Captain Pepper looked at the holo display before him. His ship was on patrol of the wolf trade lines. The Scavengers were on the move again. He had the report from the Starship Loon on his desk in his office. If that report and the others were right, the war had started up all over again. 'Damn it all, we have just begun to recover from the last war with them,' he thought to himself.
Dellway, the first officer, came up to his elbow. "Sir, what was it like fighting the Scavengers?"
Pepper looked at his first officer. "You're to young to really know. They eat any prisoners that they get, and that is the _best_ they do. Sometimes they don't bother cooking you first. The Confederation almost didn't make it through that last war."
Dellway nodded. "Not much of a chance for the Gully Duck then, is there?"
Pepper nodded. "They were on the same course as the Loon. They never made it to their port as well. So, no... it does not look good."
The Star Blizzard continued on into the depts of space, tracking the last known path of the Gully Duck. It was many days later that they came upon its cracked hull. The Captain ordered his marines to board her and see if they could find anyone still aboard. What they did find though wasn't living, and the men who saw what was left hoped that they hadn't lived long after...
The com cracked... "Captain. There is noone left alive here." The marine's voice was barely a whisper.
Pepper bowed his head, with ears folding down. "It is alright, Mallard. Don't let what you see get to you. See about cleaning up. We will report to base soon."
Mallard and his squad stepped quietly through the gutted hull of the ship, the only sound being the vibrations of their magnetically adhered feet striking the deck, and reverbing inside their armor, their breathing silenced by space. "Ralston, Evans, Richtar... head down that corridor. We need to see if there are any of the Scavengers here. The rest of us will continue heading for the bridge to see if there are any logs."
A chorus of "Aye, sergeant's" met his declaration, and the squad split into its component fire teams, two regular marines and one heavy weapon specialist to each group. After making sure his marines were on their way, Mallard took his team further down the darkened corridor, their only light their headlamps.
Scorch marks covered the bulkhead, showing where spatterings of weapons fire had struck, all to no avail. Silhouettes of individuals, burned forever into the durasteel, haunted the edges of their eyes. The feeling of the ship was depressing, cold, and somehow dangerous. If the Scavengers were still on, noone could know what would happen. Reaching the bridge, Mallard and the other marines had to force the door open. None of them were prepared for what they saw on the other side.
Just inside the door, there stood a small group of the ship's crew armed to the teeth and aiming at their weapons at the marines. A grizzled old bear stepped forward and spoke. "Who are ya? I can see that ya are not the Scavengers."
Mallard nodded and lowered his weapon, "True, we are from the Star Blizzard. There have been reports of Scavengers in this area and we were sent to search for survivors of your ship and the Starship Loon. My name is Sergeant Mallard and these are some of my squad. How did you ever survive?"
The bear motioned to his crew to lower their weapons, "Tis okay mates. They are on our side." He looked back to Mallard and offered his hand in greeting. "I am Archibald, Cap'n of this here ship. This is all that is left of my crew. We lost many to the Scavengers after they boarded us. We think that they had one of their 'eyes' on board and had waited for a signal. It all seemed to happen so fast. One moment everything was normal and the next...."
"That is the way they work," said Mallard, remembering the last war. "Any clue as to who it might be?"
"None!" said Archibald. "No way to tell either. If they had a confederate amongst us, they would be gone now."
Mallard pulled back. "Okay, let's go! Out you go. Our ship's docked at the main airlock. Move your people there fast. Hurry!"
Archibald and his crew hurried out as fast as they could run.
"Cap'n, we have about a dozen of the ship's crew still alive... barricaded themselves in the bridge. They're headed aboard."
"Aye! Get yourself over here. Long range scanners have picked up something coming our way fast!"
"On my way!" Mallard put his com set aside. "Move it, everyone!" he motioned overhand. "Enemy incoming!"
******************
Pepper stared at the view screen's long range projection. "JEEZ! A Scavenger heavy cruiser. They mean business!"
Mallard blinked. "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"
Pepper glanced at Mallard, his face drawn into dread. He nodded slowly. "So it begins. . . ."
"A heavy cruiser. . . . Captain, we can't begin to fight against that!"
Pepper nodded, and his ears drooped. "Helmsman, get us outa here!"
"Aye, Sir!" The young helmsman swung into his seat, curling his striped raccoon tail out of the way. "Heading, Sir?"
"Starlock Seven. We need to report this and get some semblance of a fleet out here to counter this incursion."
The Star Blizzard swung about, pulled away from the dead ship and moved clear to a jump.
"Sir, the Cruiser has picked up speed. It'll be here before we can jump!"
