"Of all times for a cruddy mission…." mumbled Takigawa. He raised a hand to his head as he leaned against the shipping container. Inside, supposedly, was the latest in warp speed technology. The captain was adamant they steal it following the destruction of Zeta Geminorum C. It was obvious to Takigawa that the captain wanted to keep up with enemy vessels and spy. Though the notorious pirate captain was quite a brilliant scientist and inventor, he had no time to develop technological advancements to match those of the empire. There was no other choice but to steal and tamper...

"At least it's fairly simple, though I must say Captain Shibuya was rather insensitive in sending you so soon after…" John trailed off, his gaze traveling downwards.

Huffing, Takigawa kicked his heel back and crossed his arms, "It's whatever… We all know the captain's emotional capacity is equivalent to that of the stupid warp drive he's after, so it's not that surprising. Let's just get the damn thing to him and be on our way before any of the Geminian forces notice us."

John nodded. He knelt down and tapped the lock sealing the container. Three blue screens appeared.

"It shouldn't take me too long to bypass the system to open it," he said, while pulling a small disk from his pocket. As John tossed the disk into the air a white cross flashed onto each of the three screens. "Ah, well...that was almost too easy." John skeptically gazed at the screens. Almost always, John had to manually search and edit the code. He didn't understand why the empire would guard such valuable technology with a weak system.

Takigawa didn't see a reason to complain. "They're probably assuming no one is brave enough to actually steal it. I mean, how many people infiltrate empire ships?"

Of course, Takigawa had a point, but John was still uncertain. He didn't want to fall into some sort of trap… Being captured by the empire guaranteed death.

"Still…." John placed his hand on the door and pushed it upwards. "I think we should be cautious. Just in-"

He froze, staring inside the container after pushing the door over his head. Unable to articulate, John motioned for Takigawa to look inside. Before Takigawa could even step in his direction, however, a loud scream echoed from the inside of the container and throughout the cargo hold.

"Help me!"

"Shit!" Takigawa hissed. He peered inside the large metal box to see a disheveled woman curled in the corner. Bright red splotches stained her threadbare clothes, and her waist length hair was tangled. She leaned forward, reaching out as her dark, coco eyes were focused on John. Parting her split lips she cried again.

"Please don't let them kill me! I don't want to die! I want to go home!"

Takigawa wrapped his hand around John's arm and yanked him back, "We have to go, we can't stay! I'm sure they hear her!"

John rebelled against his partner and rushed inside the container, "We can't just leave her here! Look at what they've already done!" He held out his hand, but once he was with a meter of the girl he locked eyes with her. Suddenly, he froze. While suspended, John stared into the poor girl's face, searching for some sort of explanation. He couldn't move, at all.

"What are you waiting for?!" Takigawa rushed past John and yanked the girl onto his back. The very instant John and the girl broke eye contact John tumbled forward. He caught himself before he fell to his knees.

Before he had a moment to question what had even happened, Takigawa was shouting at him to follow along, "Let's go!" He tightened his hold on the girl's legs and began to run. John, still unable to process what had just transpired, rushed after his crew mate.

"Mistake? What do you mean by mistake?" The captain's eyes hardened. He tilted his head while towering over the two cowering crew members that had come to inform him of their error. The heels of his boots clicked as he stepped forward, and his two subordinates moved back, maintaining a safe distance.

"Well...we…" One of them trailed off as he withered under his commander's gaze.

"Get on with it," his venom laced tone was low.

Frantically nodding, John continued, "The shipment we intercepted didn't contain...what we expected. Instead of Geminian technology...we found a young woman…"

The first mate had ceased his work on the main computer the moment a woman had been mentioned. He looked up from his keyboard and eyed the captain as the bridge resonated with an eerie silence.

Captain Shibuya stood still for a long moment. He pursed his lips into a flat line as he curled his fingers into his palms. His knuckles cracked. Both John and Takigawa took a step back.

Never before had either John or Takigawa seen him so angry. The captain was always collected… Meticulous in mannerisms.

"A woman…?"repeated the captain slowly, his expression stoic.

