With a quick stop off at Chios for some minor repairs, the fleet continued onwards towards Veroia and the Sector Security Agency.
With the port entry processing complete, Yuri and company caught a ride towards the SSA Headquarters.
As they arrived in front of the Security Agency building, they could hear some men arguing out front... one of them being their acquaintance: Belen Pappas.
"Aw, come on! With things this bad, this is no time to be petty."
The other man wore a very similar uniform, though had a brown metal chest piece; slicked back black hair and glasses.
He scoffed.
"You're the Security Agency. Isn't getting rid of pirates supposed to be your job?" He asked with a sneer. "The military can't get involved with that kind of thing!"
"But all we're asking for is just a few units to help us out. Come on! You guys won't even miss them!" Pappas tried again.
"Of course we'll miss them! We need all the strength we can get!" The more he spoke, the more of a pompous ass he sounded like. "I can't waste any more time talking to you. I'm leaving."
Pappas voiced his disapproval with a click of the tongue. "This is exactly why I can't stand those Volos guys. To Grus with 'em then!"
With the other man now gone, Pappas turned and walked off inside with a huff.
"What do you think that was all about?"
"Who knows?" Nia said with a shrug. "But whatever it is, I bet there's a lot more to it than meets the eye."
Nia's answer seemed spot on, and Yuri found himself agreeing. "I bet you're right"
Upon entering the building, the group were quickly shown to a room immediately. As they made their way through the door, they could see three men, Vlasis Delis, Belen Pappas and a third man standing inside waiting for them.
"There you are. Thanks for coming. Let me introduce myself again. My name is Vlasis Delis."
"And I'm Belen Pappas. It's nice to meet you in person." Pappas greeted with a smile.
"And this is our direct superior -"
"Lieutenant Commander Silas Ioannou." He greeted with a bow, gnarled, grizzled face morphing into a semi smile "I want to thank you personally for all the support you gave my men."
"It was our pleasure." Yuri said, shaking his hand firmly. "We have a favour to ask of you sir."
"Do you now? Well, what is it?"
Stepping forward from beside them was Professor Gavriil Minas, who Yuri had almost forgotten was there.
"We want you to grant us permission to go to Mytilene. It's for my research."
The surprise on Ioannou's face was obvious, as he never expected his presence. "Professor Gavriil Minas?! I had no idea you were aboard their ship!"
"Yes. They've agreed to assist me in my research you see." He explained.
"I see. Very interesting. But unfortunately, there's an asteroid belt near Mytilene called the Spider Web, and that's where the Kreios Pirates apparently have their base."
"But it's perfect timing Commander. We can ask them to help us!" Pappas chimed in.
As the conversation dragged on, Yuri could see that Pappas couldn't stop staring at Nia. Despite his nice personality Yuri couldn't help but be annoyed at the constant attention she seemed to attract.
Couldn't they see she wasn't interested.
"Ask them? To help with the plan?"
"It makes sense. The guys on Skantzoura aren't familiar with their faces."
"You've got to be kidding Pappas!" Delis almost shouted, turning to his partner in shock. "We can't ask private citizens to get involved in something like this. It's too dangerous!"
"But what other choice do we have? Volos isn't going to help us." Pappas said, turning to face the other man. "And there isn't much time left."
"You've got a point there."
Ioannou's thoughtful hum went unnoticed by the others as he watched them... contemplating the situation.
"Let me ask you people this. The Kreios Pirates have built themselves up into a powerful force to be reckoned with." The growl in his voice showed that he was deadly serious about something. "With this in mind, are you confident you can make it to Mytilene on your own if we grant you permission?"
"Well..."
Yuri stopped to think about the situation first. Even with their power, the Kreios Pirates wouldn't be able to stop them from getting to Mytilene...
At least, that was what he believed.
"Yes, we can make it on our own. We've fought pirates in the past you know."
"All right then. Fine. I'll grant permission for you to pass through to Mytilene. I'll have it all prearranged."
"But Commander! Are you sure you want to do that sir?" Delis asked.
"What else can we do? I don't like the idea of involving private citizens in all of this either..." Ioannou stated. "Yuri was it? Please be very careful, and I wish you the best of luck. Please don't do anything too reckless."
"I won't sir. Thank you Commander."
After their meeting with the Sector Security Agency, Yuri stopped off at the Module Design company, spending 250G on six modules.
With the new modules they had bought from both Veroia and Dodecanese, Yuri and Nia headed up to the remodelling shop.
Afterwards, they went to Volos, the big red planet, floating a mere six thousand miles away.
The Defense Post there yielded no results, not that the group expected much anyway. Guards with fierce looks on their faces stood in rows all around the military base; glaring suspiciously at them as they passed.
"Wow. This is pretty freaky." Yuri said, not meaning to speak aloud.
"Kalymnos and Nova Nacio have had an antagonistic relationship for years now. In sharp contrast to the Interplanetary Union of Elgava, which has had friendly relations with both Kalymnos and Nova Nacio; the soldiers here are ready for anything." Ian answered as they left.
The tavern was obviously full, and alive with people, if the shouts and noises from inside were any indication. As the door opened, and they stepped inside, the true noise level hit them like a wall.
"YEAH OTIS! GET 'IM. KICK HIM GOOD! KICK HIM LOW OTIS."
The cause of the commotion became evident; a group of bar patrons cheering two men fighting on a stage at the back of the tavern.
The fist of the larger fighter connected with his opponent's chin, and the smaller man crumbled to the floor... knocked out cold.
"Wow! Did you see that?! He didn't stand a chance!"
