When Alien Pirates Learned Why Deathworlder Ships Don't List Weapons In Their Manifes | SCI FI Story

Captain crixa stood before the holographic display his scaled fingers tracing the outline of their next Target the human cargo vessel hung there in the projection rotating slowly like a precious gem waiting to be plucked his crew of 20 gathered around the briefing room their mandibles clicking with anticipation look at this beauty criol purred his foure eyes glinting with predatory satisfaction the star Merchant human designation class C car vessel crew complement of 15 and the best part he paused for dramatic effect something he learned from intercepting human entertainment broadcasts no weapons not a single one listed

on their manifest first mate Zenna raised her crystalline appendage Captain the galactic trade commission's warning about human vessels the GTC kxel interrupted with a dismissive wave of his tail has become paranoid since the joined the community when was our last raid Zenna the Centon luxury cruise ship captain three standard Cycles ago and before that the rellian spice transport and did we not take both vessels with minimal resistance kxel secondary breathing sacks expanded with pride 17 successful raids this cycle alone our holds are bursting with precious metals rare elements and enough credit chips to buy a

small Moon security chief vs a hulking mass of kitous plates and synthetic augments stepped forward his mechanical eye word as it focused on the Hologram the humans are classified as death worlders Captain there are stories the assembled crew shifted uncomfortably stories indeed Tales of human ships that appeared defenseless until it was too late Whispers of entire pirate fleets that disappeared after targeting human vessels but kxel had built his reputation on dismissing in such superstitious nonsense stories kxel spat invented by cowards and spread by fools look at their manifest medical supplies agricultural equipment construction materials they're

hauling farming gear to some Backwater Colony their most dangerous cargo is probably a shipment of primitive projectile weapons for the colonists he expanded the Hologram highlighting the ship's specifications their engines are standard Freeman Kumar drives nothing military grade Hull is basic Dura steel not even reinforced and their crew he pulled up the roster a captain Amanda Chen some Engineers cargo handlers and a medical officer not a single security officer listed the crew tension began to ease as cricel methodically dismantled their concerns this was why he was their Captain this was why the name Crimson Talon

struck fear into the hearts of merchants across three sectors we hit them hard and fast asked he continued calling up the Tactical display two boarding parties Zenna you'll take airlock one with teams Alpha and beta vks you're with me at airlock 2 standard containment protocols stun weapons only damaged merchandise means reduced profits zenna's crystallin form sparkled as she absorbed the Tactical data what about their distress Beacon already handled cricks all grinned revealing rows of serrated teeth we've been shadowing them for six hours broadcasting false navigation data according to official channels the star Merchant is right

on course exactly where it's supposed to be by the time anyone realizes something's wrong will be long gone the briefing room filled with excited chittering and the rustle of appendages this was what they lived for the thrill of the hunt the promise of easy riches one last thing kxel added his voice dropping to a theatrical whisper I want this operation clean and quick no casualties unless absolutely necessary humans may be death worlders but they're also known to be reasonable when it comes to protecting their lives show them we mean business and they'll give us what

we want little did criol know as his crew prepared for what they thought would be another routine raid that his words about humans being reasonable would soon become the greatest understatement in his soon to be very short pirating career the Crimson Talons sliced through the the void its stealth systems humming as it closed in on the star Merchant in the sensor room senior scanner Plex hunched over his console his compound eyes reflecting the Cascade of data streaming across multiple screens this cannot be correct Plex muttered his antenna twitching in frustration running diagnostic level three again

behind him Captain crixell drummed his claws against the bulkhead report scanner Plex what seems to be the problem sir I've run the scan seven times now the results are bizarre Plex manipulated the controls with his forelimbs bringing up a detailed cross-section of the human vessel see these spaces here here and here they're reading as completely empty empty kxel leaned forward his scal shifting color slightly in puzzlement what do you mean empty no energy signatures no mass readings nothing it's as if parts of their ships simply don't exist even their cargo holds are showing irregular patterns

