Once a Pirate Always a Pirate
“Captain, there is a ship from O--Nah security closing in and requesting to board.” Lieutenant Rose stood in the doorway of Captain Morse’s room.
The Captain barely even looked up, but she sighed in response to this news, “Probably more check ins, let them on, tell them I’ll be with them in the next hour.” She said dismissively and Rose left immediately to relay the news.
Morse was still studying the maps of this part of the galaxy, they had hit a few snags on the way to the unknown planet where her officers had guessed that Skye may be stranded or hiding. And by snags, they had come in contact with even more pirates, all of them manageable and all of them handed back over to the appropriate authorities.
Natasha had given up a lot easier than she had wanted but then again, Morse knew that the Widow was still prickly about the fact that she left the underground and became what they had always hated. Now, as far as she knew it was only herself and that bastard Ward working to find them. She really hoped that she would be able to find them before Ward.
Her door opened suddenly without a warning and she glanced up, irritated, she had told everyone to give her a signal before just barging in. She was about to scold someone when she registered who was standing in her doorway.
Three large people in security uniforms were looking at her and her office critically, they were probably from O-Nah or by the looks of the one woman in the middle with her large shoulders and square face, maybe Tah-Woh. Morse knew her from somewhere, probably some meeting she had to attend but the woman’s determined and slightly angry face was easy to remember.
Then it hit her. She had been at Morse's trial.
“What is the meaning of this?” Morse stood up, to face the intruders. The woman in the middle walked forward into her office to face her and handed her a computerized document.
Morse took it and read the form on the front, it described that she was the main suspect in the disappearance of the three items that Doctor Simmons was transporting to the O-Nah people as a sign of good faith. She was to be transported to the prison on O-Nah immediately pending further evidence, if she was found innocent then she was to be given back to her corresponding sector but if she was found guilty then she would be help liable to the people of O-Nah with either prison sentence or execution.
Morse looked up from the tablet, “What the hell? What happened to the cargo?”
The tall woman in the middle glanced at the counterpart on her right, a shorter woman with dark skin and reddish brown curly hair, Morse guessed that she was probably the only one that knew how to speak without using telepathy. Whatever the leader told her, she relayed.
“You are being arrested for the theft of the paper books given to the O-Nah people, please come along willingly or we will have to execute force.”
“How could I have stolen them they were in the care of your people?” Morse Snapped, “What kind of sick joke is this.”
“Evidence to link you to the crime has been found at the scene and you will have to be detained and your quarters and ship searched thoroughly.” The shorter woman relayed robotically,
Morse crossed her arms and took a step forward, “This is bullshit, what are you bastards trying to cover up by getting rid of me? There is no way I’m going through with this without contacting my superiors.” She turned away to walk to her communications device but the man on the left stepped forward and grabbed her arm tightly.
She pulled her arm away and tried again but he grabbed her forearm again and flipped her elbow back behind her body, taking her other arm and snapping it quickly in to hand cuffs.The cuffs were made out of thick metal and every time she struggled against them they would send a shock of electricity through her body. She yelled and tried to kick away but he was probably from Tah-Woh as well and he over powered her easily.
“Please be compliant, Captain Bobbie Morse, we do not want to use force on you.” The smaller woman relayed.
The man pushed her forward until she was facing the leader of the security trio, the tall woman leaned forward and tutted Morse, shaking her head disappointedly, the she said with broken syllables as she tried to use her tongue to speak, “Once a pirate. Always a pirate.” She sneered.
Morse spat in her face and then she was pushed harshly past her, the leader snickering at her and wiping the spit off of her face calmly. The leader glanced at the smaller woman who could speak clearly and then she turned to follow Morse and the other officer.
Lieutenant Rose had been standing behind this scene and listening in, her face becoming more and more shocked and concerned. She nearly fell back when they began to take the Captain away, passing her without a single glance. The last woman though stopped in front of her, holding her tablet and typing something on it.
She looked up when she was finished, she held out a Captain’s pendent and despite the young woman’s flinch, pinned it on the front of her shirt. “You have been promoted. Do not leave this galaxy, there is still much to do.”
Rose lifted her hand up and touched the pendent, her mouth open in shock, she turned around and watched as they dragged her captain away. The whole crew was staring at her and she cleared her throat as they departed, then she said in a hurry as she went towards the captain’s office, “Uh... I will be back, don’t move the ship.”
Inside the security vessel, the leader turned around to look at Morse who was currently being strapped into a prisoner’s pod by the others. “You know, I am not surprised that this happened. I blame your authorities more than you. They should never had let a criminal such as you become an officer. Some things never change.”
Morse snarled at her and resisted the straps being tied around her arms and legs, but she remained silent as they strapped her in and left her in the cargo hold.
