Scallywags assemble

Posted on Fri Mar 25th, 2016 @ 9:15am by Commander Bertrand Cuprum & Captain Elijah Michaels & Commander Cor Cordale & Lieutenant Ishan Satele

Mission: Vipers and Scoundrels
Location: Captain's Yacht

IC:
The briefing room next to Shuttle bay 3 was only half full. There were a couple of heavy set marines, Cordale, Satele, Wakeman and Kilbane. All had been told to wear rough civilian clothing for a mission. Only Captain Michaels was still wearing Starfleet uniform.

Bertrand was running the briefing, wearing a long leather coat and loose shirt and pants. He had removed his right arm and looked the very model of a corsair, pirate or mercenary.

"Here's what we are up to. From this point you are all the crew of my mercenary ship. You will all carry a disruptor or disruptor rifle, but no Phasers. Any other weapons at your discretion. Our job is to transport a trio of Aliens to the nominated station and unload their cargo. We then taken those three and an additional three passengers away again."

"While the jaunty crew are doing that we will also be gathering whatever intel we can about this station and its crew. We need to know who has got enough influence to kidnap significant members of three separate empires and what they intend to do with the loot this will earn them."

"When we find out what we can we report back to the ship. Questions?"

"Do we know what races we can expect on the station? Cardassians, Klingons, Ferengi?" Cordale asked. Some say that the Thux could 'clean up well'. He could also 'Dirty up well' as well. Loose dark pants with a loose shirt that was missing the entire left shoulder and sleeve, letting the full range of Cor's prosthetic exposed to the world with a hint of the scar tissue just peeking out behind the fabric. A savage reminder of the crude method by which he received that limb. Around his neck was his usual collar and hexagonal dog tag. No need to change something that was already sinister in history. "Or are we talking a... oh what's the word? A hodge-podge?"

"Hodge-Podge, seems most likely." Elijah commented to Cor.

Whilst Kevin didn't believe there was a specific pirate look he knew enough not to wear patch over one eye and have a parrot on his shoulder that called out "Pieces of eight!"

Instead he opted for a plain, but coarsely woven, off white coloured jumper, faded plaid trousers and a pair of sturdy climbing boots, laces loose. He listened as the Commander told them they'd be carrying disruptors, and at this news his heart sank a little as they were cumbersome weapons, not as refined as a phaser, and if truth be told, very unreliable. He was glad when it was mentioned that they could bring their own weapons, and his first thought was his Sgian dubh would fit neatly down his boot. He'd have a think about what else he could use.

"One other thing. we are WAY outside of Federation territory, uniform and jurisdiction. That means that you cannot be held accountable for your actions on this station; normal rules do not apply. You are Mercenaries. It also means that no one is coming for you if you get arrested, or killed. Do you all understand that?"

Cordale gave a grim nod, reaching up with his living hand to unconsciously rub the hexagonal plate of the dog tag he had attached to his collar.

Kevin couldn't help himself, he tried his best to suppress what he was going to say next, but the school boy prankster won through and in an awful parody of a pirate voice he replied "Arrrrrrrgggghhhh Commander, I believe we do, but at the same time, they be at 'our' mercy as no one's coming for them if they fall foul of us...."

Cordale just shook his head, "Allow me." and he cleared his throat, then covered one of his eyes with his prosthetic hand, "I be likin' the cut'a yer jib there, Mister Kilbane, but we not be plannin' to head to port full cannon. Captain Bertrand be havin' a plan, and a grand plan it be. So stow yer' cutlass, lest ye be swabbin' the poop deck fer the rest'a yer days."

He then returned to a more relaxed, hunched over posture. "Couldn't resist. Please, continue."

Kevin calmly looked at the Thux and said "Who said anything about full on attacking, I never. What I was meaning in my failed joke there was that the pirates could find themselves at a disadvantage with us in how we handle ourselves covertly. I also realise the Commander has a plan, I'm not stupid."

At that he turned back to face Cuprum to listen to anything else he had to say.

