The Adventures of Major Lucky Swindle

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

The Adventures of Major Lucky Swindle

ISSUE #1: Major Swindle Addresses the Board

ISSUE #2: Major Swindle Faces Captain Chiva

ISSUE #3: Major Swindle Confronts the Crew

ISSUE #4: Major Swindle Meets the Azure Order

ISSUE #5: Major Swindle Appeals to Colonel Median

ISSUE #6: Major Swindle Mediates the Infighting

ISSUE #7: Major Swindle Exposes the Double-Agent

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

ISSUE #1: Major Swindle Addresses the Board

June 3rd, 2013

“Identification?”

“Major Lucky Swindle. Earth Special Forces. ID; 875 dash 346 dash 294 A. Acting Commander of the Space Flight Vehicle Panthera Leo. Anything else?”

“Your Assignment?”

“Currently we’re designed to engage any interplanetary threats to Earth. The most notable threat so far would be the direct dissension with the Chiva army. But truthfully, our forces are lacking in key special operatives.”

“Your thoughts?”

“…Acquire key special operatives.”

“Under consideration.”

“…Okay.”

“What of your family?”

“You know my mother; Admiral Swindle. Acting Captain of the SFV Banshee. My father’s a civilian. My sister’s a Midshipman, stationed on Earth as per the Admiral’s request.”

“So they’re busy, or ill equipped.”

“In a manner of speaking, yeah.”

“In light of Earth and the Arthurian planet’s current artillery stalemate, you’re currently scheduled for a treaty meeting with the Captain of the engaging Army.”

“I am.”

“…Are you aware your service record – though decorated – indicates a violent, outlandish and often hot-headed approach?”

“Yes.”

“It says here Admiral Swindle has spoken against you in a recent administrative court session. Is this correct?”

“…Yes. Despite her efforts, the charge was dropped.”

“So you’re aware that you’re our only hope – that were it not for the circumstances, we wouldn’t delegate this task to you.”

“Yes.”

“So long as you understand.”

“Oh, I do.”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

ISSUE #2: Major Swindle Faces Captain Chiva

June 24th, 2013

When they first met, they were in the wars. He was nothing more than an opposing force – one that needed destroying. He had every intention of taking what was left on the planet for his own people. After all, he and his twin brother were Princes from a distant enough planet. Earth was just another mark on their list.

He was the talk of legends. Blonde. Tall. Blue eyed. Built. Strong. Demanding. Violent. Perfect. Everyone always said he fought like no other. The ruthless sort. The sort that always got what they wanted. Of course, he did. Chiva was just that – a Captain. The leading force of a mass army of ships.

They didn’t actually come face to face until later. At a treaty hearing, of all things.

“Major Swindle. Your reputation precedes you.” He informed her. The look on his face meant a bad review, she figured.

“You too.” She said simply. Almost everyone she knew had been taken in by his euphoric charm. She was lucky Executive Officer DeWitt wasn’t effected. When she glanced to the stoic warrior standing beside her, she saw nothing but a detesting look in his eyes for the Captain. Good.

“Allow me to cut to the chase. We won’t pillage your people’s energy,” He started, his grin as chastising as his tone as he sat across from her. His hands were folded, firmly resting on the table before them. His brother stood ready by his side, just slightly behind - his hand twitching for his side arm. XO DeWitt raised his eyebrow. He’d shoot the guy if he dared draw a firearm at a treaty like this.

“We won’t shoot you in the balls, then.” Lucky contested.

Chiva laughed; “You’d never get the chance.” And he had a point. From what the Major could gather, the Captain had a knack for manipulating people. “We’re at something of a stalemate.”

“Well, it’s a treaty meeting. Stop attacking us and we’ll stop attacking you. This war is pointless.” And truthfully, they couldn’t fight with weapons forever. Not against those with a penchant for dismembering able hearts and minds in retaliation. “At least, for the time being.”

