Transformers: Sol Wars

by storyseeker7

Fleeing a dead Cyberton the Autobots find themselves in the home of humanity. But unlike in so many other universes the Humanity they find is different, it is a humanity that as spread itself across its home system. Will the Autobots find allies in this different humanity? Or will they find that they are just as divided as Cybertron was?

11. Illicit Activities Pt:1

Chapter Five: Illicit Activities

---

The Asteroid Belt

"We will be arriving at our destination shortly," a voice said over the comms of the Luxury liner. "All passengers are advised to remain in their quarters during the final approach."

"Finally," a crewman said. "We won't be dealing with those privileged snobs anymore and their little brats."

Another crew chuckled at his friend's reaction. "Peace and quiet," he said. "At least until we get our next batch of passengers."

The first crewman groaned. "Don't remind me," he said. "You don't suppose the captain will let us have some shore leave before the new passengers come on boarder?"

The second crewman shook his head. "I wouldn't put credits on it," he said. "You know company policy."

"Yes, milk us dry and then leave us to hang," the first said in a dry tone. How did he get caught up in a company that overworked people like him? Oh, because he was too eager to make some decent credits and had not bothered to read the fine print of his contract.

His companion shrugged. "Just the way life is," he said. "Life in the belt isn't easy. Especially with the war going on."

The first crew snorted. "For people like us, it isn't," he said. As the two walked down a corridor, they passed a woman dressed in a fancy-looking dress with a necklace that was probably worth more than what the two crewmen made in a year combined. "But it's just another luxury cruise for a rich prat like her. Just look at the people we serve on this ship. They're not even worried about the war."

"That's because we're not anywhere near the frontlines," the second said. "The belt is a big place. Even though most of the war is taking place here, there are plenty of places where it's peaceful."

The first snorted. "Well, what I would give to see how these rich types would react if they found themselves in front of a league battleship," he said.

Before the other crewman could react, both men were thrown to the side as the corridor shook. Alarms blurred to life in a deafening noise. "What the hell!" The first shouted.

"Attention all hands," a voice shouted over the comms. "An unknown vessel has latched itself to the ship. All passengers are advised to stay where they are. All crewmen are to report to their emergency stations."

The two crewmen looked at each other. "You just had to say it," the second one said.

The first just sighed. "What are they even doing here?" He asked as he ran down the corridor. His companion followed alongside him.

"Attention, crew," the comms said. "The unknown vessel is attempting to drill into the ship. Section 7 G Deck."

That sound familiar to the crewmen. "Hang on," the first said. "Isn't where?"

---

Aboard another ship, a man unknowingly finishes the first crewman's sentence. "Cargo hold," he said. "In about a minute, we'll be helping ourselves to their cargo." The man turned in his chair to face the captain of the vessel.

The captain smiled back at him. "Muy bien," he said. "Can't wait to see what these rich types have kept in their sock drawls."

The other man smiled. "Might actually be able to make a pretty profit this time," he said as he returned to his station.

"Although our generous sponsors might not be happy about the sudden donation," another crew said. Then she shrugged her shoulders. "Bueno, they have a lot of credits. I'm sure a few trinkets won't be missed."

A small laugh went through the bridge. "Captain, we're almost to the cargo hold," the first man said. "But it looks like the ship's crew is trying to get in."

An annoyed expression flashed across the captain's face. "Why do they always try this?" He asked, below his breath. He shook his head and stood up. He flashed his bridge crew a cocky but charming smile. "Well, time to dissuade them of anything foolish. Daiz, have you gotten into their comms?"

A woman at her station nodded. "Just before we latched onto the hull, captain," she said. "We can cut all communications on the Liner or serenade them with the mating calls of any animal of our choosing."

The Captain chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind, Daiz," he said. "But right now, I just want to talk to them. Patch me in."

"You're on."

The captain cleared his throat. "Attention, crew of the Luxury Liner," then he paused and looked at Daiz.

Daiz smirked and supplied him with the name. "Golden Intrepid."

The captain gave her a funny expression. "De Verdad?" He asked. He shook his head and returned to addressing the crew of the Luxury Liner. "Of the Golden Intrepid. I am Captain Caleb Medina of the Starship El Dorado. Yes, that Captain Caleb Medina, so you should have a clue what's happening here. It has come to my attention that some of you are attempting to secure the cargo hold of your fine little luxury liner."

Captain Caleb sat down in his chair. "I would highly advise against that," he said in a non-cholent voice. "My crew and I are about to breach into that area of your ship. Exposing it and its contents to the vacuum of space. Whereupon we shall help ourselves to those contents. I do not wish for there to be decorative bodies to be among those contents. So, I advise staying where you are and attending to your very wealthy and very scared passengers."

There was a snort in the background that Caleb ignored. "After we are done," he paused for a second. "How we sat inspecting your cargo hold, my crew and I will depart, and you can return to your course. Do we have a deal?"

He looked at the man operating the sensor station. He nodded. "Bueno," Captain Caleb said with a smile. "I'm happy to see that some common sense can be found in the belt." The ship shook, a sign that the drilling process was complete. It was confirmed when the man at the sensors station gave him a thumbs up.

"Now then, we'll be helping ourselves," Caleb said. Payday had come.

---

Taskforce Omega 1

Walking into the hangar bay of the Jasper, Jack found a strange sight. Hunched over and talking to the chief engineer of the Jasper was Wheeljack. Well, it looked like they were talking, but judging by the expressions on their faces, it looked more like a heated argument.

"They've been like that all day," a voice said.

Jack looked over to see Hatsuko walking beside him. "What are they even doing?" He asked the Marine Commander.

"Arguing mostly," Hatsuko answered. "Something about making improvements to the Jasper. I lost track of what they were saying a while ago. To too much scientific jargon for my mind to handle."

Jack nodded. "I see," he said. "What sort of improvements are they talking about?"

"Something to do with the stealth systems," Hatsuko said. "I think they were also talking about the engines as well."

Now, that caught Jack's attention. As a pilot, he was always interested in anything about engines. "Maybe I should check on those two," he said. He noticed that Wheeljack and Gastov were getting into each other's faces, so to speak. "It does seem like it is getting a bit heated over there."

Hatsuko nodded. "Good luck with that," she said. "I'd keep a Plasma pistol on hand just in case." She winked at him and walked away.

Jack rolled his eyes and started to walk towards the arguing pair. He got close enough to hear parts of the conversation. "No, no," Gastov said. "That would overload our power relays. Our ship would be scattered debris rather than invisible."

Wheeljack leaned in on the chief engineer of the Jasper. "Not unless you run it through the power matrixes," he said. "That should be able to handle the extra power load."

Chief Gastov looks at breath. She whispered something in her native tongue, which caught Wheeljack's attention. "What was that, you little flesh bag?"

Gastov waved him off. "Nothing you were supposed to hear," she said. Then she looked at Jack as he approached them. "It looks like we've drawn some attention."

Wheeljack looked at Jack, a welcoming smile spreading across his face. "Well, if isn't one of my favorite humans?" he said. "What are you doing here? Looking for another race with me?"

Jack smiled at the Autobot and shook his head. "Not today, but maybe next time," he said. He looked at Chief Gastov, giving her a greeting tilt of his head. "Chief Gastov, it's good to see you again."

"Pilot Witwicky," she said. "The pleasure, as always, is mine. Do you need something? Something wrong with one of the fighters?"

Jack shook his head. "No, not as far as I can tell," he said. "I haven't flown yet, so that could change. I came over to see what the two of you are talking about," he explained. "Commander Hatsuko mentioned something about making improvements to the ship."

Chief Gastov and Wheeljack both nodded. "Something like that," Wheeljack said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "I came to your chief engineer to discuss some ideas I had. Then things got a little heated."

Chief Gastov snorted. "I do not mind improving my ship," she said. "But some of the things he suggested were ridiculous and more likely to damage the Jasper. Rather than help us."

Wheeljack rolled his optics. "I was suggesting an improvement to the stealth systems on this girl," he said. Then he started to rub his chin. "I will admit that Jasper's stealth abilities are impressive. Heat sinks, sensor reflective materials, electromagnetic interference, the works. Could give cybertronian sensors a tough time."

Jack felt pride welling up in his chest. Hearing that from a member of a species whose technology was more advanced than humanity's was saying something. However, he wasn't about to let it go to his head.

He was proven right a moment later when Wheeljack continued with his explanation. "But our technology is still better than yours, and if the cons know what they're looking for, they'll find this girl real fast."

Chief Gastov snorted. "Is that not the idea of a stealth vessel?" She said. "The enemy is not supposed to know to look for it. Not until it is too late."

Wheeljack gave her a side optic. "Perhaps," he said. "But that doesn't mean something won't happen. A con might catch something odd on their sensors and investigate. The vehicons might be mindless, but they're not stupid. I'm just trying to help make sure something like that doesn't happen."