"Aw Grus! I shoulda bet on Otis! Man I never learn."
As the group stood there watching the winner cheer in victory, Torlo turned and spoke. "Wow. Who is that guy?"
"Just some random Barbarian, I'm sure." Ian added.
Walking over to the group, who were completely taken by the spectacle, the bartender began to explain. "That guy Otis is famous around here. Never been beat, they say. How about you guys? Want to try your luck against him?"
Their silence continued, and the bartender prodded. "There's prize money involved."
"No, we're not —"
"Sounds like fun. I'll give it a try."
Somebody stepped forward then... cutting Yuri off.
"I can win us that prize money Captain."
"G-Gadina?!" Yuri asked in surprise, staring at the Trump Mercenary Squadron member.
"You're seriously gonna do this?!"
"Just you watch me!" Gadina said, staring up at the still cheering Otis.
Walking forward, pushing through the excited crowd, Gadina strolled casually onto the stage, as if she didn't have a care in the world.
Spotting Gadina, the large man began to bellow derisively. "Hey, wait a minute! What's with this gorilla lady?!"
"Gorilla lady?!" Gadina spat out at Otis's words, expression darkening suddenly.
When Gadina had announced her intention to win the prize money, Yuri wasn't too sure. At Otis's last words however, Yuri knew that there was no way he would be walking away alive.
Beside him, he barely caught Nia's "hooo boy!" Before Gadina let out a cry of rage. "RAAAAGH!"
Charging forward, she landed a massive blow to the gut, Otis letting out a cry of pain.
Otis's cries of pain echoed as the crowd went silent, and in a flash, Gadina had knocked the large man out with only three swift blows.
"WHO'S A GORILLA LADY NOW, HUH?! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT?!" She shouted.
"Wow..."
He turned to Ian and Torlo, who both let out a low whistles. In that moment, he was sure that they were all thinking the same thing.
She really is a gorilla lady.
Flushed with her success, Gadina accepted the prize money from the bartender, and triumphantly handed it over to Yuri; who was still standing there dumbfounded... a strained smile on his face.
The alarm sounded, prompting Yuri to turn to his sister. "Is something wrong?"
"It looks like the Engine Room's inflation output is falling." She explained.
"If we don't do something fast, we'll be at a complete standstill in another twenty minutes or so." Tatiana added, reading from her console screen.
Activating the ships speakers manually from his chair, Yuri spoke. "Engine room, conduct emergency troubleshooting immediately. Report back as soon as you pinpoint the cause."
Some time later, Karlo and Radimir had indeed reported in on their progress.
"Okay. Continue with EVA." Yuri said.
"What'd they say?" Nia asked, leaning forward on the captain's console.
"We've got an outbreak of silicon-based organisms sticking to the engine's exhaust port. It's almost completely stopped up."
"Ha ha! And that's causing the inflation inverter to overheat, right?"
"Exactly. It looks like they'll be able to remove the creatures, but the damage to the engine itself is pretty bad." Yuri explained. "It'll probably take a specialist to rebuild the entire engine once it's cleaned out."
"We're sending out a distress signal intermittently." Tatiana announced.
"Unfortunately, we're right in the middle of a meteoroid belt. It would be a miracle if anyone rescued us here."
More time passed as the bridge crew sat around for news. Until...
"... Do you read me?! Are your ship and crew all right? I repeat —"
Another voice cut in, and they heard the beginnings of an argument.
"Hey, Roubis! We're in a hurry! Let's just forget about that ship!"
"How can you even say that?! We can't just abandon a ship that's sending out a distress signal!"
"Are you gonna defy my orders?!" They heard the man ask. "I'm the Captain, ya know!"
"Aw, put a cork in it, Chrome Dome!"
Over the channel, the sound of a fleshy thud could be heard. There was silence for a second, before someone suddenly appeared on the hologram monitor.
Yuri wasn't sure if the person was a boy or girl, but he guessed their age at around twenty or so. They had pink hair and dark skin, with a collared bodysuit accented in gold and purple
"Hey, is anyone there?! Do you read me?"
"Yes, yes! We read you loud and clear!" Yuri answered. "We're experiencing some engine trouble right now, and could sure use some help."
"Roger that. This is your lucky day. I mean, the chance of you meeting an amazing engine expert like me out here are slim to none!" They responded with a grin. "I'm Nerissa Roubis, but you can just call me Roubis. Go ahead and extend your gangway so I can come aboard."
Some time later, and Yuri, Nia, Karlo and Radimir were standing around watching as Roubis continued to work on their engine.
"Done!" She announced, gaining the attention of the four. "Your inflation output's looking good. I'll disengage the power saving mode."
Apparently finished with the inflation inverter repairs, Nerissa Roubis stood up, sweaty and proud. At that moment, the familiar sound of the inverter powering up echoed throughout the engine room.
"That should do it."
Watching as things seemed to return to normal, Nia smiled. "Wow, you're good! I mean, like really good!"
"I have my moments. Back on my home planet, Thira, I was the best of the best." She said with a shrug. "Now, I better get back to my ship. Don't forget to do another inspection for good measure when you get into port."
Smiling at their saviour, Yuri shook Nerissa's hand. "We'll do that. Thanks a million Roubis!"
"No problem!"
Passing through the door, Nerissa continued up towards the air-lock, winking at Yuri on the way out.
Heeding Nerissa Roubis's words, Yuri ordered another inspection of the engines, before sending the ship in for repairs.
On their way to the orbital elevators, Yuri and company passed by a sign that, they'd never seen before. Or maybe they had, but had ignored it.
