Alya swaggered about on deck, nibbling on her lower lip, considering the area. Before her was a large settlement on Kreeli Comet, strange place for a colony, but it would work. Isolated from the outside world, it would take weeks for help to come, and her crew would be long gone, the many pilfered bolts slipping through their fingers.
She sighed, pausing on the Starboard Aft rail, looking out at the cold, desolate landscape, then righted herself, and continued to stalk the upper deck. After a few moments of pondering, she called her crew to the High Deck.
"Alright, you slobbering dolts! Listen up, this settlement has no guards whatsoever, meaning we get to do what?" she asked in a brassy tone.
"Plunder! Kill! Fire!" the crew chanted, "Kill! Plunder! Fire! Kill! Plunder! Fire! Kill! Plunder! Fire!"
"Excellent. Flant?" Alya called, watching the crew work themselves into a fury.
Immediately a small rusted robot came to her side, looking up, "Um, um, yes, your Ruthlessness?" he asked in a high, whiny voice.
"Get me a mirror, would you? Don't want to go into a plundering trip looking like a blender-full of cattle," she drawled.
"Right away, Captain," Flant saluted, whizzing off on his single wheel.
She smiled briefly, and draped gloved hand over the large wooden wheel, feeling very pirate-like at the moment. A whirring noise told her Flant had returned. Alya turned, and helped the small robot position the shiny plate of glass before her.
Most would say she was a promising specimen of the Lombax species, but she could care less. She was slight of build, her limbs were slim, but strong, a long tail flicked to and fro behind her. A pair of long ears grew out the back of her skull. This was all topped with a covering of dark, royal purple fur with navy blue highlights, and shoulder length black hair. On her cheek was a forest green tattoo, formed in an S with two lines curving dramaticly through it, Alya used this as her insignia.
She wore a suit of black armor, with odd swirling highlights of gold, and in silver, her S insignia on the chest plate. Her hands were covered by thin leather gloves, her feet by metal plate-boots, complete with hover-gear. Between the fingers on her left hand, three sharp little blades, made of some sort of metal;a pair of knuckle-claws.
Alya nodded, "Not bad. Not bad at all. Thank you, Flant, you are dismissed. Also, prepare the extra batteries, nano-tech, and soldering tools, I have a feeling a few of my crew might fall apart this trip," she sighed.
"Right 'way, ma'am," Flant saluted and whirred off.
Alya looked over the lower deck from her position on the quarter deck. Her crew were milling about, grunting and growling, sharpening cutlasses, and other weapons of destruction. They would raid within the hour.
Alya looked over her ship, pleased with the remodeling she had had done. The Dragon Thorn was fashioned after ancient sailing ships from a dead planet in a far away solar system. Looking much like those old time pirate ships, complete with cannons and whatnot, it was far from the same. Before undocking, and taking to space, a force field lowered itself down around the Dragon Thorn sealing in breathable air, then during space travel, the force field recycled the air, making it breathable again. Below decks were a series of computers, software and hardware, force field prison cells, navigation systems, and even freezers for preserving everything from bodies, nano-tech, and food.
She shifted the wheel, and brought her in to the docking area.
After consulting a small bottle of rum to gather ruthlessness, Alya drew her saber, and spoke loudly.
"Are we all ready?" she called.
"Aye!"
"Good, if you weren't, I don't give a shit anyways. Now, crew of the Dragon Thorn, move out! We've a village to plunder!" she said, waving her sword about dramaticly.
With a loud cheer, the assorted crew of robots and squishies crowded the gang plank and swarmed off once it hit the dock. Screams rent the air, as her crew attacked the settlement. Alya nodded, and came down the steps of the quarter deck, and down the gangplank. With a smirk, she activated her hover boots, and shot off the Dragon Thorn, and down the dock.
-O-
"Ratchet, my scanners are picking up a disturbance nearby," Aphelion chirped, a screen under the dashboard lighting up.
"Where is it?" Ratchet asked from his position in the cockpit.
"It appears the new village on Kreeli Comet, seems like pirate activity,"
"Thanks. Well, Clank, ready for a fight?" Ratchet looked over to his robot counter-part in the passenger seat.
Clank blinked his green little robot eyes, "As ready as you,"
Ratchet nodded, and steered Aphelion to the left. Luckily, they had been crusting in the area.
-O-
Ratchet hopped out of the cockpit, accompanied by Clank. Before him, fire raged, and pirates dashed about, chasing the citizens of the settlement. One particularly ugly robot was towering over visiting Kerchu, whom was cowering on the icy ground.
Ratchet pulled his combuster, and fired off a round at the robot. It grunted on impact, and turned it's head, giving a roar of anger, and charged. Ratchet dodged nimbly around the great hulking beast, managing to swipe at it with his wrench, causing it to stumble and fall. Ratchet walked over, and smashed it's ugly head, causing it to short out.
"It looks like they've got someone giving orders up there, they keep going to the same spot," Ratchet muttered under his breath, watching as several other pirates came up to a figure on what looked like hover boots, then whirr off again to cause more havoc.
Kicking his own hover boots on, Ratchet streaked down the main road, dodging pirates that swiped at him. When he was almost to the figure, he heard a robot yell, "Capin! You're bein' chased!" Without a look back, the figure sped away. Ratchet, being stubborn as he was, leaned forward, increasing his speed.