Chief Gastov nodded. "Yes, but some of the things you suggested are impossible with our technology," she said. "Trust me, I wish they were. A couple of the things you suggested would significantly improve the capabilities of the Jasper."

Wheeljack looked at her. "But that's the thing," he said. "I've been looking over your technology, and I think some of the stuff I suggested is possible. With the right modifications." Then he groaned. "If only I could show you directly, you would see what I'm talking about."

Jack smiled. "If you weren't so big, then maybe you could," he said. Human starships were not made with giant robots in mind. They could interact in the hanger bays, but that was about it. "If you could somehow shrink yourself to our size, that would help greatly."

Wheeljack snorted. "Well, I can't do that," he said. "As far as I know, no cybertronian can. The Ancients might have had something like that, but they're long gone now. If I were a two-wheeler, my alternate form would be small enough to move about your ship but not the conduits. For that, I would need to be a … Minicon." Wheeljack rubbed his chin as his eyes seemed to light up.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Something on your mind?" He asked the Autobot.

Wheeljack was still rubbing his chin as he answered. "Just a thought that occurred to me," he said. He looked down at Chief Gastov. "Gastov, you won't mind having this conversation again later, will you?"

Gastov gave the Autobot a suspicious look. "Why?" She asked. "Something comes up?"

Wheeljack shook his head. "Just something I want to check up on," he said.

Gastov shrugged her shoulders. "Very well," she said. "I won't mind having time to consider your suggestions."

Wheeljack nodded and started to walk away. "Then I'll be seeing you later," he said. Then he looks at Jack. "Jack, good to see you. We should hang out sometime."

Jack nodded. "Well, do," he said. Wheeljack smiled and left.

"So, then, anything you need me for?" Chief Gastov said, putting her hands together.

Jack shook his head. "Nothing that I can think of, Ma'am," he said. "I think I'll be heading for the crew quarters. My flight won't be for another,"

Alarms blared to life. "Attention all hands, man, your ready stations," the comms said. "Senior staff are to report to the ready room for debriefing.

"For another five seconds," Jack finished with a frown. Then he got a communication on his comm. "Airman Jack Witwicky, your presence at the ready is requested." A synthetic voice said.

Gastov had an irritated look in her eyes.

---

Jasper Ready room

"This is the Luxury Liner Golden Intrepid. We have been assaulted by an unknown vessel, and our cargo hold has been breached. We required immediate assistance from any nearby ships. I repeat this is the Luxury Liner Golden Intrepid. We have been assaulted by an unknown vessel and require immediate assistance. Please help us."

Commander Raymond turned to face the assembled staff as the transmission ended. "As far as we can tell, that transmission was sent out about ten minutes ago."

At the table were the assembled members of Jasper's senior staff and Jack. Also present were the holographic representations of Optimus Prime and Elita One. "Are these some kind of Marauders or Pirates, perhaps?" Elita One asked.

"Either could be the case," Commander Raymond answered. "But I am leaning towards the latter."

Optimus nodded. "A fair assessment," he said. "So, what shall we do? Should we provide assistance to this luxury liner or wait and see if someone else will respond?"

Raymond looked at the Autobot leader. "I do not know your people's policy towards pirates or distress signals like this," he said. Then he looks over the table. "But the UNS Navy has two standing orders in matters like this. The first of which is to respond to any and all distress signals. Space is dangerous, and no one wants to be caught alone in the dark. The second order is to deal with pirates. I know Task Group Omega-1 is meant for wartime operations, but we will follow those orders."

There was an approving look in Optimus's eyes. "What do we do with these pirates if they are caught?" Optimus asked.

Commander Raymond let out his breath as he took a seat. "That depends on the extent of their crimes," he said. "If it's just as simple as taking the cargo of the Luxury Liner, we'll take them prisoner. We'll drop them off at the nearest allied base, where they can be shipped back to civilization and stand trial for their crimes. However," the Commander looked over the table with an intense glare. "If they are taking the crew and passengers as cargo. Or they are found to be in possession of imprisoned peoples as cargo, it will be considered an act of trafficking and slaving. In this case, the Commanding officer of a UNS warship has the right to pass judgment and carry out a sentence. That includes the death penalty."

There was some uncomfortable shifting around the table. "That is a rather severe punishment," Elita said.

Raymond nodded. "The UNS takes a very dim view of trafficking and slavery," he said. "Read over Earth's history, and you will see why." He looked at the two Autobots present at the meeting. They both looked uncomfortable by the Commander's words. "Look, this a UNS matter as far as I can see. There are no cons involved, and unless we find evidence to the contrary, the League is not involved in this act of piracy. The Jasper can undock from your ship and handle the matter by itself. We'll also take a squadron of fighters with us for support."

Optimus and Elita looked at one another, holding a silent exchange. After a moment, Optimus nodded. "That will not be necessary, Commander Raymond," he said. "We will assist you in this matter. We Autobots do not enjoy the presence of pirates either. Nor can we ignore a call for help. But I do ask you this one thing."

Raymond looked intrigued by Optimus's offer. "What is it?" He asked.

"Leniency," Optimus said. "I ask that even if the pirates are found to be trafficking and slaving, that they not be executed on the spot; instead, that they be allowed to stand trial for their crimes."

Commander Raymond was silent for a long time. Leaving Jack to wonder what the man was thinking. "I will consider your suggestion, Prime," he said. "In the meantime, we have a distress signal to respond to."

---

Space

An hour later, Omega-1 arrived where the luxury liner was. Jack was in his fighter. He and his squadron were securing the space around the liner. "Cobalt-3 here," Jack said as he took his fighter around. "The area looks clear."

"Copy that Cobalt-3," the squadron leader said. "Move on to the next section and begin scans."

"Acknowledged," Jack said. He looked at HUD and read over the readings from the Luxury Liner, the Golden Intrepid. Jack rolled his eyes; what sort of name was that for a ship? The ship was adrift due to the damage to its hull.

"So, does anyone got news from the Liner," someone in the squadron asked.

Jack flew his fighter to an asteroid close to the liner. It is small, not big enough for a colony or mining operation. "From what I gather, someone drilled a hole into the ship's hull," a squadmate answered. Jack began a scan of the area as he listened in on the conversation. "Cut right to the cargo hold of the liner. Blew just about everything into space."

"Was anyone killed?"

Nothing showed up on the scan except for the asteroid, which was unremarkable. "Thankfully, no," the answer came. "No one was in the cargo hold when they cut it open. And the pirates were kind enough to offer a warning before they cut it open. Most of the damage to the people was just some rattled nerves.

Jack rolled his eyes while scanning the area, but still nothing showed up. There was laughter on the comms. "With these rich types, rattled nerves may as well be a full-on trauma attack," a squadmate said. "These rich types have never been in a tough situation like this. The worst they had was getting bumped in the shoulder by a stranger. Now they've been robbed by some no-name thug. They're all probably acting like this is the worst thing that has ever happened to anyone."

"Makes you wonder," a squadmate said. Jack's fighter flew over the asteroid. The area around it appeared to be clear. But Jack's mind kept focusing on the hunk of rock in space. His sensors had gone over it as well. But aside from a high mineral count, there was nothing out of the ordinary about it. So, why was his mind so heavily focused on it?

"We're the ones risking our necks out here, and no bats an eye," the dialog continued. "But when some rich kid bruises his knee, he's all over the news."

Jack continued to scan the asteroid. Something about it was setting off alarm bells in Jack's mind.

"Well, it's still our job,"

"Cut the chatter, everyone," Cobalt Leader said. "Colbalt-3, you're still scanning your area. Something caught your interest?"

Jack almost ignored the squadron leader, but he answered before he could stop himself. "I'm not sure, sir," he said. He was looking through the sensor data on his HUD. The asteroid showed a high mineral content for its size. Not unheard of, but what was off was that the minerals did not appear to be showing up anywhere in particular.

Which was odd. Usually, the minerals within an asteroid were either evenly spread out across it or concentrated near the core. But the sensors here were saying it was neither. The contents of the asteroid were there, but the sensors couldn't say where it was.

Jack kept the scans of the floating rock and looked through the results on his HUD. "Cobalt-3, move on to the next area," Cobalt Leader said. "It should be clear that you won't find anything there. We need to finish our perimeter check of the area."

Jack frowned. He felt like there was something here. He was just missing a crucial detail. But at the same time, he knew that the squadron leader had a point. Jack might have been imagining things or getting hung up over nothing.

Jack sighed as he looked through the final scans of the asteroid. When he saw nothing, he was about to pull his fighter away. That was when he saw it. It was something very small that could have been easily passed over, and Jack almost had. But it was there, and he had seen it. A very faint power reading coming from the asteroid.

Jack's eyes narrowed. Since when did asteroids give off power readings of any kind? Jack scanned the asteroid again, focusing on where the power reading was coming from this time.

There was no mistaking it; it was a powering reading, and with the more focused scan, Jack was now picking an alloy content. Got you!