The HELP sign, was displayed out front of the door, and as they entered, saw an android resembling an old man; sitting behind a semi-circle desk.
They stayed for a few minutes, asking it questions on various topics, before departing.
It was as they were leaving, that a minor explosion shook the ground.
"Wh-what's going on?!"
"Why is there smoke coming from HELP'S cabin?" Ian asked.
Despite having just left, the group raced back to determine where the smoke was coming from. Inside, they found HELP flat on the floor; a crackling sound and the scent of an electrical short filling the air.
"Hang in there HELP! Can you tell us what happened?!"
The android let out a sound which seemed like a groan. "W-well, it would appear that I have reached the end zone of my life expectancy."
"Yeah, but you're basically a machine! Can't you just be fixed or somethin'?" Torlo blurted out.
"Self repair functionality degraded to seventeen percent. Regeneration disabled... please request a replacement unit at once."
Letting out a loud, exhaust-like sound, HELP then went completely still.
"He appears to have stopped functioning."
Before leaving, the group began picking up the remains of HELP's body, before dropping them off at the ship.
"Excuse me..." Kira asked timidly. "You're Roubis, aren't you?"
After settling in at their table, once they had entered the tavern, Kira had spotted a familiar mop of short, pink hair.
Some argued that it wasn't her, Kira and Yuri argued that it was... the former finally putting an end to the bickering with a question.
"Hm? Oh hey, it's you guys!" Roubis began, looking around in confusion at the mention of her name. 'How's that engine been treating you?"
"It's been purrin' like a kitten! But what in Grus are ya doin' out here anyway?" Torlo answered.
"Are you perhaps on shore leave, the same as us?" Ian asked.
"Ha. I wish! I got myself fired that time I helped you guys out, my boss was being a real jerk... so I slugged him one. I guess that wasn't such a good idea, looking back on it now."
She laughed, the others looking at her strangely before Torlo cut in.
"Sheesh! I'm glad you can laugh about it."
"You got fired because of us? I'm so sorry." Yuri apologized.
"Nah, it wasn't your fault -"
Nerissa suddenly stopped herself mid-sentence, looking at Yuri with a mischievous grin.
He gulped nervously.
"Hey, ya know what? Maybe it was your fault after all! And maybe you ought to take a little responsibility for your actions."
"Huh? Well I'll do anything I can..." Yuri began..
"Good. Hire me onto your ship then. That way, we can call it even." She interrupted with a smirk, slamming her hands onto the table.
"Really? Is that what you want?" Yuri asked in confusion.
"Sure. Whaddya say?"
Yuri didn't even think about his response. "I say yes, of course!"
"Great! Consider the score settled then!"
Picking up a piece of what was previously known as HELP, Gavriil Minas inspected the wreck of the now broken robot.
"So Professor, what do you think?"
Holding up a circuit board, letting the light from the lab shine down, he ran a trained eye over it's fried parts.
"Hmm... well, I'd say it's not too bad. Considering." He answered.
Placing the piece back onto the workbench, he turned to look at his newest associates, Nadja Musin, Ratai Faustov, Dane and Agatha.
"Despite the android reaching its end of life expectancy, I'm amazed that it is in such good condition. I've seen some that were in states ten times worse than this."
Looking at the android for a second, Agatha then glanced back up at the famed Professor. "So what... you can fix him?"
"It isn't a matter of if I can? But how long it will take."
"So we're restoring HELP then?"
"Restoring... maybe. Giving him some upgrades. Most definitely." The old man replied with a smile.
"Do you have some ideas then Professor?"
In answer to Ratai's question, Gavriil Minas's smile grew.
While speaking with the tavern bartender, he had revealed the location of another Void Gate, which supposedly led to Central Kalymnos. He had then told them that no one could pass due to the increase in security, and the lack of business due to no one coming in from that sector.
Afterwards, Yuri and company headed back to the ship, upon which, Yuri had decided to take a shower.
He was currently rushing to the bridge before they left port, before being stopped by Gavriil Minas.
"Oh Captain, could I please have a word with you?"
"What can I do for you Professor?"
"Please, step over here."
Motioning Yuri towards one of the cabins, Yuri followed him in silence, wondering just what was going on. Taking a step inside, he was very surprised by what he could see.
Inside, bathed by the white lights overhead, was something that Yuri could only believe was an android. A very female-looking android.
"Whoa!"
"Hello there. I am the new HELP. How do you like the new feminine touch, so to speak?" The android said in a feminine voice.
Yuri took the time to assess the new android, taking in its white, charcoal and pink metallic form. Despite this, she did have, what looked like fabricated skin on her face, and parts of her body.
Do I call it a she? He thought.
"HELP is a girl now?" He asked in confusion.
"That's right. I completely revamped the old HELP's body after he broke down." Minas said with a smile.
"I kind of liked him better the way he was before." Yuri admitted.
"Oh, I think you will like the new me even better. My hands are 7,000 degree thermal cutters and I can shoot laser beams from my eyes. I am a full-blown combat droid now." She replied, demonstrating her abilities as she listed them off.
In Yuri's opinion, he seemed to have just given a death machine a feminine personality.
Looking over at the Professor, he could see his giddy, child-like personality as he gushed over his creation.
Yuri began to think he was just a little bit crazy.
"Well, what do you think?" Minas asked with a smile. "Personally, I believe she'll make a fine new crew member, especially during close-quarters combat!"
"Now wait just a second here..." Yuri began, holding up his hands. "I'm not sure that adding an android to our crew is such a good idea."
"Do not worry. If I should expire, it will be easy enough to replace me."