-O-
"Capin! You're bein' chased!" a crew member yelled.
Alya rolled her eyes and kicked her boots into high gear, giving a small growl as she heard her pursuer do the same. She began to weave around buildings, and jumping over wreckage, but it was no use, whoever was chasing her knew how to move.
Spying a large open spot, farther out on a floating platform of ice, Alya smirked, perfect. "This ends now!" she thought, shooting onto the platform, and turned her hover boots off, drawing her saber and spinning around to meet her pursuer.
-O-
Ratchet gasped slightly. It was another Lombax! It was somewhat shorter than he, but very strong looking, it's dark fur making it look more intimidating, and very female.
"Huh, thought you could catch me did you? Well, it is I who has done the catching. Now, tell me, why were you chasing me? And what are your intentions?" she asked in a brassy tone common to pirates, though she lacked the accent.
Ratchet blinked, "You were causing harm, I don't stand for that," he said.
"Ooh, a hero. Who might you be?" she said, starting to circle him.
"I'll keep that to myself," Ratchet said.
A small thump came from behind them as Clank landed on the platform.
"Hey, pal, you got here just in time," Ratchet looked over his shoulder.
"And what's this? A pet, or a slave?" the Lombax asked, continuing to circle, Ratchet countering it.
"A good friend," Ratchet flattened his ears.
"My, my, touchy, aren't we?" she asked.
"Are you going to shut up and fight, or what?" Ratchet snapped.
"Fine, if you're so eager to die, I'll fight," she sighed, and dropped into defensive posture, her saber ready.
-O-
The other Lombax charged at her with a wrench. Alya dodged him nimbly, nicking his right ear with a flick of the wrist. Ruby droplets spun through the air, landing on the icy ground, freezing on contact. Alya watched as he turned on his heel, then jumped up to him and swung her saber. He blocked with the wrench. For a brief moment, the two fought for balance, each trying to push the latter away.
Alya grunted at his strength as he pushed her back, her boots making tracks in the ice as she was forced away, then decided she had had enough. She stepped on his left foot, and surged forward against him, the other Lombax swayed and fell with a thump.
-O-
Ratchet made a harsh sound as all the air was driven from his lungs. When he tried to regain it, a foot pushed down on him, making it near impossible. He looked up with a grim face, the other Lombax had won.
"Ah, how sad it is you must die. I admit, you are the first of my own species I've seen in my life, but, no matter, you are of no use to me, well, you could always be a slave, but most try to impale themselves on my blade when I suggest it. It fits, who in the many solar systems doesn't quiver at the thought of being personal slave to Alya Shepard of the Dragon Thorn?" she said.
"Who?" Ratchet said in a raspy voice.
"What do you mean 'who'? You honestly don't know who I am?" the Lombax asked.
"No, I don't,"
She looked baffled, "Everyone knows who I am! I'm Alya Shepard! Most fearsome piratess in the galaxy! I make Captain Slag look like a nursemaid!" she exclaimed.
While Ratchet continued to play dumb, Clank was sneaking around Alya's backside. The little robot did a quick scan of the Lombax searching for a weak point, then struck the back of her knees with a hard fist.
-O-
"Ow!" Alya yelped as she fell, her head connecting with a sharp lump of ice.
The world swirled away into oblivion, leaving Alya floating in a dark black void.
"Shit," her voice echoed mockingly back.
-O-
Ratchet jumped up, and rolled the pirate over, securing her wrists.
"Clank?" Ratchet looked at his friend.
Clank dug around in his storage compartment until he found a spool of extra twisty, twisty wire, "Will this work?"
"Yeah," Ratchet said.
"Um, Ratchet? You do not need to hold her, it appears she is unconscious," Clank said.
"Oh," Ratchet said, letting go, and standing up.
Clank waddled over to Alya and tied her hands with the wire.
Ratchet grabbed the communicator badge on his shirt, and pressed the little button on the side, "Aphelion, do you read me?" he asked.
"I do, Ratchet," came the ship's voice.
"Can you hone in on the com signal? I have a bit of a captive," he said.
"Captive? Ratchet..."
"Aphelion, can you?" Ratchet was getting more impatient.
"Of course I can!" she sounded offended, "I'll be there shortly," she said, her line going out. -O- A/N: -Eh, there's the first chappie, *wince* I know, it sucked, but I promise, the fic gets a little better as it goes. Also, as I progress, expect a bit of a personality change from Alya, she's a bit bi-polar. Well, R&R, if you want, and tell me your opinion, and I will take, (gladly) constructive critisism, but no flaming, please. -Chapter in a nutshell: You meet a young Lombaxian woman, who just so happens to be a pirate, and she goes and attacks a settlement on Kreeli (god knows why) and Ratchet just so happens to be ridin' around in the area and drops by to say hi. Alya, the pirate, is schooled by Clank, and gets knocked out (too overused). Ratchet then offends Aphelion a little, and that's the end of the chapter. -Song? Don't have one for this chapter, sorry :/ Have a nice day! And R&R (if you want, I'm really not that desperate... or am I? *twitches*)