Elijah shook his head. "If you are both quite finished......" He said in response to the antics of the Away Team. "Victory will be attempting to make contact with the Cardassians and keep them appraised of what is happening, if they can assist us then we should make it quick."

"Each of you has been given an identity for this mission, an Alias if you will." The Captain said. "Cor will be the First Mate of Trafalgar."

"That's very kind Sir, thank you." Kevin replied.

Cor gave a nod in reply to his appointed position. First Mate... not bad for a pretend promotion.

"I'll just grab my mop and start scrubbin' the decks then" Kevin said in chagrin.

"No need for that. We don't scrub decks in this navy." Cor half-muttered from the corner of his mouth.

"Fair do's" Kevin replied "Sorry if I sounded snippy there, just thought I....it doesn't matter, just sorry I sounded snippy, so, sorry."

Cordale just gave a nod, "No worries. You were in character is all. Forgiven, forgotten. So, more about these aliases?"

"I assume that I am here for more than just my skills as a pilot?" Satele asked, putting her Bajoran phaser into its holster on her belt.

"Yes, you have some experience in this field so to speak Lieutenant." The Captain said to her.

Kevin listened to the CO, he wasn't revealing much, but then again, when dealing with intrigue, how much of your hand do you show?

"Hmm, my first away mission after returning to Starfleet and I'm using skills I learnt outside of Starfleet"

"Heh, sounds like something the recruiter said when he talked to me at that garage all those years ago. *ahem* Son, you take what you got here, add it to what you'll learn in academy, and it'll surprise you where it'll take you." the Thux chuckled. "I guess we all had the same recruiter, cause we're all here."

"Actually, I didn't get recruited" Kevin said "I just didn't want to be a diplomat, so I chose to join Starfleet Academy instead. I can't say it pleased my family to much, but, I was determined to see to it I'd made the right choice, so I got stuck in."

"And unless this recruiter is an intelligence officer, I wasn't recruited either" Satele said

Turning to Satele, Kevin smiled and said "How interesting, you've been an Intel officer, we must have a chat sometime?"

"No, I have never been an intelligence officer, but that's a story for another time"

"Ok, no problem" Kevin replied.

Turning back to the CO he said "May I ask what positions the rest of us will be taking up Sir, as you've only mentioned Commander Cordale becoming First Mate?"

Bertrand was watching the group and now spoke up, "You want to know what your position is? Slightly below dogs bum! You do what you are told when Cor or I tell you. If you don't, you don't get paid. You have a problem, are free to leave the Trafalgar at any time, even while we are at warp. From now on we are going to call you Dogberry. My First officer is just 38. No name just the number on the tag {OOC: Cor please adjust this to whatever your Ferrengi collar actually indicates}. The Duchess will be piloting. You call me 'Sir' or 'Captain'. Anyone asks for more than that, you know there is going to be trouble."

He stepped forward sharply, "And if I hear any more of this 'please, thank you, sorry' shite I will invent cruel and unusual tortures for you. Now is the part where you all say, 'Yes, sir!'"

Kevin sighed, his question was a reasonable one, borne of interest as to how the pirate crew were set up, however, Commander Cuprum had decided it was better to be derogatory, though in keeping with his character Kevin supposed. It didn't excuse the Commander in the slightest though. It was one thing to be 'in character' once the charade was taking place onboard the station or the converted yacht, it was entirely another being so obnoxious whilst still onboard the Victory and this being a briefing. Kevin would remember it though, there was a time and place manners.

"Yessss..............Sir!" Kevin said with a theatrical bow, then took his leave of the area, he'd be back when the yacht was ready to launch.

Technically, Cor's dogtag read 115. Though, for a disguise to work, sometimes you had to take a new face. "Aye sir. Thirty Eight reporting for duty. All hands accounted."

"Duchess?" Satele asked curiously, "isn't that some form of royalty?"

Elijah nodded. "In some Earth based Royalties it is." The Captain commented to Satele in regards to her question. "I think we are all done here, so get some chow and report to the Shuttlebay once upgrades and modifications are done, dismissed."

"A Duchess is married to a war leader, if memory serves," Bertrand provided. "Let's assemble at the shuttle bay at 19:00."