"You know Professor, this new HELP sounds an awful lot like the old HELP." Yuri pointed out, noticing the similarities.
"Of course she does. She may be just an android, but I don't believe in altering personality modules without good reason."
As they blasted out of the Thira spaceport, Yuri finally turned his attention to the message from Musin. It seemed that the R&D team had made improvements to the Borodino-class blueprints.
After choosing to improve on the Borodino-class's durability, Yuri began to think... about HELP in particularly.
Despite her obvious combat-cantered android body, he had also found out that she had good control and operational abilities. He had decided to put her on the bridge as an operator, to judge her personality, and study her a bit more before letting her onto the security team.
With the new addition of Nerissa Roubis to the crew, Yuri had assigned her to the post of Chief Mechanic. Karlo hadn't been mad, and had graciously stepped aside; having seen her skill firsthand.
With their business on Thira concluded, Yuri's fleet headed off towards the SSA blockade... the ships parting as they approached.
"Yuri, the Sector Security Agency ships are moving out of the way."
"It looks like Commander Ioannou sent them word then." Yuri said, more to himself.
As they continued up the starlane to Mytilene, the Kreios Pirates continued to crawl out of the woodwork. They had been ambushed on three separate occasions... and they'd barely made it a quarter of the way.
"Yuri, we're getting a distress signal." Kira called out.
"A distress signal? Here?" Yuri asked, voicing the question that they were all clearly thinking. "Can you tell where it's coming from?"
"It's close by." She answered, studying the radar and console readouts. "Somewhere up ahead."
Through the rocks and asteroids, they were able to spot a charred wreck. The hull was riddled with holes, and debris from the ship floated aimlessly by... adding to the dark eerie look.
"It looks like the pirates got 'em." Torlo said, breaking the silence. "I just can't believe they made it all this way in a ship like that!"
"What do you want to do Yuri?"
"They put out a distress signal. We should see if there are any survivors."
"All right! In that case, me and Ian will go have a little look-see." Torlo began, slapping Ian on the shoulder as he passed. "Ian, you do know how to do exterior work, don't ya?"
Ian, startled at the suggestion, looked up at Torlo in shock. "O-of course I do! I've just never done it before..."
Almost half an hour later, and Torlo stepped back onto the bridge, followed closely by Ian.
"Man, I never thought we'd find someone alive in that mess!" He announced.
"You found a survivor?" Kira asked, sounding just as surprised.
"Yup. We thought it was a dead body. But then it moved, so we thought, maybe not. Oh! But then Ian here -"
There was a sudden slap, and a quick cry of pain, before Ian spoke.
"In any case, she was pretty shaken up, so we put her in a room to rest." Ian told them. "Tatiana is looking after her now. She doesn't seem to be badly injured, so we can probably expect a full recovery soon."
"We can? Well that's good news. So what did you do Ian? Did you scream like a baby?"
The Gorodok-born boy's silence answered the question; and with everyone watching, he reached over and slapped Yuri too.
"Gah!"
After answering the distress call, Yuri's fleet pushed on to Mytilene, ships ready and waiting for an attack.
Soon though, the pirates attacked again, and they found themselves hard pressed to eliminate the enemy fleets before more arrived.
"Yuri, a fleet is approaching ahead. They're going to attack!" Kira informed, bringing up a view of the enemy.
"It's the Kreios Pirates. Take evasive action and get ready for battle!"
Both the Ilithyia and Themis ships didn't let up the moment the battle started. Despite this, the small fleet of three were able to hold on for those initial attacks.
With the break in the enemy fire, Yuri ordered his fleet forward, leading the counter offensive. While being caught off guard in the opening sequence, it didn't take long to dispose of the threat.
"More pirates are approaching! At two o'clock!"
"They just keep on coming! I guess the Kreios Pirates are a bigger threat than I thought!"
The further the fleet went, the more pirates seemed to approach. As the next fleet went down in a shower of debris and sparks, Kira called out again.
"Yuri, they've got reinforcements! Twenty... thirty... they keep coming!"
"There's no end to 'em. They're way beyond anything we ever saw in Elgava, and that goes for weapons and scale to boot." Nia said, standing as she stared out the viewport.
"I hate to admit it, but I think I might've been a little overconfident here." Yuri admitted.
From beside him, Professor Gavriil Minas spoke..."So does it look like we won't be able to make it to Mytilene?"
"I'm sorry Professor. I don't think we should try to go any further right now."
"I see..." The old man said, disappointment evident in his voice. "I guess you're right. We won't get much research done if we're dead."
"I'm sorry. But don't worry. We'll find a way! All right, full-speed retreat!" Yuri ordered.
On their return trip to Heraklion, the Kreios Pirates continued their chase. The enemy fleets appearing all around them, baring their way time and again.
With the enemy both behind and in front, this put them on edge. Because of this, Yuri's fleet had to constantly power their way through. It seemed that even the Sector Security Agency's blockade wouldn't deter them, and the Kreios Pirates continued their chase.
Upon their arrival at the Heraklion spaceport, everyone was exhausted, and Yuri headed off towards his quarters to get some rest.
As he stepped off the dais, he found his way blocked by Tatiana Agarkov. "Yuri, Rhea wants to talk to you."
"Rhea? Who's that?"
"That woman we rescued from the wreckage of that ship." Tatiana explained, realizing that he had had other things on his mind at the time.
"Oh, okay."
Stepping onto the bridge, was a woman who he assumed was Rhea... he'd never seen her before. Charcoal hair, steel grey eyes, and an operators headset with a purple, short sleeve outfit.
