Chapter 7-Introductions

There are good ways to way up naked-in a cell was not one of them. The fact that the big guy (who kinda looked like a T-Rex now that he thought about it) was aiming a gun at him was just icing on the cake.

"I have questions. You'll answer them or I'm going to see how your liver tastes." The statement was actually rather jovial, the look in his eyes was not. "First what is your species-you're pretty damn similar to a few species in Pilots database, but you're missing certain organs. Not to mention your ship's a piece of Varren crap."

"Uh...human from Earth, we're new. Why am I naked, where are my clothes, how the hell can I understand you, and who are you?" John said scrambling to his feet and doing his best to cover up.

"Never heard of Erp, we examined you to see if you were some kind of threat, you must be really new if you're never heard of translator microbes, and I am Urdnot Wrex." At this he reached down and tossed John his flight suit. "Get dressed-and while you're doing that you will tell me how your ship-piece of Varren crap that it is-managed to appear in the middle of a Turian fighter squadron in a flash of light."

"Look-I'll tell you everything I know-but first tell me where I am," John said struggling to put on his shirt and keep an eye on Urdnot's gun. Urdnot seemed to consider this and punched a switch on the door opening it.

"Alright, we're going to talk to the others," Urdnot Wrezx said gesturing down the corridor.

"...I spent a hundred cycle's in Turian custody! Without me and the information I gathered you'd all still be in cells! Give me one good reason why we aren't heading to retake my throne."

Crichton had to give the little toad credit: it took a lot of guts to yell at a sword wielding tentacle headed being. He glanced around the room-it looked like your basic cafeteria with a long table, a kitchen, a big clam shell looking thing attached to a wall, and some sinks. He recognized all of the occupants from the bridge except for a feminine figure in some kind of space suit-nice hips. Everyone except the frog had at least one weapon and the frog had picked a floating chair. Suddenly the clam shell blinked on to reveal a hologram of what he suspected was Pilot.

"Two reasons Dominar: the Turians and Peacekeeper's know at least your basic histories-even if we could get to any of your home worlds we would be picked up rather quickly. Not to mention the fact that when Urdnot Wrex ripped out the Control Collar Interface he ruptured some command linkages-we need to refill them or helm control will suffer," Pilot said with a certain amount of worry.

"Excuse me, ignorant human here. Hi. Why did a spaceship need a control collar?" John Crichton could admit to himself the sight of five aliens whirling to face him was intimidating, but he'd been wondering that as he, Urdnot Wrex, and a small number of DRDs had marched to this room.

The question seemed to throw off the others.

"Moya is a Leviathan-a living ship with her own unique sentience. I am her Pilot, you may refer to me by that title as the names of my species are unpronounceable. Moya does not need or want one of those abominable collars. Some species in this galaxy want to control a Leviathan rather than partner with them; thus the Control Collar." Pilots answer raised even more questions (living ship? How many other alien species where there).

"Definitely not a Sebecean, they wouldn't admit ignorance to 'inferior species.' Since he does look just like a Sebecean-that could be useful...or entertaining," the blue girl gave him a look of predatory coyness that sent a shiver down his spine (hot blue girl with a criminal rec..waitaminute...)

"About that-look my name is John Crichton-I'm a human from the planet Earth. I was flying my module around Earth to prove a theory; next thing I know a big honking wormhole opens in front of me and I get shot out into the middle of a prison break. Could someone please tell me what's going on!" The others shared a look before space suit girl snorted and shook her head.

"Okay Ooman from Erp here's what you need to know: yes we're criminals, all of us except Morrinth have at least a decent defense for our actions. The Councils Security on the other hand views our species as second class citizens, thus our trials were jokes. We have no idea where you came from-your ship displays a design and technology that matches nothing in pilots database. And finally you're stuck with us." The space suit girl sounded young and nervous, before Crichton could reply the tentacle guy stormed up to him and glared.

"Hold it D'Argo," Urdnot Wrex said from behind Crichton. "The Commerce Planet we're heading to has a lot of Sebeceans. Since they prefer to deal with their own our best bet to get what we need is this Ooman."

"If he betrays us he will die by my hand." With that D'Argo stormed off.

