Tava waited for a response to her warning that Kartk and his group should watch out for the last pirate group.  The radio clicked like he had opened the link, but he didn't say anything.  Instead, Tava heard a strange voice, distant and a little unclear.  Tava managed to make out the words anyways.

"Drop your weapons or he dies."

The hair on the back of her neck raised.  She quickly made an about face and started striding back the way they had come, determined to catch up to Kartk and provide backup before anyone was killed.  She barked over her shoulder at the soldiers looking confused and Yggdrasil fluctuating between a worried olive color and his usual vivid green.

"Move out!"

Then she was racing down the tunnels.

~ ~ ~

Kartk froze as the pistol tapped against the back of his helmet and a rough voice growled.  "Drop your weapons or he dies."  His eyes flicked up to the four others of his group, watching them carefully.  His breath caught when Garrett and Valco started to raise their weapons, disregarding the threat.

Then he let it back out as Jornea slapped Valco's gun down and stepped into Garrett's line of fire.  It appeared she, at least, didn't want to get into a fire fight over his dead body.  She had already holstered her twin pistols in favor of digging through the treasures in the chamber.  A wide brimmed feathered hat in her hands went twirling around her finger in apparent ease however.

"How do we know you won't just shoot him if we drop our weapons?  Pirate's aren't exactly known for their honesty.  No offense."

Kartk identified at least four individuals behind him when they laughed at her words.  The one holding a gun to his head answered.  "I'll swear it then.  On my life."

Jornea barked a laugh, startling them into complete silence.  "Your life?!  I wouldn't trust that even if my life depended on it."  She grinned, raising her free hand up to the face shield of her environmental suit helmet to tap over her mouth.  "Hmm.  No.  Let's pick something you'll actually honor."

She abruptly snapped her fingers, though it didn't make much noise through the gloves.  "I got it!  Swear on the Queen of Pirates herself.  Swear to Ignatia."  She whipped the hat up and plopped it on top of her helmet, cocking it at a jaunty angle.  It looked ridiculous perched on top of her helmet.  If she had been wearing her usual civilian clothes it might have suited her.  The Pirates did not appear amused at her image however.  Instead, they were shifting with unease.

"It can't be.  It's not possible!"  The leader cut off the mutters with a harsh growl.  "Don't you speak her name!"

Jornea only grinned.  Kartk noted the way her fingers lightly caressed her pistols and swallowed, hoping she wasn't about to do something reckless.  Then prepared himself for it anyways, knowing her better than that by now.

"Swear it then.  Swear none of us will be harmed should we drop our weapons."  A silence stretched, during which Jornea's grin only grew.  She abruptly shrugged.  "Alright then."  Her pistols whipped up, one sending a bolt whizzing by Kartk's ear while the other continued up, shooting out the light above the door and showering the Pirates with sparks.

Kartk whirled, dropping the radio in his hand to whip out his sword.  He took the one step required to close the distance between him and the nearest Pirate, slashing the strangely shaped humanoid down.  Another fell under his blade while the other three were dropped by bolts from behind him.

For a tense moment he took a moment to breathe, then a clatter of boots down the hall had him turning to meet the charge.  He huffed in relief as Tava and her group came charging around the corner and slid his blade away.  Tava did a quick check around to make sure everyone was alive and in one piece.

"Everyone okay?"

Kartk growled as he turned towards Jornea.  "You brat!  You ever gamble with my life again I'll kill you, hear me?!"

Tava blinked as Kartk went storming towards the pilot, still wearing a hat on top of her helmet.  Jornea stiffened in surprise, then yelped out a protest as she retreated.

"It worked didn't it?!"  She scrambled over a pile of loot and around a stack of supplies, Kartk in hot pursuit and still threatening.  Tava stood aside as the two went racing out of the chamber and down the tunnel, disappearing.

She sighed and shook her head.  "Well, they're fine.  What happened?"

Kit started shifting through loot, examining this and that as he absently answered.  "Jornea stalled a little and played on the Pirate's idiotic superstitions."

Tava cocked her head when the soldiers came over, one of them looking a little manic.  Valco, she thought his name was.

"Captain Tava, how long have you known your pilot?"

Tava shrugged.  "Almost a month now.  Why?"

The other soldier, Garrett, rolled his eyes as his friend tugged at him, opening up the backpack he was wearing to pull a tablet out.  "Valco is a history buff.  And about as superstitious as the Pirates."

Valco just shook his head as he pulled up what he was after and shoved the tablet under Tava's nose.  She leaned back and took the tablet as he began to ramble.

"It can't possibly be her, but the resemblance is uncanny.  Maybe a great granddaughter or something?  I didn't notice until she put on that hat that Ignatia was always so partial to."

Tava glanced over the article and the old grainy picture that accompanied it.  "Ignatia.  Considered founder of the age of piracy in space and often called the Queen of Pirates.  Ruthless and cruel, said to be able to foretell the future.  Died by ramming her ship into a Militia patrol ship rather than be captured."

She looked up at Valco.  "What does this woman have to do with my pilot?"

Valco reached over the tablet and pulled up another image.  This one was a wanted poster.  Tava's eyes widened.  It looked exactly like Jornea.  Her gaze jerked back up to Valco.

"You're right.  It's not possible.  But the resemblance is remarkable."  She slowly handed the tablet back as Garrett started ribbing his friend good naturedly and Valco defended his position.  She shook it away and turned to Captain Anders instead.  "Let's get everything loaded onto Athena.  We can make an even split when we get back planet-side."

Captain Anders nodded.  "Sounds fair."

Yggdrasil lightly touched Tava's shoulder, a pleased lime green color as he smiled.  "When we're through, I'll put in place a measure to insure no one reclaims the space.  That should solve the issue on a more permanent basis."

Tava nodded, not inclined to doubt him.  "Alright.  Now, where did Kartk and Jornea run off to?"

Tava collected up a few things on her way back to Athena, deciding things would go faster if she moved the ship closer and opened up the cargo ramp.  She finally found Kartk and Jornea, breathing hard under Athena's port wing, just outside the hatch they had come out of.  Kartk was sitting on the ladder, his elbows on his knees.  Jornea was still watching him carefully, wary of any sign she should run again.

Tava smiled a little.  "You two run around the moon?"

Jornea shook her head.  "Just to the-gasp-dark side-pant-and back."

Tava chuckled, shaking her head.  "Come help load up the treasure.  I don't know when our next pay day will be."

Jornea flinched away when Kartk got up.  He largely ignored her as he stalked back towards the caves.  She shivered a little before starting to follow him.  Tava grasped her shoulder before she could pass by.

"Jornea, how did you know about Ignatia?"

Jornea grinned.  "Any pilot worth their salt knows that story.  Ignatia is said to haunt Pirate ships, bringing destruction and despair along with her.  Invoking her name is the best Pirate repellant there is."

Tava nodded, watching as Jornea sauntered off to help load.  The answer had been sound and quite logical, but the wanted poster with Jornea's face and Ignatia's name bothered her.  Not to mention some offerings of information that greatly resembled precognition.  The pilot was an enigma.  She hoped one of these days she could answer a few of the questions surrounding her.

Sighing, she hurried up the ladder to get Athena in position.  For right now, she could focus on the fact that she finally had some good news.  There was something to fill Athena's coffers and pay the crew.  Not to mention winning an ally in her revolution.

Things were finally looking up.  She just hoped it lasted.