"Are you Yuri? The Captain?" She asked quickly. "My name is Rhea Loizou. I don't know how I can thank you enough. You saved my life."
"You don't have to thank me. We just happened to come along." He told her. "But what were you doing in a dangerous place like that?"
"Yes, I'd like to talk to you about that actually." She said, looking down briefly. "Could we talk sometime, when you have a free moment?"
Noticing her distracted demeanour, Yuri and Tatiana exchanged a look, before Yuri turned back to the woman.
"Oh. Yeah, sure."
"I told her about what we're doing, and she says she'd like to help." Tatiana added. "She's had a lot of experience aboard ships. What do you think?"
"I think that'd be great. Welcome aboard Rhea!"
"Thank you Captain. I look forward to working with you."
As Tatiana and Rhea walked off the bridge, the former showing their newest crewmember to her quarters... Yuri felt Nia stop beside him.
"Things are getting interesting." She said.
He felt himself nodding...
While waiting for the ships to be repaired, Yuri decided to continue his talk with Rhea, leaving Nia and the others to go on ahead.
As he took a walk around, strolling through the open markets, his mind began wandering... spotting a young boy running past.
He smiled, remembering the time he had spent in the open markets on Ropesk. He hadn't let himself think of Ropesk in so long... though he hadn't been back in far longer.
The sounds of the people, the smells of the fish and food, the feel of the wood and fruit; it assaulted his senses.
Despite his statement that he wouldn't be going back to Ropesk, he found himself wondering if he would ever get back home.
Looking up, he spotted Rhea, sipping on a mug of coffee. Entering the cafe, he came up behind her, walking loudly so she could hear.
She did.
Looking back over her shoulder, Yuri smiled, and she shot him one in return. "Do you mind?"
She shook her head, and he signalled the waiter, placing an order. The two made polite conversation, before the waiter brought his drink over...
"So Rhea, you were going to tell me what you were doing in that dangerous area." Yuri asked.
Taking a sip, she began to explain. "I was travelling. Actually, I've been travelling all over the sea of stars for a while now, looking for my boyfriend, Leo. He was a Fire Control System Developer."
She turned away, staring off at the open market, and a couple walking past. "But after perfecting the Oort Interception System for the prison planet Skantzoura, he just disappeared!"
Turning back to face him, Yuri saw the desperate look in her eyes.
"I've got to find him! So while I work here as a part of your ship's crew, I'm going to keep up my search."
As she ended the explanation, Yuri watched her stare off in the distance. Watching the newest member of his crew, he took a sip of his drink...
He'd help Rhea. No matter what.
The second the group entered the SSA Headquarters, Silas Ioannou questioned them.
"So how did it look? Do you think you can make it to Mytilene on your own?"
"Well... I'm not so confident."
"I see... well, in that case, would you consider helping us out with an operation we have planned?" Ioannou asked with a pause. "I know it's asking a lot of you, but I'm afraid this operation is our only hope for dealing with the Kreios Pirates."
"We'll do it." Yuri answered quickly. "Unless we do something about those pirates, we won't be able to get to Mytilene."
"All right then, fine. Ensign Pappas will fill you in on the details of the operation. Let's see. You can talk in the -"
"Let's talk somewhere where we can relax." Pappas interrupted, earning a look from his superior. "This isn't really a discussion we can have inside this building."
"I suppose you're right. Yes, that would probably be safer, over all."
"We'll meet you in the tavern then. Come on Delis." Pappas said suddenly, dragging his partner out of the room with enthusiasm.
"Right behind you." Delis said with a wave, turning to look back at the group, watching as Ioannou shook his head.
As they stepped into the tavern, they ran into the bartender, who had just delivered a round of drinks to some patrons near the door.
"Well! I see you have the Professor with you this time. Rumour has it that some ruins have been found on a planet called Mytilene. If I ever get time off from the tavern and the family, I'd like to go exploring some ruins myself."
After placing their order, they spotted Vlasis Delis, who led them over to a nearby table. "We really shouldn't be getting private citizens like you involved in this." He told them. "But it's gotten to the point where we just don't have any other options. Anyway, Pappas here will fill you in on the details."
"Oh, there you are! Come, relax and have a drink with me, won't you?" He exclaimed.
Not at all shocked at the man's words, Yuri replied. "But we're underage."
A quick laugh later, and Pappas responded. "So order a glass of milk or something. But this pretty lady is old enough, isn't she?"
He sat there, looking Nia up and down as Delis shook his head.
These sorts of things obviously happened often.
'Look, we don't have all day here. Just get to the point, will ya?" Nia said, a hint of warning in her voice.
"Aw, don't be that way pretty lady! We ought to get to know each other a little better before we -"
"Get to the point, Mac." Nia almost shouted, holding up a fist. "Or are ya tired of having your teeth in your mouth?"
Yuri smiled, as the occupants of the table tried to hold in their laughter.
Looking around at the sniggering, and the snarl on Nia's face, Pappas cleared his throat. "All right, I get your drift! I was just trying to be friendly..."
The conversation stopped as their order arrived, Pappas taking sip of his beer before the conversation picked up again.
"Okay, getting straight to the point then. How much do you know about the Kreios Pirates?"
"Well, let's see. We heard their leader, Kreios, was apprehended about a year ago. And that their rival is a pirate named Celina Sioufas." Yuri answered.
Pappas nodded, satisfied with the reply. "You know enough then. That should make things easy. The problem is, that the power of the Kreios Pirates hasn't been curtailed one bit by the arrest of their leader. In fact, now they have even more ships then before! We're embarrassed to admit it, but they've grown to such a scale, the Security Agency can no longer handle them."