"Y-yes, captain," Takigawa confirmed.

"So," Captain Shibuya crossed his arms as shortened the distance between himself and the two crew members, "if I understand correctly, you two idiots seized the wrong shipment. Instead of the warp drive, on which my plans hinge, we have a completely useless woman?"

"We checked the shipment records! That container was supposed to have the drive! How were we supposed to know there was a last minute change they had failed to enter into the system?!" Takigawa snapped. Sure...the captain could be mad. Fine. Takigawa could accept the fact that the mission was a failure. But blaming them for circumstances that were beyond their control?! "What else could you expect?! It's not like we had the chance to keep searching. Not with that...girl! She was screaming bloody murder the whole time!"

"And...we couldn't leave her," John chimed shyly. "They surely would have killed her… We would have been no better than them if we abandoned her."

"You're wrong," Captain Shibuya said. He turned away, hiding an asymmetrical smirk. "I do find it rather odd the Geminian Empire would transporet a single woman as carefully as they do their cargo, don't you? She must have been a rather important prisoner for them to go to such trouble."

Takigawa growled, "So what?! She's some political prisoner?!"

"No," the captain cast his gaze down. "Do you recall what they did to their last batch of political prisoners, rather, their only batch?"

Tightening his fist, Takigawa replied, "They would have done the same to her!"

"No," repeated Captain Shibuya. "She would have already suffered that fate."

"Then why?! Why was she there?!"

Glancing back, the captain huffed, "That is a curious question. She is obviously valuable to them, somehow."

"Valuable?" Takigawa grunted. "To bored men, maybe."

"Unlikely. She was being transported in the cargo hold. Why go to that trouble? That ship was also bound for the capital."

Throwing his hand up, Takigawa said, "Whatever! It doesn't matter! The point is, we shouldn't have left her. I don't care if they were planning on killing her or not. She would have probably suffered hell, either way! Just send us out to try and get the damn drive again!"

The captain frowned, "That isn't possible. There will not be another transfer of a drive for at least another solar cycle, and we are not in a position to overtake an enemy vessel. We simply do not have the numbers. Nor do we have the ability to escape if we fail. We cannot maintain the same intergalactic speed as the Geminian Empire fleet. Hence the need for the warp drive."

"And we couldn't have stolen one sooner?" Takigawa raised a brow.

John tilted his head, "Ah, well...didn't they just develop it rather recently?"

Captain Shibuya nodded, "You are correct, Brown. That was our only opportunity to seize it. Without it...we are at a significant disadvantage."

"So, what? Are you just going to build your own now? You designed and implemented a cloaking device. The empire doesn't have anything like that. Why can't you just create your own drive?" questioned the pony-tailed pirate.

"You do realize it takes time to develop such technology on a large scale? I don't have a team of thousands to build and test my designs. Nor the resources. We essentially have one chance to build a warp drive correctly if we can find the materials. I was fortunate to have discovered a set of plans for the cloaking device shortly after the fall of the federation."

Takigawa snorted, "And here I thought you were some genius that designed it."

The captain rolled his eyes as he began to pace. He needed the warp drive if he wished to have a shot at fighting the empire. Totally infiltrating a ship would put his entire crew at risk...and waiting for another shipment wasn't an option. But...plans...they had to be stored somewhere. Urado was organized… If Captain Shibuya could get his hands on the designs...then he could easily build his own warp drive without error.

"So, while you think about that drive, what do you want us to do with the girl?" Takigawa asked.

Gazing out the window at the emptiness dotted with flickering lights the captain sighed, "For now, take her to the brig. She shouldn't cause us any trouble there. Send Ms. Matsuzaki look her over as well. I don't want her infecting the crew with some revolting illness. Or parasites."

Walking through the lower deck of the ship, the captain sighed. With each brisk step he took the heel of boots clicked against the polished floors, waring his crew of his approach. The moment any of his men caught sight of him they saluted, waiting to be addressed. After passing them by without as much as a glance, they scurried away like terror-stricken mice. Rolling his eyes, Captain Shibuya quickened his pace. He didn't have much time to waste on that woman his crew had mistakenly seized…

As the captain's destination grew closer, he held his hand out towards a scanner protruding from the wall. When his palm was resting against the illuminated surface the door to his left hissed before sinking into the wall and then sinking into the floor.