"This Cobalt-3 to Cobalt squadron," Jack said. "I got something." He kept his scans on the asteroid and transmitted them to the rest of the squadron.

Jack gripped the controls of his fighter to bring it over to where the power reading was. Then, the power readings spiked, and it moved. Fast.

Jack pulled his fighter away just as the ship came flying past him. "Contact," Jack said. "I repeat, I have a contact." He swung his craft around and flew straight after the fleeing vessel.

"Acknowledged," Cobalt leader said. "All fighters move in on that vessel."

---

Aurora Star

Optimus was just getting off the comms with the Luxury Liner's captain when the report came in. "Boss, it looks like they got something," Wheeljack said.

"What is it, Wheeljack?" Optimus asked.

"I'll put us in through the comms now," Wheeljack said.

"Cobalt-3, report your findings," the leader of Cobalt squadron said.

"Coming in now, sir," Cobalt-3, Jack said. "It looks like an older LFC-078 Transport."

Wheeljack looked at Optimus, asking the same question that was going through Optimus's mind. "What is that?"

Luckily for them, they would get an answer soon. The Image of Commander Raymond appeared within the bridge of the Aurora Star. "Looks like we got something," he said.

Optimus rubbed his chin. "Yes, it does look like that," he said. "Something about an older LFC-078 Transport. If I might inquire, what sort of vessel is that?"

"I'm not surprised you don't know about them," Commander Raymond said. "They're an older style of freighter used about thirty to forty years ago. They were used for light cargo transport between colonies." An image of the cargo ship was shown to the autobots. Optimus read the statistics on the ship. A hundred meters long and fifty wide, it had five decks.

"While they were on the cheap side," Commander Raymond explained, "they were also highly modular. Which made them incredibly popular among freight captains."

"I can see why," Wheeljack said. Optimus looked over to see the former wrecker looking through a detailed file on the freighter. "Modular doesn't begin to describe it. You could completely rip out the main engine assembly and replace it if you had the time and patience. I bet you military types had fun knowing something like this was flying around in your solar system."

Raymond smiled. "Not that they couldn't do anything about it," he said. "Thought that didn't stop the Navy or Army from buying them up in bulk. The Army slapped a few sheets of armor on them and used them for troop transport."

"And the Navy?" Optimus asked.

Raymond let his arms down. "We always need logistical support," he said. "Plus, they made good blockade runners during the Second League War."

Optimus nodded. "From what you have said, I assume these freighters are no longer in production," he summarized.

The Commander shrugged his shoulders. "As the good man said. All good things must come to an end," he said. "They stopped production about thirty years ago, and the last report made was somewhere in the 2640s. You can still find them around, but mostly in the hands of curators, or in this case,"

"In the hands of outlaws," Wheeljack said. "Again, not surprised. With these things' modularity, I wouldn't be if a few could match your modern ships. Or at least give them a run for their money."

Optimus was rubbing his chin. "Do you need us to help you pursue this freighter?" He asked.

Commander Raymond shook his head. "Your cruiser might be too slow to catch this freighter," he said. "By the looks of it, this thing has some powerful engines, and they've modified. Our fighters are already in pursuit."

"Will that be enough?" Optimus asked.

"Which is why I'm having Jasper join the pursuit," Commander Raymond said with a vicious smile. "I don't care how heavily modified that thing is. The Jasper is THE bleeding edge of technology, including the best engines the UNS has ever put into service."

Optimus nodded. "We will still help however we can," Optimus said. "Our sensor array could be of some use. We might even have a few Aerialbots that can join the pursuit."

Wheeljack stood up from his station. "I could take the Jackhammer out," he said. "She might be an old hunk of bolts. But I've given her plenty of modifications that could be helpful."

Optimus looked at Raymond. The Commander nodded. "We welcome any help," he said.

Optimus looked back at Wheeljack. "Go," he said.

Wheeljack nodded and ran off.

Optimus turned his attention back to Commander Raymond. "In the meantime, we'll stay here and assist the liner," he said. "We'll try to keep a sensor look on that ship."

Commander Raymond nodded. His image vanished. Optimus looked to the projection, watching as the chase unfolded.

---

Space

Jack pushed the engines on his fighter to chase after the freighter. He would admit that whatever they had done to that ship's engines was letting it stay ahead of his fighter.

"But not by much," he muttered. He was gaining on the freighter slowly and steadily. His HUD also picked up a lot of heat building in the freighter's engines. It couldn't keep this up forever.

He sent a comm link to the freighter. "Unidentified freighter," he said. "This Airman Jack Witwicky stationed to the UNS. Jasper. I am ordering you to cut your engines and prepare to be boarded."

Jack waited for a response from the freighter. Either for the comm link to be returned or for the freighter to cut its engines. He was unsurprised that the freighter kept trying to fly away from him. He was surprised when he saw the pirate flying towards a dense cloud of particles.

Jack's eyes narrowed as he read over the readings of the cloud. With no sensor data, Jack realized the cloud was blocking sensor scans, and if the freighter managed to get to the cloud, it could evade capture. He increased the speed of his fighter and powered its weapons.

He sent another warning to the ship. "Unidentified freighter," he said. "I am warning you. Cut your engines now, or I will be forced to open fire." He fired a warning shot past the fleeing ship to punctuate his point.

That was when the freighter started going into evasive maneuvers. Jack cursed under his breath. "This is Cobalt-3," he said to Cobalt Leader. "The freighter has refused to acknowledge my warnings. Permission to engage."

A moment later, he got a response. "Permission granted. The rest of the squadron will be linking up with you. ETA two minutes. Jasper and Jackhammer are also joining the pursuit."

Jack nodded. "Acknowledged," he said. He targeted the freighter's engines and fired. Bolts of white-hot light flashed across the empty space, surging towards the freighter. Most of the shots missed as the ship kept up its evasive flight, but a few found their mark. That let Jack know about the other surprise the ship had.

It had shields and good ones, too. "What else have you done with that thing?" Jack asked. Jack wasn't inclined to find out anytime soon. He fired his fusion bolt cannons again and kept firing them.

---

Jackhammer

Wheeljack had a frown on his face as he flew his ship to join the pursuit, a small squadron of Aerialbots right behind him. Looking at the sensor data, it was clear that the pirate ship was racing towards a dense cloud of particles. Wheeljack tried to get a scan of the cloud but found his cybertronian sensors being bounced back. He doubted that the UNS sensors were having any better luck.

They had to catch that hip before it reached the cloud, or they would lose it. In his mind, Wheeljack gave the pirate crew some credit. It was a risk flying into that cloud as their sensors would be just as blind as their pursuers. But it could be a gambit that would pay off.

They could slip away if they came out on the other side and maintained a residual coating of particles. It was the sort of tactic that the Wreckers would use. High-risk gambit with a high payout.

Wheeljack looked at the readouts and did the calculations in his head. Jack's fighter was in hot pursuit of the freighter and catching up. The rest of the UNS fighters and the Jasper were joining the chase, but they were a couple of minutes behind. The same thing went for the Jackhammer. It was likely faster than most of what the UNS could field. However, not by much, and those new fighters had a slight speed edge. They did not have that sort of time. At most, they had a minute.

Which meant that it was all up to Jack now. He was right on the tail of the freighter and firing on its engines. The chase would be over if he could slip a good shot past its shields and hit the engines.

A few moments later, Wheeljack realized that would not be happening. Jack does not seem to see that and continues to chase after the pirate ship, even as it gets closer to the particle cloud.

Jack's squadron leader had thought the same thing. "Cobalt-3," Cobalt Leader said. "Break pursuit now. The Pirate ship will reach the cloud before you."

Wheeljack waited to see if Jack would follow orders or not. He was not surprised that Jack's fighter kept on the tail of the pirate ship.

"Negative, Cobalt-Leader," Jack's voice came over the comm. "I can get them. I just need a clear shot at their engines."

"Denied," Cobalt-Leader said in a forceful tone. "I know you want to catch them, Witwicky. But you can't risk yourself. Pull back and join up with the rest of the Squadron. We'll establish a search perimeter around the particle cloud. They won't get away from us that easily."

Wheeljack knew it wasn't a bad plan. With a perimeter around the cloud, it would make it harder for the pirate ship to slip by unnoticed. It was the best course of action they could take without risking something happening.

But something told Wheeljack they would never see them again once they lost sight of the pirate ship.

"Coblalt-3, cut your engines now!" Cobalt Leader shouted over the comms.

Wheeljack grimaced when he saw the pirate ship flying into the particle cloud with Jack behind it.

Jack looked around in his cockpit, trying to catch sight of the pirate ship. His sensors were useless; now, he was in the particle cloud. That left him with a good old line of sight to look for his prey. Considering he was now in a particle cloud, and this was space they were talking about, meant that he could not see a damn thing. He should have followed his squadron leader's orders.

"Come on, where are you?" Jack asked as he continued to look around. He got his answer when his fighter shook and was enveloped in a bright light.

