He had had leave accrued, so he used it. Five glorious weeks of sun, drinks, and beautiful women were to be had…

Until the hijackers took the cruise ship and decided they wanted to make a statement or something.

Now, to be fair, they weren’t really ‘hijackers’. And the statement they wanted to make was more applicable to bank statements than anything else. But it was here that Lieutenant Xam Ra’Ti, Star Fleet officer and soon-to-be Strategic Operations Officer of Outpost 42, found himself; drink in hand on a reclining deck chair glaring across the pool at the ruffians who had somehow managed to take control of the Risian pleasure-barge three days out to sea on the Padisian Ocean of well-known Pleasure Planet. “You have got to be kidding me…” he mumbled to himself as he watched the… the… he shuddered to call the offenders pirates. ‘Pirate’ held a certain… mystique. The term inspired visions of daring-do, cunning rogues on the hunt for treasures untold, fights against insurmountable odds that teetered on failure only to have victory snatched from the jaws of defeat by skilled and brave men and women who lived by their own rules…

Xam stopped his revery as one of the three… um… scoundrels? No… Ruffians? Mmm, maybe… Ah, yes… idiots.... yes, that was the word… shoved a lovely young thing with flowing red hair towards the stairs, causing her to slip and knock over a tray of drinks all over the idiot’s pants. Xam shook his head at the unprofessionalism, but stood up and yelled “Hey. I demand parley with your Captain.” as the idiot drew back to strike the woman. The statement froze the idiot/ruffian/hijacker/ ‘pirate’ in his tracks and he squinted at the muscular Efrosian wearing swimming trunks and an open robe.

“You demand what?” the brutish looking Tellerite said back. “Parley. Pirate Code says that anyone requesting parley has to be shown to the Captain immediately and is not to be harmed, right? And you are pirates… right? So you must follow the Code, don’t you?” The three looked at each other and shrugged. In fact, the Code was a real thing… but not everyone followed it. But for those that did, it gave a kind of judicial system that kept the chaos that was the life of a space pirate somewhat manageable. And those that followed it tended to be a bit more… how to say it politely… um… ‘on the ball’… than those that didn’t. So when crews that followed the Code met crews that didn’t? Well… the win-loss record between the two was far from even, shall we say.

That record was not lost upon the three as they eyed the figure before them. Xam wasn’t especially tall, but he was built and had the scars that showed he knew what he was talking about. Even with the slender champagne flute in his hand, he held a kind of authoritarian aura. That aura, coupled with the look he currently had locked on the three figures, was more than enough to convince the three that ‘parley’ would be adhered to. “Fine.” said the second of three, a half-human-half Bajoran male with a wicked looking scar down his face and a more wicked looking disruptor in his hand. “Parley it is. C’mon.” and the three formed up around Xam, two behind and one in front. As they walked him down the stairs, he looked back at the red-haired beauty and winked. “Grab us a bottle, won’t you love? Put it on ice. Be right back.” and they disappeared down the stairs, leaving her looking on in confusion.

It was a five minute walk the length of the ship that brought them to the bridge. On the way, Xam identified seventeen assailants and three dead crew. Not good, and Xam’s jaw tightened. The hijackers had taken critical areas and managed to actually do something smart and round up everyone and put them in one place under tight security. So whoever is in charge knows what’s up… okay. Plan B. Xan thought as they walked up the stairs and onto the bridge.

A tall Romulan man stood in the center of the bridge. He was currently holding a Rigellian woman wearing an officer’s uniform off of the deck by her shirt front. “YOu will open the security vault and you will turn off the alarm or else I will=” and his words were cut off as he noticed the new arrivals. “Take her to the conference room.” he said to two nearby Naussicans. “If she gives you any trouble, you can eat her.” and he turned and looked at Xam through narrowed eyes. “And what is this, then?” The Tellerite spoke up and said “S-s-s-s-sorry, Cap’n. But this one here demanded parley.” The Romulan’s eyes widened in surprise and he said “Parley? Well that is certainly unexpected. And tell me, Mr....?” and his voice trailed off. “Hysenth. Caspar Hysenth.” Xam said flatly. “Ok… Mr. Hysenth… tell me how you know of parley… and then why you think it applies to you. And be convincing, I want you to really try and sell it.” and the Romulan smiled. Xam took a small step forward and took a sip from the flute. “It applies to those in the trade. And while I am not currently as active as I once was, there was a time…” and he took another small step forward, “… where I was certainly proud to call the Code my own. And as such, I am covered by the tradition. You cannot harm me while under parley. Those are the rules, are they not Captain?”

