Doc Roberts: Space Pirate

by Jay Toney

  One of the prisoners was slow at removing his clothes and refused to drop them to the deck. He was using his clothing to conceal a vibroblade. His concealment wasn't good enough, that or Sgt O'Connor experienced this enough times that it alerted him. He pulled his blaster from his holster and shot the prisoner. When the prisoner fell to the deck, so did the weapon he held in his hand.

  "Natasha, have Captain Foster from the Argos brought aboard, immediately. Another demonstration is needed."

  Doc waited patiently. Captain Foster couldn't be brought aboard through the hangar doors without depressurizing the shuttle bay and opening the hangar doors. He would have to be brought in through the small shuttle hangar on the upper deck. It would be faster than evacuating the hangar, depressurizing the shuttle bay, and cycling the doors.

  It took 20 minutes for Warrant Officer Stevens to bring Captain Foster to Captain Roberts. Doc pointed to the vibroblade and said, "I can see that not everyone takes me seriously. Another demonstration is needed." Captain Foster turned pale but didn't refute Doc Roberts. "Natasha, transmit the proceedings in this shuttle bay to the Argos. I want its crew to understand what I meant when I said that if anyone is caught with a weapon they will be killed, and their Captain held responsible."

  "Devin and I are transmitting the proceedings live by narrow beam communications to the Argos. They are receiving our comm signal."

  "I need the captain of the Juno to step forward." No one stepped forward. Doc pulled his blaster and pointed it at one of the female crew members. She turned pale, and goosebumps raised on her skin. "If no one steps forward in the next few seconds, I will kill each crewman, one at a time, until the captain steps forward or everyone is dead. I will start with this woman."

  A female member of the crew stepped forward, this one is a short brunet. "I am Tess, captain of the Juno."

  "I really hate killing women, but I have no choice. You are responsible for the actions of your crew and will be held responsible." Doc spun to face Tess and shot her. "Captain Foster, I hope this demonstration is enough to ensure compliance with the rest of the crew. I remember explicitly telling you that you would be held responsible for the actions of the convoy."

  "I didn't know. I gave the order that everyone was to surrender and cooperate."

  "Either they didn't understand, or they refused to follow your orders. It doesn't matter which it is." Doc fired his blaster six times, starting with Captain Foster's legs and making his way upward before killing him with his last shot. "The next crew member that defies me will ensure the death of everyone else. End comms."

  The second freighter, like the first, had contraband hidden under the deck plates. It didn't take as long to search and unload the freight and smuggled goods as the first freighter. Unlike the first freighter, this cargo ship only had weapons hidden under its deck plates. Still, they would bring a hefty profit from their sale. The sale of the weapons from this starship alone would give Doc enough credits to purchase the last components needed to make the Queen Anne's Revenge's main guns operational again. The heavy cruisers main guns being operational is something that Captain Roberts would have to keep carefully hidden from the Alliance inspections.

  After stripping the salvageable parts from the Juno, it was towed outside, and the Argos was brought inside of the hangar. Instead of setting it on the center of the hangar deck, it was moved forward to give the Marauders room to land.

  As soon as the starfighters landed, the hangar doors were closed and the shuttle bay pressurized. Everyone reentered the hangar area including the15 surviving crew members of the Juno. The bodies of the freighter's captain and the dead crewman were dumped outside to drift in space with what is left of the cargo ship.

  The crew of the Argos didn't wait for Doc to announce himself at the main boarding hatch. They opened the airlock and proceeded down the ramp, already naked. Their hands were clearly visible raised over their heads to show that they were unarmed. The crewmen and women were directed towards the other freighter's crew. When they were all together, Doc ordered a member of the boarding party, "Have a team take the prisoners to sickbay for a body cavity search. Afterward, take them to the brig and issue them disposable jumpsuits." Then Doc turned to Sgt O'Connor. "Use care with taking this freighter apart. I want it put back together as soon as it is unloaded.

  Natasha, come with me to the bridge." When they got to the bridge, Devin is at the comm console, and Jadsia is sitting at the sensor station. They were allowed to stay on the bridge for Captain Robert's private discussion with the starship's AI. Doc trusted them with his life. "Natasha seal the bridge." The bulkhead door closed sealing off the bridge from the rest of the starship. "Devin shut down all comms to the bridge." What Doc had to say is highly classified. If word of it leaked out of the cruiser, they would all be dead men. The Alliance wasn't giving Captain Roberts much in exchange for the credits they took from him through both taxes and tithe. That meant he had to be creative with the Queen Anne's Revenge's finances, dividing what was rightfully his from what he let the Alliance line their pockets with. Doc is seeing to it that he keeps the majority of the wealth that he acquires.

  "Natasha, alter our records to show that the Argos was lost in an accident, as well as the other freighters in the convoy. All hands aboard the freighters were lost, and the ships were deemed as not salvageable. Their hulks were left to scavengers in deep space."

  "What about the cargo manifests and logs?" Devin asked.

  "They were lost with the freighters, we never boarded the wrecks to search for records," Doc answered. Natasha, make sure that our records reflect that we have no records from the convoy and, of course, there were no survivors. Their accident was a terrible tragedy."

