After downloading a sector map of the Kalymnos Junction, Yuri and company made their way to the closest planet.
Chios.
Along the way, they were greeted by the nation's welcoming party. According to the database, they had been accosted by three ships: an Ilithyia-class cruiser, and two Themis-class destroyers.
The ships hulls were mostly red, save for the dashes of orange here and there; blue lights shining brightly.
The pirates, as the group assumed, had put up a fight, and were decidedly stronger than the ones located in Elgava, though were still no match for the formidable power of Yuri's fleet.
As they continued on their journey, they were thrown into no less than five battles, all of which they won... netting a considerable sum of gold and fame from each.
On their final approach to Chios, Yuri found himself checking up on his sister, who had been escorted back to her quarters... currently lying atop her bed.
"Kira, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine now." She answered, sitting up slowly. "I'm sorry Yuri. I don't want you to have to worry about me."
"Of course I'm going to worry! You're my little sister." Yuri said, taking a seat on the bed beside her. "You're the only family I've got."
"Thank you Yuri. I'm fine now though. Really." She said, smiling up at him. "Please don't make me get off the ship. I want to stay by your side, no matter what, okay?"
This was a complete 180 degrees from what she was like a few days ago. While he was confused as to what had prompted this change, he continued, hiding his surprise and confusion from her.
"All right Kira." He replied. "If that's what you really want to do, I'm glad to have you with me."
"Good."
After chatting for a few minutes, he left her to rest, a confused look on his face.
"So how's she doin'?"
Nia's voice scared him out of his thoughts, almost making him jump. "Oh, hi Nia. She seems all right now. Her colour's a lot better."
"Well as long as it isn't anything serious..." Nia replied, prompting Yuri's confusion.
"What? You sound like you have something else you want to say."
With a serious look on her face, Nia began to talk to Yuri about a topic she had been holding back for a while now.
"Travelling through space is a rough life. I just wonder how she's gonna hold up, over time."
"I'm worried about her too, of course. But she said herself that she wants to come with me." Yuri told her.
Nia bit back a laugh before speaking. "Well, of course that's what she's gonna say kiddo! Haven't you noticed the way she looks at you?" She asked, trying to tell Yuri without really saying anything. "That's not just sisterly love you've got there, shinin' in those eyes of hers."
Yuri's confusion showed. "What do you mean?"
Narrowing her eyes as she looked at him, she began to wonder. Surely he must have realized by now.
Unless he had, and didn't want to admit it.
Then he was a fool. And her saying something wouldn't make a difference in the least.
"I'm going to the bridge now kiddo. The IP communication system is acting up. I'm gonna try to fix it."
As his mentor walked off up the hallway, Yuri stood there, watching her.
Nia's crazy. I don't think she gets what siblings are all about. He thought as she disappeared. She must be an only child.
As he too, walked off to do his duties, he didn't hear Kira on the other side of her quarter's door, shivering as she listened.
How did Nia know?
It was something that Nia had first told him.
When in need of information... find a tavern. She had said. People like to talk, especially when they're drunk.
That was where they were now; Yuri, Nia, and Ogar crowded around the bar. The bartender had been all too willing to share his knowledge, and in return, wanted to hear of their travels.
It was a fair trade, he had to admit.
"The two biggest pirates around here are Old Kreios and a nasty gal called Celina." He told them. "Celina works solo, but there's been a lot of friction and rivalry between her and the Kreios Pirates for years. Neither side wants to give an inch to the other."
"Celina? Are you talking about Celina Sioufas?" Nia asked from beside him. Curious.
"Yeah, that's the one. The pirate they call the Merciless Night Queen, and for no small reason." He nodded. "The spacefarers that have seen her all say she's an incredible beauty, but dangerous."
"I wouldn't mind running into her sometime. I'd make sure to stay on her good side though, if you know what I mean." He added.
"She'd break you like a twig." Nia replied, as if she knew her.
"Yeah probably. But better her than those Kreios dogs. The Kreios Pirates have a lot of influence around here. Their leader, Old Kreios himself, actually got locked up by the Sector Security Agency about a year ago." He told them, a serious look on his face. "But that hasn't slowed the Kreios Pirates down one bit. As a matter of fact, they're bigger and more powerful than ever. I just can't figure out how they do it."
"Are you sure they aren't getting help from someone else?" Ogar asked. "Or if a higher up has assumed control?"
The barkeep laughed at the his suggestion. "I don't think so. Old Kreios prides himself and his gang on being self sufficient. And no one else would be stupid enough to try and take over. Even locked up, he holds considerable influence."
