Smugglers Cove (Love2write and Silence)

Killian had barely fallen asleep when he heard the knock on his door. He growled as she apologized. "Better be an engine died or something serious." Instead she gave him some bogus story. Laughing he laid back in the bed and then stopped short. How did she know he hit a kid that stole his wallet? Sitting up he glared at her. "He's what?!" Sitting up on his bed he forced his way past Star and out into the ship. Immediately he started to scour the ship till he came to Mike's room.

Shoving the door open he saw the boy sitting there. "What the hell is this?"

Mike got up off his bunk from where he sat next to the boy and pushed the captain right back out the door. "Aye...I'll have a word with you captain." Giving Star a look he let her know he had it for this part anyway. "I'm getting a little old to be crawling around some of those spaces and your leg doesn't do it. I need a lad to clean some of those tough spots. Its dangerous work mind you. I'll pay im a bit out of my own wages and he deserves a cut same as the rest of the crew. It'll take some strain off yourself." Mike leaned in a bit closer. "Why don't you just go lay back down before you pass out." It was looking like the captain was pale. Getting under one arm the engineer walked Killian back to his bunk. "Now jes you think about the boy helping me out."

Groaning Killian rolled over on the bed. "Damn it Mike! Keep the kid you crusty old bear." There wasn't any winning this argument and he felt sick. The older crew member closed the captains door and winked at Star. "I knew it'd get him up and sick. He'll be down for a while yet and by then all the anger will be plumb wore out of him."
 
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"You're the best damn shipmate ever, Mike." Star kisses him on the cheek and trots away happy as a girl could be could be.
...
True to his word the boy worked hard, doing everything asked of him without a word of complaint. Truly, he just looked overjoyed to be off of the street. There was no spare bed for him, which saw him sleeping on the floor in the cargo bay but the boy couldn't have been happier. He had a kind woman doting on him and a kind but hard engineer giving him meaningful work and teaching him the tools of the trade.

Meanwhile, Killian was stuck in bed recovering from the infection. He'd begun to cringe every time she opened to the door to clean his wound. She wasn't as nice as before and seemed determined to punish him as much as possible for knocking the kid around. Why she wouldn't just get over it, he couldn't understand.

"Well, looks like that infection finally cleared up." She says three days later, checking the bandage for any sign of infection. "Time to stitch you up. Maybe this time, you'll actually heal." She smirks, holding up the pink thread and needle.
 
Killian lay sweating in the bed for most of the first day and he couldn't sleep. His head hurt and the shoulder was throbbing constantly. Star came into the room again and his shoulder still hurt from the last time she had shoved dressing into it. There wasn't any point in saying anything to her so he flopped his good arm over his face and groaned. "Doesn't feel like the infection left." It hurt about as much as it ever did.

The captain bent one of his knees and took a sharp breath with the first poke of the needle. "Do you have to be so damn rough?"
 
"Why'd you have to be so damn rough on the kid?" Came her solemn reply as she poked the needle through again.
 
Pulling his arm up off his eyes he peered at her. "Really?" She was going to sit here and jab at his shoulder till it was bruised inside and out all over again just for that. "He stole my wallet and he didn't stop when I told him to. So I cornered him and took it back. If they're good enough to get away with it than screw me. If they aren't I'll bust their little hides. I didn't hurt the kid that bad anyway. Just stunned him and its the only way to learn."
 
She jabs him with the needle, making him yelp again. "You're a bastard. You know that? Just cause you had a shitty childhood doesn't give you any right to knock around some kid whose just trying to survive." Star stands up, leaving the needle stuck in his shoulder. "Sow your own damn shoulder. Maybe it'll be the only way you learn." She turns to leave.
 
"Ow!" Killian jumped almost off the bed with the needle sliding into the wound. Clenching his jaw he just watched her stand up. "I never said I had a shitty childhood. You're just making a dumb ass assumption." Pulling the needle out of his shoulder and starts to pull the stitches out. If he had to do it for himself he was going to use a half way decent looking color and he would have to clean it all over again. Not to mention clean up his hands too.

Getting off the bed he walked himself to the medical bay where he washed his hands and cleaned the needled before putting a new thread on it. It was just a plain black color. Standing in front of the mirror he poked around till he finally got the right spot. It took a little practice but it did work after a while.
 
He'd barely finished the stitching when Adam called him up to cockpit over the intercom. "Hey Captain. You're looking...well, not so good." Adam scoffs then spins to window, pointing at a ship floating with no lights or signal. "I've scanned the ship. Its a class 4 medical cruiser. The kind that transports sensitive supplies like bio experiments and next-gen medical equipment. There's no heat signatures, no power, nothing. No signs of damage either. It probably just ran out of fuel and the crew took off in the life pods. It probably has some good plundering though. What do you want to do?"
 
