Some of these different parts take place at the same time, just so it doesn't seem like the time frame is odd. They cross over a little! Prisoners of War 7/9 Vouriot sat silently on the bed of his temporary quarters, reading a book he'd found on the desk. It wasn't anything that interested him, but he was certain he'd go mad if he sat staring at the wall for another day or two. His head turned at the sound of the door lock clicking and, laying the book aside, he stood. "Alain?" Her voice startled him, he'd expected the pirates, "Lieutenant?" Kristin stepped around the corner and through the doorway, "C'mon, we're getting outta here." "But...how did you...?" "We don't have time fer that now. We've gotta get the others and go." Vouriot grabbed his med kit and followed O'Connor out the door. They made their way stealthily down the corridor toward the quarters of the med techs. "Hey! What are you...?" Kristin and Alain turned at the same time; Kristin firing her blaster, which J'Khal had returned, and Alain kicking out to catch the pirate in the stomach with his booted foot. Bending down to take the pirate's blaster, Alain said, "We can't just leave him here." Kristin looked around, "Here," she told Vouriot, opening the door to a storage room. After dragging the unconscious pirate into the room and gagging him with a bandage, they continued on their way. They stopped outside of a door, Kristin checked the number beside it, "This is it." She swiped the card key for the outside lock and the door slid open. She handed it to Alain, "Open the door to the right." Once both med techs were freed, they moved toward where the two engineers were being held. "Lieutenant, we're just outside the scanner range of the Talis," Conrad reported. Crow muttered something inaudible and checked his control panel, "Jam their sensors, Swenson." "Done," Swenson replied a second later. "Alright, we're going in; but remember, they'll know we're coming, so be on your guard. Now how about getting those doors open, Ross?" The hangar doors opened minutes later and they boarded the Talis. Brittany closed the doors and everyone exited their frames. Crow looked around getting his bearings, "This way." They headed down the hallway to the mag lev, blasters held at ready. "Captain J'Khal!" the young pirate at the comm cried in alarm. "Yes, Maddock?" J'Khal replied calmly. Damn, she was fast if they'd made it to the brig already. Either that or stupid enough to get caught, though he sincerely doubted that. "Someone's boarded the ship," Maddock informed his captain as he punched away at the buttons in front of him. "What?" J'Khal said, sitting forward in his chair, "Who?" "I don't know, Sir. The hangar doors just opened on deck nine." J'Khal stood, moving to stand behind the comm officer and look over his shoulder, "Well, find out!" Typing quickly, the officer brought up a visual of the hangar, "Exo Fleet," he said, "Four e-frames." J'Khal swore under his breath. "She must have tipped them off." He turned to one of the men behind him, "Find them and bring them to me!" "Yes, Sir," the other pirate motioned for the security guards to follow him and, with them trailing, left the bridge. "Damn!" J'Khal turned, punching the metal chair he'd vacated minutes before. Blood oozed down his fingers from his knuckles, but he didn't notice; he was too angry to think about his injury. Angry with himself. He'd underestimated the Exotroopers, Kristin O'Connor in particular; and it could very well cost him everything he'd worked for. "Have the Exotroopers from the brig brought to the bridge...NOW!" he ordered emphatically. Kristin led the way to the brig, followed by the medical and engineering officers. Alain brought up the rear, keeping an eye out for any stray pirates. "Here," Kristin said quietly, stopping. "J'Khal said they only have three guards on duty, so this shouldna be too hard." She turned to open the doors, "But be ready...just in case." She swiped the card key and it beeped, a green light flashing and the lock clicking. The doors opened and Kristin peered around the doorway into the brig. She frowned, stepping around the corner and dropping her blaster to her side. The others came in behind her, ready for a fight, "Where are they?" McCollum - one of the med techs - asked. "Not here," Kristin bit more sharply than she'd intended. Her outrage was evident in the stiffness of her movements and the homicidal look on her face when she turned to face them. "What now?" Alain asked. "We're going to find them...if we have to take on every pirate aboard this ship to do it," she vowed, stalking irately from the room. "Talk about your Irish temper..." Alain muttered. "If you ask me," Ross muttered, "this whole thing is stupid. We'll probably all get arrested for going against the Captain's orders. Not to mention..." "Good thing no one asked you, isn't it!?" Brittany hissed between clenched teeth. "Would you rather we just left eight people to die horrible deaths at the hands of the pirates?" Ross opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Mengele. "Shh..." Crow put up a hand, motioning for everyone to stay back. "Pirates," he mouthed silently to his companions. He looked around the corner, but couldn't see how many of them there were. Crow backed up and held his blaster at ready, waiting for the pirates to come around the corner. The rest of the party followed his lead. When the group finally came into view, Crow stood staring with a confused frown on his face. Kristin sighed loudly, "Put that down, Mengele, before you hurt somebody." Crow lowered his blaster, "What are you doing?" "Tryin' ta get the Hell outta here," she said curtly. "Well, they look like they really needed our help," Ross muttered, obviously quite annoyed. Kristin stepped in front of Alan, poking a finger into his chest, "Listen, if yer going ta help us, fine. If not, then stay out of the way. But either way, shut up!" "Thanks, I was about to shoot him," Crow joked dryly as Kristin turned to speak to him. He had a thousand questions he wanted to ask her, but her next statement stopped any of them that he would have voiced. "We have to find Montgomery and Tedronai," Kristin said tersely. Crow looked around. Sure enough, no Nikki or Elan, "Where are they?" "They were s'posed to be in the brig, but they weren't there when we went to get them." "So where do you think they've been taken?" "I'm honestly not sure they were there to begin with. But I'm betting J'Khal can tell me where they are." Crow frowned "Who?" "The pirate's captain. He's a member of the Exo Fleet...or so he says." "He is, he was a friend of mine at the academy. But what's he doing with the pirates?" "He says he's a spy for Admiral Winfield," she ground out bitterly. "You don't believe him?" "I'm not sure what ta believe about him," Kristin replied honestly. "First he beats two of our team members and holds us captive. Then he tells me he's an Eso Fleet spy and offers ta let us escape; but lies to me." Crow nodded in understanding, "So, where do we find J'Khal?" "The bridge," Kristin replied simply. Crow raised an eyebrow, silently commending her determination. He swept a hand in the direction of the bridge, "Shall we?" Kristin and the others headed toward the bridge and the inevitable fight with the pirates. Crow leaned back against the wall briefly. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, hoping his friend had changed over the years.