Jack looked up and saw the Pirate ship right above him. The familiar blue-green cone of light of a tractor beam coming from it. "Shit."

---

El Dorado

Not long after, Jack found himself in the brig of the Pirate ship. "I should have followed orders," he grumbled to himself. Not only had the pirates gotten away, but they now had a hostage and access to one of the most advanced Starfighters in the solar system.

If Jack got off this, he knew there was a chance he would face a court martial. Jack started to look around to get some bearing of where he was. He was surprised the brig was not nearly as run down as he thought it would be. It wasn't squeaky clean like he would find on a UNS warship. But the interior of the pirate was well kept.

The doors slid open, and Jack looked over to see who was coming in. Jack tried to repress the blush on his face. The man with tanned skin who came walking in looked around his age, mostly around his early thirties to Jack's late twenties. His eyes were a stunning shade of green and glinted with intelligence and more than a bit of cockiness. Brown hair cleanly swept down to his ears, connected with a closely shaved beard.

In the back of his mind, Jack admits he has even found the man slightly handsome. Looking at the man's body, Jack could easily tell it was well cared for and in good shape. His shoulders weren't broad, but they were on the wide side.

The man stops in front of Jack's cell. He smiled down at the imprisoned. Jack looked away, not wanting to stare at the man any longer than he had to. "So, you finally came to see your prisoner," he said. "Did you come down here to gloat at me, or are you here to tell me what you will do to me?"

From the corner of his eyes, he saw the man's smile widen. "So not only are you not half bad on the eyes," he said. "But you also got a bit. I like that in my men."

Jack ignored the comment and kept looking away from the man. "So, who are you?" He asked. "One of the ship's lackeys? Is your captain not man enough to face me?"

Jack heard a low chuckle from the man. "Well then, why don't you try asking himself, mi cielo?" He said.

Jack's eyes widened. He looked at the man standing on the other side of the force field. Jack stood up and faced the man. "You?" He said, not hiding his surprise.

The man smiled and gave a theatrical bow. "Allow me to introduce myself," he said, pulling his head up to look at Jack. "I am Captain Caleb Medina of the starship El Dorado. Outlaw extraordinaire and most handsome man on this side of the Solar system."

Jack rolled his eyes and looked away from the man. "I'm sure all the ladies just swoon over you," he said bitterly.

Caleb chuckled. "Actually, I prefer it if guys like you were to do the swooning," he said. His eyes went over Jack. The fighter pilot got the distant feeling the outlaw was undressing him with his eyes. "I must admit of all the people that have ended up here. You're one of the more appealing ones."

Jack repressed the urge to growl. "Just get out with it," he said. "Why are you down here? It can't be to charm me." Because it wasn't working.

The Outlaw's smile grew. "Well, I was hoping for a nice talk with the ship's guest," he said. "Perhaps a tour followed by a quiet dinner in my quarters?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "And then what?" He asked with sarcasm dripping from his voice. "You try to coax me into your bed?"

Caleb chuckled. "Mi Cielo, I think we can save that for the second or third dinner," he said. Jack gave the outlaw a pointed stare. The man chuckled. "All joking aside, I just came to check on the prisoner. As captain of this vessel, I consider it my duty to greet all guests aboard."

Now, that was surprising to Jack. "So, what are you going to do to me?" He asked. That question had yet to be answered. "You going to put my work on your ship. Sell me off to the highest bidder? Or maybe you will use me as a bargaining chip to get something from the UNS."

Caleb rubbed his chin. "Now, those are some ideas," he said. "But despite what you might think of me. I'm not nearly the ruthless type that other outlaws are. So, I'll leave what happens next up to you."

Jack looked at the outlaw with a suspicious expression. "And what are my choices?" He asked.

"You have one of two options once we move out of this particle cloud," he said. "First, we can drop you off in your fighter and let you go."

Now, Jack was suspicious of the man. "You would me go that easily?" He asked. "And with my fighter no less?"

Caleb shrugged his shoulders. "Don't really have much reason to keep you," he said. "While I do like to take risks. Holding someone from the UNS military would bring too much heat down on me. Especially if they are the son of a prominent Admiral in the navy."

Jack narrowed his eyes at the outlaw. "You know who I am?" He asked.

Caleb gave him a flat stare. Then he pointed to the right side of Jack's shoulder. "Wasn't that hard to figure out," he said. Jack's eyes followed where Caleb's finger was pointing.

Jack felt his checks flush when he saw his name sewn into his flight suit. "Right," he said. "It doesn't take a genius to read a name."

Caleb smirked when he pulled his hand back and crossed his arms. "Or to look them up on the Stell-Net," he said. "Though having the name of Witwicky doesn't help keep your identity hidden."

Jack snorted. "So, what now?" He asked. "You know I'm someone valuable. Why not keep me and use me for ransom? You could make enough to set you for life."

"Oh, trust me mi cilelo, that thought had occurred to me," he said. "That kind of money is Muy tentador. Not to mention what else I could get out of it. And there's your little fighter in our hanger bay. Between you and that, I could make a very comfortable living."

Jack glared at the outlaw. "So, why let me go?"

Again, Caleb shrugged his shoulders. "As tempting as it would be, I don't want that kind of heat on me," he said. "Assuming I managed to broker a deal with UNS and they held up their end of that bargain, I would still end up on the most wanted list. The UNS and their dogs would hound me for the rest of my life. I would never be able to enjoy my newfound wealth and live out a peaceful life."

Jack was silent for a second or two, impressed by the outlaw's reasoning. "That's surprisingly thought out," he admitted. "I thought you would be a greedy bastard."

Caleb smirked at Jack. "Oh, trust me, I am more than a bit greedy," he said. "But unlike some other outlaws out there, I don't let it outweigh my better sense."

Jack nodded. "I see," he said. "So, what about the second option?"

"About the same as the first," Caleb said. "Except for dropping you off as soon as we exit the particle cloud, we make for the nearest station or colony and drop you off there."

Jack snorted. "I don't want to be a guest on your ship for any longer than I have to," he said.

Caleb snorted. "Pense," he said. "But you will still have to remain on the ship for a couple of days. Particle clouds might be good for getting away from pesky UNS warships. But they are not so good on the engines. My engineer is not happy with me right now.

Jack snorted. "Then maybe you should have let us catch you," he said. "Saved you the trouble."

Caleb smirked at him. "Maybe," he said. Then he turned around and started to walk away from Jack's cell. "For now, I suggest that you get comfortable. And please try to think of yourself as more of a guest than a prisoner," he was gone.

Now alone, Jack let out a breath and looked around. He needed to figure a way out of here.

---

Aurora Star

Wheeljack wanted to punch something right now. It had only been a few hours since the pirate ship had gotten away and the disappearance of Jack.

"Thus far, we have found nothing," Commander Raymond said. "Our sensors keep being deflected away by the particle cloud, and we barely get anything from the probes we sent in."

Optimus nodded. "I'm sorry to say that we have had little luck scanning the cloud as well," he said.

The Commander gave them a surprised look. "I thought your more advanced sensors would be able to penetrate the cloud," he said.

"They can," Wheeljack answered from Optimus. "But not by much. At best, we can get into the outer layers of the particle cloud. But beyond that, we get a garbled mess."

"I see," Commander Raymond said. "Then our best bet is to wait and see if the outlaw ship will emerge from the cloud."

"What about Jack?" Wheeljack asked. "He could be stranded in there with no way out," he said, the frustration escaping from his voice. "And you're more worried about some crooks and their ship?"

Commander Raymond looked at him for a moment. "Wheeljack, was it?" He asked. He got a nod from the former wrecker. "I am worried for Jack. He is a member of my crew, and as such, as his Commanding officer, I am responsible for his safety and well-being."

"Then why aren't we trying harder to find him?" Wheeljack asked. "Why are we going after some pirate ship when we should be looking for our people?"

"Because I am assuming that if we find one, we'll find the other," he said.

Wheeljack raised an optical ridge. "Care to explain?" He asked.

Raymond nodded. "While I have not gotten to know him much," he started. "I have read over airman Witwicky's service record. While he is described as reckless and, at times, insubordinate, he is described as a highly intelligent individual. His hot-headed nature would have led him into the particle cloud to pursue the outlaw ship. I believe his more reasonable side would have won out in the end. The moment he entered the cloud should have been when he lost his query. Following this line of thinking, he should have emerged from the cloud shortly after entering it."

"But he hasn't," Wheeljack said.

"Exactly," Commander Raymond said. "Which leads me to one conclusion. With his sensors being blinded in the particle cloud, it would be easy for the outlaw ship to get the drop on him."

The realization came to Wheeljack instantly. "You think he might have been caught," he said.

Raymond nodded. "Exactly," he said. "We get the outlaws; we get Jack back."

Optimus nodded as he rubbed his chin. "It is a possibility," he said. "But we will have to find them first," he turned his head to face Commander Raymond. "Commander, what do we know about this outlaw ship? Do you know who might be that ship's owner?"