"DAMN! Pepper swiveled in his seat. "Power up shields, get weapons on line and buy me some TIME!"
The Star Blizzard accelerated rapidly, engines laboring as sub-light speed to put distance between it and the incoming enemy.
A tractor beam jolted the Star Blizzard.
"Sir, we're dead in the water." The helmsman jumped out of his seat.
"Sir, the enemy is hailing . . ." The com officer's face sagged with surprise, eyes wide . . . in Galactic!"
"On screen!" Pepper stepped away from his chair and approached the screen. Before him, the screen cleared. His eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open.
"Ahoy! Captain of the Star Blizzard. You lookin' for help, matey? We're here!"
Pepper stared at the screen and the scruffy otter with an eye patch over his left eye. "Damn!"
Pepper looked around his ship for a few seconds, but finally gave up. Shrugging, he looked hopelessly at Cuttail. "Okay, your turn."
Cuttail laughed and turned to his crew, shouting out orders as fast as speeding bullets.
Pepper sighed and motioned for the screen to be turned off.. "The last thing I need is for that darned otter to know that we're helpless out here."
The rest of the crew, unaware of Cuttail's position with the Galactic, shrugged at their captain's orders, but obeyed them.
Pepper, with nothing truly left to do, ordered for the remaining survivors to be brought to his chamber so that he might figure out from them who exactly was launching these attacks.
Captain Maverick paced back and forth in his office, waiting for reports on Imperial activity.
He soon received a distress call from a ship unknown to him, but he recognized the face. Dellway....
Maverick shouted out, " Admiral Balken, set the hyperspace coordinates to the location of that ship... we have a distress call to answer... As The Silver Horse Entered Hyperspace, Maverick was thinking "hmm, could it be Imperial, or are we facing a new enemy....?"
The Silver Horse exited Hyperspace, and armed it's Turbolasers, ready to battle....
Pepper looks across the room at Archibald, who was still dressed in his captain's outfit. "Well. Can you tell me what the Scavenger ship looked like? It wasn't this one was it?" He flipped a picture over to the ship just outside. It spotted a new Skull and Crossbones painting on the side.
Archibald laughed at the images... "When did the Scavengers start with that? He pointed to the drawing on the side of the ship. "No. That was not the ship that attacked us... was a smaller one, not so heavily armed. We are, well, _were_ not, a fighting ship, just a passenger ship heading to Cango.
Pepper nodded and went on talking with the other Captain for some time, then wished him well, and went back to the bridge when he was finished.
Cuttail grinned at the sour looking Captain Pepper. "Hey... my crew and I are just here to help!... just like everyone else!"
Pepper eyed the otter. He had meet him before a long time ago. "I see. How much are Scavenger ships worth on the open market?"
Captain Cuttail held his paw to his chest. "Why, Mr. Pepper! I am stunned that you would even think that!"
Pepper shook his head and had com sign off. Dellway came over to his side. "Sir. We might have a problem. I sent out the auto distress when Cuttails ship got here. We should send out a cancel to the msg."
Pepper nodded. "Make it so."
An hour later, the Silver Horse came into view. Pepper looked at tactical. "Ah crud. It's that glory hound Maverick again. Thought they would have thrown him into the brig and thrown away the key by now. Com.... hail that ship."
Pepper looked at Maverick and shook his head. "This area is controlled by the Confederation. I also get tired of telling you that so over and over."
Cuttail cut in and grinned at Maverick, "Do you think that you could stop pointing yer guns at me! 'Tis not pleasant!"
Maverick blinked several times and his mouth dropped open a bit. "Cuttail? Cuttail, is that you? Why you old buzzard! What are you doing out here threatening Confederation ships?
Cuttail grinned broadly, "I ain't threatening anybody, jus' came here to help like everyone else. I can't help it if I had to purloin one of those Scavenger ships to make it here. Do you all want my help or not? I'm beginning to feel a bit unwanted."
Captain Pepper began to sputter a bit and Maverick broke in, "No, I'm glad to see you again. I don't mind having you on my side at all, Cuttail."
Pepper muttered, "Then just as long as ya stay by our sides and not behind our backs. Well, we better get together in person and develop some kind of strategy. Do ya both want to come over to the Star Blizzard?"
"Strategy?" Cuttail grinned. "I leave that up to you military types. Me, I'm just a private business operator. I can offer you firepower though. About two hours ago, we ran across a small Scavenger vessel, brigadier class, and it came in shields down."
"Shall we say we _excised_ its crew into space?" Cuttail laughed. "It sits undamaged back in those asteroids about half a light year to our stern. 'Tis yours for the taking."