first mate Zenna who had been quietly observing stepped forward could they be using some kind of shielding technology impossible criol declared their manifest clearly states this is a civilian vessel they don't have access to military-grade sensor bafflers he straightened up adjusting his captain sash prepare the communication array let's introduce ourselves the main view screen crackled to life showing the bridge of the star Merchant a human female sat in the captain's chair her dark hair pulled back in a tight bun her expression remarkably calm for someone about to be robbed star Merchant criol began using his

most menacing voice this is captain kxol of the Crimson Talon your ship has been selected for immediate wealth redistribution power down your engines and prepare to be boarded resistance will be met with extreme prejudice Captain Amanda Chen's response was unexpectedly cheerful Crimson Talon this is Captain Chen I must inform you that attacking a human vessel is not recommended perhaps you'd like to reconsider cric's crew exchanged glances this was not the usual terrified reaction they were accustomed to Captain Chen crixa continued his voice dripping with condescension I don't think you understand your situation we've disabled your

Communications your engines are within in range of our disruptors you're carrying nothing but farming equipment and medical supplies be reasonable Chen smile widen slightly oh we're quite reasonable Captain crica that's why we're warning you article s of the galactic trade commission's Charter requires us to inform you that boarding this vessel without authorization would be unwise security Chief VOR shifted uncomfortably Captain that's the exact warning mentioned in the stories silence crica snapped he turned back to the screen Captain Chen you have two minutes to power down your engines or will'll do it for you and I

can't guarantee the safety of your crew if we're forced to take aggressive action very well Chen side almost looking disappointed for the record this is your final warning any harm that comes to you or your crew after attempting to board the star Merchant is your own responsibility she leaned forward her brown eyes suddenly sharp as laser sites though I have to admit I'm looking forward to the upcoming cultural exchange the transmission cut off leaving the bridge of the Crimson Talon in uneasy silence status of their engines criol demanded still running Captain Plex reported but they're

not attempting to flee they're just waiting of course they're waiting they know they're helpless kxel turned to his crew spreading his arms dramatically you see this is why humans are considered easy targets all talk no action they'll protest quote regulations maybe even threaten us but in the end they're just soft-skinned Merchants who Captain plex's voice Rose in alarm something's happening to our scan readings the empty spaces in their ship they're shifting impossible maintain course boarding parties to their stations let's show these humans how the Crimson Talon earned its reputation as his crew scrambled to their

positions crixa couldn't shake the memory of Captain Chen's smile it had reminded him of something but he couldn't quite place it then he remembered it was the same smile he'd seen on a documentary about Earth Predators just before they pounced on their prey but that was ridiculous after all they were the Predators here weren't they the magnetic seals engaged with a satisfying thunk as the Crimson Talon's boarding tubes connected to the star Merchants airlocks Captain crixell watched through his tactical display as his boarding teams took position their bio signs steady and professional breach in three

two one security Chief vorks counted down his mechanical eye glowing ominously in the dim lighting execute the airlock do slid open with surprising ease no emergency protocols no security measures not even a basic decontamination scan just a welcoming pressurized Corridor that practically invited them aboard this is too easy Zena whispered over the Comm Channel as her team entered through the port airlock Captain the humans aren't even attempting to secure their sections kxel LED his team through the starboard entrance his claws clicking against the metal deck plates because they know resistance is feudal maintain formation Bridge

team with me engineering team secure their Drive section the quarters of the star Merchant were well lit and surprisingly spacious safety signs in multiple languages lined the walls along with helpful arrows pointing to various ship sections it was all very civilian movement ahead Forks reported his cybernetic implants scanning the intersection two humans female unarmed around the corner came a pair of crew members in standard Merchant Navy uniforms engineer Lisa Patel and medical officer Sarah Wong according to their name badges they stopped when they saw the armed Pirates but instead of showing fear they looked almost

amused oh good you made it aboard engineer Patel said checking her wrist display right on schedule medbay prepped already Dr Wong replied cheerfully though I doubt we'll need all 20 beds kxel raised his stun pistol against the wall both of you the women exchanged glances and complied still showing no sign of concern acting pretty confident for hostages VOR growled his targeting systems trying and failing to get a proper lock on the humans Vital Signs search them crixa ordered two of his crew patted down the humans finding nothing but standard tools and medical scanners sir one

