Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any cannon characters. the Crimson Assurance and all it's crew, who are notcannon ST characters,are mine.
Notes:
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The story:
Chapter 5
Well, not that bad
I had a tradition aboard the Assurance. Whenever we had a successful raid, no matter how small, I would cook dinner for all the bridge crew. This tradition started back when my crew consisted of a half score of lowlifes. Not one of them could make anything edible, so I was the cook as well as the captain. The Assurance now employs some two hundred, three score and seven persons and about thirty working replicators, so I only get to cook on very special occasions. Like successful raids. As I said, tradition. Tonight, I was feeling very chipper, due to bumping into Valrush and having a merry chase with him, so I made my specialty: white lasagna. I only made it every once in a great while because it is so bloody time consuming. Rather than having pre-made red sauce, white lasagna is filled with, well, a white sauce. A cream base is mixed with cheese, garlic, sautéed onions and mushrooms, generously poured over lasagna noodles, fresh, chopped, green spinach and sliced chicken breast, garnished with mozzarella and parmesan cheese, and baked until the cheese is golden brown.
Dinner was made better, at least in my opinion, as it gave me time to introduce all my bridge crew to Saul in one shot. I hoped that the Vulcan's amnesia wouldn't affect his ability to remember names, as this would have been hopeless if directed to someone such as myself. It also gave Saul a comfortable, relaxed environment to settle into.
The officers arrived and took their regular places at the large, round conference table that was always reserved for this occasion. I had previously asked Carpenter to escort Saul in, as I was busy preparing dinner. Kor was not going to be in attendance. He had met with me the moment that I stepped off the transporter pad earlier and requested the ability to relinquish control of SINS to Saul. When I queried as to the reasons behind this sudden request, I received a very startling answer.
"He's a natural at it, Major. I had to train at the SINS control for nearly three weeks, even with Katra teaching me. Saul, he just takes one look at the thing and can interpret it in ways I could only dream of. Besides, I only took the position because you needed someone who knew something about scanners. I would very much like to be put back amongst the raiders." I was more than happy to oblige this request. But it set me thinking, Saul did have an almost intuitive ability with the SINS controls. What was that that Carpenter said about familiar roles? I snapped out of my reverie when I heard the door behind me open. I turned from the oven, bringing with me the gorgeous looking lasagna with me, to see my ever so tall first officer standing there.
"Hey, André, come to pick?" I saw him smile. Titans have a hard time smiling, and when they do, which was rare to begin with, it was almost imperceptible. It was only after working with him for years that I learned to tell when André was smiling and when he was not. It took even longer for me to learn when he was frowning.
"No, Major. I wish to tell you something."
"Does it by any chance have anything to do with what you tried to tell me earlier?"
"Yes." Something was not right. André didn't speak much to begin with, but he seemed to be avoiding me.
"And?" I prompted encouragingly.
"Got a report from Duo. The techs you told to search the shuttle completed their search."
"AND?"
"Nothing."
"What?"
"They uncovered nothing. The computers, the hull, the engines, navigational computer, data-banks and most of the equipment were damaged."
"How badly?"
"From what Duo says, the techs could not tell a probe from a power coupling."
"Ouch." That was bad news. I was hoping that the shuttle could give me some clue as to where Saul had come from. Well, what I was really hoping for was that we could find the ship he belonged on and return him to it. I knew that I couldn't very well waltz into Fed turf to deliver an amnesiac Vulcan to an inner world. And I couldn't just drop him off at a star base either, or even arrange direct transport for him. "Who else knows about this?"
"You, me, Duo, and the tech team."
"That's it?"
"Yes."
"Alright. No one else knows, understood? I don't want this to reach Saul in any form at all. Until his memory comes back in full, I don't want to have ideas planted in his head."
"Done, Major."
"Good, now you grab the plates and the wine glasses and let's get dinner started." I had selected two bottles of a Merlot called "Two-Buck-Chuck". Two-Buck from a vineyard that dated back to early twenty-first century Earth that prided itself in producing cheap decent wine. I don't know how they did it, but they had kept producing cheap decent wine for the past two hundred years and it looked as though they were continuing to do so. Merlot goes very well with lasagna; it's a good sipping wine and brings out the full flavor of the main course that I had prepared.
The table was a little full with people, plates, utensils, salad, salad bowls, salad dressings (I only allowed balsamic vinegar and olive oil to grace the table when I cooked), water glasses, wine glasses, wine bottles, and now the piece-de-resistance, my white lasagna. My officers were about to dive on in when I stopped them curtly.