"What?" Pepper jumped up.
"Yeah. No crew, all primed and ready to go. Man it with some of your crew and use it"
Maverick eyed Cuttail suspiciously, "What's in it for you?"
"You wound me!" Cuttail grinned. "Let's say it's a present!"
"Since when does a pirate give up such precious booty?" demanded Pepper.
"...Since this pirate has already captured seventeen vessels and turned them over to the confederation for a handsome profit." :)
"Cap'n!" said Cuttail's Lieutenant, "Incoming!"
Cuttail turned to him. "What is it?"
"Scavengers . . . Three ships. About an hour out!"
"Showtime!" Cuttail ducked from view and a Scavenger captain popped into view. "Like it? Perfect disguise!"
"JEEZ!" Maverick laughed.
"Listen, Pepper, go get that ship. 'Tis time to stage a little deee-ception, and catch a few more ships!"
Pepper nodded. He had an idea what Cuttail was up to. "Uh . . . Ya wouldn't happen to have a couple more disguises, would ya?"
Cuttail grinned a Scavenger-toothy grin and two bundles appeared on Pepper's Bridge. "There ya are!"
Maverick walked up to the bridge "hoo boy.... I don't like the look of those ships..." Maverick brought Cuttail into his sights. "Traitor!" Maverick gripped the trigger handle, "Is this some kind of joke?" Maverick switched to Ion cannons... and sighting the leader of the triad, he fired. Maverick then turned on his com to Cuttail, asking, "Is this some kind of joke?"
Cuttail answered, "No. it's a ploy to keep the Scavengers away from us."
The Silver Horse then raised its shields....
Pepper watched as the Silver Horse went out of formation with his and Cuttail's ship. He went ship to ship with Cuttail. "What you think, Cuttail?" Cuttail took his finger and made the spinning gesture at the side of his head. :)
The Silver Horse flew right at the Scavengers... who all had larger ships than Captain Maverick's. He fired on them, and they fired back! All to soon, Captain Maverick was no more then drifting particles.
Cuttail grinned. "Oh... this might work out for us rather well, Pepper! Those Scavengers think that we are on their side!"
Pepper giggled and nodded. "I feel sorry for Maverick's crew."
Cuttail frowned and nodded. "So do I. Poor sots. Ah well. More money for the rest of us! Lets keep to the original plan."
The two ships waited for the three large Scavenger dreadnaughts to approach, as the little ship that Pepper had gone after came up from the asteroid belt. When all was ready, they waited for the Scavenger ships to come close, sending out its expected friendly greetings.
Cuttail eyed the screen, grinned, then looked away. The visage of Pepper as a Scavenger was too much.
"Pepper, there's only one vulnerable place on these things as we have found. Hit the conning tower with all you've got."
Pepper 'the Scavenger' nodded. "They've hailed!"
"In their own language, Pepper, in their own!"
Cuttail switched off. The game was afoot. The Scavenger vessels came in, shields down, weapons offline. Everything had to be timed just right. The Star Blizzard looked to be a captured ship of the line now captained by a Scavenger. The smaller brigadier was the same.
"Steady . . . steady, Pepper. Let 'em come in," thought cuttail, as he talked with the captain of one of the dreadnaughts. His tail flicked. The captain and the crew of the dreadnaught he faced vanished. "NOW! PEPPER!"
The second dreadnaught lurched to the side, its con tower blown away.
The third powered up. Shields raised and weapons came to bear. They fired.
The Star Blizzard shook under the impact.
"Captain, one more blast and we lose forward shields!" yelled Pepper's Second.
The lead dreadnaught drifted lifeless out of the battlefield.
Three ships battled this behemoth, mosquitos against an elephant.
Cuttail barked orders. His cruiser took the pounding well, but against the much larger ship, he could do no significant damage as long as its shields held.
In the background, the still dreadnaught righted itself and came to life. It powered up shields up and weapons online. Its engines roared to life and it swerved into the battle, bearing down upon the pirate cruiser that was under Cuttail's command.
Cuttail cursed and nodded to his nav. "Keep us out from between the two of them. We get in there and we are dead." His ship jerked to the side as it was hit by a volley of particle beams from the third Scavenger ship.
Captain Pepper hit his command panel and gleared at the tactical display. They were really 'in deep' this time. "How the hell did that other ship come back online?"
From any distance there really was nothing to much to see of the battle. Both Cuttail's and Pepper's ships were in full retreat, mostly just trying to stay alive. Inside Peppers ship though, there was a new drama taking place in the engine room.
