't want to enjoy that." Sora said with a snarl. "I don't!" Peter stopped, grabbed her and spun her to face him.
"That is the programming, Sora. Not you. You are stronger than them. Get angry, girl!" Peter's tone was sharp. Sora bowed her head only to jerk as he slapped her. "Get! Angry!"
He hit her twice more and then it happened. As always, it was as if she exploded. He retreated from her, fending off blows and kicks with practiced skill. He was counting in his mind and he reached thirty seven when she retreated a step, face still red. She slumped a bit and the rage faded as if it had never been.
"Sora?" Peter asked, hands still up to ward.
"Gah! I hate that!" Sora exclaimed. "Stupid fricking Reclaimers and stupid fricking Tengus! I want my mind back!" She slumped and Peter sighed as he stepped forward and pulled her close as she heaved. She did not cry. She could not. The Reclaimers had seared out her tear ducts.
"I am sorry, Sora." Peter said as he held her. "I wish I could help."
"You do." Sora took a deep breath and nodded. "I am better. That hurt, but... We can use her."
"She will need a new name." Peter said with a nod as he released Sora. "Reclaimers are just numbers. She is not one anymore." His second in command stepped away nodding.
"Yes." Sora mused. "Most Grineer do not ever get the chance to earn a name. Most die as numbers. We should give her one but we should put it to the crew if we are being proper."
"Far be it from me not to be proper." Peter grinned at Sora's expression. "The squad of clones?" She sobered.
"Not the brightest or the best of Grineer." Sora admitted. "Useful for cannon fodder or a distraction." She shook her head. "No." She said firmly. "That is Grineer think. They are loyal to the ship. We can use that. The crew likewise. They are mostly hard connected to the systems anyway. With the codes we got, we have full control." She smiled and it was an evil smile. "Where to, Captain?"
"Second star to the right and straight on until morning?" Peter offered and grinned as she swatted at him. "Hey! I tried!"
"Peter Pan you are not." Sora was smiling as Peter started for the control center again. She shook her head. "What of the Tenno?"
"Leave it be." Peter replied quickly. "Tenno are far more trouble than we can handle. We have enough problems. I will try to figure out what to do with it after we get the ship squared away." They entered the bridge and nodded to the crew on duty.
"Captain on the bridge!" One of the clone crewman declared formally.
"Stow that bilgewash!" Peter declared. "We are not Navy. We work together or we die together, understand?" He looked around and everyone nodded. "I don't go for ceremonial bullcrap. I want results, not drama."
"Yes, uh..." The crewmember who had spoken looked confused. "Uh, Captain?"
"Just call him 'Boss' or his head will get even bigger than it is." Sora said with a smirk as Peter glared at her. "Hey! It's true."
"Ship status?" Pater said a bit more sharply than he intended as he strode to the huge holo display that dominated the circular room. "Zei?"
"Life support systems are at 55%." A small looking human female replied from a console that she did not even look up from. "Engines at 78%. Weapons at 89%."
"Figures." Sora said sourly. "Weapons and engines are all that Grineer care about."
"We are working on it." The engineer -Zei- said with a nod, still focused on her console. "Ship is solid, but will need a lot of work to make her what you want, Boss."
"Gogre, what smaller craft do we have?" Peter asked, moving to stand by another console. The hulking Grineer working it seemed out of place, but his fingers danced nimbly over the controls.
"Records are a mess." The voice was wrong. It was far higher than it should have been from such a huge form. But there was nothing wrong with the brain inside the body. "Systems are functioning, but I cannot tell at what level of readiness or how many we have on hand. Working on it."
"Fair enough." Peter moved to the middle of the room and nodded. "We have a lot of work to do to get this ship operational, people. But we are finally on the way. We can finally try to give the queens a proper kick in the posterior!"
A cheer went up from every throat, including Peter's. He loved his crew. They were dirty, ill disciplined and more than a bit rough around the edges. But by golly, they were all his!
"before we go any further..." Sora interjected when the cheer had died down a bit. "We have a new vote and one you all were thinking on. The Reclaimer isn't one anymore. We broke her bonds and she will serve us. Will you accept her?"
"You vouch for her, Sora?" Zei said, turning a horrifically scarred face to look at the clone woman who nodded. "Good enough for me." A chorus of agreement sounded and Peter smiled as Sora checked the vote and then nodded.
"Right, last piece of business. The ship needs a name, not just a number." Peter's voice was quiet, but carried easily. "This is our home. Our refuge and our weapon against the Queens. We will take the battle to them. We know their tactics and their weaknesses. We can and will take our revenge. But I guess that name wasn't popular enough?"
"Sorry. Only three votes for 'Revenge' and only you voted for 'Queen Anne's Revenge', Boss." Sora said apologetically. "The other one caught people's eye." Peter groaned but nodded. "Almost unanimous."
"All right." The Captain of the newest pirate ship in the origin system said sourly.
"The 'Jolly Roger' it is."