“There are bigger things at stake, I’ll agree.” The Captain stood up from his chair, and in response the Major reached for a side arm. It was like he was done. That meant she could shoot him. “The impending threat to the galaxy is more pressing than the simple decimation of your planet.”

Lucky pressed her lips into a line. That was hardly true. If they could do that, they’d have done it by now. “Okay…” She said anyway.

“Two conditions.” He reasoned, pressing his hands to the table as he leaned inward. “One. We focus our efforts on stopping the Antimetanites.”

“We were doing that anyway.” She scoffed, too. What a jackass.

“Two. For however long this lasts,” He paused as he rested his hands on the table and leaned inwards. “I’m stationed with you.”

Swindle leaned back in her chair. “Why would I do that.”

“You need a strong team.” He offered with a shrug, “If not that, call it collateral. My people aren’t going to do a thing when I’m aboard your ship. The diplomats above can handle their discrepancies and we can handle the enemy.”

Slowly, Swindle glanced at the other people in her party. The Ensign she trusted - Caruso. She offered nothing but a small flick of her eyes. And the XO by her side. His jaw was clearly clenched, but he wasn’t shaking his head. “Fine,” She said, tilting her head to look back at him, “I’ll be able to keep an eye on you.” With that, she stood to meet him and extended a hand. He offered his in return, clasping onto hers with a firm, assertive hold.

“I’m glad we agree.” The Captain replied, offering a sarcastic tone of voice. He then sighed as he leaned inward, “You’ll be the first thing I kill when this treaty is lifted.”

Perfect, she thought. “The feeling’s mutual.”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

ISSUE #3: Major Swindle Confronts the Crew

July 10th, 2013

Boarding the ship with Chiva, DeWitt and Caruso in tow, Lucy exited the airlock and crossed through the hull of the ship. Every inch of steal shined with precision; every person, in order. It looked perfect.

“It’s…” Chiva started anyway, “Well… it’s. If I don't destroy it post-commandeering, the layout will be subjected to serious evaluation.”

DeWitt immediately grabbed Swindle’s arm, hauling her around to look at him as the others went ahead. “Please tell me we’re locking him up while he’s here.”

“We’re not.”

“Lucky-”

“Do you want his military to blow us to pieces?” She asked. Instantly, his jaw clenched. And she looked confused. The Major leaned towards him, dropping her voice to a whisper. “You said I should go with this!”

“What? When!”

“You looked at me. During the hearing! You agreed we should bring him on.” DeWitt pulled back and glared at her. It definitely wasn’t that look. “What?”

He waved a hand near his face; “What’s this face saying?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Exactly!” He made a point of throwing his arms up in the air and taking a step back. It was clear from a glance that he didn’t trust the guy, but had she really mixed her signals?

True to form, Captain Chiva turned his attention back, wearing a grin; “What’s it to you – afraid you’ll wake up with a boy in your bed?” It didn’t take long for the XO to get in his face. Though dangerous, Lucky knew when not to stand in. DeWitt was by nature a hot headed, overly protective individual. Anything that looked or sounded like a threat, was a threat.

“Take your pissing contest down a deck or two.” Called a voice from over the intercom. It was hard not to recognise that amused tone – Pilot Lynn was in the security system again. Lucky curled her fingers around DeWitt’s arm, pulling him back as the Captain took his directed leave.

“I’m fine.” He reassured her. She stared back at him. There was one look he’d never misread. “I won’t do anything. Just…” Pausing, he glanced over his shoulder quickly before he moved close, leaning in. “You might be in over your head with this guy. Be careful.”

“Make sure we’re ready to move.” She interjected instead, letting him go and breezing past him.

Lucky instantly made her way through the bridge towards pit. Sure enough, there was Lynn, grinning to herself over the whole ordeal. Lucky pressed a hand to the back of her chair. “They’re gonna kill each other.”

“Nah, I get it.” She replied, “No one’s firing at us while we’ve got him aboard. They’re not that stupid. We keep working while they sit around waiting for everything to get sorted.”