Stepping back, Captain Shibuya gazed past the open door, noting that the woman John and Takigawa had imprisoned wasn't in his sights. the captain tilted his head as he moved to stand in the doorway. He managed to conclude that his prisoner was somewhat intelligent, especially after a fist came swooping towards him from the right. the captain had barely managed to dodge the attack.

When another fist came his way he caught it with ease. Extending his arm, the captain swung the woman to the opposite side of the cell, knocking her off balance. He then entered the small space and slammed her back into the wall. He grabbed onto her other hand, effectively hindering her ability to attack for a third time.

"You don't need to panic. No one here is going to hurt you. We are not with the Geminian Empire."

The girl in his grasp appeared to calm. She relaxed her shoulders and tilted her chin upwards. She met the captain's eye and blinked. Suddenly, she smashed her head forward. Captain Shibuya barely moved in time to save his face from any damage. He had released the woman when avoiding her assault. As she tried to rush past him he latched his fingers around her arm.

"Let go! You Geminain scum!"

He sighed, "I just told you, there isn't any need for alarm. You are perfectly safe here."

"Then why are you keeping me prisoner?! And taking samples?!"

Samples…?

Maybe she was dumber than he originally gave her credit for…

"That was my medic. Did she not explain herself to you? I sent her to make sure you were not ill. I can't risk the health of my crew. Certainly you understand it only made sense to leave you here until I was positive you were not a biological hazard."

It took a moment for her to understand what the captain had even said. The moment his words sank in, she scowled.

"Biological hazard?! What, you thought I had fleas?!"

Captain Shibuya remained stoic, "It was a possibility. Truthfully, I was more concerned about dysentery."

"Why you!" she struggled to yank her arm away from the captain as she hurled curses at him.

Releasing his grip, Captain Shibuya stepped back. He then gestured for the woman to sit on the gloss chrome bench beneath the window. Still uncertain of his intentions, she sat down, never once removing her eyes from him.

"May I have your name?" he made his request gently.

"Uh…" the woman scrunched her face, surprised. "Mai. Mai Taniyama. I'm from Zeta Geminorum C… If...you aren't with the empire...could you take me home? I...I just want to go home."

The captain exhaled slowly, "Your planet...no longer exists. I'm sorry."

Mai inhaled, "You mean...they...they really did it? They...they killed...everyone…?" Her eyes welled with tears. "I didn't think they would really do it!" Captain Shibuya reached to place a hand on her shoulder. He didn't know how to handle a woman in hysterics… "What will I do?! Where can I go?! Why…? Why did they do such a thing?!"

"I'm sorry…" repeated the captain. "Unfortunately, I cannot tell you why the empire chose to annihilate your people. However, I do plan to fight against Urado, and avenge those that have fallen under his rule. If you wish, you can join this cause."

She shook her head, "I… I just want to go home…" Mai stared into the deep blue of the captain's eyes. She focused on the indigo color outlining his irises hoping to find that he was lying. She wanted him to be lying. Her home couldn't be gone.

As Mai gazed at him, the captain became stiff. He couldn't speak, nor could he move. He was stuck in place, like stone.

"Just take me home!" Mai squeezed her eyes shut, severing the connection she had made with the captain. He grabbed his head and moved back.

His lips parted and he demanded, "Did they inject you with something?" He had seen it before...what she had done to him.

Mai nodded, "Yeah… I...thought it was going to kill me…" Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Please...please tell me this is all a dream…"

"No… This is a nightmare…" The captain took Mai's hand and pulled her up. He knew then he couldn't let her out of his sight. Not for a moment. If she were to fall into the hands of the empire it would all be over.

AN

Well, I have been dormant for awhile... But I do plan to continue with the fic, though it might be slow. Hopefully I will get around to updating this again before another six months or so pass.