Ballista heading to the rendezvous point in Saturn's rings, Sol System

Unknown Location

August 2, 2558

Ballista's thrusters powered down to half as Dan Tyler brought her to the orbiting rings of Saturn. Colonized after Jupiter, all the human settlements were all on her moons, as the gas giant's atmosphere was far too violent with storms for anything to be inhabitable, not to mention temperatures well below the negative. Despite being close to Earth and her colonies in the Sol System, Mars, the Jovian moons and Pluto, Saturn's moon colonies were sparsely populated. Many that would first see Saturn would be marveled at her gorgeous rings that encircled the planet's creamy tan surface. However, most of that aweing would immediately disappear when they were much closer; the rings were not solid rather extremely tightly bound chunks of ice. It had posed as a hazard to traffic in the past and thus the UNSC had restricted any ships from flying within five miles of the ring fields, save for tour vessels of the rings that were handled by some of the best pilots.

The UNSC had equipped radar sensors that orbited the ring's circumference around the planet. These sensors would quickly detect a ship within the ring field and UNSC ships could be deployed to either assist or detain the vessel inside depending on the condition. There were gaps within the sensors and that was the Blades' opportunity to deliver their captured target, Prith to their ONI clients. The Naval Intelligence spooks were hiding in the field where a set beacon had guided the stealth frigate. From there, they would broadcast a low powered, but precise signal. To help minimize detection, the Blades had told the ONI ship's commander that they would be using their hangar and making the delivery in the team's T-52 Phantom.

After maneuvering through the chunks of ice, some no larger than a grenade, others bigger than a house, the Phantom finally reached the first gap in the rings closest to the planet. The Colombo Gap was the first major space between the fine span.

Ahead, a shimmer of distortion rippled quickly. Hexagonal shapes dispersed as the advanced ONI Prowler recognized the Blades' transport, decloaking from its stealth system. Corvettes specially built for being undetectable, these vessels found themselves being operated by the Office of Naval Intelligence, however a small number were also assigned to the conventional Navy. Rather than a standard fighting ship, a Prowler would be gathering intelligence while staying out of detection by its stealth coating. The Ballista was equipped with a similar cloaking device capable of eluding detection from even ONI grade radar. If a ship was ever compromised, it sported twin pulse laser turrets for defense. Prowlers would also often lay out hidden mines to weaken Covenant fleets enough for UNSC ships to lay waste.

"Type fifty two Phantom, this is the UNSC American Dream. Continue your heading and descend to three nine by six seven. I will have hangar dock Bravo open shortly."

"American Dream, Phantom complies." Aegis turned the controls back to Vaal as he went back into the main cabin. The Covenant dropship descended and slowed as a manager guided the craft inside the small hangar. Being large enough to fit only one craft on the pad at any time, the ONI spooks had moved one of their covert pelicans out of the way so that the exchange could take place with their exit craft still present. Prith had been knocked out prior to his transportation to the ship and now Conan Pyra goaded him in handcuffs.

Vaal settled the ship and put the engines on idle. He would remain inside with the frontal plasma gun active in case the team walked into a trap. Aegis, Pyra, Prith, two ODSTs named Hamed and Laura walked out to greet their clients. The Blades commander hardened at the man standing opposite, flanked by a pair of masked ONI bodyguards. Without a word, he had stuck his hand out. Reluctantly, Aegis shook it.

"I assume that the snatch went well?" Adamant coolly asked.

"More or less, all he's missing is a greeting card. Not very intimidating to look at up close."

"Yeah you can say that." Adamant scoffed, waving his two bodyguards away. "He's been a murderer of both innocent human and Covenant species. Looks can be very deceiving."

Prith stirred, then finally snapped awake, eyes wide with fear as he took in where exactly he was. Letting out a screech, he squirmed in an attempt to break free before realizing that he was bound and held by a much bigger and stronger Spartan.

"Who the hell are you people?" He demanded, "This is an outrage! You can't take me!"

"We have the right to." Adamant threw him a murderous look, "You look just like the type that will tell us everything when we show you a little tingly stick." He had been referring to a stun baton. Aegis had carried one of those during his days as a spook. Training involved being hit repeatedly. Definitely wasn't a happy experience for him and he still had marks to prove it.

One of the bodyguards reached into a pouch on his hip and drew a syringe filled with a clear liquid. He moved over to Prith and began rubbing his shoulder with an alcohol soaked cloth.

"This is torture! You human filth know nothing but torture!" He struggled even more, but Pyra effortlessly kept his binding grip. That was enough Aegis had. He ripped the skirmisher warlord from the other Spartan's grasp and held him by the neck, raising him high and using a wall as assistance. He gagged, but everyone was spellbound to do anything about it. Even Vaal and Adamant were awestruck at the rage that he now possessed.

"You want to know what torture is like? I'm happy to oblige." He gritted his teeth, using his other arm to pinch a nerve bundle in the neck. Prith let out a scream as if he had been seared by an iron. His cries of agony brought little relief to the commander's actions. Aegis intensified his action, moving his hand, turning the pitch up and down like he was tuning a musical instrument.

"Stop!" Adamant bellowed sharply. A second later, the armored Spartan dropped Pirth on the floor. He moaned in pain as he collapsed against the wall. A sound that resembled weeping came from him as he breathed heavily.

