Star Trek: Pirates of the Capricorn ((haha... ))

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In a remote star system, near the galactic rim, several thousand light years from the more clustered stars, where empires like the Federation, and their' ilk live, you will find few stars warm, or energetic enough to sustain planets with life. But they do happen.
Celulus IV is one of those planets.
A small group of people, who's name renders without translation into English, and are therefore called strictly as their' name sounds, the Sechnia, confine themselves to a rather small fleet of personally owned craft.
The planet itself, unlike most Federation worlds, is run in a feudal system, including Judges, being officers of the law, who routinely walk the streets, looking for those unwelcome types wandering the streets.
On the planet itself, Airships, or large vehicles, which vaguely resemble Earth boats, fly about, using technologies roughly similar to IMPulse engines, and some of these Airships are even capable of Interstellar flight, but for daunting distances around, there is nary even an asteroid belt.
Until, of course, the Ferengi came by.
As the planet is rich in harvested medical plants, and advanced medical techniques, the Ferengi were more than happy to trade for some technologies, including basic Disruptor and Warp Core design.
It took the Sechnia about twelve years, but eventually, they became traders, similar to the Ferengi. They flew in and out, of some of the outer worlds of the more populated cluster, trading technologies, and plants, as well as some odd arts that were popular to both the Sechnia, and many species, including Vulcans, and Andorians.
And this is how Paj Tajikari took his small Airship, and had it retrofitted into a small Pirate Raider.
The term Paj translates roughly into both "Artist" and "Captain of a large trading fleet", as he is both.
On Sechnia, he was actually quite popular for introducing artistic look to airship design, including his own ship, the Paij((Spoken as "Page")).

It had been 50 years, since Admiral Laurent Van den Hause had lost his marbles to the Nabiru, and had abandoned Starfleet, and his "other" job, as a trans-temporal warrior, who would fight whatever fight had to be fought. Provided, of course, it kept Captain Reid safe.
Now, the Guardian was searching for someone new to handle things. Someone not directly attached to any given government, as this generally tended to obscure some of the legal issues when dealing with trans-temporal incidents.
Tajikari did not know it, just yet, but given enough time, The Guardian would call him.

Orion Orbital Space Paij - Bridge
"Tactical display." Tajikari said, in Sachnian tongue.
The small woman at the station, which would roughly equate to Helm and Ops on a Starfleet ship, nodded, and flicked a few switches.
The viewer hummed to life, and switched from a picture of the Orion sun, to instead, a tactical display of the solar system.
Clearly visible, the Orion defence Patrol, and the Orion Space Station were in orbit around Orion IV.
And that was acceptable to the crew of the Paij. For they were not here to trade either products, or disruptor charges, with the Orions. They were here to mine a unique substance which the Orions were not even aware existed, from the asteroid belts surrounding the 9th planet out. And the wonderful part, of course, was that, due to the debris within the field, the Orion patrol was not even aware that the Paij was within the belt, mining it.
That was clearly apparent, as not a ship had moved from station-keeping position in the 3 days that the Paij, and her crew had been out and about.
"This must be a surprise for them." Said the only non-Sachnian crew member, a rather over-weight Bajoran, who had found the idea of a new specie to ship out with excessively exciting, and perhaps even the soul-fulfilling trip that he was needing. Instead he simply found a great deal of latinum. But he was not one to quibble semantics.
"Indeed?" Asked Tajikari
"It is not common for one to do this to the Orions. Normally it is the Orions who use dirty tactics like this on others." The Bajoran noted.
"Really? I stole this technique from a Ferengi, actually. At Deep Space 9. His name, according to our' translator meant Fruit Jam." Tajikari said, with a laugh.
"Who, Quark?" The Bajoran asked.
Tajikari nodded.
"He'd have a good laugh about that one, and then try and patent it." The Bajoran said with a bit of a laugh.
"Mmm. Indeed, Mister Treyvs. I've heard he's rather uncaring of how he makes a profit, provided he makes one. And he's usually a blubbering idiot about it. He has no idea what treasure-ridden tales he was telling me, when he spoke of Sky-Stones." Tajikari said.
Treyvs, the Bajoran, laughed.
"Well, he was never one to really get to know alien technologies that weren't on the market. And the Sachnia have kept Trillium-based engines well hidden from the market. Last I heard, yours was the only ship who had it, and had no direct ties with Sachnia, itself." Treyvs noted.
"Indeed not. In fact, should Sachnia ever catch up with me, I bet the Paij would be confiscated, for fear that I may sell it. Not that that would happen. The ship has been in my family for 43 generations, with only minor upgrades required over that time." Tajikari noted.
"That's... uh... how many years?" Treyvs asked.
"Roughly equivelant to 43 Human centuries." Tajikari replied, after a brief pause, while he did the math in his head.
"Almost four and a half thousand years old?" Treyvs asked.
Tajikari nodded.
"We do know how to build airships to last a bit, my friend. Not like some of these Klingon, or Orion ship designs that get tinkered with every 2 bloody months." Tajikari said, as he tapped a few buttons on the Captain's terminal, bringing up a status report.
"Ah, good. We've nearly maxed out the cargo bays with Sky-Stone. We should be just about ready to try out that new toy your' Ferengi friend got us... what did he call it again?" Tajikari asked.
"Ah... Rom said it was a "Romalan Clocking Device". It's supposed to make the ship invisible to most common detection systems." Treyvs said with a smile.
"Good. We'll engage it once Troija gets the last load inside, and settled in. We've got a good couple million dollars worth of Skystone loaded up. That will not only pay off my debts back home, but also allow me to retain my old... social status, once they realize that there is enough Skystone there to build a proper defence fleet, so we can fight off the element-forsaken Orion raiders." Tajikari said.
Treyvs laughed.
"Using their' own Skystone, no less." Treyvs added.
Tajikari joined in the laughter.


