The Bad Wolf

In 2070, alien ruins were discovered on Mars containing artifacts that aided the advancement of human technology and the creation of the FTL drive enabling intergalactic space travel. Countries across the globe scrambled to build fleets of ships in order to colonize the stars. Many wars ensued to lay claim to planets and moons. Soon the entirety of human civilization was brought under the control of The Corporation, a company so large and wealthy that it surpassed governments. Their profits came from weapons, medical research, and special farming equipment.

The year is now 2548 and the human race has colonized three galaxies. The Corporation has set up shipping lanes for their Titan class freighters, huge ships that carry supplies between worlds. But something lurks within the darkness surrounding these lanes, pirates. Men and women who roam the "Black" stealing from these behemoths for the simple joy and infamy. The most feared and well known of these pirates are the captain and crew of the Bad Wolf.....

Drake stood on the bridge of his ship gazing at the majesty of the nebula before him. In all his long years in this verse, he had never felt more at home than he did in space. His hand ran across the navigation console absent-mindedly while remembering the first time he saw this nebula years before. He turned away took a seat at the flight controls. He punched in the coordinates for the Kasterborous galaxy and activated the FTL drive, it would take a few hours to arrive. He got up and wandered off to the mess hall, "I hope we still got ramen, and where the smeg is Tati?"

Aleyia paced the bridge back and forth, hands folded at her chest, eyes on the metallic door in front of her. Their last 'job' had been a bit shaky and she was, needless to say, a bit on edge. She'd settle down once they passed the forth or fifth planet. The asteroid belt would throw them off their trail.

Aleyia leaped over the rail and landed on the floor below with a loud crash as her soles of her feet met the metal. "Any news Captain?" She asked quizzically of Drake as she passed him entering the mess hall. She grabbed a tube of some sort from the shelf and sat down in the chair, kicking her boots up to rest on the table. She popped the cap on the white tub off and squirted some sort of green liquid into her mouth. "I always get peas.." she complained, a small 'yuk' sound coming from her lips. "I can not wait to make port."

Whistling softly as I stroll through the corridors of the Wolf, my eyes moving over the interior of the ship. I was very happy to be back aboard after an absence to the Realm. Heading towards the infirmary, I pause in the doorway, taking in the absolute mess. Sighing softly, I enter the room and begin to set it to rights.

"Wolf, inform Drake I am in medical."

Drake clutched at his heart and stumbled at the combination of the ship's computer saying "Captain" and the loud crash of the girl landing beside him. "Hell's bells, cant you land more quietly, or better yet take the stairs? And thank you Wolf, I'll be in the mess if needed. Now where is the gorram ramen?" He walked over to the cupboard and rummaged around for a bit until he found the prize, "Success!"

A mixture of swallows and failed attempts to speak came forth from her lips. She soon gave up and waited until she had finished her food. She stood up, straightening out her jacket "Why use the stairs? This way is faster, old man." she pointed then to her work boots, the tan leather hidden away under a low cut pair of jeans "And besides, how can I be quiet with these on? And no. There's no chance of me working on this ship without these babies on."

she then took a seat on the edge of the table, looking up towards the ceiling. Why did people always look to the ceiling when speaking to a computer? "Wolf. Are we there yet?" she complained once more, anxious to be off the ship and into town. Shopping. What more could a 19 year old girl want?

Singing softly as I move about medical, putting away equipment and taking inventory of what might be needed when the Wolf next made port, I shake my head.

"What did you people ever do without me...." I grumble.

Spying the regen, I go over to it and give it a quick once over, making sure all is right with it. Not all the crew could heal themselves so this piece of machinery was a very important part of the ship. Feeling my stomach growl, I leave medical and head to the mess hall...hoping Drake remembered that ramen was NOT on my menu.

Drake walked over to the little stove and started cooking his meal. "Try not jumping around every where and you'll be plenty quiet. Also, it will be another 3 hours before we reach our destination. Now where did I put the tobasco and red pepper flake?" He searched the cabinets while the water came to a boil.

"3 HOURS?!" she yelled, pretty sure she had heard her voice echo down the corridors of the ship. She scooted off of the table and stomped over to Drake, standing inches from his neck, seeing as how that was the only thing she could see considering her height. She lifted her face to look him in the eyes... well from her upward angle at least.

"What do you have this ship running on? Hope and dreams? No offense Wolf."

She threw her arms up and then crossed them over her chest. Patience was not one of her best qualities. She taps the rubber sole of her shoe against the metal floor. She wanted to land. See new places. Meet new people. She was certainly ambitious. But perhaps that was the problem to begin with. Drake was always saving her ass when she was either kidnapped or threatened. That was the reason she chose to stay on his ship, she supposed.

Arching an eyebrow as I enter the mess hall, the whining of the girl within grating on my ears. Eying this new addition to the crew, I cross my arms over my chest a slightly annoyed look on my face.

"You can always go into stasis if the 3 small hours is to much for you to wait out." I say.
"Heya, Drake....how's it going?"

Moving farther into the room, I head towards the fridge unit, pulling it open and searching for something to snack on. Frowning, I glance at Drake over my shoulder.