"Wow, that's gotta be pretty tough to admit." Torlo added.
"Can't you get the regular military to help you?" Yuri asked the two.
"Nah, those Volos guys are useless. They just say it's our jurisdiction." He spat.
"Sounds like a whole bunch of head butting, if ya ask me."
"To their credit, I guess they do have their hands full with defending the border from Nova Nacio. And I guess they can't really act unless they have a government-level order." Pappas thought aloud. "Anyway, that's how we came to the conclusion that we were going to have to fight fire with fire."
"What do you mean by that?" Tatiana asked in confusion.
"We're going to try to make a deal with Celina Sioufas and have her help us take down their leader, Kreios."
"Huh?"
"You're gonna make a deal with a pirate?" Nia asked, surprised at the desperation that the SSA were showing.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Nope. Not sure at all." Pappas blurted out.
At least he's honest.
"Sounds way too risky to me!"
"Yup. Probably way too risky." Pappas agreed. "But we don't have any choice at this point. The Kreios Pirates are getting bigger and more powerful every day. And if we don't do something fast, then this junction sector, the shipping hub of Kalymnos, will be completely wiped out."
That left a bitter taste in their mouths, as Pappas casually took another sip of his beer.
Even Nia seemed affected by his admission.
"All right, I'm following you so far, but what do you want us to do to help?" Yuri questioned.
"We want you to negotiate with Celina, and convince her to cooperate with us. She'd never agree to talk to us Security Agency guys directly." He replied, before explaining the rest. "For her cooperation, we're willing to tear up all her arrest warrants, for every sector in Kalymnos, and wipe out all criminal charges that are more than three years old. All 20,000 of them."
The group found themselves exchanging shocked looks.
Yuri looked to his right, where he found only Nia didn't seem phased. Downing a shot of whiskey, she cupped her chin in thought. "I dunno. Do you really think a kick-ass pirate like her is gonna go for a deal like that?"
"That's the best we can offer her I'm afraid. I mean, we're the Security Agency. We can hardly pay her a reward, right?"
"Where can we find her?"
"She can usually be found in the area around the resource planet Zante. There are a lot of upper-rank Kreios Pirates in that area that target the mining transport ships." Pappas explained.
"And then, in turn, Celina targets the pirates, is that right? A pirate food chain, if you will."
"All right, we'll try to convince her."
"Thank you, and good luck! If you manage to talk to her, come to the Security Agency and let us know how it went." Pappas said. "Oh, and here's a map to the ship design company on Volos. It might be a good idea to check it out."
"Thank you. We'll certainly do that." Yuri told them.
"Any last pieces of advice?" Nia asked.
"Celina isn't a completely unreasonable woman. At least she doesn't murder innocent citizens left and right like the Kreios Pirates do. But she is dangerous. Very, very dangerous."
On the way to Zante they stopped by Dodecanese, where the group found themselves in the tavern yet again.
"My tavern is where all the mine workers like to hang out. Some of them may have short fuses, but they're not bad guys at heart. I hope you don't hold the incident against them. They're a good lot." The barkeep apologized, having recognized them from their last visit.
As they sat at the table, Yuri found himself opposite Professor Gavriil Minas.
"Yuri my boy! They tell me you once had an actual Epitaph in your possession. But it was stolen away by Valantin the Pirate. Is that really true?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Oh, that's quite a shame. It's not likely that a pirate would understand its true value is it? I certainly hope you get it back someday." He told him with sincerity.
"Thank you Professor. I do too."
"What would a guy like Valantin want with an Epitaph anyway?" Torlo asked suddenly, following the conversation. "I mean, it ain't like he's got the power to change the universe or anything!"
As the silence spread, Yuri took the time to think for a second. Remembering back to their last encounter with Valantin. Yuri found the pirate's words echoing through his mind.
Valantin said that the Epitaphs will come to he who was meant to have them. He thought. I wonder what the, meant to have them part means.
Next to them, Yuri listened as Tatiana and Rhea began talking about her boyfriend.
"Tell us more about your boyfriend's disappearance Rhea. Do you have anything to go on?"
"Not much, unfortunately. We used to work together in the same module design company. But then one day he got scouted out by Skantzoura. We were both so happy about it. Just think! A project for a government organization! Think of the resources!"
"But then when the system was finished, he just disappeared, huh?" Yuri asked.
"Exactly. And they tell me the technical development team he was working with at Skantzoura broke up a long time ago. Where can he be now? I'm so worried..."
After that, the topic of conversation changed to Valantin and zero-G dogs in general. Soon though, it had changed again to Celina Sioufas.
"They say Celina's ship is amazing. Its armour, made from a mineral called black lapulus, and has a black body rating of ninety-nine percent."
"What's a black body again? It's some kind of black matter, isn't it?"
After his question, Yuri saw the light of excitement dance in Nadja Musin's eyes as she began to speak.
"That's right. A full black body absorbs all electromagnetic radiation, including light. That's what makes it appear black to the human eye. And then they say that Celina's ship's armour is further coated with a luminous body on top of that. In stealth mode, I doubt that any radar could pick her ship up."
"I can't say I understand everything you've just said, but it sounds pretty amazing." Yuri told her truthfully.
"The LYKOURGOS is why she's known as the Merciless Night Queen. I hate to admit it, but that's one impressive, advanced ship!"
Nia's statement made Yuri think for a second. Could the LYKOURGOS be a match for the CORSAIR.
There was only one clear answer.