Raymond nodded. "The first bit of good news we have," he said. "We couldn't get a solid sensor lock to ID the ship. Its captain was nice enough to announce himself when they were cutting into the Luxury Liner's cargo hold. The individual identified himself as Captain Caleb Medina of the starship El Dorado."

"El Dorado?" Wheeljack said, rubbing his chin. That didn't sound like any human word he had heard of. "That's an odd name."

"It's a Hispanic term," Commander Raymond explained. "It references a mythical city, supposedly made of gold."

"Makes sense," Wheeljack said. He made a note to learn the other human languages.

"Naming conventions aside," Optimus started. "What do you know about this, Captain Medina?"

"A fair bit," Raymond said. "This man has garnered a bit of an infamous reputation in this region of the belt. He's a known outlaw with a criminal record dating back to the age of eleven."

Wheeljack the numbers in his head. "Since he was a kid?" He asked. He was surprised that someone would live the life of an outlaw at such an early age. Then again, Hotrod and Bumblebee were young when they joined the Autobot army. Too young, in his opinion. So perhaps he should not have been so surprised. Not in light of his early life.

Wheeljack glanced at Optimus, seeing he was having similar thoughts. "Life out in the belt can be hard," Raymond said. "The UNS tries to help, but we can't be everywhere all at once. So, some people resort to other methods to survive."

The Autobots present nodded. "So, what are we talking about here?" Wheeljack. "How bad of a guy are we dealing with?"

Raymond pressed at a terminal on his end of the transmission. An image of the outlaw appeared, and next to it, a full biography of the man. Wheeljack carefully read it, commenting on everything to memory.

"All things considered. This Caleb guy is not as bad as some other outlaws I know about," Commander Raymond said. "Certainly, he is no Blackbeard or his modern-day equivalent, Iglesia. But the man does have an extensive criminal record. Including smuggling, petty theft, cargo jacking, evading the law, and other acts."

That was quite the list of things this outlaw had done. But there was one thing of note that had him worried. "It says here he has killed before," he said. He highlighted the section.

Raymond and Optimus read the highlighted section. "It is concerning," Commander Raymond said. "However, according to his file, most instances that could be investigated were deemed self-defense. The rest are speculated to be the same. None of them were law enforcement or UNS personnel."

Wheeljack frowned. "But he has killed before," he pointed out. "And more than capable of doing it again."

Commander Raymond nodded. Wheeljack noticed the look of concern in his eyes. "Overall, Medina's file suggests that while he is not an upstanding citizen of the UNS," he started. "He is an outlaw who avoids the more serious crimes within the UNS, such as human trafficking and murder. He rarely engages in open hostilities with UNS personnel and law enforcement. I am not suggesting he is not dangerous, but we are dealing with one of the more passive outlaws in this region. If he and his crew have captured Jack, it might not be as bad of a situation as we think."

Wheeljack crossed his arms. "You think we might be able to bargain with them?" He asked. He didn't like the idea, but it wasn't something he hadn't done before as Wrecker.

Commander Raymond nodded. "I particularly like the idea of it," he said. "Medina's demands for the release of our pilot may include letting him go, to a momentary demand."

"Would you agree to any demands this Caleb would have?" Optimus asked.

Raymond kept an unreadable expression. "If it means getting my crewman back, yes," he said. "So as long as his demands are reasonable, I'll be willing to meet with them."

"And if he's unreasonable?" For Wheeljack, that was the crux of the argument.

Commander Raymond kept his face even. However, Wheeljack could see the fire in his eyes. "There are other ways of getting our people back," he said. "If Captain Medina proves unreasonable, I'll look into those other options."

That was all Wheeljack needed to hear. He turned around and walked away from the conversation. "Where are you going, Wheeljack?" He heard Optimus ask.

"Isn't it obvious?" Wheeljack answered. "I'm joining the search." Then he was gone.

---

El Dorado

A day had passed since Jack had been captured. In all that time, he had been kept in the brig and never left alone. There was always someone else in the brig watching him.

Jack strongly suspected it wasn't necessary to keep someone around to watch him, as he felt that the brig had recorders watching him constantly. He suspected Captain Caleb was trying to be a good host by having someone down here to keep Jack company.

Jack snorted at the thought like he needed the company. He knew full well what he was on this ship. "Looks like you got something on your mind," Jack's current watcher said. "Care to share your thoughts?"

"Just reminding myself that I'm a prisoner on this ship," Jack replied.

The crewman chuckled. "With such lovely accommodations," he gestured to the cell. "I can't blame you for forgetting. It must be five-star accommodations compared to a warship's dry, drab bunks."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Three and a half," he said. "But can you blame me? I'm the one stuck behind a force field."

The crewman shrugged. "Guest or not," he said. "You're still with the UNS. Not people we like to associate with."

Again, Jack found himself rolling his eyes. "And the League would be any better," he said.

The crewman gave him a flat stare. "If you were League, we wouldn't have this conversation," he said. Then silence fell over the brig for a long while. "Just be thankful that we're the ones that are holding you. I know some guys who would be doing much worse."

Jack thought over what the man said and knew that he was right. Thus far, the outlaws had only held him in their brig and had short conversations with him. Not an ideal situation, Jack knew, but he knew things could be a lot worse.

They could get worse, a paranoid voice whispered in his mind.

The brig doors slide open, breaking Jack out of his thoughts. A woman in her thirties walked into the room. The crewman eyed her with a smile. "Well, if it isn't our first officer," he said. "To what do I owe the pleasure? Come here for a little short talk? Or something more?" His voice took a suggestive tone.

The woman eyed the man with a critical eye. "Sorry to disappoint you," she said. "But I'm here for our guest."

She looked at the surprised Jack. "Me?" He said, standing up. "What do you want with me?"

The woman, the apparent Xo of the ship, walked up to him. "I'll explain to you on the way to our destination," she said. "Jenkins," she nodded at the man outside the cell.

Jenkins nodded and started to work at the station in front of him. A moment later, the force field to Jack's cell flickered briefly and died completely. Jack tensed up as the Xo of the outlaw ship walked up to him.

"If you would, Mister Witwicky," she said.

Jack regarded the woman with suspicion for a couple of seconds. "And what if I don't want to?" He asked.

The woman shrugged her shoulders. "I'd figure you would appreciate the opportunity to stretch your legs," she said. "But if you want to stay coop up here all day, then fine by me. I'm only doing this at the request of the ship's engineer."

Jack continued to look at the woman warily for several seconds. He finally nodded and gestured for her to lead the way. "Then let's go," he said. "But I won't make any guarantee that I will cooperate. I'm still an officer in the armed forces of the United Nations of Sol."

The woman smiled at him. "Follow me," she said. "And don't try anything funny."

Jack nodded and followed the Xo of the outlaw ship. As he left the brig, he gave Jenkins a wave of his hand. "So, what is it that you need me for?" Jack asked. "And who are you?"

The woman kept her eyes on the corridor as she answered Jack. "I'm the first mate of this little ship we call the El Dorado," she rolled her eyes. "Though some prefer to call me the Xo, considering my background."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Which is?" He queried.

The woman looked at him with a smile. "I used to serve in the UNS Navy," she said.

Jack narrowed his eyes at the woman. "Deserter?" He said he tried to keep the venom out of his voice.

The woman shrugged her shoulders. "Not exactly," she said. "You may call me Kira. As for your first question, our chief engineer had some questions for you."

"What kind of questions?" Jack said, feeling on edge. What were these outlaws up to?"

"Something to do with your starfighter," Kira answered. "He was looking over the thing, and it seems to have piqued his interest."

Jack was very careful to think his answer through. "I won't reveal any UNS secrets," he said. "If that is all you want me to do, you may as well throw me back into the brig."

Kira snorted. "Thought as much," she said. "Frankly, I think keeping you here was a mistake. But Captain wants to keep you in the brig until we leave the particle cloud."

"And what would you have done," Jack asked.

"Simple," Kira said. "I would have left you in the particle cloud. Let you figure a way out on your own."

The pair came to a set of doors, which opened. On the other side, Jack saw what he guessed was the hanger bay of the outlaw ship. It was a small, cramped area, only big enough for two shuttlecrafts. Jack was surprised that his fighter could fit in the hangar.

Jack's eyes narrowed when he saw several outlaws around his bird. "Ortega, I've brought our guest," Kira shouted.

One of the outlaws, a young man a few years younger than Jack, turned around and gave the pair a wide grin. "Xo, it's good to see you," he said. He looked at Jack. "And thank you for bringing our guest along. There are some questions I would like to ask him."

Before Jack could respond to the man. "Just doing my duty as the First Mate," she said. "Just keep an eye on him. The Captain might consider him a guest, but he is still a member of the UNS armed forces."

The engineer nodded. "Will do, Kira," he said.

Kira nodded and looked at Jack. "Behave yourself," she said. Then she turned around and left.

Jack looked at the Engineer, Ortega, and said. "Is she always this friendly?"

