The Price of Infamy Pt. 01

Old Maison's counter was so fast that the captain registered it only when he was already lying on the floor, the point of his tutor's rapier touching his chest. "And you're done for, Young Master," the butler said, slapping the switch of his force-field, turning it off.

"What the hell?! Had this been a real fight you would only be good to serve as a sieve for Miss Sweetwater to prepare her herbal teas! Why the hell didn't it register a point for me?"

"I warned you beforehand that killing your opponent is not the only way to win a fight, Young Master." Old Maison helped Fatima up and collected his rapier. "Sometimes it's more useful to capture your foe alive than to make Swiss cheese of him."

"Yeah, and when some brute is waving a weapon at my face I should ponder whether to capture him alive or just kill him. You're getting senile, you old fart!" Fatima was clearly annoyed. He was rarely able to score a point against his instructor and each subsequent defeat was coming to him as a personal insult. Especially so, since Old Maison was more than thrice his age.

"Your pardon, Young Master, but members of the nobility should not be found using such offensive vocabulary," the old butler scolded the captain. "I am always telling you to fight with your head fist and your weapon second." He rubbed the spot where Fatima's forehead had met with his own. "Although it seems you are ever eager to twist my teachings. Your hot-headed nature isn't helping you at all, Young Master. I have said it many times and I will say this again: keep your cool." He allowed himself one of his rare smiles. "You have the strength and the dexterity and the technique but you lack patience. If you ever find yourself pitted against a weaker but more experienced warrior, I cannot guarantee your survival."

"Now you're starting to speak like my father," Fatima grumbled but his anger was passing.

"I am? Oh my, I'm terribly sorry, I didn't mean topatronize, Young Master. Come now, I think we both earned a cup of Miss Sweetwater's herbal tea. And do put your shirt back on, we wouldn't like her to faint."

"You do that too, you old coot, or one of my girls will take a liking to you and you may find yourself with more than you can handle," Fatima laughed loudly, his voice echoing in the big training room.

"Young Master!" Old Maison exclaimed, blushing. "It's ungentlemanly to speak of such things!"

"You're no fun at all, Old Maison."

*

A shadow crept along the walls ofThe Sneezing Kraken, peering into rooms worth exploring and shifting through the dimly lit corridors. The ship was fairly quiet, everyone preparing for their time on base and Kyla was glad for it. So far, her exploration about the ship had been uneventful. Still, she was determined and that determination paid off a little as she came across Fatima and an older gentleman sparing.

Twisting her body, Kyla made sure the halls were clear before creeping closer to watch the action through the glass doors. Carefully positioning herself away from the lights of the room, Kyla found herself studying both men as they parried back and forth. The older man was good. She was impressed by his agile moves and cool demeanor, suddenly itching to jump into the action. It reminded her of Danny and their time in training rooms together. She always beat him solidly, but he would laugh and get back up until they were both breathless, sore and aching to dip their bodies into the hot springs to sooth away the pain.

Kyla smiled fondly at the thought and unconsciously pressed a hand into the cool glass as she watched Fatima take on his opponent. His chest was bare, glistening with sweat as he moved his great body with surprising ease and agility. Unlike the older man, who was lean and fit, Fatima was cut, with noticeable muscle mass spread evenly throughout his arms, his tight abs and hard chest. Without realizing it, Kyla studied the way his muscles bunched and relaxed under the strain of his training. She slid her eyes over his board shoulders, enjoying the way his body moved so fluidly. As fit as Fatima apparently was, she could tell that the old man was wearing him down.

His rich laughter snapped her out of her dream state with a start. Kyla felt strangely lightheaded as she took in a trembling breath and scooted away, pressing her suddenly hot body against the cool wall. What was wrong with her?! Getting all hot and bothered over the oaf she swore would never ever lay a hand on her body.

Reaching up, her fingers toyed with the device behind her neck and rubbed her tense muscles. It had to be the strain, that had to be it.

A loud thud made her glance back inside and grin as Fatima lay at the mercy of his teacher. With a soft snicker, she turned and made her way to the bridge. Perhaps, if her lucky stars were shinning, she would be able to find out of some valuable information.