"Forgot me again, hmm Captain?"

Drake rubbed at the bridge of his nose in irritation, "You two stop bickering or I can toss you in the brig, now sit down. Wolf take us to full burn, we'll refuel port-side," he went back to cooking as the ship confirmed the order, "There, now we will arrive in a little under an hour, that better princess?" He finished cooking and sat at the table to eat his noodles in silence.

"I can sleep when I'm dead." The girl exclaimed while taking a few steps towards the door, her fingers gripping the the handle of her gun for good measure. She didn't know who the new woman was but apparently the Captain did, so who was she to protest?

Just under an hour was significantly less than 3. She was satisfied, somewhat because she had gotten her own way, but mostly because they would soon reach civilization. "Thanks Captain. Won't regret it." she said in appreciation, patting him hard once on the back.

Aleyia looked down at her oil stained work boots and the patches which dotted her pair or worn out jeans. Could she really be expected to go into town wearing this? I think not. "I'm going to change. If you need me, I'll be in my quarters." She wiped away a few loose strands of her brunette locks from in front of her eyes and started of out the door. "Have fun kids." she said in a mocking tone while continuing at her normal fast pace down the corridor.

I arch a delicate eyebrow at the younglings words, glancing over at Drake.

"She needs manners, babe...to address the co-captain of the Wolf like that. Where did you pick up the little scamp and what is her post on board?"

Digging deeper into the fridge, I shriek happily as I spy a bag of blood. Pulling it from the recesses of the fridge, I walk over to the microwave and pop it inside.

"Nothing nastier than cold blood....Nothing better than fresh from the vein." I say, grinning in Drakes direction.

"So, where are we heading, Captain?" Hearing the microwave beep, I take out the bag, tossing it between my hands to cool it slightly and then neatly bite into the bag.

Drake gently bumped his head against the wall, briefly regretting his decision for an all female crew. "It was while you were in stasis, during a job on Esperia, she was being held hostage by a group of bandits. Seems she was hiding in one of the boxes they pilfered from a cargo ship. Anyways, the ship belonged to one of our friends, so they asked me to retrieve the cargo, upon arrival at their rundown hideout , and I mean rundown in the worst way, they of course started shooting at me. You can guess the rest, after the scuffle the girl asked me to take her to Neo Tortuga. During the trip she started fixing things around the ship, enhancing and such. After awhile I got impressed and asked her to stay aboard as our mechanic, because God knows I could use the help."

Drake took a few more bites of his noodles, "We need some supplies as well as some entertainment so I figured a trip to Arthas was in order." He grinned sligtly because the planet Arthas is home to the Corporation, as well as being covered in corporate security patrols.

Aleyia found her way down a few twisting metallic corridors, through a couple electronic doors and finally into her home away from home. Home? A word that held little meaning in her mind. She had spent most of her life making 'home' the place the closest hot meal was. She had made it by though, taking every day one at a time. She neither underestimated nor overestimated anyone. She just simply..estimated.

Few were as accomplished as herself in mechanical upgrading and engineering. And when jobs were slow and slim, she switched to 'commandeering' what she needed. That was the level that Drake and herself connected on. Aleyia was a skilled pick pocket and lock smith. And not just small locks and scanners, but high level security systems and structures. She knew the inner working of any computer operating system and software like the back of her hand. Encrypted hard drives? Simple. These were her kills and almost surely the reason Drake had kept her around.

"Wolf" she spoke, beckoning the computers assistance. Sometimes she felt as if Wolf was the only one who fully understood her. Soon after she called, the computer answered back, inquiring of what service she maybe. "Secure me an outward Codec connection. Clean line, no tracers."

The bracelets she adorned on each of her wrists were probably her most valued piece of equipment she owned. Aleyia pressed 4 of the ruby colored jewels in a patterned sequence and within moments had a holographic keyboard projected at her finger tips and a small screen to match. The keyboard and monitor were completely interactive and completely programmable. This allowed her to carry information with her that even The Corporation itself would destroy whole planets to possess. The data of hundreds of star systems, contained in tiny microchips around the girls wrists.

She continued to tap away at her keyboard. Letters, insignia, and languages of many races moved across the screen at speeds rather fast, you wondered how the woman even managed to read them. None the less, this neither stopped her or slowed her pace. About a half hour later the girl twisted one of the well placed jewels on her band and as quickly as the hologram had appeared, it was gone. The girl hopped from her bed and began to move towards the door.

"Wolf. Close Codec connection." and she stepped out of the room.

Finishing off the packet of blood, I toss it in a nearby trash compact, wiping my lips on my sleeve and going to sit across the table from Drake, leaning my elbows on the table and looking at him seriously.

"I hope you can trust that youngling, Drake....she seems awful familiar with the Wolf. I don't know if I want some strange chit poking around in my girl."

I frown as I watch him eat, hoping that he was correct in his trust of the girl, but dreading the chance that he wasn't. Something wasn't sitting right with me. Whether is was the old blood...or just a feeling of foreboding.

Drake stretched, covering his mouth as he yawned. "Has nothing to do with trust, besides if she betrays us we can always leave her on a desert moon." He walked down the corridor to the armory, his laughter echoing throughout the ship. The girl was in fact hiding something, this much Drake was aware of, she may possess information to rattle the Corporation's cage, a thought that made him laugh harder.

