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fangbangerghoul · 6 months

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Get 'Em Cowboy

Chapter 5 of Fleeting Pleasures (aka Stages of Me): Ao3(comments and kudos are appreciated) It's been two months since Ghoul's crew members have seen her in person. What lengths will Sam and Andreja go to, to find their captain? What has Delgado found out about his Fleet members? Minors DNI, 18+/TW: Violence, cursing, mental health struggles I appreciate all the love and support that is poured into this fic! A big shout out to @thatsgoodsquishy0 and @spookyspecterino for being amazing and helping me out when I was lost with it! Fleeting Pleasures (aka The Stages of Me): Link

Chapter 5: Get 'Em Cowboy

The cockpit of the ship was dark and the space felt so hollow and alone. It had been several weeks since either Sam or Andreja had heard or seen from their Captain and at this point it was becoming easier to assume the worst. Sam didn’t want to succumb to those thoughts even as he jumped from star system to star system. He was following various leads of Crimson Fleet activity with no evidence that suggested anything positive. They still had yet to find the coordinates to The Crimson Fleet’s main base of operations and even if they did, Sam knew it would be a suicide mission. Hell, he even showed up at UC SysDef to see if they would assist in their searches but just like the rest of the UC those corporate funded dogs didn’t give a shit about anything other than the possibility of losing money and blowing cover. That day was a catalyst for Sam’s current mental state, as the UC Marines dragged him out kicking and shouting at those pigs for them to do something, anything for Ghoul. She didn’t have to agree to help them out but she did and this was how they were going to repay her?

Sam finished another drink and threw the glass bottle into the pile of bottles and wrappers that had collected in the corner. He practically lived in the cockpit of the ship and only left when he was going to check out another abandoned ship or mine, or had to go to the bathroom. There had been several nights where he woke up in the captain’s chair with a stiff neck and a migraine from the hangover of the previous night. His head was a swarm of thoughts and emotions that ranged from anger, guilt, sorrow, and frustration. Sam knew before she even left their ship, he should have stopped her. He knew and felt it through his entire being but he just took a step back. The whole ploy by that murderous bastard was a trap and Sam just fucking despised not speaking his mind when he had the chance. Delgado probably had her murdered on the spot once he figured out who she was really working for. Sam vowed to himself that he would never let that man live a day of peace in his life if Delgado harmed her in any way. He had taken the time to read up on some of the files Ghoul had left behind in her locker so he knew more about the leader and ranking in Crimson Fleet than he ever wanted too. Delgado was a bastard from a rich family that decided that wasn’t enough and now is left unchecked in the settled system, thinking he can be a ‘king’.

Sam would never admit to getting into Ghoul’s locker but he knew her passcode from his eyes, always drifting their way onto her while she’s around him. Some of those moments were when she would visit the Galaticat she had found and for some reason hid in her captain’s locker. He remembered when they were searching for clues for a piece of the Artifact and she thought she was being sneaky after finding the toy cat and taking it back to the ship. The way she looked at it tugged at something in his chest to watch someone so hard on the exterior be frozen at the sight of something soft like a Galacticat. The bombardment of thoughts and memories started to make his temple pound and he brought his hands up to start relieving some of the tension in his face.

“Any other leads?” Andreja’s voice came from the dark hallway that connected the ship to the cockpit. She had insisted in staying with Sam as he traveled looking for Ghoul. Her reasoning was logical and if anything, he knew he needed someone with him so he didn’t lose himself in his anger. There were a few moments where he was unhinged and ruthless to the one’s he left alive to interrogate, and occasionally it would throw him back into the dark and murky headspace of when he still was a Freestar Ranger.