She mumbled to herself as they left, “Once a pirate. Always a pirate.” And began to pull at her restrants.
.
.
.
“We may only have a small window to find her so we should hurry, there’s no telling when this rain is going to start again.” Skye was looking at her hand held computer, attempting to get it to tell her the weather forecasts but, along with the rest of the ship’s sensors, it wasn’t much help.
They were standing just to the side of the waterfall they had hid behind, their packs on their backs. The rain had just ended not 15 minutes before and they both understood that they were on a time crunch.
“Right. I do hope we find her. I would hate to be alone in that downpour, android or not.” Jemma pulled her pack tighter and glanced around as she stood behind the captain.
The night before, after her token of affection, both her and Skye had turned over and went to sleep, neither of them ready to deal with the consequences of the kiss. This morning they had exchanged an awkward smile but besides that they seemed to have a silent agreement not to mention the kiss or what it meant. They had a job to do and they were both ready to fulfill it.
“Yeah, no kidding.” They started walking back through the jungle, again using Skye’s makeshift machete to get through the thick underbrush.
“So who do you have at home? Whose going to be waiting for you when you get back?” Skye asked when they had gotten quite a big distance, more to pass the time.
“Trying to get to know me now, are you?”
“Better late than never.”
Jemma rolled her eyes but answered Skye’s question anyway, “My parents, and my best friend Fitz. I hope they don’t know what’s happened to me.”
Skye glanced back, “Why wouldn’t you want them to know?”
Jemma shrugged, “I don’t want them to worry, surely you’ve felt that before..”
They were silent after that, the awkward conversation, hanging in the air as they trudged through the jungle. Finally Skye spoke up first, “Alright, can’t do it. Why did you kiss me?”
Jemma didn’t answer, she only continued to push down the plant life with her boot, following behind Skye. If her face wasn’t already so red from the humid climate of the jungle, one could see the blush working it’s way up her neck to her ears.
“Come on, I’m so damn confused right now.” Skye tried again,
“I- don’t know, it just seemed like the right thing to do in that moment.” Skye didn’t say anything so she continued, “Oh Skye, I’m just as confused as you, okay? The person I was a month ago would never had done that but I’ve gone through this sudden transformation and honestly I don’t know what to think of anything anymore... But when I think about the possibility of me ever getting back to where I came from-- To my old life, it just seems horribly dull and now that I’ve met you I don’t know if I ever want to live without you again and I hate it.” she sped up her words working through her explanation.
Skye’s mouth dropped and her eyes widened but she remained silent, so Jemma went on, “Honestly! It’s terrible and it’s wonderful and I’m just so bloody confused and I’m worried about Helen and-- Oh my god, Skye, what is that!” She screamed and Skye stopped in her tracks.
Ahead of them, coming towards them at a quick pace, the ground was pushed into a long mound, the hill coming closer to them every second. They could hear the dirt and roots being ripped away as whatever it was sped towards them, small trees and animals were being thrown to the side as the mound of dirt shoved it’s way towards them.
“I don’t know! Run!” Skye pushed Jemma to the side and they ran through the jungle, this time without the help of Skye’s machete, getting them slapped in the face and body with tree limbs and scratchy, thorny plants.
Jemma looked behind them, “It’s still coming after us!” She screamed and Skye tugged her in another direction. Jemma followed, whatever that was under the ground was catching up with them and their time was running out. Finally Skye pointed to a large tree with low branches, she glanced at Jemma who nodded her head and pushed forward.
They practically fell face first into the tree’s trunk, and they scrambled on the slick moss as they tried to climb up onto the first limb available. Skye helped push Jemma onto the limb and she clutched on with her legs, reaching down to pull Skye up. Skye’s boot slipped a few times but soon she was on the large branch next to Jemma, breathing heavily.
“What the bloody hell is that thing?”
“I don’t know, I-- Aah!” The large mound in the ground hit the side of the tree and the two women nearly fell over. The great tree shook and strained against the force of the hit. However, it’s roots held on, and the tree remained standing.
“Okay...” Skye said, clinging onto the side of the tree, “So that’s a thing.”
“A thing that is hunting us if I’m not mistaken, “ Jemma offered, grasping onto the limb with both her arms and her legs.
The underground monster hit the bottom of the tree again and it creaked and swayed but remained standing. The women gasped and clung on tighter.
“It’s going to go away, right? I mean, it’s underground, it’s got other things to kill besides us right?” Skye asked, tentatively,
“I don’t even know what it is, I couldn’t predict it’s hunting pattens with nothing to go on.”
“I’m trying to be positive, just tell me it’s going to go away.” Skye whined,
“It’s going to go away.” Jemma repeated just to make Skye feel better about the situation, but it was obvious neither of them were that confident. Whatever had been chasing them was now circling the tree around them, they could hear the roots being ripped from underneath them. They still had no idea whatever was chasing them looked like, so far it just resembled an incredibly large, moving ant hill. A sight which was more terrifying than one would think.