The Romulan nodded and said “True… true, I suppose. But we are somewhat at an impasse because I have never heard of a pirate by the name of Hysenth. So I don’t see-” and their hand dropped to the disruptor pistol at their hip.

Or rather, it was about to when the champagne flute was smashed against the console and the stem was plunged into the Romulan’s eye and shoved as far back the bones in the skull would allow. As the suddenly and surprisingly deceased Captain fell to the floor like a marionnette whose strings had been cut, the hand of the Efrosian grasped the grip of the disruptor and the falling corpse pulled it free. Xam twisted his arm and pointed the upside down weapon at the three behind him and fingered the trigger with his pinky three times; the sound of the shots were followed by the sound of three bodies hitting the floor. He flipped the weapon, aimed at the door the wholly predictable Naussicans had gone through and fired four bolts as the door began to slide open. One Naussican fell forward, the other backwards. “This is why I never used you on my ship… too reactionary, my friends. Too predictable.” Moving quickly, Xam stepped over the corpses and into the room where a startled pleasure barge Captain threw up her hands.

“Don’t kill me!” she yelled and Xam cocked his head to the side. “Really? Thats what you think I’m going to do?” and he shook his head. “Just… c’mon already.” and he yanked her onto the bridge. “Alert the authorities. We have about ten minutes before the others start looking for direction. Get a patrol ship here and tell them you have been boarded by seventeen… er, make that thirteen armed assailants and they have hostages in the main dining room. Go go go… I’ll watch the door.” and he moved to do just that. The Captain nodded in shock and then began to follow the instructions.

That evening there was a celebration. The crew of the barge to their credit made quick work of getting things cleaned and reset after the Risian Tactical Team had boarded and captured the other… ah, right… idiots. The party was in full swing and the Captain was speaking with the guest of honor… one Lieutenant Xam Ra’Ti of Star Fleet. “Tell me again how you knew that parley trick would work?” she asked as they stood to the side of the dance floor. Xam smiled and said “Oh, Captain… in my line of work I must study everything I can on the criminal element. That little tid-bit came my way via a captured Orion Syndicate smuggler. He was a veritable font of information. ” The Captain smiled at Xam and said “Really? That kind of information must certainly come in handy from time to time.” “Indeed…” Xam said with a smile when a voice behind him said “If you wait too much longer, the ice is going to melt.” The red haired vision stood behind him with a coy grin. Xam smiled warmly at her and then looked at the Captain. “Captain B’lelle, may I introduce Mrs…?” and he looked at the new arrival. “Ms., actually. Ms. Rebecca Wainwright.” The Captain smiled at her and said “A pleasure.” Rebecca smiled back and then looked at Xam. “I do have that bottle… as you requested.” Xam grinned and looked at the Captain. “If you would excuse me, Captain. Pressing matters and all that.” and he offered his arm to Rebecca. “A moment, please.” the Captain said and moved to a table and picked up a glass. Walking back she said “I hope it’s a big bottle.” and she took Xam’s other arm. Xam grinned wider and the three made their way out of the party.

Three weeks and several debriefings later, a shuttle arrived at Outpost 42. It had only a sole occupant who was also it’s pilot. As the craft settled to the deck and powered down, a Lieutenant in a gold uniform stepped out; long white hair and long flowing mustache carefully groomed and well-kept graced the Efrosian’s face and he looked out and smiled.

So this was home…

Ra’Ti, SOO/CoS