of the Searchers reported the engineers tools they're not matching any known configurations in our database prototype models engineer Patel offered helpfully we test a lot of new equipment on these runs speaking of which she glanced at her display again Guardian how are those system Diagnostics coming along a gentle gender neutral voice responded from hidden speakers all systems nominal engineer Patel completing final checks now crixa scales rippled with unease what systems your ship's AI should be locked down oh Guardian doesn't really do the whole lock down thing Dr Wong said with a shrug they're quite independent

that way before crixa could respond his Cal crackled with Zena's voice Captain we've reached their cargo bay but something's wrong these containers they're not agricultural equipment the markings don't match the Manifest what do they look like kxol demanded well they're black about 3 meters tall and they're humming engineer Patel Brighton ah those would be the mark 7even autonomous defense platforms they do tend to hum a during power up nothing to worry about though the radiation is mostly non-lethal mostly non-lethal vor's mechanical eye word rapidly Captain we need to the corridor light suddenly shifted from standard

white to a deep pulsing red The Helpful safety signs retracted into the walls replaced by armored panels bearing the Insignia of the human space force Guardian Patel called out status report defense systems online lockdown protocols engaged permission to initiate countermeasures Captain Chen granted came Chen's voice over the shipwide Cal try not to damage our guests too badly Guardian some of them might want to surrender the deck plates beneath the Pirates feet began to vibrate throughout the ship hidden panels slid open revealing weapon systems that definitely weren't on any cargo manifest the empty spaces in their

scans suddenly made terrible sense what what is this criol stammered his Rado evaporating as quickly as his Crews courage this engineer Patel smiled this is a category 4 human Defense Force escort vessel disguised as a merchant ship we call it the Honeypot program works pretty well don't you think do Wong nodded you're actually our third catch this month though I have to say your scan of our manifest was much more thorough than the others points for professionalism kxol raised his weapon but found it completely dead all their equipment had gone Dark Guardian Patel said casually

please show our guests to their temporary accommodations and do remember to be gentle I don't want to spend all night patching them up affirmative the AI responded as security drones began emerging from previously hidden alcoves beginning non-lethal containment procedures as his crew began shouting and panic and the drones moved in crixa realized the terrible truth they hadn't ambushed a merchant vessel they'd walk straight into a trap and the worst part the humans had actually warned them initiating full defense protocols Guardian announced their voice shifting from helpful service AI to something far more menacing threat assessment

complete beginning appropriate response to hostile borders the walls of the star Merchant came alive panels that had appeared seamless moments before split apart revealing automated turrets containment field field s and defense drones the supposedly empty cargo containers in the hold burst open disgorging squadrons of combat robots that moved with terrifying Precision this is impossible criol shouted backing away from engineer Patel and Dr Wong civilian vessels can't have military-grade defense systems about that Patel said now holding what appeared to be a standard engineering tool that was rapidly reconfiguring itself into something decidedly more weapon-like you really

should have paid more attention to those GTC warnings over the C Zena's Panic voice cut through Captain the cargo bay the containers they're transforming some kind of mechanical metamorphosis look out the sound of stun blast and surprise screeching filled the channel Guardian Captain Chen's voice echoed through the ship calm as ever status report on our guests 20 Pirates total captain team one is currently being coralled in cargo bay 3 By the Mark 7 platforms team two is attempting to retreat to their boarding tubes but section c defense grids are active no casualties yet though scanner

officer Plex appears to be having some sort of anxiety attack excellent commence phase two the deck plates beneath crix sa's feet suddenly became electromagnetically charged adhering his metallic weapons and equipment firmly to the floor around him his boarding team struggled as their own gear betrayed them pinning them in place a word of advice Dr Wong said pulling a medical scanner from her pocket that expanded into a neural disruptor next time you scan a human ship pay attention to what you don't see not just what you do through the shipwide security feeds kxel watched in horror

