[sylvanSpider]

“Ah! The lass really did 'er homework!” Damon exclaimed gleefully. “Well, we may 'ave a spot for ye, but ye see, Cap's got rules on who can join'n whatnot,” Damon said, leaning in to Tennan's ear as if whispering a secret. This wasn't completely true, but it certainly had a ring of the truth to it. Captain A'vi Rayt did have standards when taking applicants, though she did take in others. The Cry had a reputation for hunting down slave ships, hence the Cry's wealth. There was a lot of money to be had from the slave trade, and the ships bearing humanoid cargo often carried a lot of that wealth with them, not excluding the slaves themselves. The slaves were freed and offered a position on the ship. Most declined and were dropped off on whatever planet they stopped at next, regardless of where it was. Those that accepted, however? They were immediately granted access. A'vi's reasoning for this was sound enough. Freed slaves weren't going to try to collect a bounty on those that had released them. Those that joined were more often than not filled with enough gratitude that they were then bound to the Cry as closely as the captain herself.

After all, that was how the captain herself came to join.

“There are certain qual'fications,” Roek continued for his brother, “A certain skill set is required, an' I 'pologize, but ah didn't see yer wanted poster anywhere. Ye do anything that can merit ye bein' a pirate with the most feared crew in the whole galaxy?”

The twins nodded with her suggestion and they made their way just in time to see the competition beginning.

-=-=-

Marco inhaled deeply through his nostrils, watching as some of the criminals survived, while many didn't. The years that Marco competed? None of the criminals survived. None. Few points were even given to the other competitors. His grand slam move in the last competition had been a fan the hammer, emptying all six bullets at once into separate criminals—all headshots. He'd been proud of that one.

He hoped that not many put money on him, but then, they'd be idiots if they had. There was no money to be had betting on a wanted man. Marco narrowed his eye at one of the competitors. He recognized him from being with the lizard that got his leg earlier. Shit, is he here for me?
=-=-=

Qian sat on her haunches, huddled under an overhang of rubble, trembling with tears running over her cheeks. So, this is what her proud, noble kingdom had been reduced to? Nothing but a pile of debris littered with the corpses of her friends...her family? She let out a choked sob, clapping her hands over her mouth, hoping they didn't hear, the ones who had done this to her kingdom. They were large, terrifying mechanical beings, unlike any of the other robots she'd ever seen, all four arms were armored and completed with dagger like claws attached to each. Each bearing different weapons, and each taking the lives of those she'd seen fall.

There was so much blood...so much...

Qi's katana lay next to her, looking as if it would fall apart the next strike she made with it. Sure, she'd managed to hack one of the Yingya's arms clean off, but she'd had to hack to get through the tougher outer shell, and the katana had paid the price for it. She was useless now that her katana was. She'd barely made a dent in their onslaught.

Certainly, she'd saved herself. The creature had reeled back screeching, allowing the young girl to make her getaway, but that did nothing for her friends and family, already hacked down. She'd heard of the Yingya, of their conquest, but never did she imagine their little peaceful planet on the other side of the solar system being raided. She could imagine a life of slavery if one of them found her. That, or an immediate killing.

Gods, she felt so useless. But then, why did she not turn herself in? She had no more reason to live anymore. All of her reasons were now bloodied, broken...dead.