The Alliance - Galilean Escape: The Pirata Codex

X40L1N laughed to himself and said, "I guess an explanation is in order. Please, everyone, have a seat and let me explain about these little treasures." He himself, found an empty chair at the table and took a deep breath, knowing this could end up being a long conversation.

@goldenarms and @saffisara went back over to the table and seated themselves. @michaeldavid stared off into the distance of his mind while JJ and K-Pop waited intently for the meaning behind the eggs.

"As it was explained to me by my master, the eggs themselves are not as significant as what they unlock in people that come into contact with them. For me, it was nothing more than the journey to get where we are today and truly understand where we are going. For The Docta, within his own journey has he found his resolve and opened up new 'dimensions' to the world of Joki. For our general, it was surpassing his doubt and accepting his natural mastery of the optical arts. For K-Pop, it was hearing and finally expressing that inner voice that is as beautiful as a cloudless sunset over the Six Mountains Nation. And you, Sass, for you, it was accepting who you are inside which birthed a confidence to be yourself and be the leader your people needed you to be."

He took another long breath and exhaled slowly, turning toward GA across the table. "For you, it opened up a path to success like you've never known. One that is just starting, though I'm afraid will have to be put on pause as the real war is just beginning. I've always been able to see things, things others cannot or choose not to. That has been my greatest ally throughout time. I knew all of you before you ever met me, in fact. And another fact is once you bring all of these elements together, just as you bring enough eggs together-" at that moment, X40L1N made an interesting dance with his hands as he closed his eyes and set his egg on the table. To which, all the others responded. The one from the gauntlet popped off like it was never there. @topkpop's necklace released itself from her neck and the other ones, in turn, gathered around @enginewitty's egg and slowly rolled toward him.

"-and they become one, and a new - - -" but before X40L1N could finish, the ship was hit with enemy fire knocking most everyone out of their seats and onto the floor. GA had a confused angry look on his face and darted his eyes toward the console. X40L1N snatched up all the eggs and placed them in his pack.

"FUCK! I forgot to turn on the goddamn chaosnet. Now every fucking bounty hunter and mercenary this side of the solar system knows I'm here." GA started scrambling toward the console and everyone else brushed themselves off and stood looking aimlessly, not knowing what to do or how to help. Except K-Pop, bearing a saddened face and walking towards the Juyo.

"Um, X40L1N, that was all I had of my grandmother and now it's gone." She said with a single tear trickling down her cheek.

He looked at her and out of the bay window, and back at her, "Don't worry, she'll always be here." And he touched her chest with his palm sending a calming serenity through her body and soul.

"Brace youselves!" @goldenarms shouted.

Another few blasts from a mercenary's ship rocked the deck and everybody grabbed what they could as to not fall over. @michaeldavid and @tattoodjay looked to X40L1N with worried faces and he pointed immediately to the two co-chairs behind GA. They took their positions and made themselves comfortable quickly with the controls for some of the weaponry the ship housed. They fired a few shots and took out one of the oncoming mercstroyers headed toward them.

"Bounty Hunters?" @saffisara asked with a very confused look on her face.

The Dred Pirate shook his head, still angry at himself for not cloaking their emergence to the deep sea of space. "Yes, Bounty Hunters. I'm still the goddamn Dred Pirate and I've pissed off quite a few, um...interested parties." He started pushing buttons frantically and was about to say something when a voice came across the radio:

"GA! Is that you?"

"Holy Fucking shit! Sinbad?"

@thedamus belted out a big roaring chuckle replying, "You damn straight! The fuck you doing out here without no cloak? We always monitoring the merc waves and they all went ballistic talking about the Dred Pirate a few hours ago. Only one person I know ever fit that description. Party on the moon died anyway after we stomped out those angry pussies called themselves 'vigilantes'. Asshats. So, we thought we'd head over and see what's up! Looks like you in a bit of shitstorm!"

"Ya, it's been a little hectic around here lately, forgot to turn on the damn chaosnet before I left the surface. Who is we?" demanded @goldenarms.

"Well, I've got a new skull society member on board, @edthecanadian , he's my new engineer and mechanic to keep this bucket of bolts afloat and damn it be all, he's also the new keeper of the fuk'n code these days. Ol' @raybrockman and his crew pulling up the rear and pretty sure @armshippie, @bmj, @jbcoin, @fat-elvis, and them boys be along soon enough. You need some assistance from the 'Jolly Blogger' there mate?"

"Hell's ya!" @goldenarms sat down in his captain's chair and commanded everyone to strap in. X40L1N approached General JJ and whispered in his ear.

"We're going to need a diversion to escape effectively and allow everyone to keep their ships, and their lives." JJ looked up at X40L1N and silently nodded.

This was the first time anyone besides @enginewitty was able to witness the power of the General. He stood up from the co-chair and went to the bay window where he could see dozens of ships closing in on them. He cupped his hands around his face, almost like he was holding a camera, and breathed in a slow long breath. As he did so, on the far horizon, he made it look as though a hundred more pirate ships were heading for the battle. This confused most of the mercs as they weren't sure which way to fly.

But GA did. "Hey Sinbad, I've got to get out of here. I'll send you our coordinates once we've reached a safe enough distance to engage."