*

The servants' lounge was filled with hushed conversations. The ship's staff was slowly getting ready to disembark and with it came various preparations. Men and women were checking their regular clothes as there was no strict dress code in the pirates' headquarters and everyone was allowed to dress as they pleased, providing they also wore special emblems that stated their post. That's why the base was so different from the orderlyKraken, it was a mix of species, genders, colors and shapes. It was almost like a small city and newcomers were bound to get lost and find trouble if they stumbled into the wrong part at the wrong time. There was no way to enforce laws as strict as on ships and at times it proved somewhat difficult to root out the troublemakers. To the side several of the captain's girls were doing a small fashion show, trying various garments on, hoping to decide what to wear soon. As usual it was taking forever.

Fatima cradled a steaming mug of fragrant tea in his hands, warming them to the point of burning, trying to see how much pain he could withstand. He was lost in thought as he tried to gauge what he had been doing wrong in his trainings. Under Old Maison's watchful eye his brawling abilities had developed intoskillfulpugilism that, coupled with his strength and big frame, made him an opponent to be feared. His fencing skills, however, were a different cup of tea. His progress had been slow and the light rapier didn't suit him, he would have preferred something heavier and more damaging but his tutor would always say that claymore swords and axes are no weapons for a gentleman. And so Fatima was stuck with rapiers and foils to choose from. Not much of a choice. He was a good shooter, though, and was not overwhelmed by multiple moving targets at the shooting range. Ambidextrous by nature, Fatima was even capable of using two pistols at once although with just one good eye he had trouble laying fire to his left side and had to remedy that by more moves. Overall, Old Maison was satisfied with that part of his training.

Out of the corner of his right eye Fatima watched his tutor sip his tea in silence. There was no sign of exertion on him and when they left the showers and dressed it seemed like Old Maison hadn't even broken a sweat during their sparring, he was immediately back to his usual, phlegmatic self. Taking a long sip from his cup, Fatima envied the older man's peace of mind and composure. It was true that the captain was rash and hot-headed; that was his usual demeanor. Now, however, he was starting to notice the advantages of keeping one's wits about oneself. He doubted he would ever be capable of being as stoic and impassive as Old Maison. He was his father's son after all, and the one thing Roni Fatima had been known in his own youth for was recklessness and an adventurous spirit. He had calmed down when he became king of Eridania. It was known from his birth that B. Fatima would follow in his father's footsteps.

As he gulped down the final contents of his cup, his communicator broadcasted some static and the voice of his first mate said, "Captain, we're almost at the base."

Picking up the small device from his breast pocket, Fatima spoke, "Carry on with the docking procedure."

"We cannot, captain, something is not right."

"What do you meannot right?"

"I shouldn't be talking over the comm, captain. You had best come to the bridge and see for yourself."

"Very well, I'll be there in a moment." Feeling a small pang of anxiety stab him in the stomach, Fatima got up from his stool and made for the exit from the lounge, wondering what could have happened. The first mate sounded distressed if not scared.What could have happened at the base to have made him so?

*

The bridge was easiest to find by following officers that were heading all in the same direction. What was odd was the amount of men heading there, each chatting in low voices as if they were too afraid of being overheard. Straining to hear the conversations, Kyla caught bits and pieces. Their hails were not being answered by the base to confirm docking. All was quiet and unusually so. Kyla had seen this sort of situation many times in the past, and it usually lead to a sneak attack of sorts. A fairly clever, but old maneuver that left unsuspecting ships as floating debris.

Oh how she wished she still had her bag of tricks. There was only so much her chameleon device could do to keep her hidden. In this instance remaining in the shadows was her best bet, but now she was running out of options. Should she boldly walk on deck and check out the situation herself, damn the consequences... or go back to her quarters? Evidently there was no sign of Roni, and not one peep from anyone suggesting anything different.

Perched in the open doorway of the bridge, Kyla peered inside, leaning forward a bit to check out the interior. The Sneezing Kraken was definitely a ship to be wanted and fought over. She had to give the former captain respect for that much, even if she did loath his guts and would ultimately love to hear him scream in agony as she cut him into little morsels to be fed by some hungry hunting dogs. The thought actually made her smile a little before a great push sent her flying head on into the great room.