as his carefully planned raid dissolved into chaos in the cargo bay the Mark 7 platforms had surrounded Zena's team hurting them with precise stun blast into containment Fields the plat forms moved with an eerily organic Grace adapting to every attempt at resistance fascinating defensive tactics VOR muttered his cybernetic Systems Failing one by one as guardian systematically hacked and shut them down they let us split our forces then trapped each group separately basic divide and conquer but executed perfectly Guardian engineer Patel called out how about a proper introduction for our guests the ai's Avatar material materialized

in the corridor a shifting geometric pattern that somehow managed to look both beautiful and threatening greetings Crimson Talon crew I am Guardian tactical defense AI human space force series 8 you are currently experiencing our standard anti-piracy protocols I apologize for any discomfort but you did ignore several clearly stated warnings cric Sal's secondary Hearts were racing if you're military this is an act of War we have rights under the galactic Commerce code actually Guardian replied sounding almost pleased you forfeited those rights the moment you attempted to board us but don't worry we're transmitting your attack and

subsequent capture to the GTC now it will make an excellent addition to their training database in engineering three of cca's crew had managed to barricade themselves behind some power conduits their Triumph was shortlived as the conduits themselves transformed revealing themselves as disguise containment units Captain zenna's shaky voice came through again they're cargo containers they weren't carrying farm equipment they're carrying an entire company of automated defense platforms correction Guardian interjected we're carrying two companies the second one is just finishing unpacking now on q more containers split open revealing ranks of sleek humanoid combat platforms they moved

with perfect coordination sealing off every Escape Route in intersection Captain Chen Guardian reported all pirate crew members have been located and contained except for ah there goes the last one the final hold out a junior engineer trying to hack their way through an emergency bulkhead yelped as the panel they were working on sprouted metallic tendrils and gently but firmly wrapped them up you have to admit Dr Wong said watching cca's crew being systematically stunned and secure we did try to warn you multiple times in fact the captain was particularly insistent about it but but you're

just a cargo ship criol protested weakly as his own weapon systems finally died completely no engineer Patel corrected him we're a human space force vessel playing the role of a cargo ship there's a difference a rather important one as you're now discovering throughout the star Merchant hidden weapon systems continued to emerge from seemingly solid walls what had appeared to be a simple Merchant vessel was revealing itself as a state-of-the-art military craft armed with enough Firepower to take on a small Fleet fun fact Guardian added their Avatar shifting to display the ship's true specifications those empty

spaces your scanner detected Quantum locked weapons Bays they technically don't exist until we need them neat right kxel watched as the last of his crew was rounded up by the defense platforms 20 years of successful piracy undone in less than 10 minutes by a ship that had practically begged them not to attack keep them separated for now Captain Shen's voice commanded and guardian send a message to Fleet command tell them the honey pot worked perfectly again done Captain shall I also update the betting pool on how long it will take the next group to ignore

our warnings might as well sound like fun captain crixa care to place a wager on your fellow Pirates as he was gently but firmly escorted to the brig by a pair of combat platforms crixa could only wonder how many other defenseless human ships were out there waiting for overconfident Pirates to make the same mistake he had the worst part he had a feeling he was about to have plenty of time to think about it while most of his crew was being secured in various containment areas throughout the star Merchant ccile and his senior officers watched

in stunned disbelief as the supposedly harmless human crew underwent their own transformation the medical officer Dr Wong now moved with the practice Grace of a combat specialist her earlier cheerful demeanor replaced by Cold efficiency engineer Patel's tool belt had reconfigured itself into a full tactical command interface even the junior crew members were displaying military-grade combat stances and formations you know Captain Shen said striding down the corridor with a confident gate of a predator there's a reason humans are classified as death worlders it's not just about our planet's gravity or atmospheric composition she stopped in front

of crixell and for the first time he noticed something in her eyes something ancient and dangerous we evolved as Pursuit predators do you know what that means Captain crixell before he could answer alarms blared through the ship captain Guardian announced five pirates from engineering are attempting to reach their board tubes ah right on schedule Chen nodded engineer Patel would you like to handle this teaching moment with pleasure Captain Patel's fingers danced across her transformed tool belt Guardian initiate Pursuit protocol 7 the corridor lighting shifted to a deep blue the temperature dropped several degrees and the