“No.” His response was short, hoarse, with a tinge of disappointment. He leaned his body back into the chair and continued to rub his temples, his beard, his jaw anything to help himself soothe the dark pool of emotions that threatened his current mentality. Sam knew things were bad for him, maybe worse than they had been in awhile and it was one of the main reasons he ultimately decided to leave Cora with Sarah. That day he had to finally admit to Cora that something was really amiss with their captain; it tore him apart even further. The look of betrayal and worry on the face of his sweet daughter’s face summoned a deep well of guilt, then having to leave Cora anywhere was never in normal circumstances, on the table. His guilt and anger fueled him to chase down every Crimson Fleet pirate and gun them down for answers and revenge for just existing. It wasn’t safe for Cora to be near him like this and every passing day he knew eventually the time would come where he would be backed into a corner that had no exit.

“Have you heard from Vlad for any more leads? Or even any of your old contacts at The Rock-.”

“No, Andreja.” His tone was sharp as a blade and Andreja stood there with him in silence watching his grimace expression. She found herself staring out at the stars out of the cockpit's view because she was never sure what to say to him when the pain was written on his face. He was not alone; she was struggling with the thought that she may have lost one of her closest companions too. The only time she ever felt any type of relief was when she was forcing herself to train harder than her body wanted or when she was with Sam in the mines bashing pirates faces in. Andreja always had feared that type of pain that loss brought and it was one of the many reasons she never opened up to others often and here the fear was staring back at her. In the beginning she refused to even entertain the thought. Her captain was strong, confident, even a little eccentric sometimes and if she were to be backed in a corner, Ghoul would find a way out. Or so Andreja thought till the days turned into weeks and weeks turned into two months.

Sam saw the void in her eyes that he knew was a mirror within his own. Their lives had felt less joyous with the knowledge that one of their own was still out there and without aid. There was a small beep at the console and on the screen appeared another set of coordinates from an old contact on a location to meet up. Sam didn’t say a word as he entered the coordinates and began the grav jump process to another star system. He was not looking forward to being reunited with some of the people he used to work alongside of and it was something he never thought in a million ages he would have to do.

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“What do you mean?” Delgado hissed for clarification as his second in command and her companion showed him the list of recently deceased. Someone was going around The Settled Systems and taking out his fleet one by one and it was obviously not a team from the UC. It was too messy, too thorough. He could feel his jaw tighten and teeth clench from being wound up in frustration.

“Exactly what we said Del. Either someone is a fucking selling us out or we have another faction to worry about. All of these deaths have happened in the last two months that is an abnormal coincident even for some of the fucking idiots we have.” Naeva was just as infuriated and the way her hand ran through her hair demonstrated that. Delgado was brainstorming all of the possibilities; was this a full-on onslaught or if there was someone within the ranks selling out their members? He went to great lengths to vet the people who joined his fleet by setting up trials to test that those he recruited were fierce, loyal, and among the strongest. If this was from within his ranks, he would have to start making examples out of them. They knew all he asked for was loyalty and if that loyalty wasn’t received then they could find the cold embrace of death awaiting them.

“Where were the last ships that were destroyed?” He demanded to know as his fingers tapped rhythmically on the table. Delgado’s mind was torn between the problem that was presented to him and the feeling of his attempted murderer’s body against him. He was still extremely frustrated from being interrupted by Jazz during those last few moments. The fierceness within that recruit’s eye’s reminded him of a feral trapped animal, it was definitely how she fought within the caged matches they held for entertainment. That untamed energy that exuded out of her is what caught his eye the very first time he saw her and what made him wait to see what she would decide to do when her cold blade was pressed firmly against his throat. It was a smart move on her part, catching him when they were alone and vulnerable. She was not someone to underestimate and the challenge she presented in Delgado’s eyes was something that excited him. He couldn't tell within her intense stare what overwhelmed her more, the thought of a hardened past or the possibility of an uncaged future. Delgado found himself scratching at his mustache and then pushing back his dark shaggy hair. His hair was normally well kept but the Rook’s fingers had ruffled it in their moment of passion. As he watched, she released her inhibitions. She did it with such an immediate, passionate, desperation that the thought of witnessing that release sent unfamiliar shivers against his skin.