Ortega smiled at him. "She's nicer than she looks," he said. "She just likes to run a tight ship, unlike our captain. He's a little loose with how he runs things. You can imagine how much those two butt heads."

Jack nodded. It wasn't a hard thing to picture. "Then why do they work together?" He asked. "Why hasn't your Xo gone on to take over her own ship?" Namely, the one he was held prisoner on.

Ortega shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know the full story," he said. "And it's not mine to tell. But from what I gather, Kira owes the Captain."

Jack looked at the man with a questioning look. "Owes the Captain?" He asked. "Like she's indebted to him? What did he do?"

Again, the engineer shrugged his shoulders. "You'll have to ask Kira about that yourself," he said. Jack figured it was unlikely he would ever get that story out from the outlaw Xo. "So, then I had some questions for you."

Jack nodded. "You can ask, but that doesn't mean I'll answer them," he wasn't about to do anything that could compromise the security of the UNS. In the meantime, he looked around the hangar bay, looking for a means of escape. A plan was already forming in the back of his mind.

---

El Dorado bridge

"I still think this was a mistake," Kira said. She stood next to Caleb.

Caleb rubbed his chin, smiling. "So, what?" He spoke. The pair were watching the hanger bay through the security recorders. "It doesn't really matter how good he is. He's still only one man." Admittedly an attractive-looking man as well.

Caleb saw Kira roll her eyes. "He could still be trouble," she said. "We should keep him the brig. Letting him lose on the ship is a mistake."

"Like it was a mistake to take him in the first place?" Caleb said back. "Come on, you know me. I don't like leaving someone in a tight spot like that. A particle cloud is no place to be stuck in." Then, a suggestive smile spreads across his face. "Besides, he isn't half bad to look at. A nice improvement from the usual faces I see."

His first mate scoffed. "I swear," she said. "The only things that motivate you are money or ass."

Caleb's smile grew. "Well, you do have to admit our guest does have a nice ass on him," he said. On the monitor, he looked at the fighter pilot in question.

Jack Witwicky was a nice-looking guy. He was about average height for a man. Body build-wise, he was on the smaller side, not in a feminine way. From what little Caleb could see, Jack had a lean but muscular body under his flight suit. Not unexpectedly, Caleb knew the UNS had standards for the different services in its Armed Forces. The Fighter Corps. would be no different.

For a brief second, Caleb wondered if the fighter pilot had anyone in his life. Then he shook the thought off, deciding it wouldn't matter. He could charm any guy he set his eyes on, so as long as they were interested in other men.

From what Caleb could gauge from the pilot, Jack, did he call himself? The young man was at least interested in other men, giving him wiggle room to charm the guy.

"Don't even think about it," Kira said. Caleb felt her glare more than he saw it.

Caleb looked at his first mate with a knowing grin. "Don't even think about what?" He asked.

Kira rolled her eyes. "You're thinking about getting that pilot into your bed," she said.

Caleb crossed his arms. "So, what if I am?" He said. "It wouldn't be any of your business."

Kira went back to glaring at him. "You don't even know him," she pointed out.

Caleb shrugged. "Not the first time I've done that," he said. "Besides, it's not like he's an assassin."

"For all you, he could be," Kira said.

Caleb gestured to the image of the fighter pilot. "Come Xo," he said. "Does this guy look like the type to put a knife in my chest?"

"If he did, he wouldn't be a very good one," Kira said with a smug smile. Then she sighed. "Fine, if you insist on sleeping with this guy, just be careful. He might not be an assassin, but he is still a part of UNS armed forces."

Caleb gave her a look. "So, were you once upon a time," he said.

In response, Kira gave him a half-hearted glare. "That was a long time ago," she said. Then she looked at the projection. "Just be careful."

Caleb smiled. "You know me," he said. He looked at the pilot as he got into his fighter. "I'm always careful."

---

Hanger

Jack got comfortable in the seat of his fighter. He had been surprised that the outlaws had been so willing to let him inside of his fighter. For a few seconds, his mind had raced with all the possible ways he could use his bird to escape the outlaw. Most of them boiled down to blowing a hole in the bay doors and gunning the engines to get out.

Those thoughts of escape died when the engineer told him that the computer systems on the fighter had been shut down so that only the maintenance systems remained. Jack confirmed this when he tried to boot up the flight systems, weapons, sensors, and everything else. As the engineer had said, the systems that were working were the ones needed for maintenance on the bird.

Jack let out a disappointed sigh as he made his report. "Everything looks good on my end," he said.

From his cockpit, Jack says. Ortega nodded. "Everything checks out here as well," he said. "Let's run those engine tests."

Jack nodded and brought the systems for the engines. "Why do you even have me here," he asked Ortega. "Why can't one of your own crew do this?"

Ortega didn't look up from his station when he answered. "I could have," he said. "But they would not have been as familiar with the inner workings as you."

"I'm no engineer," Jack said. He tapped at the controls of his fighter, noting anything that could be wrong.

Ortega nodded. "True," he admitted. "But you are a pilot. In my experience, pilots can have an insight into their ships that an engineer can lack sometimes. The good ones, you are flying these things, not us."

Jack didn't know how to respond, so he changed the subject. "So, what is Captain Medina like?" He asked. "He doesn't seem like most outlaws."

Ortega looked up from his station and gave Jack a question. "Oh, and you have met so many?" He asked back.

Jack shrugged, taking it as a fair point. "I've read about them," he said. "In reports and stuff, he doesn't seem like any of the ones I've read about," he was careful to leave out that he had read about how outlaws were depicted in holo-dramas, fairytales, and the like. In those, Captain Caleb was a lot more like them. However, Jack knew he was living in the real world. It was unlikely that the outlaw captain was some dashing rouge.

A smile spreads across Ortega's face. "Well, I would describe our illustrious captain," he started, then he stared at Jack with a shit-eating grin. "A dashing rogue with a heart of gold."

Jack blinked as his mind processed what the engineer had said. Then he gave the man a flat stare. "Yes, and I'm a Fleet Admiral," he said.

Ortega busted out into laughter. "Alright, I'll admit, I was just pulling at you," he said, his hand over his stomach. "Okay, so he's not a dashing rogue, per se. But he is not as bad as some of the other outlaws you might have met. Actually, a lot of us aren't."

Jack looked at the man. "Is that so?" He asked.

Ortega shrugged his shoulders. "A lot of us are just people trying to make ends meet," he said. "Life in the belt isn't the easiest thing. But most of us do get by. However, sometimes just getting by isn't enough, so some of us turn to other ways to survive."

Jack nodded. He couldn't quite understand what that meant, having been born and raised on Earth. He had also been the son of a prominent Admiral in the UNS Navy. "And being an outlaw is one of them?" He asked.

"There are other things we could have been," Ortega gave a non-answer. "Just remember, most of us are just people trying to get by in life. Now, granted, I won't deny there isn't an element of greed in our decision-making, but that is life. But as you have read, the bad ones usually stick out the most."

Jack nodded. He went back to check the system's display of his fighter. "So, what is the captain like?" He asked. "Really?"

"Not a bad guy," Ortega said. "I know that's not saying much. But Captain Caleb is a good guy once you get to know him."

"I see," Jack said. He was about to ask more when something caught Jack's eye. He looked at it more closely to confirm what he was seeing.

A smile spread across Jack's face as Ortega continued to talk. "Now granted, he is something of a flirt, especially when it comes to pretty faces," the engineer said with a snicker. Jack rolled his eyes. He could easily picture that after his first meeting with the Outlaw captain.

"I'm sure he's been with lots of lad- guys," Jack corrected himself, remembering the comments from the man.

"Plenty," Ortega said with a shake of his head. Jack was glad the man was focusing so much on his station and not paying attention to what he was doing. Jack's hand reached down to his seat and flipped a switch. "Every time we stop at a berth, the first thing he does after getting the cargo unloaded is head off and have some one-night stand. He's even brought a couple of guys to his quarters. Why, I remember this one dude about a year back."

With an inaudible hiss, a small compartment by Jack's feet opened. Inside it was a concealed weapon. "I think the Captain regrets that night," Ortega said. "Apparently, he wasn't all that good, and to make matters worse, he's been."

Ortega never finished his sentence as Jack's cockpit swung open, and Jack started to crawl out. "Hey, wait a minute," Ortega said, looking up from his station to see Jack crawling out. "We aren't done here?" he shuts his mouth at seeing the pistol in Jack's hand. Ortega raised his hands into the air. "Easy now."

Jack got to the deck of the hanger, keeping his weapon pointed at the engineer. It was set to stun, but the man didn't need to know that.

"Help me get out of here."

---

Bridge

Kira was letting out a string of curses when Caleb walked; in multiple languages. "What happened?" Caleb asked. Then he saw what was happening on the monitor.

Kira's head whipped around, and she shot him a glare that could have gutted a League Battleship. "What happened is that you let our guest out of his quarters," she said. "I'm going down there," she stormed off, pulling a pistol from her side.

