Pirates Without a Sky
an excerpt

A majestic sky ship – The Shaelt - of sleek silver metal, blackened in many places from close calls and grazing against things they probably shouldn’t have landed softly in port. It was large, magnificent, and could support a crew of six or more with room also for a few (paying) travellers but on board there were only ever two. One male in his mid 20s and a female a few years younger.

Through the shaded glassed front of the cockpit their shapes could faintly be seen as they shut down the ship and ran it through the diagnostic checks. You would expect them to be well dressed judging by the size of the ship and the tell tale signs of how well cared for it was, and yet the male was dressed in scruffy jeans and a singlet while the female wore stretched, old yoga pants and an oversized shirt pulled on over another shirt with long sleeves, neither matching or complimenting each other in the slightest.

They both had long hair, though the female had hair down to her waist while the male only had hair just long enough to tie into a ponytail, and they both kept their hair tied back messily without care or much attention. It was simply how they were most comfortable.

They lived in a world where galaxies could be travelled between in weeks alone. Things had changed greatly in the last millennium at an accelerated rate, faster than people could have ever foreseen and really, it hadn’t been an entirely free choice either. The world they had known had decayed and it had become a ‘leave, or die’ situation; and so the space age had begun.

Instead of only neighbourhoods of certain ethnic groups there were now entire planets of them. There were also planets devoted entirely to farming, or to fishing, or to whatever the planet was specially crafted for.

In ways, everything and everyone had more freedom, and in other ways, things were more controlled.

There were no governments, there were only those called Enforcers, a mass group of every enforcement organisation combined. An Enforcer could be anything, anything from field agents to office workers, spies to hackers, anything you could even think of. Anywhere you turned, you found an Enforcer, because they ruled on every single planet that wasn’t part of the border outsider rim and because it was simply the most common, safe job to have. Safety was important in these times.

Whenever there was a special band of anything, you always had something which had to be the opposite. Everything needs a balance. The opposite of an Enforcer wasn’t a simple street thief or a member of whichever mafia had sprung up now, no. The complete opposite was a Sky Pirate.

A Sky Pirate was free. Any rule in any world was void to them, pointless. They weren’t above the law, no, they were simply unable to meld with it. They seemed to have a different kind of soul, a soul which moulded with the ships they flew instead, and one could never stay landed too long on any planet for fear of going land crazy. There was nothing more beautiful to them than the empty expanse of space, nothing more alluring than the scattering of planets just a short reach away; the secrets and adventures they all held. The most beautiful though, was the freedom and the countless unexplored skies which were calling out to them in their dreams and on the sweet air whenever they landed. They never landed for long enough, even if it meant being able to smell such sweet air, no, they had adventures to seek.

Sky Pirates couldn’t live without risking their life once every so often, they thrived for the adrenaline which came with it, the sweat pouring down their backs and making their hands clammy as they held themselves silent, seconds away from being caught and killed, for the punishment for being found to be a Sky Pirate was instant death. Who would turn away from a life of that? It made life so precious when you could be killed in the next moment, made everything else so much brighter, sweeter, deeper and fuller.

On the main planets where the Enforcers had a good hold on every citizen you couldn’t so much whisper the words Sky Pirate without being taken in for questioning. On most of the outer planets you could pay your way through and keep silence covering your tracks if you had enough money or could offer something in return, and so that’s where most of the Sky Pirates floated. Only the most brave, daring, and perhaps stupid Sky Pirates ventured into the heart of the galaxies to try to live their lives or at least one good heist right where it was most dangerous. This was where The Shaelt could often be found for the two occupants inside didn’t really see there was anything to be worried about. They only needed to have extra precautions in place in case they were somehow caught, that was all, and that was almost fun to plan.

A lot of people ask, what is a Sky Pirate? Why the sky? Why don’t you see anyone who tries it for a few years before quitting? Why can you only find Sky Pirates who live the life until they die?

And the answer, luckily one that almost answers all the questions in one short sentence is simple. They don’t belong anywhere but in the sky, in that life. It’s as simple and pure as that. Very few things can pull a Sky Pirate from the sky to be grounded, and even then the call of the skies never really leaves them.

The pockmarked door to the Shaelt opened slowly and revealed the occupants, both taller than average and lean, their bodies slender from a mix of the adventurous lifestyle and the fact they didn’t ever have the chance to over-eat or waste their money on unhealthy fattening foods. They seem to be able to communicate silently. The male pointed off in a direction and with a nod, she was off, running at a slow and yet elegant speed. He watched for a moment, assessing the area around them before he strode off in a different direction, both clearly with a destination in mind. It’s a wonder they’re not more careful about being caught – in the underground world they’re well known and recognisable for their talents and accomplishments. Perhaps they’re simply too confident or maybe they just don’t even think of it anymore.

They life a wonderful life, one filled with things the grounded folk could never even comprehend or dream of. These two in particular, who melt through the shadows now with such ease although they’re only landed to pick up food and other essential items, could not possibly live any other life. They’ve lived it for too long now, created their own little niche and they’ve dug their claws in firmly. Neither of them likes change as it is, no matter how small, even if it’s only a change in a brand of something they buy often.

They would literally die for their job, and would rather die than be torn from it. It is why they get up in the morning, it is why they breathe, and it’s what makes them happy. It simply is them, and there’s simply no other option.

Simply no other option…

Neither likes to think about what would happen if there was no other option but to leave that sort of life. Or if, for some crazy reason, things changed between them… Which it wouldn’t because… it just wouldn’t. Nothing could harm their little niche. They just wouldn’t let it. It’s as simple as that.

As simple as that…