“Volii.” Jazz responded as she pulled up the latest report she put together on her tablet. Her and Naeva had used all of their contacts to trace every single member that had been murdered recently. Her face had smudges of oil and dirt from working around the Key and its starships that day.

“Volii?” Delgado knew that Neon was within that system but it was rare he ever had to worry about the factions out there aside from the Freestar Rangers. He knew for a fact the destruction caused to his fleet wasn’t done by the hands of the UC but there was a possibility that the Ranger’s had their filthy hands meddled in this. He felt his nostril flare as if he was breathing out fire in anger. It was hard to keep himself calm when it came to the members of his fleet, they were the closest thing he had to family and he wanted nothing more than to lead them to a future where they dominated without the worry of being hunted.

“There have been whispers that it could be an ex-Ranger that is doing all of this.” Naeva said softly, unsure if she should even bring it up. “We don’t have anything concrete yet but someone with the name of Coe has been named for poking his nose around in the business of our fleet.”

“Coe?!” Delgado was taken aback at the sound of the name. That particular name he hadn’t been reminded of in many years and it brought back thoughts of the sand dusted streets of his hometown. A place that worshiped the surname Coe.

“An ex-ranger you say?” He closed his eyes momentarily and tried to breathe. Naeva and Jazz were the only two he attempted to control his temper around only for the fact that in the case of an argument they were always louder. It would give him a migraine and sour his mood more than it already has been with this new knowledge. A Coe who’s also an ex-ranger was trying to take down his fleet one member at a time. Delgado didn’t give a shit what the reason might be for this in the end he needed retribution for the moral of his fleet and because no one fucks with the King of the Crimson Fleet. “Track this man down and stay low profile. I want to take his head off myself. That motherfucker will regret the day he decided to fuck the fleet and get away with it.”

“Delgado!” A rugged voice yelled after someone yet again walked into his private lounge without permission. The flagrant hair for a pirate and unnerving sound of his voice gave the culprit away before Delgado’s eyes were even on him. Instead of acknowledging the dimwit he snapped his fingers and the men who were at the table in the corner playing cards immediately scooped him up and started to drag Mathis out.

“Wa-Wait! I ran to tell you-.” Mathis shouted out as he struggled with getting free of Delgado’s personal dogs. They held him tight and were about to throw him out completely but Mathis managed to turn his head one more time to shout again. “There’s a huge brawl in The Last Nova because Ghoul-.”

“What the fuck did you just say?” Naeva growled at the information and stood up with fierce conviction. “I know they aren’t destroying my motherfucking bar.” She cocked her gun and started out the door.

“Naeva, where the fuck do you think you are going?” Delgado demanded but she ran out with her braids whipping the back of her head as she turned around the corner. Jazz didn’t wait to see what Del’s reaction was and followed her partner in case she needed help. He held up his hand to signal his men to let Mathis breathe so the invalid could speak.

“Without being an annoying idiot, tell me what is happening, and quickly or I will break your neck.” Del flashed his teeth that looked as sharp as fangs to Mathis in warning.

“Uh, yeah, um.” Mathis was trembling a bit with sweat beading down his brow from the run he just did to make it here. He looked unsure of himself and Delgado was one second away from getting up and bashing the man’s skull in himself.

“Ghoul! She attacked another member of the fleet. Unprovoked. She just decided to start assaulting other members and last I checked that’s a sure way to get you killed.” There was a small gulp that came from Mathis as he vomited the words to Delgado. The man appeared to shrink as the intensity of anger from Delgado’s eyes burned themselves into Mathis. The anger radiated off of Delgado and spilled into the room, causing the air around the others to feel dry and suffocating.

“The Rook did what?” His voice was eerily calm and his lips pressed into a thin line. Delgado stood up and walked directly to Mathis while not breaking eye contact. He motioned the two men that once held Mathis to lead the way to the bar. Delgado straightened his hair out and then waited for Mathis to move ahead but the dumb recruit was staring at him like a small prey would a predator.