"I'd like your men to see you in this pathetic state now." Aegis snarled. Prith made no response as he continued to keep whatever dignity he had intact. Adamant nodded to the other bodyguard who once again swabbed the shoulder with the cloth before inserting the needle. He was out within seconds.

"Nasty drug." Adamant turned back as his accomplices bound and hauled the pirate away from them. "Wipes out their memory of everything witnessed in the past twenty four hours."

"Even the pain part?" Hamed asked.

"No." Adamant smiled slightly, "He'll remember that." Reaching into his pocket, he took out a small datapad. Knowing what this was, Aegis produced his and synchronized both devices. His pad went green as Adamant conducted his payment.

"Your payment of nine million credits. I will be informing you of anything else I get, but in the meantime, I feel we're even."

"I suppose so." Aegis led his crew back to the phantom.

UNSC Ballista

"That was incredibly fast." Aegis sat down with his datapad in hand. "I just get a debriefing from all my operatives and we've already got someone else asking for help?"

Drew Rayson, now out of his Davis costume shrugged. "You should know who. Heard from Koyara lately?"

Aegis stopped short, "God, I haven't seen him since…forever!"

Irotako Koyara was the head of Koyara Shipping Limited, a major UEG shipping company that traveled to the Outer and Inner Colonies. Aegis had known him from years, starting with attending graduate school together on Europa before he had moved to Reach. During the Battle of Ariel, when the Covenant had abandoned the planet for an unknown cause, Koyara, who had inherited his shipping empire from his father, had sent a trio of freighters laden with precious supplies to help. The population had been so grateful, a bronze statue in his honor was erected in front of the Ariel's governing house. Koyara and Aegis were both out of contact with each other, but reunited during Aegis' graduation as a Spartan IV, years before he started the Blades. One of the boys on Aegis' datapad background picture was Irotako Koyara. He was one of the two people in the picture who Aegis knew for certain had done. One thing he truly liked ever since their first meeting was his selflessness. Even after being at Koyara Limited's head, he never let the money go to his head. Several developing colonies and areas desperate had been accepted of his generous donors.

"Well he only sent a short message. Mainly directed to you, he's approached us because of pirate problems."

"More pirates? This gets better and better."

"It does, he's saying that two of his freighters were nearly attacked yesterday but managed to see a third smaller ship far from a shipping lane being swarmed by boarding vessels."

"This is the November Kilo route they are talking about?"

"No, much farther out. This multimillion credit industry is growing every year, but compared to what his freighters saw farther out, it was much different. The pirates are also human, not just jackals and skirmishers." Drew looked back at the screen, "He says to make them pay like a Dragon Striker facing the Warrior's defense."

Aegis laughed out loud, knowing Koyara always had loved the Pinnacle League of Gravball. Being played from child to adult, gravball was enjoyed by all. The Striker would often be the main offense player, who would hit the ball into the goal spots of the defenders. The Dragons of East Asia of Earth were among the best offense gravball teams in the league while the Warriors from city New Paris on Mars were among the most difficult to score points against.

"But what's happening out there is much similar to what Prith and his goons tried on us. Entire freighters and ships are disappearing without a trace."

Trip went into deep thought; they already had some leads on where he could begin, from the place that the freighters had spotted the pirate motherships. However, he left himself dedicated to the cause alone. As much as he wanted to help his friend in need, other jobs had the possibility of popping up and he wouldn't be able to tackle the more lucrative tasks. Even though, he held every captain's loathe for the scrounge of the oceans and vacuum of space. He knew that long ago, pirates were viewed as savage men with long unkempt beards, missing a leg or an arm and parrots on their shoulders. Then came the twenty first century, the modern day pirates who were often frail looking, but at the same time highly threatening. When the space travel was modernized, pirates continued to lurk, ambushing any unsuspecting vessel for ransom or just to prey on the fear that the ship's occupants would radiate from.

"What's he offering?"

"Two hundred thousand every week from two to four weeks and another million for every pirate ship and crew we neutralize. He's also offering another million to find out what happened to any of his fleet."

Aegis sighed; the million per ship destroyed would barely cover the cost. He knew that it would sound enticing to others of the hefty sum, but everyone was well aware of how quickly the Blades could burn through the money. One of the most expensive things were missiles, costing several hundred thousand apiece. Plasma batteries were also costly, with them having the fortune to have Vaal Talam know a manufacturer on Qikost who sold them their plasma supply at a discounted cost.

"Did Koyara send the coordinates of our beginning?"

"He would send it once we agreed."

"Alright," He straightened, heading back to the control center. "Tell him that we're agreeing to the assignment. However we have two conditions, instead make it two and a half million per ship destroyed and the right to disconnect the contract within twenty four hours of notice."

"You got it."

"Also get Ril and Ty to start making a cover story as he head back into the danger zone. I want them to make us sound like another tempting target."

"You're already seven steps ahead."

"Not for a shower."

"So you're proposing?" Drew raised an eyebrow, sometimes a little protest came out when one of Trip's outside the box ideas that often put the ship into jeopardy.

"Well for one it takes a pirate to catch a pirate."

I suppose it does. Get ready for some action next chapter!