“Look!” Jemma pointed to the creature under the ground, or rather the imprint of it in the dirt, the previously even swell was now warping and widening.
The captain stood up glaring down at the ground as the thing continue to warp, “Oh crap, it’s going to evolve or some shit isn’t it?”
“I don’t know but it looks like it might explode..” Jemma was peeking at it over the edge of the limb, her eyes as wide as the captain’s, “Oh no, what’s it doing now?”
She was referring to the fact that it had begun to move faster and more agitated around the tree, now less with a purpose to kill and more disturbed, whatever was happening it was still incredibly strong and as it tore through the ground the roots that had been keeping the w omen’s refuge standing began to rip loudly and the tree started to sway violently. The women latched onto the trunk and closed their eyes as the last root holding them up was ripped away and the tree began to fall backwards.
They screamed but Skye pulled her arm around Jemma and clung to the trunk, attempting to keep them from being crushed under the giant tree’s weight. It hit the ground with a deafening crash and they were thrown off and onto a patch of smaller trees which collapsed under their weight. The women rolled away from the impact but they were on their feet a second later, their eyes scanning the ground in a panic.
They ran towards each other and met in the middle, backing away from what they couldn’t see, Skye’s words got caught in her throat as the tree was lifted slightly and the mound pushed forward underneath it, “Run-- Jemma run!”
The librarian didn’t hesitate and turned and ran with Skye on her heals, she continued to glance behind them as they ran but after a few feet she realized the the threat was stationary, she paused, spinning around to look, Skye ran into her.
“Jemma, what are you doing? We-”
“Look.” The librarian pointed to where the lump in the ground had stopped and was now just warping, sending rock and dirt down it’s back, or face or whatever part of it’s body they could see.
“What’s it doing?” The captain inquired, looking forward curiously, keeping a hand on Jemma’s wrist. The librarian took a step towards it and Skye put her arm in front of the woman, “What are you doing?”
“Perhaps it’s dead?” Jemma’s inner scientist came out and she was inexplicably drawn towards the unknown predator.
“Perhaps this is how it traps things so it can eat them.” Skye stated, mimicking the other woman’s accent as she spoke.
“I just want to..” Jemma leaned down and grabbed a long sturdy stick, slowly as if her movement would wake the creature.
Suddenly the ground shifted and she yelped and dropped the stick, backing away into the Captain, “Or perhaps you’re right..”
They heard a squelching noise coming from the mysterious creature and their eyes widened and they both took a simultaneous step back. A second later the mound was pushed up slightly and a green ooz began to leak out of the ground, Skye made a sound of disgust as the liquid pooled around the mound of dirt.
“I think maybe--- Aah!” The ground popped open like some huge green pimple and the women shielded their eyes from the shrapnel of dirt, rock and green goop.
Inside the ground a green oozing crater was left, a form was moving around in the goop. It pushed passed the pieces of ground that had mixed into the body and stood up. Skye and Jemma’s mouths dropped at the form standing in the middle of this creature’s carcass. dripping wet and drowned in both guts and dirt. They had their fists balled up at their sides.
Skye took step forward, “Helen?”
Helen looked up, her mouth in a stationary expression of disgust, she flipped on of her arms to the side and a pool of green blood flew off into the greenery. She opened her mouth and spit out more green blood, as her crew members stared in shock.
The android gave a small, forced smile, “There are giant subterranean creatures inhabiting this planet, Captain. I believe they may be the reason this planet is not colonized.” She stated dryly, coughing up a peice of the creature's organ.
“No shit...” Skye nearly coughed out, still staring wide eyed at the android.
Helen took a steady step out of the what remained of the carcuss buried halfway into the ground. "Can we go home now?"
Skye and Jemma snapped out of their trance and the captain leaned forward, putting a tentative hand on the android's shoulder, her fingers immedietly covered in the creatures blood and remains, "Of course sweetie, lets go home."
Jemma nodded adamently at that and stepped back to let Helen pass with Skye following closely behind. The captain gave Jemma a quick look but other than that their personal problems fell to the side as they escorted the slightly traumatized android back to The Hula Girl.
With only a minor set back.
"Jemma what are you doing?" Skye called behind her.
"I'm just getting a quick sample."
"Ugh, you know there could be more of those things, right?"
"For preservation and science, Skye."
Skye threw her hands up, "I'm tired, Jemma, I don't want to have to cut you out of a giant freaking worm in the name of "science"."
Despite her condition, Helen glanced over at the captain curiously, "How long have you been calling Dr. Simmons "Jemma"?"
Skye sighed, "It's a long story."