“Let’s go and I hope for your sake you are being an honest man for once in your life, Mathis.” The threat was enunciated clearly so there would not be any misunderstanding between Delgado and Mathis before they continued on. There was a calm rage that engulfed Delgado’s body from the actions of this headstrong recruit on the loose. Who already had tried to kill him but now was going around trying to slaughter other members and for what? One of two things were true about her; either she is really brave or is very brazen and miscalculated her true skillset. There was something about both of those options that tugged a smile out of him even if he was ready to throw her out a damn airlock.

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The rain was pounding on top of the brown adventurer's hat Sam wore as he walked to the security post in front of the entrance of Neon City. There were puddles around him that reflected the bright fluorescent signs that glittered the outside of the crowded city. On the surface they were colorful and fun to any newcomer but Sam knew the truth behind the illusion from past experience. The cowboy preferred to never come back under any circumstances but this was urgent, desperate even. This was the means to an end.

He tried to push his way through the entrance but a security guard caught him by his arm, stalling him. Sam’s brow scrunched up and his eyes narrowed at the hand that stopped him in his tracks. He didn’t have time for their nonsense nor was he interested in their games.

“State your business.” The guard commanded as she loosened her grip on Sam. Sam whipped his arms out to force her to give him more personal space before he tried to wipe off her invasive touch. His boot was uncontrollably tapping and he felt his body grow rigid and tense from being at a standstill.

“Freestar Ranger, need to know basis.” Sam had pulled out his old Ranger badge from his back pocket. He was hoping he wouldn’t have to use it at all but he knew if he wanted the information he was after it would be easier to pretend he was still enlisted. The guard’s suspicious gaze shifted between Sam’s face and his badge before reluctantly giving him the motion to pass. Sam didn’t wait for reassurance and continued into the lift that led him into the Neon Core section of the city.

He pushed his way through the crowd once he stepped off the elevator and headed straight for the Freestar Ranger’s office. Sam could feel every muscle in his body screaming to head back into the stars and find more Crimson Fleet ships to raid but in order to do this while also finding a substantial lead he needed to visit the Neon Core office. Regretfully, he had contacted the last person in the Settled Systems he would ever want to ask a favor from to gather this intel and he was ready to grab it and leave. Lillian promised this was the information he wanted after hearing he was on a rampage looking for his ‘ex-girlfriend’ as she said it with a tone of jealousy. He was beyond his wits end when she had made that snide comment and lashed into her with all of the resentment and anger he had bottled up over the years. Cora wasn’t around to hear their argument and that made it all the more satisfying. She tried to withdraw her assistance after the remarks he made but thankfully he still had a favor left with Marshall and played his hand well. Now he just had to deal with her partner who worked with her at the Neon office and that was something else he didn’t feel like he had time for. Sam made it to the office and hurriedly pushed through the doors to find Jaylen.

“Y’know this office isn’t open to the pu-.” Jaylen’s drawl was interrupted when he saw it was Sam who walked in and his face soured. “Oh, it’s you. She said you’d come by.”

Sam was standing in the office, his leather coat and hat dripping from the rain that poured onto him when he was outside. Even practically running through the crowd didn’t dry him off and his soaked clothes started to leave a little puddle underneath him.

“Where’s the information?” Sam bit his cheek to refrain from saying anything else that could draw out the conversation longer than it needed to be. It felt like his soul was yanking him in one direction while his mind had to use an extreme amount of force to keep him in the now.

“You really are a piece of work.” Jaylen huffed. “Leaving the Rangers for your little science club and now using our intel to find your pirate girlfriend is laughable at most.”

Sam ran up to the counter to grab the collar of Jaylen’s shirt. The force of this maneuver almost pulled Jaylen to the other side of the counter and Jaylen’s eyes were wide with surprise from the immediate aggression Sam displayed.

“Where is the information?” Sam growled no longer wanting to entertain the asshole he held in front of him. Not only did Jaylen just insult his captain but he brought up a topic he had no business speaking about and that was almost enough to make Sam knock his teeth out. His nostrils flared but his face was stern and calm on the outside.