No.
"Speaking of Celina Sioufas, she's always in the top ranks, you know." Ian chimed in.
"Yeah, I've seen her there myself. She's always in the top ten."
"Celina Sioufas is so cool, isn't she? I mean, she was already listed in the rankings back when she was our age!" Tatiana said, a hint of hero worship in her voice. "I used to pretend I was her when I was a little kid.
Noticing Torlo's sudden silence, he turned to the boy. "What's with the face Torlo?"
"Oh, I was just rememberin' how Tats always used to make me play the wimpy pirate that got his ass kicked by Celina Sioufas."
"Come on Torlo. You've got to admit, that's pretty funny!" Yuri admitted, trying hard to hide his laughter.
"Yeah, yeah. Hilarious." Torlo scowled.
As Yuri and the others laughter wound down, Nia spoke up.
"I hate to owe Celina anything more than a drink, but she's not a bad gal to have in our corner."
"I know she's really good, what with bein' a ranked pirate and all, but when ya get right down to it, she's just a woman. Ya think she can really pull this off?"
Yuri, Ian and Tatiana shared a look. Thankfully, before any head slapping could be done, Nia turned to Torlo with a growl.
"You really are as dumb as you look! Don't ya know that when she gets really angry, a woman is twice as dangerous as a man? You really wanna test my theory out?"
"Um, no thanks. I can take your word for it." Torlo stammered out quickly, not eager for a demonstration.
In the silence afterwards, Ratai jumped into the conversation, catching Nia's attention, and diverting it from Torlo.
"I've never actually come into contact with a famous pirate like Celina Sioufas. I've only ever seen her name in the rankings."
"Aw, you don't have to get all nervous over Celina! I mean, it's not like she just goes around shooting down ships for no reason, or anything. And you trust Yuri, don't you? You wouldn't be here if you didn't. So don't sweat it!"
"Okay..." Ratai agreed reluctantly, still unsure.
"But what if her feathers get ruffled and it turns into an all-out battle? What then?" Ian asked suddenly, drawing looks for the others.
No one had an answer, except Nia. "No problem. All I've gotta do is threaten to tell all her embarrassing secrets to the universe!"
Laughing to herself at the thought of the misery she could inflict, Yuri began to wonder.
How in Grus did Nia know someone like Celina Sioufas anyway?
Despite the fact that they'd barely known each other two months, Yuri thought he had come to know her quite well.
Looking at the evil grin on her face, Yuri suddenly knew it wasn't so.
He decided then, that he would do better to get to know her on a more personal level. But not just her, the crew also.
As they approached the asteroid belts around the planet Zante, Kira made an announcement.
"Yuri, there's a large ship ahead. It seems to be engaged in combat."
"A large ship? Could it be Celina?"
"I'll bring it up on the monitor." Kira said.
As the monitor activated, they watched on as two ships ahead traded gunfire with each other.
"Yup, there's no doubt about it. That's Celina Sioufas's LYKOURGOS." Nia told them.
"Who is she attacking? That doesn't look like a Kreios pirate ship to me."
"Who knows? The ship looks like a pretty good one, made in the LMC, but I bet it won't be able to hold out much longer."
Nia words were correct, as the LYKOURGOS spewed out five unknown objects before a large high-powered laser erupted, smashing into the opposing vessel.
"What did I tell ya?"
"What kind of attack was that?" Ian asked in surprise and shock. "I've never seen anything like it."
"That was a laser accelerator, the best weapon in the LYKOURGOS's arsenal." She answered. "It uses anti-gravity lenses to accelerate the lasers, and then gravity lenses focus them into one beam and let it rip. There aren't a lot of ships that can hold up against it."
Yuri nodded in understanding.
"All right. Let's get in between them. We have to talk to Celina." He ordered. "Kira, patch me through."
"Roger."
As the two ships continued trading gunfire, Yuri boldly ordered the FLAKRUNNER forward, deciding to keep Ogar and Selenia back... just in case.
"Celina Sioufas, do you read me? My name is Yuri. I want to talk to you."
Keeping the FLAKRUNNER parked between the two, they watched and waited in silence for a second, before the LYKOURGOS blasted away in the opposite direction.
"Hey!"
"She completely ignored us!"
"Yuri, I'm getting a communication. It's from the other ship." She said, turning to face her brother up on the dais.
"Huh?"
As the communications link crackled to life, they could hear an angry voice shouting from the other end.
"HEY! DO YOU READ ME?! WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU?! I almost had her you bastard! What're ya trying to do to me here?!"
"What?"
He was confused. If anything, he had saved the man's life.
"Are ya outta your mind? You were just about to get blasted to bits!" Torlo replied.
"You don't know what you're talking about! Just forget it! I don't have time to waste on peons like you." He said angrily. "Just don't get in my way next time! You got that?!"
"He didn't let us get a word in edgewise."
"That cocky son of a -! Celina was just about to beat him down!"
"Be that as it may, his ship is still LMC-made." Ian added. "That means he could easily outdo us."
"Aw, Grus!"
As the communications link closed, the fleet watched the other ship turn, its thrusters burning brightly as it hurtled down the starlane after the LYKOURGOS.
The tavern on Zante was dilapidated, and looked to have been abandoned several years prior. So as most of the crew went on to find someplace to eat, Yuri and the others headed off to the Jezelmite mine, running into a very familiar face at the gate.
"Ah, it's you guys again! Good to see you."
"You work here too Loukas?" Yuri asked the older man.
"That's right. I gotta do all the work I can while there's work to be had!" Loukas Barberis explained. "All right you three, let's get started."