At least someone seemed to understand. The Major moved to pat the back of the chair twice before taking a step away.

“Oh, hey.”

“What?” Lucky asked, glancing back over a shoulder.

“When you have a sec, get down to engineering and check out the fights down there.” Immediately, the Major grunted an unresolvable reply. It only made the Pilot laugh. “The whole OS crashed again while you were out. Now that crazy half-robot chick is tearing into the system. Efficiency might be up, but moral sure as shit isn’t.”

“Great. Wait till she finds out who just moved in.”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

ISSUE #4: Major Swindle Meets the Azure Order

July 12th, 2013

As instructed, the Major went below deck to engineering. The last thing she needed was more drama. At least the technical kind could be fixed. When she rounded the corner, the overtly uptight sight of Engineer Blaze caught her attention.

“There you-” She’d paused, literally grimacing. The Major’s command never really sat well with her. “Oh, it’s you.”

“What’s your report, sunshine?”

“Sunshine?” Evidently, nicknames didn’t sit well with her either.

Lucky narrowed her eyes; “Because you’re so bright.”

There was a standoff moment. There always was. Lucky had no intention of speaking first – it was her job to. She’d been hauled down here for some kind of news, but Blaze was too bust glaring daggers to get to the point. Until she stop staring.

“The security system keeps malfunctioning.” She reported. Swindle rolled her eyes, and it hardly went unnoticed. “Only for seconds at a time, but protocol says we should-”

“We’re fine.”

Blaze scoffed at her. “Protocol says we should-”

“Did you seriously drag me down here to talk to me about an issue I already know about?”

“Yes.” She nodded, injecting sarcasm into her tone perfectly. “Because you’re not exactly doing anything to resolve it.”

“I have Dominic Chiva on my ship.” Just when Blaze tried to retort, Swindle continued on; “I have enough to resolve. This is your job.” She turned on a heel and opted to walk away before the argument flared beyond that.

“Major!” The engineer called out to her. Lucky stopped in her tracks and glanced over her shoulder; “My request for transfer. Is it still pending?”

“Yeah.” Truthfully, she deleted that before it left the bridge. She turned and continued on, waving a hand over her shoulder. “Looks like nobody wants you.”

Major Swindle left the engineering deck, listening to the way Blaze’s incessant muttering filled the quiet space as she did so. They were set to move out. The ETA was a few hours away – it was the only time to catch some necessary sleep.

When the alarm rung, it was piercingly loud. Enough to jolt the heaviest sleeper from their rest. It happened when people tried to stow away on the warship.

In space, there was nowhere to run.

But this time, things were all quiet. Her quarters were always quiet. She was alone, not lonely.

Trying to sleep was futile. Someone always needed something, even if they knew better than to bother her when she was trying to sleep. But this time was different. Even when she was lying down, her eyes were wide open. Staring blankly at the ceiling. It felt like eyes were on her, but the room was empty.

Right?

There was a simple flicked of light from the corner. The initial sign of a cloaking device failing; “Shit.” A voice whispered – but in empty metal hulls, whispers carried.

“Come out.” The Major called, already drawing a pistol in the assumed direction of the voice.

With another few flickers, the device failed the assailant quickly. But she appeared in the other corner. How? Lucky couldn’t say. The first thing she noticed about her was the colour of her hair. What she missed was the crudely fashioned knife she was trying to hide.

“Oh fuck.” She said simply, almost whining. “Fucking assassins.”

“It’s just a job.”

“You’re not doing a very good one.” But when she finally looked her in the eye, she wavered, tilting the nose of the weapon down slightly. “Where should I shoot you first?”


The Thief laughed. Point blank. Right at her. “You’re not going to shoot me.” She replied, even going so far as to holster the little knife she’d been playing with. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Surprise coloured the Major’s features; “How long have you been on this ship?”

“About two weeks.”

“Shit.” She was going to kill Blaze.

“They say a lot about you, so here I am.”

Finally holstering her firearm, Lucky moved to cross her arms before her chest. “Why are you here?”