walls the walls began to move you see Patel explain as they watch the security feeds humans don't just build defense systems we build hunting systems on the screens the fleeing Pirates found themselves in an everchanging maze corers sealed and reopened new passages appeared and disappeared the entire internal layout of the ship was transforming around them remarkable adaptation of basic human hunting techniques VOR muttered his remaining functional cybernetics trying to analyze the patterns they're not just stopping them they're hurting them got it in one Dr Wong confirmed confirmed we learned long ago that the best way

to catch prey isn't to chase it directly it's to guide it right where you want it to go the running Pirates found themselves coralled into cargo bay 2 where those innocent looking farming containers had transformed into a field of active containment generators one by one they stumbled into the waiting energy Fields Guardian called out Chen status of the Crimson Talon their computer systems have been fully compromised captain their weapons are offline engines are locked down and I've taken the liberty of downloading their operational history the GTC will be particularly interested in their raid patterns two

more Pirates made a desperate break for Freedom this time trying to cut through the hall with emergency plasma torches the section of hole they were attacking suddenly liquefied reformed around their tools and solidified again trapping them in place Nano reactive hole plating Patel explained proudly another fun toy we developed cost a fortune to install but moments like this make it all worthwhile this is impossible crixa whispered your technological level these systems they're far beyond anything listed in the galactic databases Chen laughed of course they are we only share the basics did you really think a

species that evolved on a death Planet would advertise all their defensive capabilities through the ship's Windows crixa watched in horror as the star Merchant's True Form began to reveal itself the plain Merchant vessel exterior was morphing sections of hole plating sliding apart to reveal weapon ports sensor arrays and launch tubes the ship was literally growing armor Before Their Eyes fun fact about humans Dr Wong added casually reconfiguring her medical scanner back into a neural disruptor we have this thing called paranoia makes us really good at preparing for the worst like say pirate attacks current status

Guardian reported 19 Pirates contained one attempting to hack the airlock controls in section D let me guess Chen smiled scanner officer Plex correct Captain should I demonstrate our anti-tampering measures keep it gentle guardian we want them scared not traumatized a high-pitch Yelp from the direction of the airlock suggested that scanner officer Plex had just discovered exactly what humans considered a gentle anti-tampering system you should be thankful really Patel said to the captured Pirates this is just our standard civilian military hybrid vessel wait until you see what our actual warships can do the color drained from

crixa scales civilian military hybrid oh yes Chen confirmed did you think we'd waste a pure military vessel on pirate Patrol this is just one of our training ships a way to give our Junior Crews some practical experience the last Echoes of resistance died away as scanner officer Plex was politely but firmly escorted to containment by a pair of combat drones the star Merchant now fully transformed bore absolutely no resemblance to the harmless cargo vessel they targeted less than an hour ago Captain Guardian announced with what sounded suspiciously like satisfaction all hostile forces have been contained

shall I begin processing them for transfer to GTC custody proceed Chen nodded and send out the usual update to the pirate Networks something along the lines of dear potential Raiders this is why human ships don't list weapons in their manifest have a nice day in the star Merchants now transformed Bridge Captain kxel found himself seated across from Captain Shen the human ship's Command Center had shed its Merchant vessel disguise revealing a military-grade tactical operations center that would make most battle Cruisers jealous you know what your biggest mistake was Chen asked absently playing with what appeared

to be an antique project weapon on her desk besides ignoring our warnings of course enlighten me cricel muttered his pride stinging more than his wounds you assume that because we appeared peaceful we weren't dangerous Chen stood holstering the ancient weapon Humanity's greatest Advantage isn't our technology Captain it's that everyone underestimates us the door slid open as engineer Patel entered final sweep complete Captain though you might want to hear this seems our friends were planning to hit the new Adelaide Colony next civilian Target minimal defenses was that your next Target Captain crixa Chen's voice had gone

