|
"Pirates of the Cassiopeian"Written By: Asymphototropic Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam wing. Author: Asymphototropic (attracted toward the
light, but never quite arrives there) Summary: The officers of starship 'Coruscate Cepheus'
kidnap an astral pilot from a pirates' crew. The new navigator proves
to be quite a handful. Can he be tamed? Warnings: language, violence, yaoi, bondage Pairings: 2 x Everyone in the galaxy, maybe?
" Pirates of the Cassiopeian"
Part 1. "The cure seems worse than the affliction." "We are an interstellar ship, ground bound for
want of a navigator. No possible cure is worse than this affliction." "Too true. Still, your proposal is fraught with
difficulties." "I don't see that we have a choice in this matter." The Captain of the interstellar ship "Coruscate
Cepheus" rubbed his brow in perplexity. He was an officer and
a gentleman. His rig was everything to him. Life and love, mistress
and home. But treasuring this one gleaming possession meant keeping
his crew from harm. Treize Khushrenada was a younger son of the Emperor
of Cepheus. As such, he was wealthy and privileged. None of which
was particularly useful for practical matters of survival in deep
space. His ship dwelt well beyond the stars that marked the
boundaries of the Cephean Empire. Simply, this was because the vastly
violent constellation of Cassiopeia was where the most lucrative flying
occurred. A mega light-years expanse, rife with weird backward planets,
ever-shifting spatial anomalies, and vicious pirates, it was a very
dangerous place to travel. Impossible without a navigator for his ship. The navigator of the interstellar ship "Coruscate
Cepheus" had just died. Asleep in his berth, the fellow had succumbed
to the infirmities of old age. This was a fact that spoke well of
Khushrenada's command, but didn't do much for his ship's future prospects. Khushrenada eyed his second. Zechs Merquise was the bastard son of the supreme ruler
of Cygnus. He represented a far more ancient civilization than the
Empire Cepheus, even more powerful and wealthy, but also more decadent.
Merquise's was a deliciously wicked soul, the absolute embodiment
of the Cygnean ruler class. Fortunately for the Captain, Merquise had a fevered
passion for Khushrenada's handsome person, which resulted in an intense
devotion to his welfare. Otherwise, Zechs would be an impossibly dangerous
ally. "Let's have the boys in for a talk. If I can't
persuade them this is a good idea, I'll reconsider," Merquise
languidly smiled, allowing his perfect physique to lounge back suggestively
in his chair. Khushrenada was far too elegant to stare at Zechs' crotch
and lick his lips at the view. Otherwise he would have done both.
However he allowed himself these indulgences in his mind's eye, and
smirked accordingly. "Include Sawbones as well," the Captain
commanded. He knew Merquise had "the boys" eating from the
palm of his hand. But the crusty old ship's doctor was nobody's fool,
and would speak his mind openly and quite caustically. A short while later, the briefing commenced. Khushrenada
eyed his third officers. They formed quite a scenic view. Heero Yuy, son of the supreme General commanding all
Cygnean military might, was trained in his infancy to fight, almost
before he had learned to walk. Slight but muscular. Ice cold blue
eyes, glinting strategic assessment with every look. The soft curve
of his lips held derisiveness when it formed a smile. Trowa Barton was of no planetary origins whatsoever.
Born onboard a ship to the strange gypsylike Sweepers, the ultimate
flying powers of the galaxy, his wiry form had been shaped by his
life spent at zero g. His silky silence mimicked the vacuum of space
and hid a similar lethality. Quatre Winner was tribal heir to the fabulously wealthy
Sandestiny System. His exotic, courtly manners masked a survivor's
instinct. The first assassination attempt on his life had been at
age five. He had slain his attacker with a pen knife strategically
placed between ribs, which tore a nasty gash in his would-be killer's
heart. An elder sister as regent currently occupied his ruling post
while he was away from home. Serving on Khushrenada's ship was a healthy
and delightful vacation for him from lethal politics. Wufei Chang was the seventh son of the Khan of Kherekein.
Polished to gemstone perfection, educated and skilled in every art
and science including combat and weaponry, he was the lithe repository
of his people's luck. Between training and good fortune, he was a
formidable opponent in battle. They were four beautiful, highborn, willful young men,
all agreeably under Khushrenada's command. Faithful to their Captain
both by nature and inclination, still, they nearly worshipped Merquise.