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Author's guide: Characters & technologies:
Main Characters
Paj Tajikari:
Once considered extremely well respected among Sachnian politicians, he has indulged himself in a slightly more shady life-style, over the past 10 years, since adapting his ship, the Paij, from an inter-continental fighter, into a interstellar pirate raider.

Treyvs:
Treyvs is an eccentric, and strangely profit-driven Bajoran, who serves as the rough-and-ready guide, and first officer aboard the Paij. While he has little knowledge of Sachnia, or it's workings, be it technological, or political, he is rarely one to turn down either a good fight, or a good, easy way to make a great deal of profit((Be it material, or political)).

Dian Tramira:
Dian Tramira is a Sachnian woman, who flies, and controls the tactical capabilities of the Paij. She is considered one of the more attractive members of the crew, and despite her lean figure, could handle her own against a Klingon in hand-to-hand combat.

Vasch Troija:
Vasch Troija is a Sachnian engineer, who once served under Tajikari, during his "last posting", as a technical advisor. Little is known about his abilities, other than the term "extra-ordinary".

Prefix Definitions
Paj:
Meaning "Captain", "Artist", or "Master of a special type of Art or craft". In this respect, Tajikari fulfills all of the above.

Dian:
Directly translated as "Brash", or one with a great deal of brashness. Also translates into "Pilot", as there are few pilots on Sachnia that can fly a ship without a little bit of Brashness.

Vasch:
Meaning "Technician of great skill".

Dejka:
Translating into "Upholder of the Law", or "Judge", or "Police Chief". This will not have a direct use for quite a while, but should be known for reference purposes.

Unknown Technologies
"Sky-stone" / "Trillium-based engines":
A semi-common material on Sechnia, called "Trillium", by most, and "Sky-stone", for it's direct usage by the Sechnia, is a highly energetic metallic compound, which has an odd power about it. There is no direct scientific study known to exist, about Sky-stone as it is rather impervious to most scanning equipment. It is, however, extremely reliable.