Caleb watched his first mate storming off for a second. He turned his head back around to the monitor. The fighter pilot was trying to force Ortega to do something. Probably get his craft's computer systems working again.

Caleb sighed and shook his head. "Por que yo?" He muttered. Then, an odd smile formed as he watched Jack Witwicky. A feisty one, that one. He could like that in a guy.

---

Hanger bay

"I told you before I can't release the lockouts on your ship's computer systems," Ortega said. His hands were held up between him and Jack like that would help him.

"I don't believe you," Jack said with narrowed eyes. "You're the engineer on this ship. You got to know something about the lockouts on my fighter."

Ortega looked like he wanted to sigh but held his breath. "I can't release the lockouts," he explained. "Only the Captain or the first mare can do that. They have the codes, I don't."

"Then try overriding it," Jack suggested. "You were the one to set it, right?"

The outlaw engineer looked nervous. "I was," he said. Then, he quickly corrected himself. "But trying to override the lockouts could take me hours."

Jack's eyes narrowed; he didn't have that kind of time. "But you put the lockouts in," he pointed. "Don't you know anything about your own code?"

Ortega nodded quickly. "Yes, which is why it would take me hours to crack it," he explained. "Anyone else would take longer. Probably for a day or two. Either way, you're in for a wait."

Jack thought over his options for a moment. He didn't have the kind of time needed for the engineer to override the lockouts. The others on the ship would try something before he could finish.

Jack didn't know enough about his fighter's computer systems, nor was he an engineer. So, that only really left him with one option. Taking a deep breath, Jack walked up to the engineer.

Surprised fear shot across Ortega's face. "What are you?" He is cut off when Jack grabs him by the arm. "Hey, easy there!" The protest came out.

"Come on, let's move," Jack barked. He pulled the man towards the hangar bay doors leading into the rest of the ship.

"Now hang on," Ortega said, trying to pull out of Jack's grip. "Where are we going?"

"Take me to the bridge," Jack hissed at the outlaw engineer. "I want to have a word with your captain."

"I'm afraid that he is a little busy at the moment," a voice said.

Jack turned around to respond in time for a bolt of blue light to slam into his chest. Jack crumpled to the deck as his consciousness faded from his mind.

---

Ortega let a breath as the prisoner crumbled to the floor. He looked up at Kira as she holstered her pistol. "Thanks, Xo," he said.

Kira nodded as she walked up to the engineer. "Nothing to it," she said. Then shot the man with a glare. "I told you to keep an eye on him."

"How was I supposed to know that he was going to pull a weapon on us?" Ortega defends himself. "We did search his body, right?"

Kira's glare sharpened. "We did," she said. "But we never searched his ship."

"But we put the lockouts on its computers," Ortega pointed. "Someone would have something. Unless," he trailed off as the thought occurred to him.

Kira nodded. The thought had crossed her mind as she went down to the hanger bay. "A hidden compartment with a concealed weapon," she said. "We should have checked his fighter more carefully."

Ortega had an embarrassed look on his face. "I'll check it over and make sure there are no other surprises," he said.

Kira nodded, glad that someone had a good idea for once. "That would be the smart thing to do," she said, keeping her tone even. She would have a long discussion with the Captain later.

Ortega looked down at the prone form of the UNS fighter pilot. "Is he?" Ortega asked, looking at Kira with a nervous look.

Kira rolled her eyes and scoffed. "He's still alive," she said. She patted her hand on the side of her pistol. "I had my weapon set to stun." She then eyed the weapon next to the pilot. "As I suspect the same for his."

Ortega eyed the weapon with a wary eye. "I didn't want to find out," he said, stretching down to pick the weapon up. "So, what are we going to do with him?"

Kira wants to say toss him out of an airlock without a protective suit. But she knew what Caleb would want. "I'll take him back to the brig," she said. "Where he can stay for the rest of his time on the El Dorado."

Then, she was going to have a discussion with the captain.

Two days later, brig

---

Jack was sitting in the corner of his cell when Kira, the Xo of the outlaw ship, came storming into the brig. The expression on her face said that she wanted to kill someone. Something that Jack had grown used to seeing on her face, but somehow it was worse today.

Jack had woken up a few hours after his escape attempt. A rather angry-looking Kira had been waiting for him. She told him that, under no certain circumstances, he would be leaving the brig for the rest of his stay on the outlaw ship. Jack had spent the last two days berating himself for his failure to escape and his recklessness.

Kira walked up to the force field, keeping Jack in his cell. The Xo of the outlaw ship was directing an intense glare at him. Jack raised an eyebrow, wondering what he had done recently to get this kind of reaction, aside from his failed escape attempt.

"Our captain wishes to see you in his quarters," the woman said. Before Jack could respond, Kira turned her head to the man watching Jack's cell. "Turn the force field off. I'll take him to the captain's quarters."

The man nodded and operated the terminal. Half a minute later, the force field winked out of existence. Jack stood up from the corner of the cell. "What's going on here?" He asked. "I thought I was supposed to stay here until we exited the particle cloud."

Kira stepped into the cell. "Like I said, the Captain wants to see you in his quarters," she hissed. "So, either you can follow me, or I can drag you by your feet. Please go with the option that lets me have some enjoyment today."

"I think I'll walk," Jack said.

"Then walk with me," Kira said.

Jack wisely chose not to speak during the walk. A few minutes later, the two had arrived at what Jack guessed were the outlaw captain's quarters.

Kita placed her hand on the panel by the door. "I've brought him," she said.

"Let him in," the outlaw captain's voice said from the panel. The door slid open; Kira gestured for Jack to walk in. Jack did so with the Xo stepping close behind him.

Jack didn't know what to expect when he saw the captain's quarters. It was a small space, not all that surprising considering the size of the ship. The room was divided into two sections: a bedroom and a small lounge. Jack did not see a lot of decorations around the room, which surprised Jack. He thought that the outlaw would surround himself with treasures and trinkets.

However, the prepared table set up in the middle of the room's lounge area caught his attention the most. The next thing to surprise him was the smell of food wafting in the air.

"Here he is," Kira said.

"Bauno," the outlaw's voice called out from an unseen area. "You can go now."

Kira stood still for a couple of seconds. "I still think that this a bad idea," she said.

"I can handle one guy, Kira," Caleb said, still unseen. Jack looked around to see where his voice was coming from. "So, you can go now."

Kira opened her mouth and then shut it. She looked at Jack with the same intense glare she had been giving him. "You try anything," she said. Jack saw her hand resting over the side of a pistol on her hip. Jack nodded, getting the message loud and clear. The woman continued to glare at him for half a second. "I'll be watching."

The doors shut behind her. "Is she gone?" Caleb asked, appearing from a corner. In both of his hands were plates of food.

"She is," Jack said as he carefully watched the outlaw place the plates of food on the table. "I don't think she was happy about it."

Caleb waved the observation off. "Don't worry about it," he said. "Just a minor disagreement."

From how the outlaw Xo acted, Jack didn't think it was so minor. "What is it you want me here for?" He kept his eyes off the table and at the outlaw captain.

"Isn't it obvious?" Caleb said, gesturing a hand at the table and plates of food on it. "I thought I would invite you for dinner."

Jack looked at the man with suspicion. "What's your angle here?" He asked.

Caleb smiled. "No angle here," he said. "Can't I be a good host and cater to my guests?" Except both men knew Jack wasn't a guest.

Jack kept quiet and sat at the table. He looks at the dish made by Caleb. The main meal looked like a pair of tortillas wrapped around something. Jack guessed meat of some kind. He would find out in a moment. The rolled-up tortillas were covered in a brown and yellow sauce. Jack tried to recall what the dish was called. Jack knew it had to be of Hispanic origin based on what he could guess about Caleb's ancestry. The dish also came with rice and beans.

It looked surprisingly good and smelled just as such. "Just give me a moment," Caleb said. "I'll be back with the rest of the stuff." Then he was out of sit.

With the moment left alone, Jack looked around the quarters of the outlaw captain. Again, the young man was surprised at how sparsely the room was decorated. He had thought the outlaw would have some very unusual taste on display in his room.

But Jack was seeing a modest setup. A few wall paintings hang up, one or two sculptures here and there. But the rest of the stuff appeared to be personal items. Jack saw pictures showing different people. Where are they, friends or family? He noticed that a couple of them had what looked like a younger version of the outlaw captain. For a second, Jack thought they were photos of Caleb when he was a kid, and then he saw a picture containing both Caleb and the young kid by the bed. A brother or cousin, then?

Before Jack could look around more, Caleb returned to view, holding two small balls containing green lumps. He placed one next to Jack's plate and the other by his. "Buen provecho," he said, sitting on his end of the table directly in front of Jack.

Jack eyed the man carefully as the outlaw dug into his food with a content smile. After watching the man eat, Caleb looked at him and smiled. "What?" He asked. "Are you going to eat? Or are you too busy staring at my handsome face?"