"Well it was a good thought Ogar." Yuri said to him.
"So you came over from the Interplanetary Union of Elgava, did you?" He asked them rhetorically. "Now there's a big, flourishing country for you! Kalymnos has got the resources, but it's food and technology we've sorely been lacking."
"Interesting to know." Nia said. "But we're lacking some coin; you got a job for us?"
"You want a job do ya? Well, it just so happens that the Jezelmite Mine on Dodecanese is looking for workers." He said, rubbing his chin. "I'm talking about some pretty tough manual labour, but the pay is nothing to sneeze at. 500G in fact. Think you'd be interested?"
Exchanging glances, Yuri already knew the answer.
Any coin is better than no coin.
"Sure."
"Yeah? Then go and head on over there." The bartender told them. "That's the Jezelmite Mine on Dodecanese. Don't forget!"
After finishing their exchange of stories and information, Yuri, Nia and Ogar, now carrying their drinks and food... returned to the table.
"Epitaphs huh?" Musin asked as he sat down. "I have to admit, I am quite interested in them as a subject of research. Say, if you get yours back Yuri, would you let me perform an analysis of it?"
"Analysis? What kind of analysis?" He asked, finding the proposition a little odd.
Cocking her head as she thought about things, she began trailing off. "You know, break it down, study its composition-"
"Are you kidding me?! Of course not!" Yuri cried out, drawing the attention of the group.
"Aw, come on. Pretty please? With sugar on top?"
Yuri found himself shivering. "Okay, now you're just creeping me out."
Musin let out a Hmph as she crossed her arms.
Arriving on the planet Heraklion, Yuri stopped off at the module company, and found himself out of pocket by 320G. Considering he had bought seven module blueprints: an Anti-Air Control Room MK1, Engine Room MK3, Sick Bay MK3, Navigation Simulator Room MK1, Science Lab MK1, Shop MK1 and a Deflector MK2...
Yuri thought it was money well spent.
Not long later, they found themselves announcing their arrival at reception desk of Professor Gavriil Minas, before they were shown to a room at the back of the lab. Inside, an older gentlemen was working away at a desk, before spotting their approach.
"Ah, welcome! I am Gavriil Minas." A white keypass chain falling out of his lab coat as he stood. "Commander Vladykin of the Interplanetary Union of Elgava told me all about you. He says you're interested in Epitaphs, is that it?"
"That's right sir. We were hoping you could help us find out more about them." Yuri explained.
"Hm. Without any specimens to investigate, my Epitaph research has been particularly slow going." He replied, leading them out into the main section of the lab. "What I do know however, is that Epitaphs are composed of a diamond-like substance, similar to silicon nitride SI3N4."
As they took seats wherever they could find a spot, the Professor continued his lecture on the subject.
"And from there, the possibility of structural phase transition due to composition activation and some other conditions, as well as poly-crystallization growth, can be hypothesized." He ended, turning to face them. "Therefore, what can be seen through an abstraction test performed according to Izoma's Law..."
Torlo was already beginning to yawn as the Professor finished...
The man sure can talk.
"And that is what is known at this point. Do you have any questions?"
Ian stayed silent as he stared, Yuri stammering beside him. "Um... let's see..."
"You can just put a big question mark over my head man." Torlo said as Tatiana face palmed... an action that she found she was doing all too often lately.
"So, there are some ruins on the planet Mytilene near a Dead Gate that appear to have once held an Epitaph. And so you'd like to go over there to Mytilene, to investigate the relationship between Dead Gates and Epitaphs. Is that what you're saying Professor?"
The others found themselves staring at Kira as if she'd just grown a second head...
How in Grus had she understood all that?
"Yes, that's it precisely."
"O-oh, okay."
"You followed that well Kira." Ian complimented.
She blushed as she looked down, muttering out. "Those were the only parts I understood."
It's still more than the rest of us did. Yuri thought.
Turning to face the old man, Yuri spoke. "In that case, we're going to Mytilene. Would you like to come with us Professor?"
"Yes. I would like that very much, thank you. I gladly accept the invitation to join you on your ship." He smiled. "However, there is one slight problem."
"What's that sir?"
With his face taking on a serious look, he warned. "A band of pirates called the Kreios Pirates roam this sector you see. Because of them, the Kalymnos Sector Security Agency has sealed this sector off. Sadly, I'm afraid we won't get anywhere until the pirates have been taken care of."