"Hold up a minute. I won't have anyone eating until proper introductions are made. People this is Saul. He'll be on the bridge during normal shifts until I say so. Saul, I'm gonna kinda lay this on you fast so if you get confused, ask me later, 'kay?" I got a brief nod and proceeded. "This is Pilot and her brother Gunner, who man the helm and weapons stations respectively. Katra is the resident genius in the world of computers, programming, cloaking, and shielding. Duo is my chief of engineering and would probably be able to pull off as many miracles as his brother if he wasn't late to everything. Duo and Katra are twins, and if you have trouble telling them apart, just remember that Kat's the good one." This remark got a semi-indignant "HEY!" from Duo and a snicker from everybody else. I ignored all this and continued. "Hannah is the wunderkind of communications; she can crack just about every code known to man and six known to monkeys; she has ears sensitive enough to hear a pin drop; and she's got a very deadly aim, so don't go ticking her off. André and Carpenter you already know."
Duo jumped in, "And then there's our beloved Major. Few things you need to know about her, Saul, for your own safety. First, everyone who doesn't crew this ship calls her the Viper. For good reason, too. She is decidedly deadly, has about the fastest draw imaginable, is exceedingly crafty, and is a little on the crazy side. She'll do anything for this ship, and expects everyone here to be just as suicidally devoted as she is. Her full name is Katherine Elayo Analise Tabitha Harper, but if you call her any of those names to her face she'll kill you six times before you even hit the floor. What else? Hmmm, oh yeah, she has a beautiful singing voice and is all around one of the prettiest girls ever to grace a pirate ship." He grasped his full wineglass. "So, here's to the Major, May she never lose her wits or we'll all be dead. And too Saul, May he quickly regain his wits and get out while he still can." This toast was met with a resounding "Hear, Hear" and the clinking of wineglasses. And our dinner began. All conversation dissolved into small talk, then less talk, then no talk and only the quiet munchings of a decidedly happy crew. Plates were almost cleared when Saul, who had been eating a vegan version of my lasagna, broke the silence.
"By your introductory comment, Major, I presume that you intend for me to remain on your bridge."
"Well, considering that I am temporarily in want of a SINS operator, and you're the damned best I've ever seen," that comment evoked a chorus of agreement from the rest of the diners, "I would have to say that you presume correctly."
"The question, Saul," Carpenter commented, "is whether you want to stay."
"I do not logically believe that there is any other choice, Doctor."
"Bologna," Gunner said. "Ya always got a choice, stay or leave."
"And if I leave, where am I to go?"
"Home," André stated simply.
"I do not know where 'home' is. If I did, I would not be here."
"Well, do you wanna stay?" Pilot asked.
"I…I do not know." Saul mulled the question over. "I don't know if I'm suited to be a pirate. I have a…supposition that piracy is objectionable on various fronts, but I have no frame of reference to compare it with. I believe it would be preferable to comprehend the aspects of what you propose."
Duo leaned over to Katra, "What?"
"I think," Katra translated, "his meaning is that he wants to know what we do before he agrees to join. Right?" Saul nodded.
"Oh. Well, why couldn't you just say that?" Duo asked the Vulcan.
"I believe I did." There was that look again. I leaned back in my chair, wineglass in hand, ready to hear what my crew said life was like.
"So," Duo pressed, "you want us to tell you how we act and what we do and why we do what we do and then you'll decide whether to stay or not."
"Essentially correct."
"Cool. Any objections boss?" I shook my head, this was gonna be very interesting.
"Well, to begin with, we're not really pirates. Not in the traditional sense anyway." An eyebrow cocked.
"What my brother means," Katra explained, "Is that we do not make our living primarily by stealing from others."
"We do a fair deal of trading, shipping, mapping, and the like," Pilot grinned. "We really only steal from other pirates and..."
"Slavers," Gunner broke in vehemently. "We steal from slavers as a rule." That seemed to perk Saul's interest.
"Why?"
Carpenter explained, "This crew has a predominant population of freed slaves. And, you can imagine, there is a…craving, I suppose, to free others."
"You do not then keep them?" That comment produced quite a furious outburst from all seats but mine.
"PEOPLE!" I barked. I don't usually bark, you can imagine then the silence that followed. "Don't go climbing down his throat. It's a legitimate question from someone who doesn't know what slavery is like. Shut up with the witch hunt and answer the man's question." The silence continued for a few seconds before Hannah quietly replied.
"No, we do not keep the slaves that we take from those…kinds of ships. The rules for raiding slave ships are quite simple. We liberate the slaves and give them a choice, stay on the Assurance or get dropped off at the nearest port. If the former, they get welcomed into the crew with open arms. If the latter, the Major gives them a sum of credits, clothes, and a free passage to any port in the sector. They then leave to start their lives again."
Duo continued, "The slave ship gets gutted. Raiding crews take everything, and I mean everything. The engines are stripped of parts, computers are taken out, weapons, shields, and anything of value is carted over here. Then the ship gets blown up."
"What of the crew?" No one looked like they were going to answer, so I did.
"I have them whipped. One lash for every year they served as a slaver. Then they get turned free. The captain of that vessel, however, I scourge. Thirty-nine lashes with the cat of nine tails, no medical attention whatsoever. Then I maroon him on a rock with barely enough life-supporting atmosphere to keep a human alive and give him a handgun with one bullet in it. Nothing else."
"That is inhumane."
