A bustling bunch of men and women who wore a variety of dull colored garments accented with the hinted dusts of metals woven into their fabrics. A sign of nobility as well as their styled neat hair, colorless and natural. They were cramped together within the space pod whose very side was bare to be seen by everyone passing by. Relatively large and lavishly designed.

The perfect target for her crew who soared in the daring corners of the time stream, between the reality they lived in with the reality that no human mind can comprehend. Though, the captain’s eyes reflected no fear, of dipping their feet in death’s pond, ---

Just the same flash of determination within them, eyes locking on the target before them. The large posh pod was white with fancy designs. Not to mention a famous insignia of a company very well known for exporting past goods into the poor future.

All the signs of rich cargo ship brimming with products that would gain her millions.

“Captain, target spotted” said her first-mate who sat in the main seat of the control panel, her obsidian eyes reflected the picture on her screen. “Confirmation to lock on target?”

Alexandrite merely smiled triumphant, as predicted, her unusual eyes had caught it first, it’s been a somewhat side game of theirs on which could lock on the target first. Alexandrite’s eyes or her pod.

Her eyes had won most of the time.

“Confirmed” taking steps to peer through the double-sided glass, the captain allowed a cruel smile to creep onto her face. Without any special vision, she could already tell from the sluggish movement of such a gracefully designed pod were due to its sheer weight.

 “Captain! Permission to launch the-!” An immediate hand raised to the air had silenced her.

Coincidentally, it would seem that their presence had been noticed since the thrusters of the large pod were activated and were set to full speed. Goodness, a feisty bunch, weren’t they?

Perhaps they had never heard of the story of the Pirate of the Time Stream, whispered by the mothers of the slums to the ears of the noble children who dared ventured that far into the depths of society. Whose ship is tucked within the corners of the stream, hidden away from the plain sight of time itself.

Alexandrite barked out an order to her men to activate their thrusters and chase after the pod. Considering their small, bulky structured ship, the pirate insignia on the pod’s side burns with heavy pride. A prey no matter how fast or advance can never escape the Pirate once it’s fixated their eyes on them.

The roared of engines beneath them brought a surge of excitement towards her as the pod whizzed and soared through the narrow passages, the currents of time stressing their ship, the quaking of their craft was nothing short of something regular that they’ve done.

Yet, it’s been weeks since their last goal, so to a catch this big of a haul would be too much of a loss for the infamous crew.

“Sugi! Fry their thrusters! Reel them in with a harpoon!” She barked out her commands to her crewmate, Sugilite with one covered eye and her mouth sewn shut, she nod in response before turning a few switches and pulling a large lever with a leather handle.

“And Morgan, where is the chase music? I thought we agreed on having music here!” She shouted at her other crew member, Morganite who simply gave her a playful salute and a wink in return,

“Right right, sorry Captain! Forgot about that,” the smile said otherwise as she strode towards the built in speakers, a small screen on display with a list of songs that the crew compiled for the trip.

When they’re merely travelling around the time stream, waiting for their next prey to soar through. They listen to a variety of songs that either they could sing along while drunk on liquor or while they boast about their best catch yet.

While Morganite was swiping through the selections, they were still trying to gain up at them, catching on their tails they were able to get close enough to open fire before they sped off again, the laser grazing merely the top shell of the pod.

Sending the pod into immediate panic mode and to activate security system wired into the pod. Red lights blaring from the spotless pristine glass which gave them a view of what was going on insides.

The time stream was an international and unmarked territory that holds no name of any country nor any nationality. So, the attacks could not be of the enemies of the Danish Empire –

Immediately twin antennas rose from the end of the pod, on the very top, the ship was contacting for help from the station, likely to call for the authorities.

With a roll of her eyes, Alexandrite turned to Sugilite with her command, heels clicking as she strode towards the controls for their lasers. “Aim at their antennas”

“Yes, Captain” Sugi replied before aiming their lasers at their antennas, only to have Morganite running to the wheel hurriedly and to change their course. Shifting the whole ship to the side suddenly, Obsidian flail out of her chair and Sugi wrapped an arm around the Captain’s waist to keep her from flailing about like the rest of her men.

A flash of fury was hinted in the Captain’s eyes as she turned to her Morgan, who merely looked quite flustered and horrified, but not because of the captain.

“Morg--!”

Before a second after, a flash of indescribable heat shot past right beside him, the heat simply searing the protective outer layer of the pod thankfully.

Alexandrite’s eyes widen, had they been a second too slow …

“…Morgan, maneuver us away from their laser’s sights! Keep them off of our tail!” She barked her orders which were met with a nod.

“Sugi, fire the harpoon!” Alexandrite shifted her weight to allow Sugi to continue working, while Morgan threw them off of their feet as she steered the pod away from the sights of the lasers. However, with her desperate stirring, it kept throwing them off their seats and prevented Sugi from finding a locked target to focus on. “Keep the ship steady!” Alex shouted at Morgan who merely gave her a look, flushed and tired from using her very strength to keep the ship away from the laser’s field.

“I would if they stopped firing at us! We can’t move too close! They have a 360 degree periscope! We can’t get too close without getting fired at and having our hairs singed off of our necks!” She shouted, gritting her teeth as she once again tried, though failed to get close.

Alex gritted her teeth as well as she strode to where the glass showed the pod again, still there, unscathed.

Her only thought was, the laser built in to that thing could certainly be a good addition to their ship.

Though the price in getting that is to use a one-time advantage to use … it was too much of a risk to do but they could make up for it if they have such a weapon with them.

“Sid!” Obsidian looked up from her control panel, strapped onto her chair and kept from flailing about due to Morgan’s pod steering skills. “Activate the Cloak!”

Her large eyes widen, “But, Captain - we might not get them in time! It only lasts about 15 minute—”

“Just do as I say!”

A grim nod was her only answer when she unlocked a plastic case that protected a bright red button. Pressing the button, they disappeared from sigh. Allowing them to destroy the periscopes while still out of sight. Seems like they can’t implant fear to the minds of the nobles on board.

Hacking the system and short-circuiting the power, they sent the drones aboard the ship to ransack and loot the passengers on board.

They took what else they could find. They decided to steal the 360-degree periscope which could prove handy in the future. And the sun ray laser that could do much more damage against their enemies than their retro ones.

A huge chunk of the ship is now far empty, and the pirates had long since fled the scene. When the authorities came to investigate on the now ruined and empty pod, there they found an insignia burnt onto the back bottom of the large pod, thrusters gone and simply the pirate’s insignia burnt onto the metal hide. Another success for the Time Pirates.

Surely with the security measures, it should have been capable to handle the Time Pirates’ attacks. While the detectives and the police discussed on what had exactly happened, they simply overlooked a girl with colorful peasant hair that walked past, adorned with a uniform. A similar symbol to the pod’s hide marked on her fingertip.

The End