“Let go of me fucker.” Jaylen pushed him off after he regained his senses from the surprise attack. He pulled out a slate from under the counter and held it up to show the angry cowboy that it was right here. Sam did not ask any further questions and swiped it from his hand before he turned to leave.

“No wonder Lillian and your girlfriend both left your ass.” Jaylen sneered as he walked out. There was a brief second Sam stopped at the door and turned to look back at the Ranger that stood proudly behind the counter. If it hadn’t already been months of searching, he would have spent the time to deal with Jaylen’s insults, the way only Akila men knew how, but for now he continued forward after convincing himself it was better to head straight to Longsword. He finally had the information he needed.

It was quicker to head back to the ship than it was to enter the city and as soon as he boarded onto the ship Sam made a line straight for the cockpit to access the navigational terminal. Andreja had asked for him to wait for her before making the next call but Sam couldn’t sit in one spot any longer. He knew Ghoul was out there somewhere and he knew once he found her nothing would stop him from reaching out to her. The memory of the feeling of her face against his before she left the last time was bittersweet. He had too many arguments with her prior and that one moment of peace was worth every last one of them. He loathed himself for letting her go aboard that ship but he knew, even if it was the last thing he did, he’d bring her home.

Sam plugged the slate into the navigational table, drumming his fingers in impatience while the coordinates loaded. When it finished it showed a location in the Narion system which wasn’t too far from Neon. His eyes scanned over every possible piece of information that was available on the file. The slate contained details about the next possible hit from the Crimson Fleet based on information from the Ranger’s protected contacts. The Fleet was becoming antsy about the recent attacks so they were starting to travel in bigger numbers and in addition needed more medical supplies. The Freestar Rangers are led to believe that there will be a few members sent looking to make a deal with one of the doctors at The Clinic for those supplies. There were also two odd names mentioned with another hit they expected down the road but there were no real details. Sam pushed his wet hat off of his head as he ran his hand through his hair with a large sigh. This was a lead but he was worried who their protected contacts could have been. The names were blacked out so there was no way to tell who they could have been based on this slate alone and he didn’t have the time to search for any further information.

Sam threw his slopping coat onto the other chair and threw himself into the captain’s chair to begin putting in the coordinates for a moon called Grimsley. The moon was not far from The Clinic itself and it would give him enough space to trail whatever Crimson Fleet ship appeared to make this assumed deal. There was a part of him that doubted the information and it pestered him in the back of his mind that he was missing something vital. He rolled up the cream sleeves of his damp sweater and began to copy the information within the slate to send to Vlad. If anyone were to catch something from this information that was Crimson Fleet related it would be Vlad. Sam just hoped the man wasn’t too lost in the stars.

The work Ghoul used to do with Sam and Andreja was delegated to the other members of the Constellation as evenly as possible. Since Sarah and Cora were on The Eye with Vlad his job was a little less time consuming than it used to be when he was by himself. Because of this, Vlad was more willing to send whatever leads he could remember about the Crimson Fleet but he refused to give the coordinates to The Key. Whenever Sam would try to pry the information out of Vlad, the ex-pirate would reiterate how if he really wanted to see their friend again, he wouldn’t run off into a suicide mission.

Sam's thoughts were interrupted by Andreja's careless steps as she entered the cockpit. She was hunched over, panting. The excessive strain of her workouts seemed to deprive her of her basic needs; sleep, hunger, and rest. Her consistent training revealed a disheveled version of her no one had ever really seen before. The sight of his friend worried him but he didn’t have much room to talk. They both were doing their best to conceal the truth of their current state from the other Constellation members, at least until they were close enough to retrieve their captain.

“Did you get the information?” She asked in strain as she rested her body on the passenger chair before sitting in it completely. Her body seemed to quiver and Sam gave her a second quick glance in fear she was about to pass out where she was. She noticed his concern and shook her head to dismiss his worries.