"Slavers aren't human." I put a little too much passion in that remark, but it was there all the same. "They're scum. No, they're lower than scum. Anyone who willingly chooses to set himself as absolute lord over his equal deserves it. Anyone who buys and sells sentient beings like chattel deserves worse. Anyone who ruthlessly slaughters entire peoples, who takes children away from their screaming mothers, who degrade, rape, beat, burn, torture, and carelessly sell the defenseless deserves death. Slavers have no morals, no scruples, no honor, and I will not stand idly by and watch the innocent suffer. Anytime I find a slave ship, this is the justice I bring." Silence ensued.
"But it's rare," Carpenter finished quietly. "Slavers know what Keath does and they stay far away from her. Usually we just deal with other pirates and sometimes even honest business." I knew that Carpenter was steering the conversation away from slavery. It was a touchy subject for me and for the majority of my crew. Saul seemed to know this and allowed the conversation to drift to other things.
"What kind of 'honest business'?"
"Lot of over the borders stuff." Gunner grinned. "We, uh, ferry goods across borders that most people wouldn't want to touch with a ten foot pole."
"How would one touch a border with a pole of any length?" That really broke the tension in the room.
"It's an expression, Saul," Hannah said with a quiet smile. "The Assurance is considered neutral ground for a number of parties. We sometimes act as mediators in a situation, or as a meeting place between warring groups."
"Most of the time," Gunner continued, "We just run illegal payloads from one turf to another."
"You are smugglers then?"
"Technically speaking, yes."
"But only if there isn't anything else to do." Pilot added.
"We also guard Red Rock One." Duo said and was immediately kicked underneath the table several times. "WHAT'D I SAY? WHAT'D I SAY? If he's gonna be on the Assurance, he has to know about the Rock. Boss, help me out before I get murdered over here."
"Duo's right," never though I'd say those words "Saul should know. André, it was your idea, you explain it."
The Titan nodded. "Major's picked up lots of people over the years. Too many for the Assurance to handle. So we made Red Rock One."
Pilot broke in, "It's an asteroid the size of a small moon; we converted it on the inside to make a base of operations for the Assurance."
"S'got everything there," Gunner followed. "Hospital, armory, huge engineering department, stores, and lots of housing."
"We have schools there, too," Katra said quietly. "A great many of the slave vessels we raid are filled with children. They are too young to either join the Assurance or go out into the galaxy by themselves, so they go to the Rock. We have many families there who temporarily adopt them until they are old enough to decide what they want to do."
"In the meantime," Carpenter said. "We give them a basic education and a trade to learn. Computer tech, engineering, electrical work, medicine, communications, teaching, agriculture, piloting, bunch of other stuff. Gives them an edge if they want to leave the Rock. But very few of them do."
"The Rock is well defended," André continued. "We hid it deep in a very large asteroid field, cloaked it, shielded it, and covered it in weapons, but it can be penetrated. So the Assurance stays close to home."
"That's about all we do," Carpenter said at last. Saul nodded and fell silent. The conversation drifted to other things and before long, people began to leave. Saul remained seated long after the rest had left. I think he would have sat there all night if I hadn't roused him.
"Come on Saul, I'll show you to some quarters." We stood, both silent, and went to the lodging decks of the Assurance. I always made sure that we had more rooms than people. The bridge crew always got private quarters, almost everyone else double bunked. I made sure, though, that roommates worked on different shifts so that they could have some privacy. The extra quarters were filled with guests; some paying for transport, lots were picked up when we raided slave ships. I took Saul to a room that was close to the rest of the bridge crew.
"It's kinda Spartan, I'm afraid," I said as the door opened. "But it's all yours. If you need anything, just ask for it, 'kay?"
"Thank you Major, this is more than enough."
"One other thing," he turned to look at me. "I can't begin to imagine what it's like to lose your memory, but I want you to be happy. If you're not, then I want to do what I can to help. I know you'll get it back, and I don't want you to feel any obligation to me or to my ship when you do. I guess what I'm trying to say is, when you remember who you are and where you're from, tell me. I'll do everything in my power to get you back home. That I swear."
"You have been kind enough to me, Major. This is not necessary."
"Of course it is. The other members of my crew can leave anytime they want to. I don't make anyone stay against his or her will; I don't want you to either. If you want to stay here, please do, my ship is all the better for it. If you want to leave, I'll take you anywhere you want to go, as long as it makes you happy."
"Happiness is an emotion."
"Happiness is what every living being strives for whether they admit it or not. I want the same for you."
"Why?"
"Because I am happiest when my crew is. You're part of my crew so your wellbeing is now my priority for as long as you stay here." I smiled. "You better get some sleep, it's been a long day. Alpha shift starts at oh-eight-hundred sharp. See you then." I walked down the hall towards my quarters when Saul quietly called to me.
"Major?" I turned back to face him.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you, for everything." I grinned.
"Your welcome. Goodnight Saul."
"Goodnight."
DXVJKE
there had a bit of a happy ending. next up is a raid. please review
DarkX