[color=0072bc]“They’re a clever crew of scallywags, ya gotta admit.” [/color]Jean paced onto the bridge to stand beside Ursa and all the others. [color=0072bc]“Caught us with our pants down out in open space, an’ used some sort o’ dinghiddy contraption to keep us from jumping away. Same thing that ripped us out more’n like-“ [/color]The cowboy found himself cut off as Ursa pulled him in close, her yellow eyes so close to his brown. Jean felt his breath catch in his throat and he shook her proffered hand without hesitation. [color=0072bc]“I - I c’n set with that Miz Cooper.” [/color]Jean murmured, acknowledging Ursa’s sincerity with a slight nod. He respected the amount of trust she was showing him by returning his prize firearm. Reverently he accepted his pistol back from Ursa, spinning the cylinder to ensure it was clear and undamaged. The weapon’s weight felt familiar in his hand, and fit comfortably back into its holster as if it’d never left his side. [color=0072bc]“M’sorry gel, I had too. I promise daddy won’t give ya away so easy ne’er again.” [/color]Jean reassured the inanimate object, patting the wooden pistol grip as if to comfort a child.

	Returning his focus to the situation at hand Jean stepped up behind Takashi, observing the multiple view screens displaying their current situation. Tiny crimson blips flashed on a field of blue on one, while green circles crisscrossed and realigned in constant motion on another. The damage and artificial gravity reports most likely. The cowboy pretended to remain fixated on these displays, sensing Emmett’s presence behind him but not wanting to turn around and show his burning scarlet cheeks. [color=0072bc]“Listen slickheels,” [/color]Jean chuckled, referencing to his new favorite nickname for the assassin. [color=0072bc]“I ain’t gonna hurt no one on this ship, not yet anyways. An’ I rightly wouldn’t wanna even if I felt I could get away wit’ it. It’d be like pegging my own hoss. Them space pirates are just as likely to string me up an’ leave me to freeze out in th’ vacuum as look at me. We ain’t on first name basis if ya know what I mean. So for jus’ this once don’ be a biddy n’ trust me to shoot center wit’ y’all.”[/color] Jean rotated on Emmett his face having cleared somewhat to an acceptable level. [color=0072bc]“Cause when it comes down to it, tromping outlaws an’ spacewaymen is my specialty. Now, where’s the nearest gunner seat?”[/color]


~*~*~*~

	The flaming engines mounted haphazardly upon the [i]Gorefill’s[/i] up armored flanks burned brighter than a blue star as the pirate cruiser pursued the retreating [i]Ranger[/i] across the empty expanse of space. Occasionally a yellow turbolaser blast would rocket from the cruiser’s main guns, arcing a plasma bolt towards the freighter which then exploded against the smaller ship’s armor or shielding. From inside the cruisers flag deck a large congregation of all manner of creatures had assembled. Nearly two score in number and wielding a wide array of malicious looking arms and armor. Every one of them were battle scarred, garbed in ridiculous finery, and tougher then nails, each looking fit to curdle milk with a single glower of their hideous faces. The worst of the lot however, sat on a durasteel throne on raised precipice in the center of the bridge. He was nearly seven feet tall with shriveled brown flesh, a triangular head, and outfitted with cybernetic replacement limbs, enhancements and weaponry like a walking breathing arsenal. The top of his head was ordained with braided dreadlocks and he wore a full kit of barbaric body armor to boot. He was the one and only dread pirate, Kapitan Nafaerio-Vad, the badest humanoid to ever set foot on a star ship’s bridge in many eons. When he spoke the testosterone practically reverberated through the air and his cheering crew grew silent and attentive.

	[color=aba000]“It appears we’ve hooked ourselves a fish boys, a smuggler craft, well-armed too. Our associate will be pleased.”[/color] He observed, shifting aside a mechanical farglass to peer at the [i]Ranger[/i] with his naked eye. [color=aba000]“Gunners, aim to damage their engines and ready the tractor beam to lock them in place, the fools are coming straight for us. So even you hopeless lot can’t foul it up. The rest of you scab-riddled ingrates prepare to board. I get the feeling these shark chums might ‘ave some fire in their bellies we need to quell. Oh, and weapons aren’t free this time, I want their captain alive. That means you Bosdamand!”
[/color]

	A scraggly blob of a creature grumbled something incoherent, switching the settings on his gun from ‘overkill’ to ‘hideously maim.’

	[color=aba000]“When I give the signal every one of you gunners fire a volley straight for their engines, and don’t you dare miss and destroy my lovely little fish.” [/color]Nafaerio raised his mechanical arm, tiny blue pulses from his neuron signals lighting the cybernetics’ inner workings to create an ominous glow. [color=aba000]“NOW!” [/color]Nafaerio dropped his arm and the gunners squeezed the triggers or pressed the red buttons on their firing stations, sending a heavy volley of yellow plasma streaking towards the oncoming [i]Ranger[/i]