A call on the intercom was the last thing that Killian wanted to hear. Still he picked it up. "Yeah?" Of course Adam was going to comment on his not looking good. "Imagine that. I only felt like crap for the last week." Growling at the man he listened to the news and nodded. "I'll gear up. Have Mike, Star, and the kid ready to go in." If the boy was going to be a smuggler than Killian was going to show him what it was all about.

Inside his room he looked at the bullet proof vest and just smirked. It might have been tempting but his shoulder was so sore as it was that it took him five minutes just to get a shirt on. Inside the bay he watched on the camera till their docking line was hooked with the ship. All they had to do was get the code tapped to open the other ship and they could go on without issue.

Gradually the other ship opened and the pressurized tube extended from the ship so they could walk inside. They would have to wear harnesses and oxygen so that when they got out of the tube they could just unload the bay and not suffocate or fly away. Killian winced as he shrugged the oxygen tank on. Sliding the mask on his face he looked over at the kid who was about the size of his oxygen tank. He'd have to get tough fast or he wouldn't make it living around here.
 
(You're going to like this :D)

Star was still being noticeably cold to the Captian. She put a hand on Timo's head, as he shook like a leaf. Whether from excitement or fear though it was hard to tell. "Hey. Its ok. Nothing to be afraid of. Its just like a treasure hunt and you get to help us find the best treasure." Star encourages him. It was incredible how warm and cold she could be at the exact same time.
Timo simply nodded as Mike chuckles. He had his equipment in case they needed to break open any doors or boxes or something of that nature.
The door opened and stepped inside. It was definetly eerie, with emergency red lights the only light in the room aside from their flashlights, and the only sound that of their breathing into the oxygen masks and their magnetic boots helping them walk.
"I'm going to find the cock-pit. See if I can't get some lights and life support on." Star says, moving towards the front of the ship.

Timo stayed closed beside Mike as they went off in the other direction to see if they could find anything worth salvaging. The boy swung his flashlight all over, jumping at every creak of the ship, or scratching of metal. "This place is spooky." He says. Mike pushes open a door and stops dead in his tracks, causing Timo to bump into him. The boy sees what he sees and nearly craps his pants. "Is...is...are they..."
"Yeah. Bodies..." Mike looks over his shoulder at the Captian. "You need to see this."

The Captain enters the room. Approximately 7 bodies floated in air, scattered around the room. Each one had signs of trauma, energy blasts mark the clothes and bodies of some, while others seemed to have been torn up by a million little knives.
 
(Somebody puke on him?)

Killian almost had to roll his eyes. He didn't care of she was giving him the cold shoulder. As long as she did her part he didn't care. Tonight would be the first time he would have to sit with the crew when the boy was there. Unless he was sick and Mike had mercy on him. The boy's whipping around with the flashlight had almost blinded Killian several times. He was still seeing flicks of lights when the boy turned again. This time Killian took the flashlight. "Hey don't flash that in my eyes. Keep it always where you're looking." With a light thump to the kid's head he gave him the flashlight back.

The older man shot Killian a look. He knew that the captain had no experience in spending time with children and he was a brutal man. However, it was hard to believe that he was without some kind of conscience or feeling. "He's just a boy Kill." Wandering off to do some exploring he felt Timo close at his side. That's when they found the bodies.

While he had been checking out a few other things Killian pulled a panel door open to see if there was anything that might have useful fuses in it. That was a bonus. He wasn't too worried about repairing this ship. Taking a fuse out he stuffed it into the pocket on his glove. "What is it?" Walking over to where the other two were he squinted at the bodies. "Huh...Anything good in there? You know anything we would want to scavenge?"
 
(Nope. You'll see. ;) )
"Mike, Killian. I'm seeing bodies." Star's voice sounds over their radio.
"Yeah, we got some here too." Mike replies.
"These are strange wounds. I hope whatever killed them is dead."
"Considering there's no oxygen or gravity in here...I'm guessing we're safe." Mike pushed the bodies to the side and had Timo go through the cabinets. That ended being a mistake as Timo had no idea what was considered valuable and what was junk.

Star, meanwhile and reached the cockpit. She pulled the dead pilot out of the chair and sent him floating then sat in his place. She taps several buttons and pulls several different levers but nothing happens. "No power at all. Not even in the reserves....the ship has probably been floating a while." She says over the head set, grabbing anything of use from the cockpit. There's a skittering sound above her and she grabs her gun, shining her flashlight around. Nothing. The sound echoes again, this time further away. Something in the vents maybe? How as anything alive in here? Or maybe they had some sort of mechanical surveillance.
"Heads up. I'm hearing some strange noises. Might be robotic security so stay on your guard."
"I don't like it here. Can we leave?" Timo moans.
 