  Doc stared at the star map and searched through the ship's logs for a planet or planets where he could sell his merchandise. Deneb was too close to the Nibaru solar system to sell the freighter, even after altering its title, transponder information, and its markings. But, the black market there was always looking for drugs that they could buy at a reasonable price and sell for profit. The Sybilian Nectar he took from the freighter convoy is in very high demand in that system. Doc would profit significantly from the hallucinogenic drug even after leaving enough meat on the bone for the buyers to make a decent profit.

  According to the cruiser's records, Deneb's neighboring star system, Andorra, is still in its FTL infancy. Selling the freighter to them was illegal, but so was everything else that Doc did for a living. The Argos would sell there for top credits, and its people would look the other way from any irregularities concerning the ownership of the Argos.

  Selling the weapons is easy. Doc could sell them anywhere, but the Antares defense forces would owe him a favor for choosing them as his first consideration for selling the blasters, rifles, and powered armor he collected from the convoy.

  That left just one problem. What is he going to do with the prisoners? Doc had plenty of time to decide. He would keep a careful eye on the prisoners to see if any of them were worth recruiting. Doc didn't like slavery, but it was an option. It wouldn't be the first time he sold prisoners for cheap labor. There were very few other options for the survivors. He could space them, maroon them, or maybe they could be convinced to join Antares's military where they could be controlled and watched. Doc had plenty of time to decide. The prisoners weren't going anywhere until he decided what to do with them.

  Captain Roberts used the different star systems as chart points en route to the Antares solar system. There was nothing odd or suspicious about the course he chose. It was a course that most starship captains would use to maximize their profits.

  "Natasha, calculate our next jump coordinates and enter hyperspace as soon as possible," Captain Roberts ordered the AI.

  Temple of the Sun & Moon

 
Time is running short. Elaunae struggled to help Priestess Deidre fill the banquet tables that lined the great hall of her temple with fresh fruit and vegetables for her followers. Usually, her mate, the temple priest, helped with the morning preparations, but he is busy interpreting the dreams of one of their followers. They had to hurry. The first temple worshipers will be arriving in minutes.

  Elaunae is the High Priestess of The Sun and Moon. She has a large following and a large temple. She, her mate, and her assistant made a decent living from the offerings given to the temple. Elaunae knew where her support came from and did her best to give back the wealth to her people. One of the ways she did that was by making sure there was plenty of fresh food to eat for her people.

  Not all of her people came to the temple to worship the sun and the moon gods. Some came and sat through the services for the free meal. Food is available both before and after services. Elaunae knew that not everyone who came to her temple is a believer. It didn't matter. There are enough people who are generous with their offerings so that all who came are free to share the bounty.

  Instead of buying fresh food from the market, Elaunae used the money she got from the temple offerings to purchase land, farming equipment, fertilizer, and seeds. She employed several of the local workers from the local community to farm the temples land, harvest the crops, and preserve what could not be eaten fresh. In the long run, she saved money this way and could afford to feed more people. Employing local workers was also another way that she gave back to the community.

  Su'Gateol led a female worshiper out from a private chamber that is used for experiencing their client's dreams. The visions had to be experienced by the clerics so that they could be interpreted without bias or misinformation from the dreamer. He only stopped long enough to fill a bag with fresh fruit and vegetables for the lady. Then he warned her, "Tell no one of your dream or its meaning." Then he led her to the temple doors.

  Elaunae and Su'Gateol often shared what they learned from their client's dreams. They both had the gift to live the dreams and give accurate interpretations. Elaunae was different though. She was blessed by both the sun and moon gods. She also had the ability to heal. The people all knew that the sun is a star and the moon is a planetary body orbiting their planet. The Iniguar are a technologically advanced race who had a vast empire patrolled by interstellar starships. The sun and moon were still used as symbols to worship a higher order, the gods.

  "Is it the same dream?" Elaunae asked her mate."

  "Yes, this is the third time this week that different followers have brought the same dream to me."

  "What does it mean?"

  "I'm not sure. The dream isn't completely clear, and there are gaps," Su'Gateol answered.

  "What do you mean by gaps?"

  "Pieces of information are missing or are being blocked from my view. I have seen enough to know that someone of great importance will be born this generation. But I can't tell by whom. It is unclear if this person will be a savior or a destroyer. The people must not know of this. If word gets out, panic will spread."

  "Do the dreamers know of this?"

  "They do, but I am not worried about them telling anyone. Our followers are loyal to us. It is the outsiders than concern me. If three people from our congregation have had this dream, surely there are others who have had it too."

  We stopped our conversation. The temple doors opened, and the first of our followers entered. "Please help yourselves to our meager offering," Elaunae said, pointing to the tables laden with food. For some, it is simple fare commonly eaten. For others, it is a banquet. Poor or wealthy didn't matter to Elaunae or her mate. All were welcome to the feast. Meals were self-serve and available on worship days. Currently, that was four days a week, but as the temple's congregation grew, Elaunae had plans to expand that to daily.