“I heard you need someone like me.” The stranger replied, intertwining a sophisticating charm into each of her words. “Someone you can trust.”

“Trust? You?” Swindle nearly choked from laughing so much. “You’re-”

“I know. But I’m not. Not any more.”

“Your hair-”

“I know. But listen, if I wanted to do anything, I’d have done it by now.” She reasoned with a small shrug of her shoulders. But the Major’s scrutinising gaze wasn’t lost on her; “Two weeks, remember?”

Damn. She had a point. A significant one. Their operatives were incredibly hot headed, run and gun types.

“So you just, what – hop ships?”

“Only the ones with-” The stranger stopped herself, tentatively eyeing the Major up and down. “-Decorative Commanders.”

Was she seriously considering this? “If I let you stay, you’re registering your ID numbers and your equipment with our AI. And our head engineer. She's been wondering why the system's bugging out.”

“…Fine.” The stranger pouted. Was she seriously pouting?

“And if you hack into any of our systems I’m going to shoot you.” Lucky warned, sounding oddly convincing.

She was definitely pouting. “Fine.”

“And I’ll need a name.”

“V.”

“V? I’m not stupid.” She scoffed with a grin; it was clearly an alias, “What, no last name?”

She grinned back, chastising in a strangely playful way; “Not for you.”

From then on, there was an occasional shift in the air. As if someone had brushed passed her in a crowd.

And her skin sometimes shivered, like she knew she was being watched, but not from where.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

ISSUE #5: Major Swindle Appeals to Colonel Median

July 29th, 2013

Stopping off at home base had its perks. Lucky had bounced between mentors for a number of years during her time at the academy. Few seemed daring enough to take a chance on someone so reckless, and fewer had the nerve to stand up to Admiral Swindle's relentless demands and regulations. She'd always wanted her daughter taught by the best, but she'd never thought of someone like Vincent Median. Level headed as he was, he had the cool demeanour to settle the hot headed nerves Lucky held.

And when she moved on, moving up to the place she was now, she thought she'd find little weight in going back. But help and advice were necessary, and when she needed it, he was willing to share a different perspective.

Different, not better.

“Sir.” Lucky raised her hand to her forehead, snapping off a salute as he nodded once.

“Would you like to sit?” He asked, and motioned for her to take a seat. She was hesitant about it, because she never liked to sit in his office across the table from him. He never pressured her to, either. Eventually she did.

Still, she couldn’t really settle. “Can I be honest?”

“Always.”

“I have a dilemma.” She admitted, though the wording made it sound less serious than it really was.

He leaned back in his seat, elbows resting on the arms of his chair as he interlocked his fingers. “A dilemma.” He repeated. She nodded at the word. “In regards to what?”

“Crew morale.”

“Did you do something?”

Clenching her jaw, the Major lowered her eyes on the Colonel, but she could hardly blame him for the assumption. “No.” She replied.

“Then what?” He asked, his voice cool and calm like settled waters. He didn’t seem phased by his own assumption. Nor did he seem irked by the threatening glance she gave him.

“What can you do when they don’t seem to… Fit together, but you’re on a critically important mission?”

“Saving the galaxy.” He denoted, and she nodded again. “What about them doesn’t fit?”

Silence fell. Lucky pressed her hands against her legs but refused to glance away as she collected the thoughts; mental dossiers on the questionable people she’d picked up so far. “A morose, arrogant rival captain; a disgruntled, overprotective 2IC; a loud-mouthed, obnoxious pilot; an uptight, volatile engineer,” She paused to take a breath, “And a thief who probably wants to kill me. Or join me. I’m honestly still not sure which.”

Again, the room went silent. Median had a tendency to wear the most thoughtful expression as he contemplated the pieces placed before him. But he had a mind like no other, and the skills to remain impartial as he placed them all together. So Lucky waited in the silence, feeling the tension in her jaw grow to the point where it ached.

“They need a leader.” He finally replied, and that tension fell straight to her shoulders.