"You got it!" Torlo said in excitement.
"I'm getting roped into this again?" Ian complained.
Up ahead, Nia and Gadina were already at work, the latter glaring at all the workers... who didn't want to challenge her.
Some time later, and Torlo was standing around beaming, wiping the sweat off his brow. "Whew! We're done."
"My back is killing me again..." Ian groaned.
"Good work, boys! Well, that takes care of everything we've got at this mine for now." Barberis told the three, slapping Yuri and Torlo on the back as Nia and Gadina approached. "I put a little extra something in your pay checks this time. Here you go."
"Wait, are you sure?"
"Go on, take it! Take it! I used to be a spacefarer once too ya know. I know how it is." He said, waving away Yuri's complaint. "It's nice to be able to do a little something for boys like you."
"We really appreciate it, Loukas."
Thanking the man, they bid him farewell. And as they left the way they came, they heard the clang of the gate slam closed behind them.
"Yuri, there it is!"
"Celina's LYKOURGOS?" He asked.
"Yes, that's it, without question." Kira answered, consulting with her console.
"All right. I'm going to talk to her this time." He said firmly. 'Kira, open up a line!"
"Roger!"
"Celina Sioufas. This is Yuri, Captain of the FLAKRUNNER. I want to talk to you. Please respond!"
With no response from Celina, Tatiana's annoyance showed. "She really is ignoring us."
Yuri stared out of the bridge's viewport, and at the LYKOURGOS in the distance. He gritted his teeth before he heard Nia come up behind him.
"This isn't getting us anywhere. Here. Lemme do this kiddo." Almost shoving him aside, she turned to speak out over the comm.
"Huh? Yeah, okay, sure." Yuri stammered out.
"Hey! I know ya can hear us Celina! Get on the horn right now, or I start blabbin' all your secrets woman!"
The crew of the bridge all turned to stare at Nia in shock, who watched the screen with a serious face.
The comm crackled as they could hear a reply come in. "That voice... that vulgar manner of speaking... Nia Lochlain, could that be you?"
Nia smiled. "Of course it's me! Come on now Celina. I gotta talk to you face to face."
"All right, fine." She said after a pause. "I'll go to your ship."
"The communication was broken off." Kira announced.
"If she says she'll come to our ship, she'll come to our ship." She said, turning to him. "Pull up next to the LYKOURGOS, kiddo."
"Okay. But how do you know Celina Nia?" He asked her finally.
He'd been holding it in for a while, but had finally decided to ask.
"Well, ya know how it is. Long story."
Yuri listened to her offhand comment as he followed her down to the briefing room, nearest the docking tube.
As the door opened, two security team members passed through, and following them, was a giant of a man. Shaggy silver hair, pince-nez glasses, black and purple bodysuit... Yuri took a guess that this definitely wasn't the famed Captain of the LYKOURGOS.
The man's enormous figure hid the woman who came in behind him.
She was very striking and beautiful, with pale skin and crimson eyes. Her clothes were like Nia's; a tan, sleeveless, V-neck crop top, red and black tattoos on her arms. Around her head, was a red and cream turban, holding the top of her long, dark brown hair out of her face, which hung past her waist.
As she came to a stop, he watched as Celina and Nia stared at each other, eyes like coals, blistering and burning with an intense fire and hatred... not at each other... but at something... else.
They were very similar, and as they continued watching each other, Torlo stared at her, earning himself an elbow in the side from Tatiana, who glared at him.
So this is Celina Sioufas huh? He though to himself.
"Never thought I'd see you on this kind of crew, on this kind of ship." She said, finally breaking the silence. "You're always full of surprises Nia."
"Well, you know how it is. Long story. I'm kinda helping this kid out."
At Nia's response, he stepped forward. "Hello. I'm Yuri, the Captain of the ship."
Running an eye over him, he watched her turn back to Nia, ignoring him. "Well, well! So this is your plaything of the hour, is it?" She asked. "Your tastes have changed my dear."
"What?!"
"What are you talking about? It's nothing like that!" Kira said, defending him.
Celina chuckled to herself, turning back to Nia. "Fine. Whatever. So, you said you want to talk to me? Then talk!"
Nia launched into an explanation of the events, with Yuri adding in comments here and there. If it was only Celina and Nia, Yuri doubted that the former would have noticed they were alone.
"So that's it, is it?" She asked sceptically. "Veroia must be really hard pressed. But did they actually think I'd agree to a deal like that?"
"Well..."
"...but guess what? I'm going to do it." She told them.
"You will?"
"Are you serious Captain?!" The big man asked in surprise.
"It's a good opportunity to get onto Skantzoura, don't you think Nikitas?"
"Oh, very good thinking." Nikitas said with a small smile.
The dawning of recognition appeared on Nia's face, who seemed to have figured out what Celina was thinking. "Wait a minute, you crafty little witch. Just what are you up to?"
"Heh heh. Just a little bit of fun." She said, a smile spitting her face. "Anyway, take me to the Security Agency. I'm prepared to be arrested."
"What?" Yuri asked in confusion.
"They arrest me, and send me to the prison planet Skantzoura. That's the deal I want." She explained.
"But..."
"What could she be thinkin'?" Torlo asked.
"Who knows? But those are her terms, if we want her to help wipe out the Kreios Pirates." Nia answered. "I say we take her to the Security Agency fast, before she changes her mind!"
"Okay. I guess you're right."
"It's settled then." Celina said, turning to her First Mate. "Nikitas, take care of the LYKOURGOS for me."
"Yes Captain!"