  People came into the temple in small groups, couples, and entire families. They helped themselves to the buffet laid out for them. Then they found seating where they could eat and socialize with their friends. It wasn't long before the temple was filled. It was still an hour and a half before the services would begin.

  Some of the people left donations in the temples offering bowl, most didn't. More contributions would be given after the worship, and the prayers of thanks are given to the gods. Even more coins would find their way to the offering bowl after the second meal.

  Whatever donations are given would be enough to keep the temple operating. It always was. Besides, some of the wealthy followers gave donations privately, so that Elaunae could afford to feed the people and to buy the medicines necessary for healing the sick and wounded.

  17 people came to Elaunae and her mate to have their dreams interpreted. They all had the same vision. This time Elaunae experienced the dreams herself. She is better gifted than her bond mate and is able to see more. His interpretation the prophecy is correct, but Elaunae's stronger gift helped her to fill in some of the gaps.

  The prophecy concerned a descendant from the house of Elaunae, her house. It didn't involve the dwelling she lived in. It was centered around her family. One of her relatives, most likely a distant relative that she didn't even know existed, will give birth to a child who is destined to become either a great leader and bring peace to her people, or he, or she will be the harbinger of the next great war. A war that is destined to destroy her people.

  For generations, the Iniguar lived in peace alongside the Human Commonwealth, the Keshian Empire, and the Vorg. There are signs that the Alliance, another human empire, are building their space fleets in preparation for war. They would have to be watched carefully and if they started another expansion of their territory; they would have to be stopped.

  Elaunae's bond mate, Su'Gateol, stopped cleaning to answer his comm. He walked away from the banquet table leaving Elaunae and Deidre cleaning the serving platters so that he could speak privately. He didn't talk to whoever called him. He only listened to what was told to him, and then he ended the call.

  Su'Gateol picked up the offering bowl and emptied the contents into a sack, and then he handed the bag to Elaunae. "Hurry, we must go now!" He took his mate by the hand and led her out the back entrance of the temple. "Deidre will be safe, but we must flee."

  Elaunae tried to be careful crossing the field where the crops that she fed her followers were growing. Su'Gateol wouldn't allow her to slow her pace. He trampled on whatever is in their way in his haste to flee. Her mate stopped at the edge of the woods and looked back at the temple.

  People with torches surrounded the temple. The temple and her parish house are aflame. Undoubtedly, some of the people who torched the buildings are members of her congregation. Why would they do this? Deidre, Su'Gateol, and Elaunae worked hard to ensure that the people of the community were fed and cared for. Her people loved her. What would cause them to do such a thing?

  Su'Gateol seemed to know what his mate is thinking and answered, "Fear is a powerful motivator. They do not fear us. They fear what we may bring." Her mate answered his comm again. He listened for a minute then ended the comm. "You must hurry to the spaceport. A transport ship is there waiting to take us to safety. I will join you there."

  Su'Gateol headed west following the edge of the woods, taking time to break branches, and stomp on plants leaving a false trail away from Elaunae. Elaunae could see trackers following the trail that they left when they fled the temple. She and her mate only had a few minutes head start. Elaunae headed into the woods, going north towards the spaceport. She used care not to disturb the plants or branches, concealing her path as best as she could. Elaunae gave a short prayer to the sun and moon gods, praying for protection for her mate. He is in danger for leading the trackers away from her. Hopefully, they won't harm him. He is only related to her house, by their bond. The prophecy
doesn't concern him.

  The deeper Elaunae made her way into the forest, the denser the woods and shrubs became. The foliage completely blocked her view of the stars making navigation difficult. It is too dark to look for other signs, like moss, to make sure that she is heading in the right direction. It is an hour past moonrise and sunset. She couldn't see the moon, but there was enough of a glow from the moon getting through the dense leaves over her left shoulder to tell that she is going in the right direction.

  Not all of her pursuers followed the trail left by Su'Gateol. She could hear them following her in the distance. If she continues north, they will figure out that she was heading to the spaceport and cut her off. Elaunae changed direction putting the moon at her back. She used less care at concealing her path as she made her way towards the swamp.

  Elaunae could lose her pursuers there. She knew the bogland. Her mother and her grandmother trained her there for the Uunoct. The women of her planet outnumbered the men by four to one. Mates are hard to come by and often had to be fought for in ritual combat. The fights are rarely fought between two women seeking the same mate. More often it was a triad with three women fighting or a full circle with four women combating each other for the right to choose a mate. The winner is awarded the first choice for a mate, with the runner or runners-up being given the second or third choice. The loser is denied the right to mate and has to find another way to serve the Iniguar men. That usually meant serving the men in one of the many pleasure houses available in the larger cities.

  Wisps of fog are the first sign that Elaunae is nearing the swamp. The trees thinned out and are replaced by tall grass with blades as sharp as razors. Elaunae had to be careful. She isn't wearing the armored breastplates, bracers, or long skirts traditionally worn by the Iniguar. Other clothing is worn in the city; the armor isn't needed except when competing in a Uunoct. Elaunae's family came from the woods and bogland. She was the first of her family to live in or near a city.