Ketten grinned as he looked into the engine room. It looked like the Star Blizzard was putting up one hell of a fight. He rubbed some oil over his Gully Duck shoulder patch and stepped into the room, walking with easy steps across the deck. He made it over to the other side and the crew boss'es office, then slipped inside and turned on the small com. He signaled out. "Scavenger ship... this is agent Ketten. I got the bomb ready. Going to disable this ships engines. So you can board!" He whispered a prayer as he turned off the com and tossed the bomb out the door and ducked... "For my lords!"
The lead dreadnaught bore in on the pirate cruiser. It's companion shifted its attention to the cruiser and away from the Star Blizzard. Cuttail turned the cruiser to meet the new threat.
At the last moment, the incoming lead dreadnaught shifted, catching the third dreadnaught off guard. In a moment, it lay dead in space, com tower gone, and broken in two.
"What th . . ." Pepper pulled off his full head scavenger mask. "Who is on THAT ship?"
"Whoever it is, they're hailing us, Sir," said Pepper's com officer. "Should I put it on screen?"
Pepper nodded. The screen lit up. Captain Archibald stared back at Pepper. "Top of the afternoon, Pepper."
"What? How'd . . ."
"We couldn't stand by and watch; not after what they did to us. Not after what they did to our passengers."
"We win!" Cuttail laughed at the other captains. "By golly, I think we have ourselves a dreadnaught to trade!
Pepper grinned. A jolt threw him out of his chair.
"Captain, we're dead. The engine room is gone!"
"What? Status!"
"We're losing power rapidly. Our air's leaking out. We've got maybe an hour before the ship's a total vacuum."
"Pepper!" Cuttail appeared on the screen. "Your stern is gone! Blown away. Prepare to abandon ship! We have a flitter locking on to your airlocks and we'll drop you aboard the dreadnaught.
Pepper nodded. He pressed his com button. "Captain to crew! Abandon ship! I repeat! Abandon ship! Head for the main airlock. Abandon ship!" He got to his feet and hurried off the bridge, followed by his crew.
An hour later, the Star Blizzard drifted dead in space, all her crew and passengers aboard the dreadnaught.
"All present and accounted for, Sir," said Pepper's Second. "No one lost except the crew in the engine room."
Pepper nodded. "They were brave soldiers. Anyone know how we lost the engines?"
"We might be able to help on that account," said a security crew member from the Duck. "Our engines were sabotaged before the scavengers came on board. I suspect the same here."
"An insider! SO!... THAT'S how the scavengers attack. We have traitors amongst us." Pepper surveyed his crew. "Certainly not mine!"
"No, Sir, we suspect one of our own," said the security crewman.
"Are you all accounted for?" asked Pepper.
"Yes," said the security crewman.
Captain Archibald came forward. "Not quite. . . . When we came over to this ship, Ketten wasn't amongst us."
Pepper glowered. "Ketten! Where is he?"
"He didn't come aboard with us, Sir. He wasn't amongst those evacuated," said the Helmsman of the Star Blizzard.
"Then . . . what happened to him?" Pepper demanded.
"I might answer that," interjected Cuttail from the ship's screen. "During that last little battle before Archibald took out the other dreadnaught, there was an energy surge. Someone beamed something in or out of the Blizzard to the other dreadnaught." Cuttail grinned and shrugged, "Go figure."
"Damn! I would have liked to grill Ketten about his involvement," griped Pepper.
"Don't think that would be good at this point. Dead men tell no tales, and that sort of thing," Cuttail added.
Archibald stepped in view. "Captain Pepper, we have two dreadnaughts out there that are ripe for towing back to Confederation space. The technology on board is invaluable, as is this ship we have commandeered. We just need to leave before more scavengers show up.
"Hey! Good idea! Pepper, you've got command of 'em. Take 'em in!" Cuttail waved. "Us?... we've got some more raids to pull. Nice fightin' on your side!"
Before Pepper could say anything, the pirate Cruiser pulled away and winked into the hyperflux and vanished.
-------------
Pepper headed down into the galley, or at least what passed for one on a scavenger ship. There were two crew members setting out emergency packs on the low tables. He didn't really like the idea of them though. They always gave him heartburn, so he headed over to one of the ice chests at the back of the room. He opened it and looked in. One of the crew members looked up from it.
"Sir! Don't look in.... ummmm.... there..."
Pepper closed the chest slowly... his face white as a ghost. "Did you call for a burial detail?"
The crew member nodded. "Yes sir. We also have the passenger logs for the Gully Duck."
Pepper nodded and left the room. He wasn't hungry anymore... the ship traveled on to the starbase as he went back up onto the bridge.....