"Stone-Shot" / "Trillium-based weaponry":
The secondary, and outlawed usage of Sky-Stone, is as a high-potency energy-weapon. Stone-Shot is not charged either positively, or negatively, but carries a great amount of voltage with each shot. There are two variations of it, being adapted forms of Disruptors. Hand-Stone-shot is similar to phasers, except that the devices cannot be effectively "Dampened", except by a unique strain of Sky-stone, and does not have a "non-lethal" setting. Likewise, the ship-borne Stone-shot Cannons have only one, extremely powerful setting.
Unlike Starfleet/Klingon technologies, however, the Stone-Shot Cannons have seperate Sky-stones powering them, meaning that the Paij's engines can be down, and weapons will still work. In addition, as the IMPulse-styled engines are the ones who power things like Life Support, the weapons will still function, and can be set to automatic, even if the craft is to be left abandoned.
It should also be noted that if the Stone-Shot Cannons were to be over-charged, and not fired, that the over-heat would cause the Sky-Stones that power the ship's main engines to eventually explode, infusing within the Paij, a self-destruct system.

"Neglicite" / ???:
Neglicite is an unknown chemical compound, which absorbs most energies, including unrefined Sky-Stone. Refined Sky-stone is coated in a Neglicite-nullifying coating made up of a unique bio-chemical solution. Neglicite is essentially, and energy vortex, trapped in a stone. It absorbs energy, of nearly any form, and is immune to transporter, or phaser effects. Removing it from one's shields, or engines requires physical removal, which is dangerous, as it tends to also drain the corporeal energies of an unprotected person. It's use has been largely banned on Sachnia, the only planet known to have it in significant abundance, with large areas of the planet listed as "Jagd", or devoid of the ability for any mechanized vessel not equipped with refined-Sky-stone to move.

Familiar Technology
"Romalan Clocking Device":
As you may have guessed, it's a poor quality translator's translation of a Romulan Cloaking device, which, as Treyvs noted, has the ability to render the Paij invisible.

"IMPulse Engine Analogue":
The non-sky-stone powered engines that the Paij is equipped with are not exactly like Starfleet IMPulse engines, but a close enough analogue. You could also liken them to Klingon and Romulan thrusters.


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Recurring Starfleet characters:

Admiral Laurent Van den Hause:
Co-star of several Cathexis((Copyright to Katharynn Rachel King)) storylines, as well as the primary character of most Crystalis storylines. Known to be brash, and often illogical, and willing to do nearly anything to save the life and repute of his one love, Captain Reid. Being a Naian, which is a strange, and shimmering creature, who cannot be directly photographed, he tends to wear his emotions in the "aura" that surrounds him to do his titanium-based blood. Considered extremely volatile. Handle with caution. Has unknown ties with the Q continuum and the Guardians of Forever, and Never.

Quark:
Refer to: Wikipedia: Deep Space 9

Admirals Whittenhouse, Morrow, and Backhouse:
Recurring Admirals at Starfleet Headquarters, frequently used in Cathexis, and Crystalis storylines.

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Technical Specifics: Pirate raider Paij

Planet of Origin: Sechnia
Group of Origin: Private Enterprises
Class: "Paij"
-A "Paij" is a strange flying creature similar to the ancient earth dinosaur, Pterodactyl, or mythical creature known as a "Dragon". Both feared, and respected, as it is more than capable of attacking an Airship. Tends to be excessively protective over areas where sky-stones will not function. These areas are commonly referred to as "Jagd" among the Sechnians. It should be noted that some sky-stones have been meddled with, and will fly through Jagd.

Engine Specs:
Sky-Stone:
Max Engine Speed((translated into Warp)): Warp 8.1
Max Cruising Speed((Translated into Warp)): Warp 6.5
Emergency Speed((translated into Warp)): Warp 8.9
Power Cell: 15 x 1 Tonne Refined Sky-Stone
Estimated Power Output: 10^ 15 Terrawatts
Remainder Power is diverted to shielding, inertial damper analogue, cloaking device, tractor beams, and food replicators.

IMPulse Analogue:
Max Engine Speed: 0.8 Light speed
Max Cruising Speed: 0.75 Light Speed
Max Emergency Speed: 0.9 Light Speed
Power Cell: 1 x 1 Tonne unrefined Sky-Stone
Estimated Power Output: 300 Terrawatts((Variable, depending on quality of stone. As low as 200, as high as 500. Not to exceed either number.))
Remainder power is diverted to life support, and various other non-essential systems.