deadly quiet a colony full of families and children for the first time criol saw the full Predator emerge in Chen's expression this wasn't the facade of a merchant Captain anymore this was a warrior someone who'd seen real Combat you're not just space force are you crica realized you're Teran Marines former Force Recon Chen corrected most of us are the star Merchant is part of a special program we protect civilian shipping lanes by letting Pirates think we're easy targets she smiled but it didn't reach her eyes very effective recruitment tool for the rehabilitation program through the

viewport kxol watched as his beloved Crimson Talon was systematically locked down by swarms of repair drones which were methodically dismantling its weapon systems Guardian Shen called out show our guests the scoreboard a holographic display materialized showing statistics this fiscal quarter 17 pirate vessels captured 312 Pirates apprehended zero civilian casualties the star Merchant currently leads the fleet in successful interventions the fleet crica scales paled further how many ships like yours are out there now that would be telling Chen leaned forward let's just say the next time you see an unarmed human Merchant vessel you might want

to consider a career change the ship's internal security feeds showed the last pockets of resistance being handled a few of cca's more stubborn crew members had barricaded themselves in a storage compartment only to discover that the compartment itself was a containment cell here's what happens next Chen stated matter ofly you and your crew will be turned over to the GTC your ship will be auctioned with proceeds going to anti-piracy efforts and your complete operational database which Guardian has already decrypted will help us catch a lot more of your colleagues and if we resist please do

engineer Patel chimed in cheerfully we haven't tested the new non-lethal countermeasures yet as if to emphasize the point Guardian projected a detailed analysis of the star Merchants true combat capabilities the sheer array of weapons and defensive systems made Crick all's head spin final Choice Time Captain crixa Chen announced surrender formally or or or we let Dr Wong demonstrate why her medical license includes xenobiology and advanced nervous system manipulation over the Comm Wong's voice added I do love Hands-On research opportunities crixell looked around the bridge at the now revealed weapon systems at his helpless ship at

the crew who had so thoroughly outplayed him he thought about all the warnings they'd ignored all the signs they'd missed I captain crix of the Crimson Talon formally surrender my vessel and crew to human space force custody excellent choice Chen stood Guardian log the surrender and notify GTC enforcement and update the warning database with our latest tactics let's make sure the next group of pirates is at least a bit more challenging as he was led away to join his crew in custody kxol heard Chen add oh and send a message to Fleet command tell them

operation Honeypot remains a stunning success and suggests expanding the program after all she grinned there are a lot more Pirates out there who need to learn why human ships don't list weapons in their manifest the message spread through pirate networks faster than a Quantum transmission urgent alert avoid all human vessels especially the unarmed ones in a dingy bar on station 7 Alpha a grizzled verian ship captain slammed down his drink after reading the latest reports the capture of the Crimson Talon one of the most successful pirate vessels in three sectors had sent shock waves through

the raiding Community you hear about crixell he growled to his first mate whole crew captured by a single human cargo ship not a shot fired can't be true his mate muttered crixa was too smart for that a notification pinged on every criminal Comm channel the galactic Trade Commission had updated their warning protocols the new advisory about human vessels was remark ably brief notice human spacecraft are no longer classified by a parent Armament all vessels registered to human space force or Affiliated organizations should be considered Category 5 armed regardless of manifest status previous warnings have been

updated accordingly in the GTC holding facility crixa and his crew watched as the star Merchant prepared for departure the ship had reverted to its harmless Merchant vessel appearance looking for all the world like easy prey you know the most terrifying part crixa said to his cellmates that's their training vessel they rookies think about that the star Merchants engines flared as it broke Orbit on its ho fresh cargo manifest had been uploaded showing a tempting cargo of valuable Electronics no weapons listed of course in the ship's Bridge Captain Chen smiled as guardian reported three different pirate

vessels already tracking their new course how long until they take the bait Patel asked Guardian gives it 6 hours Chen replied apparently Pirates don't read warning updates very carefully or at all Dr Wong added with a grin as the star Merchant headed out into deep space its Merchant vessel disguise perfect once again Guardian updated the ship's unofficial motto on the crew private channel the best armed human vessel is the one that claims to have no weapons at all somewhere in the darkness of space more Pirates were planning their next raid unaware that their intended targets

were were hunting them instead the Trap was set once again