Jack felt his cheeks burning at the comment. Jack picked up a fork and dug into his food. He held the piece of food up to inspect. He could see brown-looking meat inside with bits of onion mixed into it. Jack gave the man a suspicious stare. "I swear if this is some kind of attempt to poison me, I'll," he started off.

Caleb cuts him off. "Trust me, I take great pride in my cooking," he said. "Just as much as I do with my ship and my deviously good looks." He had his hand framing his chin with a wide smile. Jack rolled his eyes and let the man continue. Caleb snorted. "Besides, if I wanted to poison you with food, I would have let my helmsmen do the cooking. I tell you, he's a good pilot. But give him a pot of water, and he'll find a way to burn it."

Jack repressed the chuckle at the mental image of someone burning water. He took a bit from the food. Jack kept his expression natural as he chewed on the food; it was good. Surprisingly good. "Not bad," he said. He took another bit.

Caleb's smile grew. "As my mama said, the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach," he said. "One of the few good pieces of advice I got from that woman."

Jack raised an eyebrow at that comment but did not choose to dwell on it. He looked around the room again. "Not quite what I would have imagined," he said.

Caleb shrugged. "Not a man for big taste," he said. He turned halfway in his chair and gestured to the picture beside his bed. It was the boy. "Most of my stuff goes to that little guy."

"Who is he?" Jack asked. "A cousin or?"

"Mi hermanito," Caleb answered, turning back in the chair to face Jack. He got a raised eyebrow from the pilot. "My little brother and the only real family I have in this life." A smile spreads across his face. "I noticed that you were looking at my bed. Hoping or something nicer than the brig bunk after this?"

Jack narrowed his eyes. "I think I'll take the bunk," he said. "I'll get better sleep that way."

"Come now, Mi Cielo," Caleb said. "I've been told that I make a wonderful headrest."

Jack put his utensils on the plate and glared at the man. "Are you trying to seduce me, or do you want to tell me something," he said. "Either way, you're not very successful."

Caleb had a disappointed look on his face. He snorted and smiled. "Are you sure about that? I can be very persuasive when I want to be." The unimpressed stare from Jack said otherwise. "Fine, then. I just want to tell the good news in person."

"And what news would that be?" Jack asked.

"The El Dorado has just left the particle cloud," Caleb said. He smiled when he saw the shocked expression on Jack's face. "Which means you will be leaving us soon."

Jack schooled his features. "Are you really going to let me go?" He asked. "Just like that? After the trouble I caused you?"

Caleb shrugged his shoulders. "Like I said before," he replied. "I don't need that type of heat on me. Ortega is working on your fighter now. Mostly, it was to make sure the girl was in working order. Once he gives the Okay, I'll release the lockouts on your fighter. Before you get any ideas, the weapons systems will still be locked out, and sensors will be limited to short range. Can't have you tracking us now, can we?"

In his head, Jack grumbled, but he had figured the outlaws would do something to keep themselves safe. "And why couldn't you have told me this in the brig?" He asked. "Why the private dinner?"

Caleb gave him a cocky smile. "Do I need to have a reason to have a good-looking man in my quarters?" He asked.

Jack ignored the burning sensation in his cheeks. He put his eating utensils down and stood up. "I think I'll be returning to the brig now."

Caleb was quick to react. Just as Jack turned around to leave the room, he felt a hand grab his wrist. "Esperar," he heard the outlaw captain say. Jack looked at the man and waited for his response. A relieved expression crossed his face. "Alright, I'll admit that was a bit much. Are you going to stay?"

Jack looked at the man for a second, deciding his options. He sighed, tired, and freed his hand from Caleb's grip. He sat down. "Fine," he said with a huff. "But one more pass at me, and I'll throw myself back into the brig until we leave this particle cloud. Got that?"

Caleb smiled and nodded. He went back into his seat. "I'll try," he said.

Jack picked up a fork and started to pick at his food. "So, why do this?" He asked. "And give me a real answer this time."

Caleb shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, I don't have any particular reason," he said. Jack gave him a disbelieving look. "I guess if I had to pick. You've been cooped up in the brig for most of your stay here. So, I thought you should have at least one good moment while you're still here."

"Is that all?" Jack said after swallowing a bite of food. "Just to be nice?" He found that hard to believe.

Again, the man sitting across from him shrugged his shoulders. "I might be an outlaw," he started. "But that doesn't mean I'm not a decent human being."

Jack did not refute that.

---

Bridge

Kira shook her head as thoughts of the captain's idiocy ran through her mind. "One of these days, that man is going to drive me mad," she muttered.

If anyone heard her, they wisely chose not to comment. "Xo," the pilot of the ship called out. "We're exiting the particle cloud now."

That was the first bit of good news Kira had heard for a while. "Good," she said, standing up. "Continue on our present course and speed. I'll inform the captain."

"I guess that means our guest will be leaving soon," the pilot said.

Kira snorted. "The sooner, the better," she said. She didn't like having anyone from the UNS armed forces on the ship. Not when she used to serve in the armed forces. Kira shook her head, reminding herself that life was behind her now.

Hopefully, things will go smoothly once the UNS pilot is gone. She would regret that thought.

---

Space

As the El Dorado left the particle cloud, it was detected by another ship that was passing close by. Unfortunately for everyone on the outlaw ship, the vessel was not a UNS ship, and its captain ordered a course change.

---

El Dorado

Jack felt the ship shake and shudder, nearly flinging him out of his seat. "The hell was that?"

Caleb had a pensive expression on his face as he spoke out. "Bridge, what was that?"

The response came a moment later. "Captain, a vessel just caught us in a tractor beam." Jack was about to give the outlaw captain a smug smile when the rest of the response came in. "It's not a UNS warship."

"Then who is it?" Caleb asked. "And can we get out of the tractor beam?"

"Trying to, captain," the voice said. "And scanning the ship now."

Jack looked at Caleb with a glare. "A friend of yours?" he asked.

Caleb put his hands up in a placating manner. "Hey, don't blame me for this," he said. "We only just got out of the particle cloud. They must have been close by."

"Captain," the voice came back over the comms. But there was something off about it. There was a tremble in whoever's voice that was that was not there before. "I've identified the ship," there was a long pause that worried Jack. "it's the Black Death."

Jack saw Caleb's face drop just as he felt his skin crawl. "Daiz, please tell me that the sensors are malfunctioning," he said in an even voice. "Or this is a twisted joke. In which case, I'm telling you right now that I am not laughing."

"it's the Black Death," the voice repeated. "This is no joke, and the sensors are working fine."

Caleb let a string of curses in what Jack guessed was his native tongue. Not that Jack could blame him. The Black Death was infamous throughout the solar system. "I think I would like to get back to my starfighter now." He said.

Caleb looked at him for a second and nodded. "If you do me one favor," he said. "Tell the UNS about this. I'd rather face a sentence from them than what He has in store for us."

Jack nodded. If half of what was said about the captain of the Black Death was true, Jack shuddered. The El Dorado shook again.

Caleb looked up at the ceiling. "That sounded like we just docked," he said. "We need to hurry." Caleb ran out of the room. Jack followed.

"Once we get to the hangar, I'll release the lockouts on your fighter," Caleb said, running beside Jack. "Including the ones on the weapons systems. The Black Death will not let you get away so easily."

Jack nodded and was about to respond as they went into the hangar. The pair came to a sudden stop. A row of guns was being pointed at them. "Well, it looks like we caught another two fishes," a man said with a wide smile.

Jack saw Caleb going for a side arm. But was stopped at the sound of the weapons charging. "I wouldn't do that If I were you," the man said. "We wouldn't want any more unfortunate incidents." The man moved aside, showing that Ortega and two others had been captured. What drew Jack's eyes were the two prone bodies close by. He couldn't see them breathing.

Jack looked at Caleb to see the anger and remorse on his face. For a second, Jack feared that he would do something that would get both of them killed. Jack was relieved when Caleb raised both his hands into the air. Jack mirrors the action.

The man smiled and motioned for his goons to take Caleb's hands. "A very wise decision," he said. Then, he activates his communicator. "Tell Captain Iglesia that we have already taken prisoners and are moving to take the rest of the ship."

The man's smile never left his face as the rest of the boarders went through the bay doors.

---

Jackhammer

Unknown to all parties involved, a small ship had watched everything unfold. Its lone occupant cursed under his breath. "And that ship doesn't look like it is from the UNS or friendly." The ship was big, about the size of a UNS battleship, and appeared to be just as armed as one.

He had the power output on his low, so it couldn't be detected. He had hoped to get the drop on the outlaw ship when it left the particle cloud, assuming he got lucky enough to be in the general area when it happened. Which it did.

Then that second showed up, and Wheeljack did not fancy his chances against that thing. The former wrecker frowned as he realized what his best chances were. Keeping the power output of the Jackhammer low, he tailed in the shadow of the large ship.

"Hang in there, Jack," Wheeljack said. "Help is on the way."