“Right. I figured as much.” Lucky breathed a quick sigh, “Where do I find one?”

“I think the better question is; how do you become one?”

“Did I mention two of them really seem to hate me?” Swindle added, “One’s trying to overtake command and the other’s been looking for a transfer for months.”

But all he did was smile, like he knew something she didn’t. Like he saw something she couldn’t. “I don’t think it matters.” He replied, a touch of amusement to his tone of voice.

Lucky dropped her jaw, unsure of the right answer here. So she went for it anyway; “I’m pretty sure it does, sir.”

Median shook his head, unfurling his hands as he leaned forward to address the Major properly. Such a move would make most sink back into their chairs, and she was no exception. Her hands tightened on the arm rests at either side. When he was serious, it was practically troublesome.

“If you can’t be that leader,” He started, pausing to take a short breath, “You don’t deserve that ship.”

Threatening as it was, Lucky realised she was still holding her breath once the words had reached her. It wasn’t exactly helpful, but she wasn’t about to say that to him.

“Right.” She replied. And with nothing else, she shifted to stand and raise her hand to her brow again. “Thank you, sir.” She added. Though really, he didn’t deserve thanks.

With a thoughtful nod from Median, Lucky nodded in return and dropped her hand. She headed for the door, watching as it slid open for her. As she took a step away, his voice reached her again.

“They’re all with you for a reason, Swindle.”

“Still not helping, sir.”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

ISSUE #6: Major Swindle Mediates the Infighting

August 7th, 2013

“That’s it, I’m done with her!”

Captain Chiva’s shrill declaration filtered through the hull of the ship the moment he left the decontamination chamber. The moment he could step towards the bridge, he was shouting.

“What’s the matter, Chiva? Can’t handle when a woman’s got one up on you?”

Second from the chamber, the proverbial stow away with the bright blue hair made herself known. Arms crossed, she followed the steps he took without fail.

As far as missions planet-side went, it was one of the worst. Putting together a well equipped team was hardly a difficult process, but factoring their personalities into the mix was. A mistake not so easily made twice. Still, she wasn't about to wear blame for their sake.

“Bitches.” A clear swing from Lynn, the ship’s pilot. But a glare from those bright blue eyes and she was pursing her lips to retain a grin, or a laugh.

“Keep her away from me, Major.” He ordered, hand raised and index finger pointing square at the thief as he walked by, “It’s deplorable that she’s even still here.”

She who was quick enough to quip back, “So touchy.”

“You shot me!”

“Poor baby,” She replied, jutting out her bottom lip in a pout, “It’s barely a scratch. Look at you.”

A tear in his armour, split the casing and rocked past the shirt he wore. A light line of deep blue blood coloured the pale skin on either side. “That’s beside the point, the plebeian struck me. That within itself constitutes a break in this alliance.” As if the entire bridge needed a reminder of any kind of protocol. He continued regardless, “She should be thrown out the airlock the moment we leave orbit.”

“That’s practical.” V quickly retorted, rolling her eyes at the very idea, “He can’t take a shot to his gold-plated armour, so he wants to kill someone.”

“I’ve done it for far smaller offences.”

To which the thief scoffed; “If anyone should be booted off deck, it’s him. Fuck the treaty.”

Chiva laughed. He had every right to at the suggestion offered. “It’s your choice, Major.”

“It’s not a choice.” Lucky replied, a step behind. The feeling of bright blue eyes on her made her uneasy. “I’m not picking sides.” She pointed out quickly, stopping long enough to tilt her head in the direction of the lift; “To the infirmary, Captain, if you’re that concerned about it.”

“Typical.” Chiva replied, practically spitting the word into the steel below as he walked off.

Now stuck in the middle of a bridge with a blue haired thief and stack of midshipmen’s scrutinising eyes, she shrugged her shoulders and sighed. The grin V wore was enough to warrant a shot to her, too. “You’re benched.” The Major ordered, watching her face drop.

