As the doors to Transporter Room 2 swished open, Commander Sidda Sadovu and Lieutenant Commander Selu Levne both flowed in, followed by two of Selu’s handpicked security officers. For their part Chief Kruck, a Tellarite even their own species considered grumpy, merely looked up, raised an eyebrow, grunted once and then looked back down at his console.

The security officers both unholstered their phasers, checked them, and then nodded to Selu, who in turn nodded once to Sidda. The rituals complete, stances and places assumed by the more serious members of the crew, Sidda leaned against the transporter chief’s console, propping herself with an elbow, then offered Kruck as charming a smile as she could. “Ready when you are Chief.”

Kruck grunted once more, tapped at commands and then initiated the transporter. As they did so a faint flicker went up around the pad itself as a security force field snapped into place and the transport cycle suspended itself. “Weapons detected,” Kruck grumbled. Another series of keystrokes and the cycle completed as three humans appeared on the pad.

All of them had adopted the disaffected space rogue clothing style popular in any media source for centuries across the warp-capable galaxy. Dark or earthy tones, hardwearing fabrics mixed with leather, boots equally adept at walking city streets and mountain trails. The visual cues of ‘I’m not to be messed with’ that so many people thought looked tough. It was however all ruined when all three went to draw their weapons only to find their holsters empty. Confusion immediately set in as they all dropped their gaze to confirm what their empty hands had told them.

“Lady and gentlemen, welcome aboard the USS Republic,” Sidda said as she purposefully found something under a fingernail to inspect while she spoke. They wanted to play pirate, she was going to play the disinterested Starfleet officer. “I apologise if I’ve misgendered anyone. I’ll be your involuntary cruiser director, Commander Sidda Sadovu. Captain MacIntyre is currently busy but will make time eventually to speak with all of you.”

One of the pirates launched himself forward, smashing hard against the forcefield and bouncing back to land on his backside as both of his compatriots opted to get out of the way instead of catching the large man.

“You have already experienced the finest in Starfleet security protocols, starting with Transporter Protocol Five. And our security forcefields, which I assure you, are set high enough to piss off a Changeling these days, so I wouldn’t suggest testing them a second time.” She pushed off the transporter console, stepping towards the pad and taking in the three fugitives before her. “And surrendering, only to immediately draw weapons when we beam you aboard from your incredibly broken starship isn’t going to look good for you. If you’re going to surrender, you stay surrendered folks. Honestly, who taught you to be pirates?”

The smaller male, though still a large figure, stepped forward and sized Sidda up as the woman in the group helped the larger man back to his feet. He looked at her, studied her, then shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. His stepping forward and the movement of his arms had the effect of finally revealing the red three-pointed flower emblem on his arm.

The Maquis.

“My my my, how the mighty have fallen.” The man’s accent hinted at well-educated origins, or it was the effect he wanted to give. His posture was confident and relaxed despite his current situation. “The pirate king is dead, long live the queen. Only she’s sold out and become another uniform-stuffing puppet.”

“Do I know you?” Sidda asked as she too took the man in, a lot quicker than he did of her, before she shrugged. “Actually, no, don’t care.” She turned to Selu. “Take them to the brig. And if they give you trouble, stun ‘em, then drag them to the brig.”

“On what made-up charge?” the man asked. “You can’t hold us without formal charges.”

Sidda spun fast, the fun and carefree Sidda gone, replaced by the angry Sidda. “Piracy, attempted murder and firing on a Starfleet vessel to start with.” She stepped closer, right up to the forcefield. “There were women and children on the Blue Rascal and you left them drifting. If you think you know me, you want to try and appeal to something you know, then you should know I have a code. So maybe, just maybe, shut the hell up before you make it worse for yourself.”

Silence hung for a few seconds before the man finally snorted, then stepped back from the forcefield and shrugged. “As per Federation law and the Guarantees I would like to speak to my lawyer.”

Before Sidda could say anything, Selu took a single step forward to draw the attention of the pirates, Maquis, or whatever they wanted to call themselves, to her. “That will be arranged at our earliest opportunity.” Selu’s tone, unlike Sidda’s, was calm, level and stoic. Hallmarks of the Vulcan side of her heritage and her father’s cultural inculcation. “Commander Sadovu, I can take things from here if you wish.”

Sidda turned back to Selu, calming herself and painting a smile on her face as she did so. “Thank you, Commander. Again, any issues, stun them and just drag them by their ankles through the ship to the brig. Or the airlock, ” While Selu didn’t react to that, the two guards behind her fought various forms of smiles briefly before putting them down and remembering their job was to be imposing. She offered to two guards a wink, seen only by them, as she flowed past everyone towards the door, stopping her escape from the situation just long enough to turn and look at the three pirates. “Enjoy your stay people.” And with that, she was gone.

Selu waited a few seconds before she spoke again, staring at the man who by bearing was the leader of the group in front of her. “Please don’t make this difficult.”

To which neither he nor his compatriots protested as they were marched the short distance from the transporter room to the brig, secured in individual cells. Only as the forcefield snapped up behind him did he turn around, facing Republic’s chief of security, head cocked to one side. “Your uh, Commander Sadovu was it?” he asked. “You know she’s a pirate, right? The Bitch of Archanis? Kingslayer?”

“Do you have any other colourful epitaphs you’d like to use?” Selu countered.

“A dirty cheat at cards too,” the man said after a moment and tried a smile, which bounced off of Selu ineffectually. “Look, you’ve got two problems in front of you right now. You’ve got me and my people and you’ve clearly got some other problem in Starfleet if a pirate is masquerading as an officer.”

Selu just stared at the man, waiting.

“Geez. Fine, let me make it real simple for you. Me, I’m just a smuggler. Maquis, good for business, but dying for the cause, or getting locked up for the rest of my life, is a little beyond what I’m willing to commit to. You put in a good word for me and my crew, help us get lighter, cushier sentences, and I’ll spill the beans on your Commander.”

Everything was silent, between the other two Maquis members in their cells watching, the two guards and the on-duty warden, all waiting for an answer.

“I want details on what the Maquis are doing in the Thomar Expanse as well,” Selu said after nearly half a minute of just staring at the man.

“Works for me, since it’ll be too late to do anything about it by now.”

Selu merely hmmm’d at that, looked to the other two prisoners to gauge their expressions, and then back to the man before her. “Start with your name.”