Weaponry Specs:
Sky-Shot Cannons:
Refresh Rate: 30 shots per 60-second standard minute.
Powered by((Per Cannon)): 2 x 150 LB refined Sky-Stone
Estimated Power Output: 500 Terrawatts ((Roughly equivelant to 1/3 of a Galaxy class ship's total power output))

Neglicite Cannons:
Refresh Rate: 12 shots per 60-second standard minute
Neglicite Compliment: 150 x 15 LB unrefined Neglicite
-Due to the excessively dangerous effects of Neglicite on most people, the entire Neglicite Cannon firing process is a non-manned automated facility, and in order for repairs of this section to be completed, the entire shipment of Neglicite must be jettisoned.
Powered by((Per installation)): 2 x 200 LB refined Sky-Stone
Estimated Power Output: 1000 Terrawatts.
No power is left remaining, due to the power-thirsty nature of Neglicite, and the dangers with inter-linking energy systems with other systems.

Cloaking Device Stats:
Cloaking Device is severely over-powered for a ship this size, due to the strange nature of Sky-Stone energies. While the ship can fire Stone-shot cannons while cloaked, only giving off a temporary fix on their' position, the Neglicite cannons cannot be fired, because the Neglicite will absorb the cloaking field, and become attached to the ship's engines, likely causing catastrophic system failure. Vasch Troija is attempting to fix this device conflict.

Crew Capacity:
The Paij is equipped with 15 2 - person cabins, and 15 single-occupancy cabins. There is a current crew aboard of 30, leaving 15 cabins open. All positions, however, are filled. For reference, non-"department heads" are simply referred to as "Deya", or "servant", and thus it is unlikely that beyond perhaps 6 names, the Paj will know any others aboard.

Medical Facilities:
The Sechnia are extremely skilled in medical arts, and as such, the Medical bay aboard the Paij is capable of handling up to 75 patients, despite only having a staff of 5, thanks to automation.

Staff distribution:((Will occasionally be updated as new characters join the story.))
Bridge Crew:((3))
-Paj Tajikari
-Treyvs
-Dian Tramira

Medical Staff:((5))

Technical Staff: ((10))
-Vasch Troija

Morale Upkeep:((1))
-"Barkeep"((No known name, unknown specie))

Security/Raiding Forces((11))

Cargo Bays/Shuttle Bays:
The Paij is equipped with three cargo bays, each nearly 250 square metres. Due to over-powered engines, there is virtually no limit on the weight capacity.

The Paij is equipped with 5 two-pilot Paijing class fighters.
-Obscure Sachnia fact: The strange flying beast, Paij's little children are called Paijing. Until the creatures are nearly 200 years old, they have razor-sharp claws and teeth. By the time they "grow up", their' claws have dulled, but their' teeth have gotten sharper.

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Paijing Fighters:
The Paijing class fighters are as unique as it's mother ship, even from contemporary Sachnia fighters, in that they employ Neglicite based weaponry. They also dock directly on to the outer "skin" of the ship, using small airlocks, rather than one large hangar bay, as is currently favored by Airshipwrights on Sachnia. The ship is, by most Sachnian beliefs, "tacky".

Engine Specs:
1 x 200 LB Sky-stone ((Est: 700-1000 Terrawatts))
Max Cruise/Emergency Speed: Warp 2.5

Weaponry:
"Davijka" Neglicite Cannon((Compliment: 15 Neglicite shots))
-Davijka is a scorpion-like creature on Sachnia, which uses it's tail to shoot acidic fluids at it's prey, or predators. This acid can eat, it is said, right through solid steel, hence the designers of the Davijka Neglicite Cannon thought the name fitting, due to Neglicite's energy absorbing effects.

Micro-Stone-Shot Cannons((1 sky-stone per cannon, mounted on the wing tips of each fighter))
-Due to the Davijka Cannon being top-mounted, the Stone-Shot cannons are mounted on the bottom wing tips of each fighter, as is the Sky-Stone engine output ducts. This is to avoid any accidental interaction between the Neglicite and the ship's normal operating systems.

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