“But-”

“I don’t care.” Lucky quickly retorted, “That’s not how we do things.”

A strike in any form was still a strike.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

ISSUE #7: Major Swindle Exposes the Double-Agent

September 30th, 2013

“Everyone says she’s playing favourites.”

“Bullshit. She doesn’t.”

“It’s just what they say.”

“Well, they’re wrong.”

“Why else would she hang out with her in the haul for hours?”

Gossip ran through the corridors with its own echo. Lucky couldn’t take a step without falling into the remnants of another person’s conversation. It was always about something. Lately, it was always about herself. The gunsmiths kept their idle chatter up until she stepped in.

“As you were.” She said. They weren’t going to listen for good reason, but she still said it anyway.

They left, allowing the Major the space to herself. It wasn’t the right place to go over reports, but it was more calming and less expected than her own quarters. Besides, she knew they weren’t safe. These walls shouldn't have had ears. Intel from every point she had was leading her in the exact same direction. It was painful to get caught up in, because at the end of the day she had played favourites.

She walked through the familiar paths the ship provided, stepping into the elevator and taking it to the lowest level. The second the doors peeled open, she saw a different set of eyes on her.

“Major-”

“Piss off, Blaze.”

And that was it. Lucky had far bigger problems to attend to, and a list of issues in the engineering bay wasn’t her current priority. Further into the haul of the lowest level of the ship could only mean an interaction with one person. After all, it wasn’t the first time she’d come all this way to find her. In the past few months, it seemed like she spent more time in the thief’s place of choice than her own quarters.

“Captain.” The distant voice greeted, though she still kept herself hidden. She still had the universe’s greatest cloaking device at her disposal.

“No.”

“Can I call you Captain?”

“No.”

“I know you're not a Captain, but here you pretty much-”

“Stop!”

“...What?”

It was always hard to keep her temper under control. Lucky closed her eyes for a second before she opened them again. The stowaway turned thief turned crew member was right in front of her, practically less than a step away. “I need you to explain something to me.”

“What is it?” She asked, carrying an air of innocence about her. Pressed to her chest, Swindle unfurled her arm and handed the most important thing out to her.

“This.”

“Oh.” She dropped her voice and her eyes in one go, her hands taking hold of the file between them. Flicking through the pages, it didn't take long to realise what she was holding. “You found out about that.”

“I found out about that.”

“Where did you get this? Who told you about it?”

“That doesn’t matter.” Lucky snapped, absently tossing the rest of the paperwork to the cold, steely floor, “What matters is we know how long you’ve been leaking our intelligence to your superiors.” Lucky waited for an answer, but she got absolutely nothing back from the now-stranger who called herself V. She just had a distressed look on her face, and all she was doing was staring at her. “I can’t figure out why you’d want to screw us over if we’re supposed to be... Working towards the same goal.”

“No!” She immediately called. “It's not like that.” The end goal was always the same. Everyone was looking for a way to bolster the resistance and win the war. There had to be some understanding in that. “I mean, it was. But then you took me in and I- I was part of something.” She'd been part of a team. She'd been part of a crew of people who gave her the benefit of the doubt.

The air was heavy despite the fact that no one was talking. There was a lot to be said about trust between people who worked together, and there was even more when it came to closer, intertwined relationships. Reaching out, her hand gripped the file and ripped it from her hands.

“Get out.”

V's eyes went wide. She shook her head weakly.

“I said get the fuck out! Now!” Swindle shouted, slamming it down to the ground with the rest of the proof against her, “Take your shit and find someone else to believe it, because I’m done with you.”

She waited for the first of many steps the thief would take. It was easy for her to get away without trained eyes on her, so when she finally took those useless steps the Major had to follow. Bypassing the ship’s engineer, didn't slow her paces.

“Call XO DeWitt.”

“Yes, Major.”

“And fix the bloody security webbing!” She ordered, though it was rare for her to raise her voice in a way like that. This time, it was important. She never wanted anything to do with her again.