“Yes, waiting on a response from Vlad.” He was still sitting in the captain’s chair but he managed to lean far enough over to grab one of his warm beers from the corner behind him. He popped it open with the back of his pistol and immediately threw it back to ease the need to rush. To rush in and tear the heads off of anyone with a Crimson Fleet symbol strapped on their personhood till he found the scum that would actually give him information. His knee was bouncing and his foot was tapping like the energy within him was about to explode outward.

“For what?” Andreja asked with a bit of an impatient tone. She may have looked worn out but her eyes were fierce with the same impatience Sam felt. Andreja was ready to get back out there and find more skulls to crush in order to get back to their captain.

“The slate. It feels like there is information missing.” Sam said with a displeased look. The thought was eating him up as he continued to read the slate over and over again.

“Let me see.” Andreja reached out and grabbed it from the navigational terminal that was part of the console. She made no attempt to remind or ask him to move and instead just pushed him slightly out of the way with her shoulder. He wasn’t trying to pick a fight so he ignored her bluntness. It was at least a reminder of the old Andreja. Her eyes moved left to right quickly as she read over the information herself but in the end, she was at as much of a loss as he was.

“It is written too plainly. Some of these words also do not seem to fit.” She murmured reading it over again. Sam could see the gears in her brain firing away now that she had something else to concentrate on. It wasn’t long after that he heard a few sounds come from the console and it was finally a response from Vlad.

‘Nosy Boraha and Tortuga are both names of Old Earth islands. They are mentioned in between mission details most likely for being references for who will be on the job. Back in my day we only reserved those types of names for important members; they had higher bounties. Hopefully that helps. Be careful and catch a smile out there.’ - Vlad

“They are code names.” Andreja said, looking over Sam’s shoulder and he let out a sigh.

“It explains some of it.” He said softly and something Jaylen said earlier creeped into his mind, ‘your pirate girlfriend’. Sam assumed it was just an unnecessary low blow but how would he have known she was supposed to be undercover? No one knew except the UC SysDef and Constellation. Unless he didn’t know and she was really out there still undercover. Still alive. Either of these island names could be her. Andreja took notice of the shift in Sam and she was about to ask him something but he forced himself out of his train of thought.

“This is the lead.” Sam said with a tinge of hope in his voice and a bit of light in his eyes that had returned for the moment. “We need to go. Now.” He didn’t give Andreja any time to ask questions or process what he could have possibly meant before he was setting the course for Grimsley.

-x-

They wasted no time in heading straight for the moon named Grimsley. They agreed on a position and turned on their upgraded scanner that was better at detecting if new ships came within the area they were in or The Clinic’s.

“How long do you think we are going to have to wait?” Andreja asked softly as she stared out into the stars with Sam. They were both focused on what was ahead of them.

“As long as it takes, unfortunately.”

“What were you thinking earlier?”

“What?” Sam asked, puzzled as the question.

“You made a face as if you knew something. What was it?” Her eyes gazed into his, challenging him to try to lie and letting him know she would know if he did.

“The Neon contact.” Sam sighed heavily thinking about what he would do the next time he saw his face again. “Said something to me that didn’t make sense but I brushed it off thinking he was just trying to get under my skin for Lillian.”

“Did he get under your skin?” Not the follow up question he expected and it showed on his face.

“Perhaps.”

“What was it?”

“Your pirate girlfriend” Sam murmured unwillingly and with slight anger as he looked away from Andreja’s gaze.

“Pirate…girlfriend?” Andreja repeated back to herself. “Does that mean…?”

“It could mean a lot of things but one thing that is certain is that no one but us and UC knew she was undercover. But somehow that fucker knew of her being in the Fleet.”

“Ghoul’s alive then” Andreja said as if a huge pressure on her chest had been lifted.

“For how much longer?” Sam snapped the anger mostly for himself. “If she is known as a pirate now and the wind catches that we are out here looking for her it could get her killed.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a series of beeps and low voices that came from the comms on the console of the ship. They had a system in place that was set up to listen on the incomings and outgoings of ship activity there. There was a ship that had just briefly docked onto The Clinic with an unregistered identification as if they had received a delivery.

