The Federation Starfleet has entered a new age, dominated by the Excelsior class battlecruisers. There is an uncertain peace with the Klingon Empire, and the Romulans have remained quiet despite the scandal of Ambassador Nanclus' betrayal four years earlier. Trade continues to flourish, but there have been reports of piracy...by Starfleet vessels. Starfleet, of course, denies any involvement with pirate groups. Reports of the Orion frigate Sortrex raiding cargo freighters and luxury liners have been frequent over the last decade...and a new breed of pirate has started to rise under the rule of a certain Emperor...
The Surak-class courier ship approached the massive city-station, here in the Korolev system on the Imperial Fringe. The three fighters accompanying the ship broke off and landed somewhere in one of the buildings, while the courier approached the top of the Imperial Spire, the tallest building in the city....it paused for a moment before it broke away from the city and screamed away at warp....
At the top level of the Imperial Spire, a dark-cloaked figure walked into an ornate throne room. His black cloak was brilliantly patterned with red and gold, and it seemed to flow as he moved. As he entered the throne room, the figure sitting in it stood. "My friend," he said in a low, raspy voice. "She comes?"
The figure threw back his hood to reveal a tanned face with brown-gray hair. "She does indeed, my Emperor," he replied. "I gave her an offer she could not refuse..."
Emperor Kiran Joshmaul I smiled archly. "Well done, Joshua, very well done. I am pleased with your progress. I will return to the capital. You may handle our visitor." He grinned. "Perhaps we can sway the entire Syndicate one day, so not only her, but her comrades in piracy will be fearful of the wrath of the Empire!" The Emperor raised a communicator to his mouth and spoke. "Bring me aboard." With that, the Emperor beamed out of the throne room, leaving his Chancellor, Admiral Joshua Underwood, alone in the throne room. As the Chancellor seated himself, he waited....
"We're enterin' the Korolev system, Cap'n."
"Drop us outta warp." Captain D'Lan Markuda took a good look at what to expect....a planet, a pinkish nebula....but no station. "Bring us closer to that planet!" she shouted at the man at the helm console. "Be a shame to come all the way out here for nothin'..."
The Orion frigate Sortrex made a brief warp jump towards the planet. "Cap'n, I'm pickin' up a signal!" shouted the pirate at the science console. "It's that Rey....Reyod....how do you say it?"
"REYDOVAN, you twit," Markuda snapped. "Is it the station?"
"Yah, and what a big one it is, too, Cap'n!"
"Well? Let's see it, then!"
Even the captain was amazed at what she saw. "Whoa...maybe we'll get some big money from whoever's runnin' the joint," she said. "We're bein' hailed, Skipper," reported the comm officer. "Well, let's hear it, then!" she shouted. "Unidentified Orion vessel, this is Korolev Base Control. Please identify yourself and state your business." The captain snickered. "Yeah, this is the frigate Sortrex, and we're here at the invitation of your Chancellor....Underwood, I think his name was."
"Standby, Sortrex," replied the controller. He muted the channel to the Orion frigate to turn to his supervisor. "Sir, this Orion frigate captain is claiming to be here at the behest of Chancellor Under..." But he noticed it was not his supervisor, but Underwood's right-hand man, Admiral Padraig Norris. "Admiral Norris, I did not hear you come in," the controller sputtered. "I--"
Norris raised a hand. "Put me through to them." The controller complied as the admiral placed an earpiece in his ear. "Frigate Sortrex, this is Deputy Chancellor Norris. Please place your ship at these coordinates..." He proceeds to input a set of coordinates. "...and wait for the signal to beam over."
"Yeah, gotcha," Captain Markuda said. Then she turned to the man at the helm. "Well, go to where they said!" The helmsman complied and brought the ship up to an angle until it was level with the tallest building.
"All stop!" The frigate slowed, then stopped completely, only about a ship-length from the building. "Commander, Sortrex, this is Base Control," came the voice of the controller. "You are cleared to beam over to the coordinates specified.....but just you. Base Control, out."
Markuda stood and walked out of the bridge towards the transporter room...
The pirate captain nodded. "OK, that takes care of introductions. So whadaya want? I could be raidin' more ships and makin' more money than sitting in some throne room."
Underwood laughed. "Brief and to the point! I like your style, Captain....very well then. We have a job for you..."
Markuda smiled, now all business. "Well, now, that changes things here. What sorta job?"
"Something you specialize at: raiding cargo ships and luxury liners. But there's a catch to it..." Underwood activated a large monitor in the throne room, showing the technical layouts of ships Markuda knew well: Federation Clydesdale and Super Clydesdale class freighters, along with various other freighters and a luxury liner. "You see, Captain, these ships have somehow been refitted with powerful weaponry. Our intelligence has theorized that these ships are carrying extremely valuable cargo. We want you to raid these ships and bring their cargo to us. If you can bring us the ships, even better."
"Interestin' job. What's in it for me?"
"For the cargo of a single ship......one hundred thousand credits."
Markuda laughed. "Just for the cargo? Hell, I can bring in the whole damn ship, lock, stock and barrel! In fact, I'll do even better for ya. I WILL bring the whole damn ship in! And in one piece!"
"Unmolested?"
"I didn't say I wouldn't bang 'em around a bit...." The captain grinned.
Underwood chuckled. "Fair enough. If you bring in the ship itself, with the cargo intact, two hundred thousand. Two hundred fifty if you bring in the crew. Intact. And I didn't say you couldn't.....bang 'em around a bit. In fact, I highly recommend it - these Fed types are arrogant little bastards who need to be smacked around." The Chancellor grinned. "What do you say?"
"The pay is good, the risks are pretty big....hell, why not? You got yourself a deal. Well, time's a-wastin'," she said, eager to get on with it. "Indeed so," Underwood agreed. "You may return to your vessel. But remember, Captain D'Lan Markuda....if you get yourself captured, there's nothing we can do for you."
"Don't worry 'bout it. I can take care of myself, thank you," she said smugly as she was beamed out of the throne room.
Chancellor Joshua Underwood merely smiled. "We will see, pirate captain....we will see."