"What the...?" She heard Fatima begin as she moved to get back on her feet.

The room was suddenly silent as all eyes viewed the multicolored figure before them that was blending into the backgrounds.

"Chameleon!" One gruff voice shouted and a tall figure stood, drawing a gun.

"Seize it!!" Another called out and a mixture of men began to advance. Kyla took on a defensive stance, moving swiftly as the men tried to make a grab at her. One hard punch bloodied a fat man's nose, making him yell and curse as the others growled and made a run to tackle her.

With a soft grunt, Kyla forced her punches to hit the men's lower bellies, dodging their running attempts with knees to the gut and swift kicks to trip them up.

"For the love of God!! Catch the nuisance and be done with it!" Fatima bellowed, finding the whole situation ridiculous. "Must I do everything myself!?"

Long strides brought him up to Kyla in no time at all. She cried out in rage as he firmly pushed her back. No punches, no grabs, nothing could have prepared her for such a simple move. A simple move that sent her straight into tight, unrelenting arms that wrapped around her body, leaving her immobile.

The man behind her was tall and slender, but seemed to posses unbelievable strength. Her struggles immediately ended when she heard his voice.

"Okay now...it's over. Stop struggling or I'll have to put you out." He said, his voice somewhat amused and yet irritated at the same time.

Kyla gasped and strained to look up at her captor. As she did so, the captain's hands worked over her body to try and find the device making her so hard to identify.

"Danny?" she whispered urgently, her mind and heart racing with the sheer thought that her brother could be alive! "Please...Danny...is it you?"

Fatima's hands stilled and tightened on her waste instantly. "Drop." He commanded and instantly the man's arms let go. Fatima pulled Kyla against his body, twisting her around to face the man who had just held her. "You know this man?"

Kyla looked up and gasped in shock. Her brother! Her sweet brother was there, standing before her and yet he was so different. Gone was the reckless long hair, replaced by a short cut. His eyes were sharper and bluer than she remembered, but the biggest different was prosthetic robotic arm that started at his shoulder and covered near half his body. "My god...Danny."

His eyes narrowed as she gazed at the thing that was changing right before his gaze. "Who are you?"

Hysterical laughter burst past her lips as she sagged against Fatima. "It's Kyla...your sister."

Shock and disbelief filtered through his eyes. "Let go...let me go so I can show him!" Kyla suddenly pled, struggling against Fatima who was reluctant to let go. Instead his arms cinched under her arms, freeing them for use. Reaching up and under her hair, Kyla turned off her device completely. Gone was her tan and dark hair and eyes and the multicolored being that stood before him before. Danny studied her with wide eyes. Their blond hair matched and so did the eyes. Her face, which held a surprisingly innocent quality, with soft lips and finely shaped brows filled his head. "Kyla banana!" She laughed and reached for him, only to find herself crushed between brother and captain as Danny slid down to bear hug his sister.

*

Fatima reluctantly pulled away from the hugging siblings. Kyla's body, though small, was firm and strong and very nice to the touch. He grinned inwardly, anxiously awaiting the moment he would have her in his bed, naked. He turned a scanned the bridge. All around he saw his men in various states of mutilation. Bloody noses, bleeding lips, ringing heads; some were gasping, trying to regain their breath and some clutched their groins, fighting the nausea. The captain shook his head. "Are you sure you're fearsome pirates and not a bunch of sissies?" he said. "Look at yourself! Grownup men beaten senseless up by one small chit. Maybe I should start paying your pensions and enlist my girls as the crew, eh? You should be ashamed of yourselves! Geez!" He was on the verge of spitting but held himself in check because it was the bridge and he was the captain. Fatima turned to look at Kyla and Danny who were now looking at each other as if they were trying to gauge what had changed in them during the time they were apart. "You're a dangerous one, Banana..." he said to the girl.

"Don't call me that!" she glowered at him in response. "My name is Kyla!"

"If I say you're Banana, then you're Banana. Be thankful I don't have you thrown out an airlock for attacking my men. You, laddie," he looked at Danny who seemed only a bit younger than Fatima himself but there was still something boyish in his eyes. "You're responsible for her from now on. She misbehaves and you both end up in a brig."