Treize wondered what would happen if they had ever, Gods forbid, to
choose allegiance between their first and second officers. Sawbones entered the conference chamber after the rest
were already seated. The crusty old man was the oldest and longest
serving member of the ship Coruscate Cepheus, crew and officers alike.
He could recall the commands of three prior captains, all of whom
had died in battle. His origins represented a secret even to Khushrenada.
The man's face was distinguished by that rare feature, a perfectly
formed Greek nose. The cruelly scarred jawline and one glittering
prosthetic eye held adventurous tales that the doctor would divulge
when he had taken a sufficiency of brandy. But only to a point did
he reveal his secrets. Sawbones settled his lanky frame into a well padded
chair, sighing when the ease overtook his elderly joints. "We
seem to be lacking a navigator," he commented with a wry grin. The Captain raised an eyebrow. The ship's surgeon and
the navigator had been comrades for many decades. Yet, instead of
mourning, the old doctor's attitude seemed to say "better him
than me." But then, that was the nature of humanity, Treize supposed.
Life went on wherever death left them alone. "Commander Merquise has a suggestion," Khushrenada
indicated his second with a nod. "Its simple," Zechs leered. "Put our
ship into the heart of no-man's space. Pretend to be helplessly adrift
in the wilderness. Wait for the inevitable pirates' attack. Meanwhile
study every probable predator's ship in the vicinity. Have a plan
of counterattack already in place. Be prepared to incapacitate whomever
takes the bait. Board ship and kidnap their navigator." The stunned silence that greeted this proposal was fairly
thick. Lasers couldn't cut it. "Replies?" the Captain invited. Meanwhile Merquise's scornful eyes seemed to challenge
their collective courage and manhood. "Considering the potential gain, an acceptable
risk," Yuy leaped first into the void. "I like it," Barton added, a certain restless
trembling of his long fingers betraying his excitement. "With sufficient strategic planning, it should
work for us," Chang agreed, his black eyes glinting like sparked
flints. "Legal ramifications?" Winner asked. Khushrenada smiled. Sandestiny's heir had already progressed
to the "do it and then what?" stage of planning. Merquise replied. "If we are responding to a genuine
attack, our self defense will easily stand any inspection in either
a Cygnean or Cephean court of law." "Agreed," Quatre nodded thoughtfully. Politics
and interstellar legislation were specialties of his, both by virtue
of training and interest. "Cassiopeian legal precedents are rather
more fragmentary and chaotic. However, with proper research, our actions
likely will bear close scrutiny." "Government scrutiny, yes," Sawbones smiled
sardonically. "But have you considered the pirates?" "Why would that be a problem?" Khushrenada
frowned. Instead of answering, the physician stared pointedly
at Merquise. A rare flush painted Zechs' perfect cameo features.
"They do have their own form of tribunal judgment," he explained.
"If our actions were deemed piratical in nature, we might have
to answer a challenge from the collective as if we were one of theirs." "Why don't we cross that wormhole if and when we
come to it?" Merquise shrugged, rustling silky platinum locks
upon his powerful shoulders. "There is another consideration. I shall have to
be part of the boarding party," Sawbones declared, chuckling
at the thought. "Why is that?" The Captain's dark scowl deepened,
imagining the elderly physician in the midst of a bloody battle. "Navigators are worth their ships' weight in gems
and precious metals. They are scarce throughout the Milky Way. And
with trade livening to the very outer edge of Cassiopeia, interstellar
navigators are becoming a rarer commodity by the day. Many a pirate's
ship preparing for battle will put an irreplaceable individual like
their navigator into stasis. Unless you think you can force their
medical practitioner to cooperate in the middle of a fire fight, you
will need my expertise to remove the navigator from their stasis chamber,
or risk killing your kidnap victim on the spot. Defeating the whole
point of the raid." Treize turned to Zechs. "Is this wild haired scheme
worth risking our ship's doctor?" Merquise refrained from stating that a healthy navigator
was worth a hundred physicians in terms of availability. Instead he
gambled. Turning to Sawbones he grinned. "Would you be willing
to participate in said raid?" "Oh ho! I wouldn't miss it for the whole galaxy,"
the old man replied, smirking back.
|
