[color=6ecff6][/color] Take off went without a hitch and Deraen settled in to wait out the journey. They weren't even out the system yet, passing below an asteroid belt, when the pirates appeared. Their attack was sudden and the [i]Alamo[/i] had very little time to react thanks to the asteroids interfering with the ship's sensors. The ship trembled with each anchor lock-in. The Andalite remained at his post, waiting. Deraen reached into one of his pouches, pulling out a piece of equipment and fastening it over the slitted nostrils that made up his nose. It was a [url=http://img02.deviantart.net/0d24/i/2015/115/f/e/the__havoc__cybernetic_plasma_gas_mask_by_twohornsunited-d4vpnpb.jpg]gas mask[/url] of sorts. As predicted, it wasn't long before the pirates located the bridge and made it their target. A swarm of them appeared at the end of the corridor and Deraen sidestepped behind a bulkhead as they began shooting. When they were halfway there he tossed two canisters in their path, which rolled across the floor for a few seconds before spitting out a toxic red vapor. Caught off-guard and temporarily disoriented by the smoke screen, the pirates faltered. They gagged on the air and some of them pulled their own gas masks on, but the disruption was a large enough window of opportunity for Deraen to step into their line of site and mow them down with an automatic weapon. A human-made gun called a P90, as he understood, that propelled small projectiles called bullets at such a speed that they tore through flesh and bone alike. It was heavy, but the shoulder-strap helped him to hold it steady while two slender fingers activated the trigger. The pirates screamed and fell bleeding on the deck. Deraen noticed they were all humans, but it wasn't unusual for pirates to go marauding in groups composed exclusively of their own kind. As he stepped over the bodies one of them rose up behind him, and must have assumed that since Deraen was facing forward that he could sneak up on him. Of course, it's impossible to sneak up on an Andalite since their stalk eyes allow them to see in all directions at once. Without so much as pausing mid-stride Deraen whipped his tail back and stabbed the pirate through the chest before he could think to fire off a shot. [color=6ecff6][/color] He broadcast his thought-speech for his crewmates, if any of them came to help him they would know what to expect. Deraen put another canister in hand and continued down the corridor. Another wave came at him shortly and he gassed them like the first group, slaughtering them at his leisure. The next wave was ready for him however, almost all of them wearing their own masks and all of them firing at once. He ducked into an adjoining passageway, pulled the pin on a plasma grenade, and threw it around the corner, counting each second until detonation. Before the explosion had cleared he was out again to finish off any survivors.