[center][b][h2]Aboard the I.S.S. Prize[/h2][/b]
[h3][i]The Prize and the Pirates[/i][/h3][/center]
[hr]

The time was 9 A.M., according to the clocks on the I.S.S. [i]Prize[/i], and the Away Team was gathered with Captain Nick Carabello in the Situation Room. Today was supposed to be the day that they finally entered Kepler's Passage, a stable wormhole at the edge of ISA space, and explored the unknown wonders waiting on the other side. Today would not be that day.

The flickering-blue lights of the data screens were the only thing keeping the room lit. It was always dark in these rooms. Carabello didn't know why. Were the designers going for dramatic atmosphere? Probably. Starship designers were always nerds.

Nick shook his head a bit, only to himself. It wasn't important right now. With a deep breath and a bit of nerve, he turned to face his senior staff.

"A situation has developed," the Captain started. Good managerial voice- clear and with volume. "Actually, two have. One then the other."

The Captain goes on to explain that, as most of the crew probably knows, there's been an uptick in the pirate presence in the Rivera Sector. The Rivera Sector is, unfortunately, where the Kepler's Passage wormhole is located. It's also where a small transport ship had the bad luck of passing through. The transport was civilian, mostly human families, and headed to New Paris on Europus Colony. Now that transport was drifting emptily in space, and those families were headed to a slave auction. 

Or, so the pirates said. It could just be an empty threat. The pirate's leader, an alien named Captain Du-Vos, was old and looking to retire on heaps of money. He demanded an outrageous ransom for the Terran captives to be returned. Much more than he would make selling them as slaves. More than ISA was willing to pay, in fact, and seeing as the [i]Prize [/i]was already nearby...

"We're being sent to resolve it," Carabello concluded. "So, uh, we won't be passing through the wormhole today, if that were not clear by now. We'll be fighting pirates instead. Pirate slavers. This wasn't how I wanted to start today, but here we are."

He waits for general reactions from the crew, then marches on.

"Alright, alright, so we're gonna split up into teams to deal with it. Francesca, you and me are going to hail their ship and see if we can convince the pirates to hand the hostages over willingly. If that doesn't work, I need two other teams set up."

The first group, simply named Team Alpha, had the more obvious task. They would take a lightly armed shuttle out of the Prize's small docking bay, and attempt to sneak up on the gigantic pirate vessel. "There's a small but vital gap in their sensors," The Captain explains. "If you can dodge their sensor sweeps and land on the rear of the ship, they shouldn't see you. Then you can teleport into the cargo bay where our civilians are being held. Move quickly, and you'll have the hostages gathered together and teleported onto your shuttle in no time. Then fly on back home. Too easy, right?"

Right. The cargo bay would have guards, obviously. That was Team Beta's job. 

Nick smirked a bit. "I'm a little shocked at this part. Most pirate captains are more clever, you know? But Du-Vos just left the transport ship floating there, all empty, with its weapons intact. If we can board it, and get it booted up, it's basically a fighter. Big and slow, sure, but it can shoot.

"If Team Beta can get the transport booted up, the [i]Prize [/i]and it will both attack the pirate vessel at the same time. With some luck, that'll make enough chaos to have Du-Vos call in the cargo bay guards to battle stations. The bay will be empty, and Team Alpha can slip in and slip out with minimal bloodshed."

Another pause for reactions.

"So, I'm not forcing anyone on this trip. It's dangerous, I know. And my goal as Captain is always to save my crew's lives, not throw them away. Now, I'm asking Lt. Faust to join Team Beta. I am not ordering her," Carabello gives Faust a quick glance, "but I am asking. Nobody else is getting that transport's engine fixed in time. For everyone else: if you're out, no shame. You may exit the room now." He waits for a moment. "For the ones still in, you can tell me which team you're most comfortable on."

One last deep breath. "So, any questions? Comments?" He smirks a bit. "Complaints?"