Author's Notes: This is my first and probably only fanfic for the game FTL. I don't even know why I want to write this thing, but I have been super inspired. This chapter is just a prologue of the misadventures to come in this story. I actually have a couple more chapters written already, but it'll be a couple days before they're ready to post. Thank you to those who give this story a chance. Don't worry if you're not familiar with the game. Everyone is an OC and the story mostly just uses the aesthetics of the game. Thank you for reading, and please review :)
Chapter 1
The Mistake
Sitting around the poker table was a veritable kaleidoscope of alien species. Despite this tavern being in a rebel camp it still felt like a Federation interplanetary summit. The war between the Rebel Alliance and the Federation was still devastating the galaxy, but in this tavern the only thing people cared about was eating, drinking, and gambling.
There was an Engi, a robot made up of millions of nanobots, carefully calculating whether he would up the ante or not. He had been staring at his cards for ten minutes, and the other players were starting to feel restless.
"Situation: Bleak. Solution: Fold," The Engi finally said to the other players. Everyone else breathed out in relief.
The next player was a Zoltan, a green bipedal being made of pure energy that came from a culture that was all about the rule of law. Others races had different phrases to describe them, not all of them flattering, but humans tended to go with 'stick in the mud'.
"My hand is sufficient for victory. I raise to 40 scrap," The Zoltan decided.
The next player was a Rockman, a species that never bothered to name itself but was more than willing to tell everyone else exactly what they thought of them. Rockmen were paranoid, powerful, and ruthless. They made good loyal friends, but terrifying opponents.
"I raise to 50 scrap!" The Rockman bellowed challengingly, "Anyone got anything better?"
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," The human, a pale skinned brown haired female, said evasively, "But I doubt you can afford to find out. I raise to 60 scrap. What about you, handsome? Your hive give you enough lunch money to play with the big boys?"
"It'sss called a clutch, you miserable meat sssack!" The young Mantis next to the human hissed.
Everyone else at the table became nervous upon seeing the human female's bravado. The Mantis were a warrior race that killed everything on a whim, even their own kind. They were quick and efficient, though incidentally not very bright. Most didn't live to be that old, but the strongest could live for centuries.
"Clutch, hive, AA meeting, whatever," The human rolled her eyes, "You gonna play or just stand there like a potted plant?"
"I raise to 100 scrap!" The Mantis shrieked furiously as he slammed his bits of metal currency on the table.
The human, Sandra Perkins, had overplayed her hand. She knew by the time it got back to her she wouldn't be able to raise anymore, and had merely been trying to psyche out the Mantis. She just hoped that scrap was all she lost. The Mantis were known to take fingers when they didn't like someone. She was just grateful she gave her crew the rest of their collective savings to buy their new ship.
"Well, Slug? Do you challenge me?" The Mantis sneered at the slimy yellow creature next to him.
"Of course not," The Slug replied as if it should be obvious, "I may be virtuously greedy, but I'm not a fanatic. Challenging an angry Mantis is suicide. Besides, I can sense everyone's stress levels. If I had to gauge, I would say...The Rockman had the best hand."
"With that lovely bit of information in mind," The Zoltan interjected, "I add 110 scrap to the pot and call. I believe my hand surpasses the Rockman."
Everyone showed their cards, but the Slug was blind and therefore couldn't see anyone else's hand. He called over his slave girl, a human he had bought from pirates, and ordered her to read the cards for him. Sandra, the other human at the table, sneered at the exploitation of an innocent being. Ever since the war began slavery had become more common, and pirates were quick to take advantage of the situation. For humans, who had abolished slavery on their own planet, the practice was disgusting.
"The Rockman does have three of a kind, which is normally a winning hand," The slave girl said nervously, knowing she was being scrutinized by her master, the Rockman, and the Mantis, "But the human has an ace straight flush."
"What'sss that?" The Mantis asked, not familiar with all of the game terms quite yet.
"It is a royal flush, and a royal flush is the best hand," The Zoltan explained, "Apparently Captain Perkins has all diamonds."
"If only that was true in real life," Sandra quipped, "Listen, we're all friends here. I'd be happy to take your money, but I can tell some of you," Here she looked at the Mantis and Rockman, "Are sore losers. So, I'll let everyone take back what they bet if someone buys me a slice of sprinkle cake and a martini at the bar."
"Those were not the established guidelines," The Zoltan replied indignantly.