Aleyia hopped over the railing and on to the platform below. She made her way, step by step, towards the engine room. Activating her holographic keyboard once more, she pulled up the schematics of the "Bad Wolf" and began to type away. She was doing her daily routine scan of the ships temperature levels, pressure, cell power, and defense systems.

"Wolf. Inform the Captain that he is needed in the Engine Room." she typed away for a few more minutes, reviewing the information on the screen once more for any mistakes or errors.

While she waited for the Captain to arrive, Aleyia took the time to glance out the nearby port window. In the distance she could see the makings of an atmosphere and and cities dotting all along the planet. They were almost there. Aleyia would most likely look for another ship to travel with, seeing how she had almost definitely overstayed her welcome on this one. Either way, it would be nice to see civilization once more.

Drake stepped through the door of the armory in the usual attire he wore off ship, the katana perfectly hidden under the long coat, his handguns strapped at the back for better concealment, the ship's gentle lighting barely reflecting off the armor he wore.

"Captain, Miss Aleyia requests your presence in the engine room," the ship said in the voice of Drake's late wife Maya. "Thank you Wolf, I'll be there momentarily." Drake twisted and bent to ensure the armor was situated properly as he walked to the aft of the vessel. As he stepped through the engine room door something made a pop and sparked. "Don't you start," Drake spoke to the ship as if it was alive, to him it was. "You called Aleyia?"

Watching Drake exit the mess hall, I frown. Clearly I had remained in stasis for far to long. Pushing away from the table I snag his bowl, taking it to the sink for a wash up later. Restless but eager to get back in the swing of being on the Wolf, I head to the bridge.

Sitting in my familiar chair, I sigh in happiness leaning back and propping my boots on the control panel as I look over the heading. Running my hand over a few choice buttons, I make a few changes in the programing, having a history of the log sent to my quarters, so I can get caught up on all that has happened during my sleep.

Aleyia pressed a few buttons and a display screen expanded so that Drake could clearly view it. The screen held reading of Wolf's defense systems, percentages of the power usage. "Captain. I was scanning Wolf's primary power functions, when I came across this. She zoomed into a particular section of the image, pointing to it with one hand while the other wrist held the image in place. "Here, here, and here sir. Do you know why Wolf's shields would only be running at 28 percent?" she asked quizzically of her Captain. She hadn't been on many ships, especially ones of this nature, but she knew enough that she wouldn't expect the vessel to be running the way it was.

"I thought, perhaps, you had power diverted to other parts of Wolf, but I ran those screenings as well. And well, the fact is sir, the ship is diverting the power no where. It's just.. not there." She hesitated with the last few words in her sentence. She knew how odd this all must sound but it was true. Wolf was sending power to no where. Or somewhere. But where? She had checked all the main frames in the vessel but still.. nothing.

Aleyia gazed with wide eyes, awaiting her next orders attentively.

Drake studied the screen intently, the power was indeed simply vanishing. "Shutdown all systems but life support, then check each one at a time till you find the drain," he walked over to a comm and pressed the broadcast all button, "Tati, we are going to blackout." He gave off a brief yawn, and sat in the corner, "I'm gonna grab a nap, I'll leave the rest to you." Drake closed his eyes to ponder who, how, and why someone would siphon energy from his precious Wolf. But he knew one thing for certain, when he found out, he was going to make them regret ever crossing the Demon Crusnik.

Pressing the com to reply to Drake "Going to blackout, aye Captain" Punching in the sequence on the control panel, I powered down the Wolf, shutting down all systems except life support and gravity. Leaning back in my chair, I wonder at the order to power down the ship. I stare out of the viewscreen into the vastness of space, my thoughts running marathons.

The only light illuminating the Engine room was the dull flickering coming from the holographic computer at Aleyia's fingertips. The Bad Wolf had gone into complete black out. This was dangerous for the simple fact that the only functions running where the necessities; life support, gravity, etc. This left the ship as a sitting duck should someone come up undetected.

Aleyia worked in a quick pace, her tiny fingers moving swiftly during the process. She pulled up and scanned each individual system looking for any sign of where the power might be getting diverted. No success. She just couldn't seem to put her finger on it. Perhaps she wasn't as talented as she had thought? She closed her eyes gently and pondered the possibilities for a few moments. "The power has to be going somewhere. But where?" she thought to herself, her mind tossing the question back and forth. Suddenly, it hit her. She opened her eyes with a quick snap and pull up some measurements on the screen.

"Bingo." she said in a quick outburst. How could she have not seen it from the beginning? "Wolf. Page the Co-Captain and ask her to please join us in the Engine room. she asked rather quietly of Wolf.

"Captain. I think you need to see this.

Drake stood slowly, walking to stand by Aleyia. He gazed at the little holographic screen displaying her discovery. "Well I'll be damned, how did we not see...I have no clue what I'm looking at Aleyia." Drake tried to keep his face professional as he spoke. He was told once that when faced with crisis he seemed to show the same excitement as a child on Christmas.