Between the lady and the boy Killian was ready to lose his patience. Already he was having to watch the boy throw stuff away that he shouldn't have. Killian kneeled next to him and finally started to pick up after him. Picking up a few pieces of junk with it he figured he would give the boy a quick sorting lesson later. Maybe Star too if she didn't know.

With the oxygen tank on he was feeling a little extra pressure on his shoulder. Leaning against the wall he rolled his eyes. "I don't care what you hear right now. There's probably a lot of stuff around here clunking in the vents. Just get the valuables." Pushing a dead body away from himself he growled. Now the boy wanted to leave. Killian made sure the transmitter wasn't sending his signal to Star at this point. "We just got here!" Looking at the boy he finally grabbed on of his arms. "Here just push that dead body over that way and you'll see it isn't so damn scary."

Mike would have protested but, he knew this was bound to be part of the work. They saw it often enough that he didn't want the boy to be squeamish. Once the captain was done he noticed that the man had leaned against the wall again. "Captain are you sure you're alright? Looks like those boots are the only things holding you in the ship with us."
 
(In honor of our mutual love of Stargate)

Timo was wiping his hands on his pants, his face pale from being forced to touch a body. They clear the main floor then split up with Mike and Timo going down to the engineering level and Star meeting Killian on the upper level. She kept looking at him as they scavenged the level.
"Maybe you should go back to the ship. Don't want to have to haul your unconscious ass all the way out instead of the loot." She smirks. Something skitters out of their line of sight. "Oooh, there is definitely something in here." She states nervously. After looking around for a moment for the thing that had moved she turns and opens a nearby medical cabinet, pouring the contents into the crate floating next to them.

Mike and Timo pull open the door to the engineering room. "Bet we'll find our treasure here boy. This....this is where the good stuff is usually at." He winks at Timo who forces a smile. They weave their way through alot of pipes and fuel lines to the core of the ship. He opens the door, staggering back in shock at the sight. Hundreds of mechanical spider-looking bots were eating away at the room.
http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net...licator.JPG/revision/latest?cb=20080425065649

Mike closes the door carefully. "Something tells me thats not security. C'mon kid." He pushes the boy ahead of him and hurries out of the engine room. "Captain...I think I found what killed the crew. And there's hundreds of them." He says over the comm.
 
(Ooh yesh.)


Killian leaned on the crate and he watched Star with an unamused expression. He hadn't seen the thing scitter across the floor so he sighed when she mentioned it. "Would you stop?" That only got her attention in a bad way and he rolled his eyes. "I'm fine." Looked like she had at least found something half way decent. He could sort through the cards and chips later on to discover if there was anything worth keeping.

Then Mike got on the intercom and he sounded worried. It took quite a bit to get the man sounding like that. "Lets go." Grabbing Star's arm he started to pull her. "Mike what is it?"

"Robot spider things." That was all the better he could think of how to describe them.

Cursing under his breath the captain let go of Star long enough to take the fuse out of his glove and throw it to the floor. "Alright leave everything. Adam turn on the frequency." They were going to need the frequency to kill anything on their persons and he didn't want any kind of merchandise from this ship if it could possibly be infected. Reaching their tunnel again Killian saw that Mike was going through it with the boy already. The captain blinked a few times and he weaved his way through the tunnel. Anything infected was more than cleared off of him since he took longer than the rest to get through. Once inside the ship he had Adam quarantine them. "Alright we'll strip here and send the clothes through a process then we can wash off."
 
Star goes bright red, knowing she was going to have to strip to her underwear around a bunch of men. "Damn decontamination. You boys face that direction. Anyone turns around I swear I'll make you wish you hadn't." She warns, stripping down with the rest of them and shoving her clothes down the tube leading to the wash.

The decontamination process wasn't pleasant. Freezing water followed by near boiling water followed by a spray and left one with a nasty taste in their mouth and burning in their eyes. After a final rinse they were free to step into the next room where clean shirts and pants waited for them. Star dressed more quickly than the rest, eager to be fully clothed again.

The only clothes that fit Timo were 3 sizes too big and hung on him like a dress. He flails out his arms. "I need new clothes." He states.
"Sorry kid, pretty sure I don't have anything your size." Star ruffles his wet hair on her way out. "Maybe the Captain has something in storage somewhere."
 
Neither Mike nor the captain liked the idea. Though it was for different reasons. Killian struggled with his clothes the whole way. His arm was still sore and though it wasn't bleeding it still hurt. Cursing the whole way he threw his things into the tube and decided to strip off his boxers too. He'd rather not take a chance that there was an electronic spider hanging out in his shorts. "Hey kid." Killian pointed to his boxers. "Unless you want to risk the ding dong I suggest you strip the jocks too."