"And this is our Analysis Room." Yuri told Minas, leading him into the lab. "Nadja Musin and her two assistants work here round the clock."
Yuri could see Dane and Agatha on the other side of the room, before spotting Nadja at a microscope closer to him.
She must've heard their footsteps, before turning to face them. Recognizing them both... she almost dropped the sample she was holding, as her eyes landed on Minas.
"Professor Gavriil Minas, this is Professor Nadja Musin, she works at the National Science Research lab on Alatyr."
"Professor, it is an honour to meet you."
Shaking hands, he replied.
"You too Professor Musin, I've heard great things about you."
"I'm sure you can take it from here Nadja?" Yuri asked.
Nodding in response, she answered. "Of course Captain. I'll see you soon for our regular meeting in a few days... if not before then."
Turning to leave them alone, he heard a part of Nadja and Minas's conversation.
"Why don't I show you the lab Professor Minas. However, let me introduce you to Dane and Agatha, my assistants..."
Some time later, on his way back to the bridge, Yuri was passing Kira's room, when he began to overhear a conversation.
"Did you find out about my headaches?"
Kira.
"I even asked my father, but he's never heard of a case like yours."
Larissa? Headaches?
"Oh..." Kira replied dejectedly.
"But the good news is, he's never heard of a case like yours, so it can't be too serious, can it?" He heard Larissa ask his sister.
"I hope you're right."
"There's nothing to worry about! Besides. There's nothing worse for your health than worrying."
"Okay, I guess you're right."
Hearing footsteps approaching, he acted casually, having no time to run or hide.
"Oh! Hi Yuri." Larissa said with a smile, walking off down the hall.
Entering his sister's quarters, he saw her sitting on the bed, taking a sip from the glass of water at her bedside.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"Much better now." She replied, smiling as he sat beside her.
"That's good." He began, unsure how to broach the next topic. "We haven't talked in a while. Huh?"
"Not since before Medyn I think." She replied.
Perfect.
"We've been so busy the last few days with my recovery and the Nargannans situation, that I haven't really had a chance to ask." He said slowly. "About Medyn..."
Noticing her wince at the mention of Medyn, he knew that something had happened that she wasn't sharing.
His conversation with Nia about Kira had given him some interesting details. Nia had noticed it too. The winces and shivers at certain things. The red eyes of sleep deprivation. The sudden disappearances at random times.
"I spoke with Nia. She told me what she saw." He said calmly.
Kira swallowed audibly as she shivered, looking at Yuri. If anyone deserved to know what had happened with Argun: it was him.
After all... it was he that had almost lost his life that day.
"I-I. Argun t-tried to take me h-hostage after he almost killed you." She said in a shaky voice. "I-I took h-his g-g-gun and..."
She stared off, and Yuri didn't need to hear anymore, Nia had told him already.
If the gun at Kira's feet, her blood-stained clothes, and the mess where Argun's head used to be was any indication...
It was kind of obvious what had happened.
She had done the right thing, but no matter what he told her, there wasn't any going back after your first kill.
They had both taken a life that day. It just so happened that he had handled it a little better. She broke down then, crying in his arms as he held her, rubbing his sister's back.
Through the sobs and heaves, she also told him of the constant nightmares. No wonder she wasn't sleeping well.
He found himself remembering the conversation he had had with Nia, not a day earlier.
It seemed that she was right. Life in space was rough, and his sister wasn't holding up too well.
He was already beginning to see the cracks.
It was just a matter of time. And he found himself wondering...
Just what was going to happen with her when she couldn't take it any more.
Despite Professor Minas's forewarning of the blockade, Yuri had decided to see it for himself.
As they drew nearer to the Sector Security Agency blockade, Yuri was already beginning to spot several dozen ships on the edge of his vision.
Then, the alarm began to sound...
"May I have your attention, please? This is the 11th Task Force of the Kalymnos Sector Security Agency. Due to the frequent appearance of the Kreios Pirates, this area has been deemed unsafe. Please leave immediately. We repeat..."
As the man continued to warn them from the comm link, Kira turned to him. "What do we do Yuri?"
"Well, we're not going to take on the Sector Security Agency, that's for sure. I guess we've got to turn back."
Ordering the fleet to be turned around, he glanced at Nia from the corner of his eye, receiving a sly nod in response.
Good.
With the blockade in place, Yuri and his fleet had no choice but to take the long way around to Dodecanese; passing close to Chios along the way.