"Got ya buddy, and turn on your goddamn chaosnet before you do. I can still see you!" and with that, the radio went silent and you could see the battle ensue from the windows about the ship. @goldenarms set course for the Galileo Moons of Jupiter, turned on the ship's cloak and they disappeared from sight... ... ...

Now @thedamus and @goldenarms go way back. Even before GA became known as the Dred Pirate. For a long time in fact, Donny was the first mate on the 'Jolly Blogger' and learned the Pirate's Code from the infamous Blackbeard before setting off on his own exploits. He wasn't always a pirate though, and their history is not for the meek of heart.

Speaking honestly, there was no 'pirate code' until Sinbad came along. But before we get to that, you need to understand why the code was created and is now kept by @edthecanadian. You see, @thedamus was sold into slavery when he was 5 years old. At the time, slavers were about the closest thing to modern day pirates, though, they had no code of ethics or morals they respected each other with. They raped, killed, looted and destroyed anything they came across that couldn't be bought first. After fifteen years of being whipped, fed once a day and scavenging rats and cockroaches to grow stronger, he finally took a stand.

One fateful night, saving one of the bones of the many rats he'd ingested, he used it to pick the lock on his slave collar and free himself. But running was not on his agenda. His first name on the list was the captain of the ship he was a slave on. He killed three men on the way to the sleeping captain's quarters and was relentless in their demise. By the time he had gotten to the drunken fallen out sot, he was dripping blood and as he leered over the captain, the blood splatted on his face waking him up. He stabbed the captain repeatedly in the chest with the spikes from his collar and laughed as his slavemaster coughed up chunks of lung and blood. As he fell over dead, he took the cap, set it on his own head, swiped the keys from the fat bastard's belt and took up the captain's effects.

Several other slavers rushed in shortly after to find out what the commotion was and seeing their captain dead, one charged at @thedamus only to be impaled on his new sword. The other two stood in shock, not knowing whether to attack or flee in terror and avoid being massacred. He slit a few throats and opened up a couple bellies on his way down to the lower decks to free the rest of the slaves. Those that weren't killed by Sinbad were quickly dispatched by the now free people of the ship.

His ship, which he soon named the 'Jolly Blogger', needed a complete design overhaul and so he fashioned a flag out of a skull and crossbone design he created to tell any slavers in the galaxies, that he was coming for them and freeing the people they held against their will. One of the slaves on the ship with him was @raybrockman who became his first mate shortly after the uprising. As they began their crusade against the slavers, it wasn't long before he had his own ship. It was the third slaver ship that Ray commandeered as his own which also housed a young teenage @goldenarms.

Seeing the potential their new found mission had, he determined himself to devise a code of ethics for all that would choose to fly the flag which he called, the 'Pirata Codex'. This instituted a loose set of rules to be followed and respected by all under the flag, lest they be surmised to a slavers death and forced the 'walk the plank' into the vacuum of space.

Over the years, this became a sacred book and as such, needed protecting. The pirate captains had gotten together and decided they should elect what would be the 'Keeper of the Code'. The Keeper needed to be someone kind, humble, yet badass enough to fend off any wayward would-be thieves or slavers that had intent on destroying the sacred pirate bible. Their first pick was an old sea-witch that kept it for a couple decades before being killed herself in a revolt against witchcraft. That was also the same time @goldenarms rose to the ranks of first mate aboard Sinbad's ship and soon after got his own.

Obviously, they would need to choose another Keeper. This one was a priest in a small abbey in the far northern reaches of Canada where most men and women wouldn't go. One of the 'stable boys' that tended the horses for meager rations and pay, was also studying to be a mechanic and engineer. He sure didn't want to stay at the abbey. This young man was @edthecanadian.

Now ED, he knew all about the codex and studied it every day along with his own personal interests. How he loved the possibility of becoming a pirate one day. Little did he know, that day was fast approaching.

It just so happened that the Jolly Roger was in a fierce battle with some of the remaining masterslavers and made an emergency 'crash' stop for who knows how long at the abbey. The emergency 'landing' just so happened to kill most of the abbey's inhabitants, including the priest. @thedamus was furious seeing his ship in such ill repair. @edthecanadian then spoke up, "Mr. Sinbad? It wouldn't take much to fix you know. I've been studying engines for quite some time and all I would really need is - " and Frosty began to rattle off a list of supplies. @thedamus procured them within a day and ED had the ship up and running in a matter of hours.

"Nice work young man, it seems you haven't much left keeping you here and I could use a good man with your talents aboard the Jolly Blogger. Whaddya say?"

It was like a dream come true and without trying to act overly excited, ED immediately agreed to become their new hand. "We do have a small problem though, seems our Keeper is a bit, well, indisposed."

"I know the code!" And realizing he had just yelled at Blackbeard, he recanted and said softly, "I know the code. I know where the codex is too. I've been studying it for the past year."

"Well, I'll be a monkey's crack whore of an uncle! Two for the price of one! You just volunteered to be the new Keeper boy!" Then the first smile that graced Stackhappy's face in almost a week appeared. "Fetch the codex son, it's time to put some miles behind us."