Almost immediately the boy pulled them off. His eyes wide with worry.

Killian's hair was still dripping when they got to walk through and get new clothes. Timo looked like he was about to swim in the shirt. It hung on him like a nightgown. For the time the captain only put on fresh boxers and a pair of pants. He didn't want to fight his way into another shirt. Somehow Star seemed to get this idea that he would have some kind of clothing that would fit the boy. "No I don't have anything in storage his size." Catching the disappointed look on the kid's face he rolled his eyes. "Fine. We'll make a stop at the next planet and get the ship scanned to be sure there isn't any other contaminants and you'll come with me."

The older man looked over at Star and shook his head. There was no way anyone one of them should or would want to interfere if Killian said he was taking one crew member somewhere. It could only mean one of two things. He was going to accept the kid as a member of the crew or kill him. Interrupting it either direction was not a good thing.

**************************************************************************(Time Skip a few days)

Early in the morning Mike led the boy to the captains door. "Now you just knock and tell him you're ready to go. Adam and I got the equipment to do the scanning. Star is gonna help us."

Killian growled when he heard the knock, but he got up. Slipping into a shirt he stepped out the door and stared at the kid. Timo was wearing the ratty street clothes. "Alright c'mon." The first thing Killian did was take the boy to the control room and show him a brief outlay of the ship including the duties of each member. Then he went to the vault and showed the boy his name on the crew list. "Now..." Killian was having an internal argument. Mike didn't have much to pull and he hadn't told him how much to give to the boy. Star had nothing and he wouldn't volunteer Adam's money. Then of course it wasn't ship needs it was just for the boy and he didn't make any runs with them yet. Besides he doubted the boy would be able to pay back the ship fund without being frustrated. Finally he growled and dug into his own stash. Marking it off on the book he tried to make it look as though it wasn't for the boy at all.

By the looks of how things were going Mike wasn't concerned for the boy. "Well I think he warmed up to the idea."

The captain kept one hand on the boy's shoulder to be sure he didn't lose him. Taking him to a black market dealer he haggled with the man till he had a new pair of boots and a vest with 5 shirts and 3 pants for the boy. "Count out the credits." Killian watched the boy lumber through the task. It was incredibly long feeling. Then the two of them went to a bar where Killian got a drink for the boy and one for himself. "We'll take it to walk."

Sipping out of the straw he walked with Timo to the bathhouse where he paid for the kid to get a good wash and haircut. Then the two of them returned to the ship. "Crew should have it cleaned up by now." Digging into his wallet Killian handed the boy 20 credits. "That's yours. You been cleaning those parts for Mike. I guess it counts as some kind of work. Nothing you got was free. Remember you worked for all of it and this is what's left from your pay." So far the boy hadn't earned anything but, the kid didn't really seem to understand how to read the books so Killian figured he could get away with this one and not have anyone know.

A broad grin spread over Mike's face when he saw the boy come rushing up the plank leading into the ship. The kid didn't have to get his hair tied back anymore. He was looking almost like a mini smuggler in his outfit. Even had the boots. "Well now look at you?" Grinning he gave the boy a pat on the head. "Even some money to spare huh? Well you better go show Star." He knew darn well where the money came from, but he wasn't going to say anything. Obviously the captain had decided to accept the boy as a crew member and he knew from here out anyone that laid a hand on the kid would have a bear of a captain to deal with.
 
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Timo showed himself off to Star, spinning happily. "Well now, who's the handsome boy?" She chuckles at him straightening his collar.
"Does this mean I'm a real smuggler now?" Timo asks excitedly.
"Crew member, yes. Smuggler...no. Not yet. Maybe in a few years." Star chuckles and pats his head. "Now, get to your chores."
"Yes, Ma'am!" Timo rushes off, eager to do his part.

After supper Star finds Killian reading one of his books. She leans against the door frame. "Hey, thanks for what you did for the kid today. I knew you had a heart buried somewhere underneath that tough exterior."
 
Killian had his new maps open on the table in the control room. Laying an older one over top of it he frowned. There was something that recently got changed on the new one. He'd relied on the older one for a long time. Looked like there was a new set of patrol along one of his favorite routes. Hearing footsteps he looked up from the books. "Huh..." Grunting he closed one of the books. "I didn't do anything. Mike's the one who said to take it out of his wages." It was impossible to hide the books, but he wasn't about to admit that he was the one to do it. "Kid's still a stowaway. Sneaking around like that."
 
"No doubt like you were once upon a time, eh?" She smirks, joining him at the table. She noted his scowl at the maps and looked them over. "New patrols, huh? Those Alliance patrols get more annoying everyday. Not sure about this new route though..." She pointed at the updated maps with new smuggler routes. "It's dangerously close to a red giant star."
 
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