The good thing was, that Yuri's fleet had been given a chance to get themselves better acquainted with the locals: the Kreios Pirates.
They had attacked them no less than a dozen times. Ilithyia cruiser's, Themis destroyers, they bagged the lot. No one was able to stop them, and they charged through them all...
Taking damage along the way.
Nothing that the spaceport can't fix.
Once reaching the planet, Yuri rounded up some of his crew, before heading for the Jezelmite Mine.
Upon entering, a big muscled man, who looked to be in his 50's, welcomed them. "Ah, thanks for comin'. I'm Loukas Barberis, the foreman of this site." His orange and tanned shirt stretched tight across his scarred skin. "You can just call me Loukas. Now then, jezelmite ore is highly magnetic. Because of that, we can't use regular mining equipment. Getting down and dirty is the only way to get the job done here."
"What?! Are you kiddin' me?!"
Loukas smiled, revealing a row of gnarled yellow teeth. "All right. That's enough chatter for now. Get to your stations boys and girls!" He ordered. "I want you over here. And I want you two over there!"
"Yes sir!"
"Got it!' Torlo replied with a mock salute.
Ian looked around at the others. "What, me too?"
As they all split up, wandering over to various sections of the site, Yuri took in the site of his crew. Nia and Selenia had paired themselves up, while Ian and Karlo worked on the other side of the mine.
As the hours passed, and Loukas wandered around, watching everyone's progress; the clanging of the picks on metal rang in his ears.
During their stay, Yuri couldn't help but smile as the other men on the site tried hitting on Nia and Selenia, who smiled at them. As the teasing continued, and the men became bolder... he watched Selenia slap one, kicking him into a nearby hole.
Everyone laughed, and they left them alone after that... though their lecherous stares continued.
Yuri couldn't blame them though.
"All right then! That's enough for today. Good job boys!" Loukas shouted.
Ian groaned, his complaining falling on deaf ears. "Oh, my back..."
"Hey, Yuri, you're pretty tough for being such a scrawny little guy." Torlo said as they met up near the entrance.
"I'm used to hard labour, from back in the days when I worked at the repair shop on Ropesk." He explained.
"I guess that explains it."
As they talked to each other, waiting for Loukas to hand out everyones pay, he spotted Nia and Selenia winking and laughing at the men who had tried flirting with them... watching the group disappear out of sight.
"All right boys and girls." He said, directing the last part at the two women. "Here's your pay. Nothin' better than money you earned by the sweat of your own brow, huh?"
Accepting the 500G from the foreman, they bid him farewell, the gate closing behind them as the rain started.
Yuri yawned, stretching as he woke up... wiping the sleep from his eyes.
After their work at the mine was over, the six of them had ran to catch a ride back to the orbital elevators; rain falling as they did.
Glancing over to the clock at his bedside, he spotted the time.
Eight hours sleep. He thought. I've worked on less.
Flicking on the lights, he had just started making his bed, when a loud banging came from the door.
"Come on sleepyhead! We're burning daylight here!"
He smiled. There was only one person in the universe that it could be. As the door slid open, he came face to face with a smiling Nia.
"Yeah, Yeah, calm down Nia." He said. "Don't get your knickers in a twist."
She smiled. And Yuri found himself regretting his choice of words.
"You'd love seeing my knickers in a twist, wouldn't ya? Or maybe... you'd like to do the twisting yourself."
He groaned as Nia laughed; waving her in as the door shut behind them.
"Ya know kiddo. If we're going to be twisting my knickers, I'd much prefer not smelling your morning breath. Know what I mean?"
Yuri groaned again. She never stopped. "What do you want Nia?"
She responded by holding up her mobile terminal first. "We missed the meeting yesterday, or did you forget?"
Nodding, Yuri quickly threw the rest of the blankets over his bed as they both took a seat, mobile terminals in hand.
"So about this pirate problem..."
"Argh. I Know. It's just like Elgava all over again." Yuri said in frustration. "Honestly... it's like looking for the Epitaphs just brings these problems about on its own."
"Well life ain't never easy. Just keep doing your thing, and let no one stop you, Got it?" She said.
"Got it."
"Good! Now! Down to business." Her mobile terminal continued to flash as her fingers moved. "I got that report on the blockade, just like you wanted. And honestly, I don't see us getting through that way. Not unless we want the Kalymnos Sector Security Agency on our tail; the military too... possibly."
"So then, the only way we're getting through that blockade is by solving the pirate problem?"
Yuri's statement prompted a laugh from Nia; the teenager throwing her a confused look.