"Hey, you cannot...!" Kyla started but Danny only squeezed her hand, interrupting her.

"Aye aye, captain," Danny saluted with his mechanic arm.

"Good," B. Fatima regarded the bridge once again. "So what's the big deal, why was I called here."

"The base isn't responding to our hails, captain," said the first mate, who's name was so very hard to remember. "All communication is met with complete silence. It's like the whole base is dead. Even the hull lights are off."

Only now did Fatima notice the huge shape of their base outside the view ports. It was a humongous hulk of metal sticking out from an even bigger asteroid. Only about a third of the base proper was visible, with the rest hidden deep within the rock. It took more than ten years to establish, but now it was an impregnable fortress. It was surrounded by a dozen automated weapon platforms which attacked everything that failed an IFF check. More than twenty fighter wings were ready to be scrambled in case of an attack. Apart from typical laser turrets, the base was also protected by the latest model of stream cannons, capable of piercing the armor of the Behemoth-class star destroyers. Anyone who tried storming it would find his teeth slowly ripped one by one. But now it indeed looked dead, and Fatima felt a pang of concern.

"Have you tried light signals?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, captain."

"Laser communication?"

"Yes, captain, no response either."

"Signal flares?"

"We're fresh out."

"What do you mean, we're fresh out? We hit a factory of signal flares two weeks ago!"

"Well, yes, we did." The first mate flushed in embarrassment. "But there was a mistake in goods delivery and we sold them for a transport of 'Alien species encyclopedia.'"

"So now we're stuck with books?! What do you suggest? Should we perhaps make a kite and fly it outside?!" Fatima roared.

"I'm sorry captain. It was a mistake..."

"Please, spare me the excuses! Right now I'm concerned about the base. Have you scanned it yet?"

"No, captain, not yet."

"So what are you waiting for? Drop the shields and proceed with a thorough scan. I want to know what happened and if there are any people inside who are still alive!"

"Aye aye, sir!"

The bridge exploded in a bustle of hurried activities. Soon the shield around theKraken dispersed and blue rays of a long range scanner shot towards the base, licking it up and down, getting the required information. It was a slow process, and with each passing minute Fatima was shifting from anger to anxiety to mild annoyance. Finally, after ten minutes spent in complete silence, he said through clenched teeth, "Well?"

"It seems there was a major malfunction in the primary and secondary power grid, captain. Most sections are without electricity and life support. Apart from the weapon platforms all weapons are without power."

"What about the people inside? Any survivors?" Fatima asked, feeling goose bumps of fear forming on his skin.

"It seems the third section has managed to retain life support but there are far too many people there for it to sustain them for an extended period of time."

Fatima wasted no time on idle banter and analysis of the situation. With long strides he moved towards the exit and spoke as he walked. "Form boarding parties and assemble at the shuttles. Make sure the captives are locked in while we're gone." He stopped at the door and turned. "Banana, you're coming with me."

"It's Kyla, dammit!"

*

Kyla didn't want to leave Danny; she was still in shock and excited to have found him under such odd circumstances. Her baby brother was alive and well enough. She had so much to ask him, so many answers she wanted after all the time she had spent hating Roni and all that pirates stood for. Now her emotions were a jumbled mess and the captain had lost his mind if he thought she was going to allow him to keep calling her banana.

She watched as he turned to walk away, dismissing her curse and leaving her behind. He clearly thought she was to follow.

"Go, Kyla...I'll be fine. We'll catch up soon." Danny said from behind, nudging her forward with his 'good' hand.

Turning slightly she smiled softly, her heart not aching as it used to, but still struggling with the anger and loss she had felt in the past. Blast the captain and his arrogance! With a sigh, she nodded and followed up behind the brute, quickening her steps to catch up.

Alone in the turbo lift, Kyla crossed her arms and ignored the captain's gaze. "I believe you owe me an explanation," he said smoothly.

She cocked a golden brown and turned slightly, "I don't believe I do."

His chuckle was deep, but held a hint of something else. A threat perhaps? "Oh...I believe you do...I don't take too kindly to spies, Miss Banana."