Space Pirates
“Heh heh hum~♪” Eve was swinging her arms back and forth with exaggerated flair as she strolled down the corridor. Her little tune hummed through the communicator into my ear. I followed behind, chuckling softly.
“That excited, huh?”
“Yeah! Cake! New food!”
Her reply came so fast, her anticipation was plain as day. Even through the spacesuit helmet, her eyes sparkled.
“This is the last load of supplies, so once we're done, we eat right away.”
“Baaap~~!”
“Hey, no running! It's dangerous! Geez, how do you even contain all that energy.”
No matter how much I yelled, Eve was already zipping ahead. Someday I gotta pin her down and drill some safety rules into her, I thought, but by then we'd reached the airlock corridor linking to the ship. Eve peeked around the corner, just her helmeted face visible, waving me to hurry up.
Is food really that great? Well, yeah—for her right now, meals were pretty much her only entertainment.
Hiss— The cargo bay sealed off, and the pressure equalized. Finally, time to ditch these heavy suits.
“Ugh, so stuffy!” Eve tossed her helmet aside and ruffled her hair, grumbling. “Fun, but stuffy. Kal, hurry! Hurry, food!” She grabbed my sleeve and dragged me straight to the galley.
On the table sat the spoils we'd salvaged from the Iron Graveyard earlier. Eve's eyes locked dead on the cake in the center.
“Here, this is cake. Give it a try.” I tore open the vacuum seal and plopped a slice on her plate. Eve approached it with reverence, spearing it with a fork and opening her mouth wide.
Liking desserts like that, even after turning into a monster, she's still every bit the little girl, I mused. Wonder what her reaction'll be? Eyes wide, cheering maybe?
Eve slipped the forkful into her mouth. Nom nom.
“……”
Huh? But her reaction was way more subdued than I'd expected. No, subdued didn't cover it—it was downright odd. Her eyebrows twitched, and she tilted her head.
“……Huh? Hmm… uhmm…”
“What's wrong? Taste weird? Gone bad?” I asked, worried. Preserved rations shouldn't spoil.
Eve smacked her lips a few times and set the fork down.
“Kal. This… weird.”
“Weird how?”
“I get it's sweet or something… but no energy. Tongue just tickles.”
“What? Looks super sugary though.” I cut off a piece for myself. Rich chocolate and sugar hit my tongue. But Eve's face fell.
“Tastes bad. Meat better.”
Then it clicked. Her digestive system must be wired for high-density proteins and fats as fuel. To her taste buds, sugar was just inefficient junk. She looked like a ten-year-old girl on the outside, but her palate craved dripping raw meat—wild as could be.
“Ha. What now. Wasn't the flavor you hoped for, huh…”
Eve's shoulders slumped, her disappointment crushing after all that hype. I gave a wry smile and opened the preservation locker. Good thing it wasn't all cake in there.
“Alright, how about this?”
I pulled out a vacuum-packed premium Federation steak. Ancient, but perfectly preserved. Activated the heat pack, and steam rose from the plate. Eve's nose twitched.
“Meat!”
Her earlier gloom vanished. She snatched it up with her hands—no fork needed. Nom nom gulp. Color bloomed on her face.
“Mmm mmm!” Eve flashed a thumbs-up. “Meat best! Cake bad!”
“Yeah, yeah. Eat up.”
That meal ended on a meat high note. Watching Eve bliss out with grease on her lips, I hit the sack relieved that the pricey dessert hadn't gone to waste.
The next day, well-rested, we prepped to leave the Iron Graveyard. Fuel tanks full, pantry stocked. Just dive into the deep Outer Rim, hunker down till things quieted.
The Night Raven fired engines, threading through massive debris.
UNIDENTIFIED VESSEL APPROACHING.
DETECTED PROPULSION TRAJECTORY DIFFERENT FROM SURROUNDING DEBRIS.
The main AI's sudden warning shifted the bridge atmosphere. I checked the radar on reflex.
“……Here they come.”
One ship on screen. Clunky armored plates, weld scars everywhere, crude mark on the hull. Pirates.
Lucky in the misfortune, I guess. Not the sleek black Vector assault ship from before. No Industry trackers—just local hyenas prowling. Still, no room to relax. Their assault craft could run down our slow transport Night Raven easy.
HOSTILE ACTION DETECTED. LOCK-ON WARNING.
Red emergency lights flashed wildly in the cabin.
“Kal?” Eve looked up at me, eyes wide with fear at the unfamiliar crimson glow and sirens. Her hand clenched my sleeve instinctively, sensing danger.
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders calmly.
“Eve, listen up. Remember that room past the second cargo bay, with the thick bulkhead?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Go there now and hide. Don't come out till I say, no matter what you hear. Got it?”
“What about Kal? You coming?” Her voice trembled.
I stroked her head, forcing a smile. “Gonna chat with our guests. Be right back.”
“But…”
“Eve. Don't worry too much? This is routine for me.”
At my firm gaze, she bit her lip and nodded. She glanced back as she ran to the cargo bay. Once the bulkhead sealed, my face hardened. The gentle mask for Eve was gone.
I yanked the throttle beside the controls. Engines throttled down, nav lights flashing white surrender pulses.
“Captain, looks like they're giving up. Engines down, nav lights flashing white.”
The man slouched in the captain's chair cackled at the helmsman's report.
“Heh, rare bird. Most try every damn trick with those sluggish transports.”
“Well, makes our ship grab easier, saves fuel too~.” The first mate chimed in obsequiously.
“Yeah, yeah. Gotta have some class, right? Send 'em off in a lifeboat, limbs intact.” The captain grinned, baring teeth. “These days, you gotta punch holes in their engine room before they surrender. No manners.”
“Captain, incoming hail from them.”
“Yeah? Quick on the uptake. Patch it.”
Static— Screen cleared to show the battered transport's bridge. A bearded man, face pale with terror.
Kal threw his hands up, groveling pathetically. “Heh, look at this guy. Frozen solid.”
The captain snatched the mic, chuckling. “Hey, captain. Smart cookie, I like it. You know the rules? Hand it over nice, you live.”
“Daughter?” The captain raised a brow. “Scan results yet? Really just two?”
“Scan complete. Two life signs. One on bridge, one hiding behind cargo bay bulkhead. Size matches a kid.”
The captain's lip curled. No crew, quick surrender for the kid maybe.
“Hmm… hiding in cargo, eh?”
No lies there. No weapons, no fight. Just a desperate dad begging.
The captain nodded, pleased. “Fine! I'm in a good mood, so special mercy. But resist once we board, and you two are space orphans.”
Comm cut. Captain stood, cracking his neck. “Prep. Free lunch time.”
“Docking! Four boarders, ready!”
The pirate ship clamped to the Night Raven's side. They had no clue. How that terrified father's eyes had shifted the instant comm dropped. Or that the tiny life sign in cargo was deadlier than any of them.
The docking hatch hissed open like a serpent's tongue. Time for the gentlemen pirates to enter.