"Ya know... we could hire ourselves out as pirate hunters." She said between laughs. "Think about it. Panfilov's military, Balik and Argun, the Hallan Harrowers. I'd say we stand to make a lot of money."
Yuri laughed, and soon, the two had returned to the topic at hand.
"Send me the report you did on the blockade. Run me through it!"
A few seconds later, Yuri was scrolling through Nia's report, as she spoke quickly on the highlights of it.
"First off. I counted about four to five dozen Agency ships. They look to be a lot more organized than the Harrowers, that's for sure."
Frowning at the numbers, he asked. "I don't know Nia... that doesn't seem like a lot if you're trying to stop the Kreios Pirates. The Novgorod Pirates under Argun and Balik alone more than that."
Turning to face him, Nia answered. "Well kiddo, Kalymnos isn't quite as big as the Interplanetary Union of Elgava... nor does it have its funding either. And you have to look at it this way, it's military is probably spread in so many different directions trying to worry about so many things; it doesn't have that many ships to spare."
"Okay. So the blockade is a dead end." Yuri said, glancing further down her report. "What about the pirates? Do you think we can follow that up?"
Nia stroked her chin in thought, cocking her head to one side. "I'm honestly not too sure. This is the same situation as before. We know who their leader is: Old Man Kreios; but we don't know where he is or how to get to him."
"So what do we do?"
"I don't know." She answered. "But... maybe the others might."
"What do you mean?"
"Well we've got some people here who've been with us for a while, right?" Seeing Yuri's confused nod, she continued. "If we get them together, then they may have a plan to help us through this."
"No! No way!"
"Why not?" She asked. "Listen, several heads are better than one, right? Besides, we can't do this alone you know."
"I know that Nia." He said. She just didn't understand. "The further I travel down this path, the more trouble and danger I attract. I don't want the others to be drawn into this."
"And you think they already aren't?"
Yuri's brow furrowed in confusion as he asked. "What do you mean?"
Rolling her eyes, Nia began to explain, setting aside her mobile terminal. "Take it like this. If we attack the SSA blockade, and get caught... the others will be arrested too. They are in the same fleet as you. No matter what happens, we're all in this together. It might as well be their choice."
"I don't know Nia..."
"Oh come on!" She exclaimed. He was so thick some times. "It was your choice to go into space. Your choice to fight Panfilov and free Kira. Your choice to fight the Novgorod Pirates. The thing is... these people follow you because they respect you. Don't forget that they choose to be here every day they show up to work."
She had his attention now, which was good.
"Don't forget that they have a choice in all this too."
Yuri took in a deep breath as he let his eyes fall, taking a moment to decide. "Okay. Fine."
Nia did a little cheer as they began to discuss who to bring to their next meeting. Ogar and Selenia a given.
They spent the next ten minutes battering names back and forth, offering their honest opinions on every one.
In the end, they had a list of people that they were sure they could count on.
"Soo..." Nia began, turning to look at her friend. "About my knickers..."
Yuri groaned for what seemed like the hundredth time.
He would never live this down.
As they entered the Dodecanese tavern, a beer bottle smashed against the wall beside the group, Yuri in the lead.
"Yikes!" The young Captain exclaimed.
"What's goin' on?" Torlo asked from behind him.
Ahead, a crowd had gathered around several patrons.
"WHO THE GRUS DO YA THINK YOU ARE?! One shouted.
"SCRAWNY LITTLE NOVA NACION WIMP!" Another added.
"DID YA REALLY THINK YOU COULD SELL YOUR DIRTY NOVA NACION GARBAGE HERE?!"
Through the crowd, they could see another man on the floor, trying to back away from the two men. "I-I only wanted you to take a look at my wares..."
He man was interrupted by a punch to the gut.
"Shut the Grus up! Who the Grus wants your crappy little shampoos and conditioners?!" The man shouted. "Go back to your own country!"
Hitting the man again, their target continued to cry out in pain, as his two bullies beat him up.
Nia winced. "Ouch. He's getting his butt kicked! My guess is he could use a little help."
"You shouldn't get involved Yuri. Kalymnians are a rough people. You see this sort of thing all the time." Ian interrupted, trying to prevent his friends from getting involved, and causing more problems. "Besides... it looks like it's a Nova they're beating up. If you help him, there's going to be trouble for us, I promise you."
Catching Nia's eye, Yuri knew there was only one decision he could make.
"I can't just let a big gang like that beat up on one guy! Let's help him out."