Eventually he'd managed to get the basic information: Quarian's in massive need of spare parts and spaceships send out teenagers on a rite of passage to get those things; said teenager gets arrested in the wrong bar at the wrong time and thus Tali'Zorah gets sentenced to Taren Rol as prisoner tech support. Urdnot Wrex of Clan Urdnot found out where a Salarian scientist was working on a new and improved version of a sterility plague. Wrex had proceeded to dismantle the outpost, decapitate the scientist, and nearly kill a Turian Spectre. Only the fact that an Asari bureaucrat and her commando bodyguard had been inspecting the facility and had managed to render Wrex unconscious with thier biotics had stopped Wrex's rampage.

Dominar Rygel the XVI of the Hynerian Empire hadn't been a criminal (okay he was a decadent hedonist-but a certain amount of that was expected in a Hynerian royalty) before his cousin Bishan had deposed him in his sleep with the aid of mercenary Sebecean's and their Turian backers. In the hundred cycles since then however he had learned to steal, cheat, and horde valuables (lying and backstabbing were already in his political skill set). More importantly Rygel had managed to learn the in's and outs of Turain security, Leviathan's in general, and unite his fellow prisoners in a desperate escape attempt. Ka D'Argo had killed his commanding officer when that officer had ordered a cowardly retreat. Being arrested and the intervening eight cycles where he'd been chained in a cell by his collarbones had given him a big chip on his shoulder and a lot of trust issues.

Pilot and Moya had been captured over ten years ago, fitted with a clean room, cells appropriate for any number of species, collared, and made to serve the Turian miliary as a bulk transport. Morrinth had explained how her genetics worked (kill people with sex-never saw that in Star Trek-Kirk would have died in the first season) and how she refused to live her life ashamed and hidden away. Nearly four hundred years of death and mayhem could be considered youthful exuberance. She had been embarressed to admit she had been captured by a Salarian Spectre's sting operation in a rather fun nightclub while looking for a good time. Fortunately for Crichton the remainder of the crew had voted to limit Morinth's 'fun time' to people who weren't part of the crew. Given the fact that a government that sanctioned a sterility plague, forbade the Quarians from settling on a new planet after the loss of their home world, and the fact that he literally had no where else to gp made him quickly join up.

His job for the moment was to be a front man-apparently with the detruction of the Peacekeeper forces about 1,500 cycles ago the Sebecean's (to whom he was a dead ringer for) had set up their planet's as trading posts where they could hire out as crew for ships, mercenaries, and in general charge aliens lots of money for the supplies they had. Prices they charged Sebecean run ships were considerably less-in exhange for his help in this regard Pilot, Moya, Tali, and eventually the Migrant Fleet would help find out were Earth was and get him home. Assuming of course that we avoid being captured by Turians or killed by Morinth's mother. On the bright side Moya's ability to Starburst could allow them to places not easily reached by the Mass Relays (a technology he really wishhed he could take a look at) the downside that such places tended to graviate towards crime and a certain amount of desperation since they were away from the main trade routes.

"In other words," he said into his flight recorder. "I am alone among people with minor to major felonies, hunted by spikey guys who shoot first and ask questions later, and no clue how to get back to Earth. You know those rattlesnakes Dad? They're big and rattlin'.

Captain Garrus was not happy; first he had to record the death of one of his pilots, now he had to speak to a Justicar. Justicar's made him nervous for the very simple reason that they had no leeway, the only way of living life they had respect for was by the Justicar Code-everybody was judged by the that code and if you didn't measure up death was inevitable. Which made him nervous for so many reasons as the holographic communicator hummed to life.

"Captain Garrus, from your expression I assume something unpleasent has occurred," the emotionless tone of Samara would have thrown most people off, but Garrus was at least somewhat used to such things. With the general increase of crimes committed by Maiden Asari on the rise, a small number of Asari Justicar's were beginning to operate outside of Asari space. For his many sins (trying to make his superiors honest) he had been forced to liase with them. It also explained why he was currently out in the back end of nowhere.

"The prisoners have excaped, they are headed towards the Uncharted Territories. Your ship is the closer to their probable destination-I'll upload the records of Morinth's confederates to your ship." He waited for her to speak. This Justicar was according to rumor the most disciplined and obsessed of their entire order-the longer he could work with her without being on the same ship the better.

"Very well Captain, but Morinth is the only prisoner I care about. The others are your concern. May the Goddess favor us." With that the transmission cut off. That went well, Garrus thought, Morinth's the most dangerous of the lot-if Samara can kill her the others can be retaken with reletive ease.

The End for today, more soon.