“Time to take a peek.” He said out loud while he slowly put more power back into the engine and thrusters to get closer. Once they drifted close enough, they scanned the ship one more time to see the make and model of it with clearer vision. It was a compact ship that was slate gray and had painted red marks on it, one of them included a red skull.

“Crimson Fleet.” Andreja growled, confirming what Sam thought. Sam piloted the ship with fervor as he managed to swoop behind for a surprise attack. Without warning he hit their grav drive with ease and it immediately stun locked their engine, it was a piece of cake.

“Ready to board?” Sam asked with excitement as he slid into the other ship and initiated the docking sequence. He could feel his blood drum in the back of his ears. When they cornered the Fleet members like this, it was free game and he no longer held himself to the stricter moral code he usually practiced. They were all complicit as far as Sam was concerned.

“Let’s go.” Andreja said as she clipped her last gun she wanted to carry on her. He knew she relished in the relief they received from this ritual as much as he did and it would probably be something they took to their grave together. Sam nodded and led the way to their airlock door that connected to the Crimson Fleet ship they were about to venture on.

The inside of the ship was not as big as the Longsword’s but was slightly bigger than what the Frontier’s ship size was. Immediately as they climbed up to the living quarters of the ship there were three Fleet members who stood armed and ready. Sam didn’t think twice before he shot one in the foot and then pushed himself up the ladder to roll onto the floor. While one of the enemies cried in pain, Andreja was right behind him holding her gun at them ready to pull the trigger.

The second Fleet member was about to aim and shoot at Sam but with all his might he landed a fist into the fucker. He heard his jaw make a slight cracking noise and the pirate fell back in shock from the force. The pirate was trying to get back up but Sam took the moment to pistol whip him. The third member on the ship lunged at Andreja but before they could make it to her she already placed a bullet in between his eyes without blinking. There were only two that remained alive and that was plenty for Sam.

“Go ahead and look for any information. I will take care of these two.” The cowboy crouched down so that his face was close to the one he just pistol whipped. The man grunted at him in anger and then spit in his face. Sam responded with his gun to the man’s head.

“I only need one of you.” He clicked the trigger in anticipation to fire yet another bullet. “But I can be persuaded to keep you both if you answer some of my questions.”

“Fuck you!” The man spit again and his eyes had darted to the left of Sam. Without looking behind him Sam pointed his gun and pulled the trigger effectively knocking the second man onto his back with the shot to his abdomen. The pirate in front of him looked at the situation in disbelief and Sam could see that the realization of the situation was starting to hit the man.

“You’re lucky I haven’t asked my question yet.” Sam chuckled while he positioned his gun to the thigh of the other before him. The pirate was bleeding where he had hit him earlier and the bullet wound in his foot was still bleeding.

“Has your dick head of a boss killed anyone recently? Any new recruits?” Sam asked calmly as he pressed the gun further against the man’s leg to remind him of the consequences of his decision should he choose not to answer.

“Why the fuck would I tell you?” BANG, the pistol fired into the man’s thigh and he started howling from the added pain of another open wound.

“What are code names like Nosy Boraha used for?” Sam continued his questioning, ignoring the pleads that the man started to desperately make as he laid there in pain.

“I don’t kno-.” Sam interrupted the weak answer by forcing the barrel of his gun into the bullet wound it just made. The sudden pain started to send the pirate in shock and his eyes began to roll back but Sam wasn’t having that. He slapped the man.

“Keep your eyes open!” He commanded. “I suggest you start talking before I use a trauma pack to keep you wide awake while I cut off some fingers!” Sam was starting to get frustrated at the lack of cooperation.

“Okay! Okay!” The pirate screamed and Sam leaned back a bit to give the man some space to breathe.

“Who are the new recruits? I need names, places, code names.” Sam demanded from the man. The pirate was becoming rather pale and a small voice in the back of Sam’s head whispered, you might have gone too far.

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