"Yeah! Now you're talkin'!" With a great cry, Torlo charged forward, followed by the others. "C'mon! Raaaaagh!"
With Yuri right behind him, the gang was caught off guard.
"Huh?" The first exclaimed in surprise. "Who the Grus are you guys?!"
"It's over." Yuri began, spotting Selenia protecting the Nacion trader on the floor. "Leave him alone."
"What the Grus?! Aagh."
With that, the gang moved in, circling around them as fists began to fly. Over the sound of the fighting, the tavern patrons cheered them on...
Who they were rooting for, he didn't know.
Yuri caught one across the jaw, before striking him a second later on the nose; hearing a sickening crunch.
"You little bastard!" He shouted, holding his nose. "You'll pay for that!"
The man stepped forward, smacking Yuri as he tackled the teenager.
"Ow! Why you!" The young Captain threw a knee into the man's stomach, who cried out in pain.
He heard Nia's laugh as he fought, and her shout. "Get 'em kiddo!"
The fight was broken up suddenly by the sound of a blaster discharging. And everyone stopped, the noise dying off.
"Huh?" Nia exclaimed, turning towards the door in surprise.
She watched as two men walked forwards, the crowd parting before them. They wore white skin tight suits under what appeared to be a metal chest piece, matching grey belts, boots and gloves.
"All right, what's going on here?!" The first asked.
He had pale skin and orange hair that hung around his neck; dark eyes and a cocky smirk gracing his face. He was handsome, in an ugly sort of way.
The second man had wavy, medium length brown hair sitting at his ears; pale skin and dark brown eyes.
"Kalymnos Sector Security Agency! Break it up now! Stop, or we'll shoot!" He was a real looker, and much more handsome than his partner.
They weren't too bad to look at, she did admit, but weren't her type. Besides, she was really picky with her men; not that she was looking for romance. That ship had sailed oh so long ago.
She just wasn't interested anymore.
"Uh oh."
As they watched the two clear away the crowd and approach them, they began to explain.
"All right, I think we understand the situation now." The first said, nodding. "So you got yourselves involved in a little tavern brawl, eh?"
"I'm really sorry."
"Ha ha ha! Well, boys will be boys, right?" He said with a laugh. "Anyway, it doesn't look like any of you got seriously injured. I suppose we can just let you go."
"Really? Thank you sir!"
"Hey, wait a minute Pappas. Don't you think we ought to at least write up a report?"
"Nah, there's no need for that. We're off duty anyway." Pappas explained. "All right folks. Enjoy your stay in Kalymnos."
With a wave and a smile, the two Sector Security Agency officers left, the group letting out a collective sigh of relief.
Yuri, Torlo, and Nia soon joined Selenia and the others, who had helped the Nacion to his feet; collecting his fallen wares.
"Thank you very much for helping me out. My name is Paulo Marjeno, and I'm from the trade planet Kashtano in the Nation of Nova Nacio." He introduced with a smile.
"That was pretty unfair of them to pick on you like that!"
Marjeno fought back a chuckle. "Yes, well, I guess that Nova Nacions aren't too popular over here, to say the least. That kind of thing happens all the time."
"How come they don't like Nova Nacions?" Torlo asked.
"One hundred and twenty years ago, Nova Nacio was founded by immigrants who came from the Large Magellanic Cloud nation of Nacio." Ian replied as Torlo approached, rolling his eyes. "But the sector these immigrants settled in was an area that Kalymnos discovered, and had planned on migrating to themselves."
Nodding at Ian's answer, Paulo Marjeno continued. "So I guess, from the Kalymnians point of view, it's like we came in and stole the sector away from them. The two nations even fought a war over it at the time."
"Oh, wow."
"Anyway, I'm very grateful to all of you. I'd like to give you a small token of my gratitude, for helping out a fellow in need."
Ruffling through his pockets, Paulo found, and held out a 100G currency card.
Like before, it wasn't a decision he had to think about.
"There's no need for you to do that. We weren't in it for the money." Yuri said, holding up a hand in refusal.
"Please. I insist." He replied, holding out the card towards Yuri again. "In Nova Nacio, we like to express our gratitude monetarily. I'm sorry I can't afford to give you more, but please accept it with my thanks."
"Thanks, but it just wouldn't be right." Kira broke in.
"What do you mean?" Paulo asked in confusion.
"You've said thank you, and that's more than enough for us."