"Fine. I'll take your scrap and let everyone else keeps their's," Sandra chuckled.
The Zoltan, despite having no facial features, somehow still managed to look ticked off. This made the Mantis and Rockman laugh, which resulted in the Rockman buying Sandra's meal for her. She didn't know how she managed it, but she somehow kept her money and her fingers. She just hoped Ryan's negotiation with the ship depot was going as well as her poker night.
Sandra and her crew of Engi merchants came to the rebel compound to buy a new ship after theirs had been trashed on their last stock run. They needed something stable, even if it wasn't the most powerful ship in the galaxy. If only she knew what machinations Ryan was up to...
When Sandra finally got around to meeting Ryan at the shipyard, she couldn't believe the trade he had managed to pull off.
"Whoa. This...This can't be ours," Sandra Perkins gasped at the monstrosity before them.
"All trades: Final. This ship: Our possession," Ryan replied cheekily.
"Those rebel fools," Sandra smirked as she beheld the ship from space dock.
Sandra and her crew, a united pair of Engi named Ryan and Ariel, were merchants that mostly dealt in fuel, ammo, and a few curiosities that came from far-flung planets. Their reactor had been stolen during the raid that claimed their old ship, so they were towed in by a rebel stronghold and told they could purchase a new ship from them. They paid for a standard Engi merchant vessel. What they got was one of the strongest ships they had ever seen.
"It's a Torus class Engi battle cruiser. The rebels can't possibly know it's a warship," Sandra whispered to Ryan in case anyone else heard them, "The Federation has kept this thing under wraps for years. The only reason I know about it is because I went to the academy when this thing was being built."
"Former status: Unknown. Sandra: Federation graduate?" Ryan asked curiously.
"Not graduate. A dropout," Sandra simpered, "But yeah, this ship is next level. If we keep it the Rebel Alliance will get mad at us. What if we get shot down?"
"All trades: Final," Ryan repeated, a glint in his black visor.
Sandra laughed at his conspiratorial tone. Many humans assumed Engi were nothing more than logical automatons, but Sandra had spent too much time with her crew to believe that. The truth was Engi were very emotional and complex beings. They just happened to be made out of tiny metal nanites and liquidation fluid instead of flesh and blood. Ryan especially could be quite the grifter. It was one reason why Sandra respected him.
Ariel returned to the small group carrying a data pad and an ignition stick to plug into the cockpit. She looked impassive, but Sandra couldn't help but imagine the Engi was grinning like a fox.
"Title transfer: Complete. Voyage: Prepared upon choice of destination. The future: Ours!" Ariel proclaimed as she held up the key, "Perkins: Ready?"
"Always. Now we just have to name this fine piece of jumbled up technology," Sandra replied.
"Suggestion for designation: 111.578.01," Ryan offered.
"Come on, dude. You know I'll never remember that," Sandra said dryly as she placed her hands on her hips.
"Designation: Shortened to 578.01?" Ariel suggested hopefully.
"No! It needs a name," Sandra insisted, "Something that's innocuous and unassuming. We don't want to be taken for Federation, after all."
"Oh! Name preferred: Innocent. Understood. New suggestion: 946279.332," Ryan replied confidently.
"Dude, I can't even remember your real name," Sandra pointed out, "Why do you think I call you Ryan?"
"Reason for name Ryan: Meaning: Illustrious," Ryan replied impishly.
"Oh, brother..." Sandra muttered under her breath.
"Suggestion: Perkins selects name," Ariel interjected.
"Thank you! A reasonable person," Sandra said half-jokingly, "Okay then, this ship is super powerful, had combat drones, a fully functioning Engi med unit, and yet the whole thing looks like something a Lanius coughed up. Hm...I say we call it The Leaky Bucket. That way no one thinks it's worth anything."
"Designation: Acceptable," Ryan conceded, "Still not as good as 111.578.01."
"Inferiority: Irrelevant," Ariel chided him, "Vessel: Important. Functionality: Prioritize. Leaky Bucket: Fine name for a fine ship. Wink."
Sandra couldn't help but laugh. Since Engi had no eyelids or even more than one visor they couldn't wink, so Ariel had to settle for saying wink. Sometimes Sandra couldn't believe her luck. Normally it was terrible, and had only gotten worse since the war between the Federation and the Rebel Alliance. All the fighting had really eaten into their profits, but now they had the means to protect themselves and their cargo. This journey was going to be amazing, and the three of them were going to be rich!