"Kira's right. We're from the Interplanetary Union of Elgava, and this is Kalymnos. Let's agree not to follow Nova Nacio's rules of etiquette on this one."
Marjeno smiled at the group. They sure were an interesting bunch.
"Well, if you're sure... but please remember this. A Nova Nacion never forgets a good deed. I hope to be able to repay you someday."
"Anyway, you people certainly handled that angry gang well! I don't know what would've happened to me if you hadn't come along." Yuri smiled as Marjeno stuck out his hand. "If I were even half as strong as you, I'd have a lot easier time of it trying to do business in Kalymnos."
Afterwards, they settled themselves at one of the empty tables, and placing an order. In the meantime, Yuri, having spotted Kira across from him, started to speak up.
He hadn't seen her for a while since their last conversation.
"Kira, how's your head now? Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine."
"If you start to feel bad again, be sure to tell me about it, okay?" He told her, concerned.
"I will. I promise."
Speaking up from beside his sister was Nia, who interrupted the conversation.
"For a brother and sister, you two sure do get along really well. I'm just sayin'."
"I love my brother too, but we never acted as, uh... close... as you two do." Tatiana frowned, choosing her words carefully.
"Huh?"
"Ya know, you two guys don't really look alike, now that I think about it." Torlo began, eyebrows furrowed in thought. "You two seem more like boyfriend and girlfriend than brother and sister."
Torlo's statement sent a wave of silence through the people at the table, who all turned to look at them...
Waiting for a reaction.
"Boyfriend and— What the Grus are you talking about Torlo?!"
Yuri seemed to get mad as he shouted, and Kira seemed to stay silent. Having a sudden thought, Yuri turned to look at Nia, who wouldn't meet his gaze.
That was what she was trying to tell him earlier. His lips twisted into a snarl, and he growled in anger, turning and leaving the table...
Ignoring the silence behind him.
Hoping to blow off some steam, Yuri returned to the spaceport, the newly acquired Ilithyia and Themis blueprints in hand.
As he spent the next few hours in silence, comparing the stats of his ships against the new ones, gauging their potential.
His mind then wandered to the meeting that had been scheduled for later that day, and he briefly considered not going.
No. This meeting is too important to risk because of one disagreement.
An hour later, and Yuri found himself entering the war room, locking the door behind him as he did so.
Taking a look at the assembled people, he had to admit, he couldn't have asked for any better.
Nia had been by his side since the beginning. Showing him the ways of the zero-G dogs, guiding him. If there was a question he needed answered, or something he was unsure of... she was who he went to.
There wasn't anything she wouldn't do.
Kira, while not as well versed in these things as the others, had been brought in to hopefully gain just that... experience and knowledge. Despite that, there was something lurking beneath the surface, something no one could see. But he knew, she too had potential.
Torlo was one of the most loyal people he had ever met, considering the circumstances of how they had been introduced. Sure, he was strong and a bit of a bully. He was also a loudmouth; but he was smart too. He'd shown that at times, surprising everyone.
Tatiana was a bit of a question mark. She, like Kira, didn't bring much to the table. Despite that, she had a temper that was greater than all of them combined. Even if she wasn't invited, there wouldn't have been anything anyone could do to stop her. Besides that, she worked well with Torlo, and he listened to her.
Ian was the voice of reason within the group. That and the fact that he was smart and knowledgeable about a lot of things. He had good ideas, and if anyone was able to help them get through the blockade, and to Mytilene... it was him.
Ogar and Selenia were no brainers. They were both captains within his fleet, and in the time he'd known them... had proven themselves loyal and trustworthy. They were both just as smart, reckless and creative as each other. If he couldn't trust them, then he couldn't trust anyone.
Period.
Looking at Nia to his right, she acknowledged his arrival with a nod, and then, he started.
"Alright everyone! I'd like to thank you all for coming." He began, turning to look at them. "I know you all may be wondering just what we're gathered here for, so I am going to explain."
"Ever since we got to the Lutsk sector, Nia and I have been having meetings on recent events. These meetings were to try and come up with plans to get around certain obstacles, or to discuss where we were going next."
"So what have we been called here for? Is there something you need help with?"
Ian's question hit the nail on the head, and Yuri found that he wasn't at all surprised.
"Actually... yes." He said, stepping forward. "You see, when we went past the blockade after we picked up Professor Minas, it wasn't just for sight seeing."
"Ya know... I wandered why you asked for that." Torlo said. "There had to have been a reason. I mean, Minas already told us we weren't getting through that way."
"The reason, was to gauge the strength of the Sector Security Agency." Nia answered.
Ian's eyes went wide in surprise, and his mouth opened and closed like a fish. "ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME! If you think fighting the SSA is a smart move, then you're all as stupid as I thought. Even more so."
"Oh come on Ian. Do you really think Yuri and Nia are that stupid?! Of course not. They're probably just doing it for a reason. Right?" Tatiana asked in hesitation, as she turned to look at the two.
"Right! I didn't ask for a report on the blockade's strength because we're going to fight the SSA. I asked for that because I wanted to gauge their strength as a last resort."
Taking a deep breath, Yuri caught Ogar and Selenia's eyes, finally revealing why they were here.
"We can't get through the blockade, that's just stupid. But we can't just get rid of the pirate problem either. We won't be able to get to Old Kreios without knowing his location."
"Aah. I see. You're at a dead end." Ogar announced, his image coming through perfectly from the screen at the end of the room. "Without a contact inside the SSA, you won't be able to gain their trust, and even if you do, getting rid of the pirates won't be an easy thing to do."
Yuri and Nia looked at each other, this meeting was going almost exactly as they had expected. "Right! We need other help if we're going to get through this one. Yuri and I just can't seem to figure anything out."
"So you need a way through the blockade, and a way to get rid of the pirates too." Kira asked.
"Exactly. If we can -"
Selenia clearing her throat interrupted the conversation, and they turned to look at the her.
"I think we should adjourn the meeting for now."
"Why's that?"
"Well. We have a problem up here."
As the group rushed to the bridge, Yuri climbed to the top of the captain's dais, Kira calling out... having settled herself into her chair.
"Yuri, there's a battle taking place ahead."
"A battle? Here?" He asked. "Is somebody fighting some pirates or something?"
Glancing up, he watched four Kreios Pirate ships assaulting two SSA ships.
"Those are Kalymnos Sector Security Agency ships." Nia said.
"So that means they must be fighting the Kreios Pirates. They're outnumbered though." Ian added.
"Yuri look!"
Turning to look at what his sister had spotted, he heard Nia speak up from beside him. A Kreios ship attacking what looked to be a lone transport vessel.
"So that's it, eh? The pirates are right in the middle of attackin' a private passenger ship." she growled. "What do ya wanna do kiddo?"
Taking a moment to assess the situation, Yuri came up with a solution that, in his opinion, would hopefully work. "If we target the main force of the pirates, the ones attacking the passenger ship should back off too."
"Roger!" Nia answered, returning to her station on his right.
As they charged onto the battlefield, the four Kreios ships, two Ilithyia cruisers and two Themis destroyers, broke off to target them...
A big mistake.
They were dealt with swiftly, though managed to deal several attacks to the MISUNDERSTOOD in the process.
As the last ship exploded, Yuri sighed in relief. "I guess that takes care of our targets."
"And it looked like the rest of them escaped." Ian added.
The communication link then burst to life, and they heard a voice call out.
"This is Ensign Vlasis Delis of the Kalymnos Sector Security Agency. We thank you for your support."
Recognizing the man from the Dodecanese tavern, Yuri exclaimed. "Oh, it's you!"
"Oh! We met on Dodecanese, didn't we?"
"Oh, hey! That boy and his crew; the ones we met in that tavern. It's kind of embarrassing to have a kid save our hides like that." Pappas greeted. "Say, is that nice looking lady still on-board with you guys?"
This earned a laugh from the crew as Nia joined them.
"Would you give it a rest Pappas? This isn't the time for that!" Delis cut in. "Anyway, we're going to assess the damage to the passenger ship now, but we'd still like to thank you properly. Would you mind stopping by the Sector Security Agency on Veroia later?"
As the communications ended, and the two SSA vessels continued over towards the passenger ship; Yuri's fleet took off down the starlane in the opposite direction.
"Oh boy. Now what are we gettin' ourselves into?" Nia asked, sinking into her chair.
"Sounds like the perfect opportunity to me" Yuri said with a smile. "We had to talk to the Sector Security Agency anyway about letting us past the sector blockade to get to Mytilene."
"I hope that's all it's gonna end up being." Nia groaned.
Yuri smiled.
He understood Nia's annoyance, but this was the only way to get to Mytilene, and through the blockade.
It couldn't have come at a better time. Yuri thought.
They had been wondering how to continue their quest, and the path had been opened before them.
Yuri felt himself beginning to worry, Nia's complaint starting to take hold.
He wondered what would happen along the way though.