Kentauran Date: Corvus 11 - 14, 76.
KSS Kanto de'l Vento, Kapitano Akciptiro Neĝa komandas.

It is a little known and officially denied fact that Lunumbrulina McDonnell spent several years as a pirate.  It began accidentally and was a matter of pure politics.

It was an accident that Leǔtenanto Sub-Rango McDonnell was talking to some other junior officer about interstellar politics and that her commanding officer just happened to overhear.

"Ekzistas regiono de spaco, kiu enhavas dek du sistemojn, kie estas varianta numero de militantaj partioj," McDonnell told her companions over coffee. "They declare holy wars on each other every other week based on long forgotten and probably imagined sufferances.  The United Nations has tried numerous diplomatic missions, but they are unable to unite the region.  It's impossible to establish normal commercial relations in this resource rich area due to pirating.  Some of the pirates have letters of marque from leaders of the warring factions.  Maybe the Kentauran government should send in their own pirates just to keep track of the situation."

It was a relatively innocent remark.  Leǔtenanto Sub Ranga McDonnell certainly didn't possess the authority to speak for the Kentauran government. Nor did anyone in her intended audience believe that she was speaking seriously.

Upon completion of her duties on the graveyard shift three days later, McDonnell quietly slips into the room she shares with three other subs.  Two are still sleeping and one is on duty.  She makes every effort to avoid waking her rackmates until the room's intercom shatters the pre-reveille peace with a tinny male voice. "Leǔtenanto Sub-Rango McDonnell, raportu."

Amid the grumbles of the half-awake mates, McDonnell addresses the intercom. "McDonnell, aye."

"You are requested and required to appear to the XO at nul ok kaj tridek horoj."

McDonnell looks at her watch.  It is already nul ok kaj dek kvin.  She'll have to hurry to make the appointment.  "McDonnell, aye."  She turns off the intercom.

"What are you in trouble for now?" one of her rackmates asks.

"They probably found out about the poker game," McDonnell teases.

"What poker game? Why wasn't I invited?"

"There is no poker game, stultulo," the second rackmate says. "She's just saying that."

McDonnell takes a moment to check the mirror, running her fingers through her hair.  She wets a towel and makes a half-hearted attempt of getting a grease stain off of her cheek, and only succeeds in spreading it about.  "If you hear any news about the XO being murdered and stuffed out the airlock, you never heard me say anything, 'k?"

"Yeah, sure."

She appears at the XO's station a minute early, which doesn't prevent him from asking, "What kept you?"

"Traffic, sir," she responds, standing at attention and snapping a salute.

Komandanto Albin Sørensen looks at McDonnell with suspicion.   "Thinking of changing your name, Leǔtenanto?"

"Moŝto?"

"I thought perhaps Anne Bonny or Mary Read."

It takes McDonnell several heartbeats to remember the names from history.  "Two of the most famous female pirates.  They sailed the Spanish Main in the eighteenth century."

"I'll be blunt, Leǔtenanto. Are you planning on stealing a Space Defense vessel and making for the Hassurah sector?"

The question catches McDonnell completely by surprise.  It is almost like the XO asked her when she plans to stop kicking snarks.

"Ne, moŝto. This idea has never even crossed my mind."

Komandanto Sørensen checks some notes.  "Did you not, during a coffee break with your fellow junior officers, claim that the Kentauran government should sponsor pirates in the Hassurah sector?"

Light suddenly dawns in McDonnell's eyes.  "Jes, moŝto, but it was a hypothetical discussion.  It was not a suggestion that I expected anybody to take seriously."

"Well, Leǔtenanto, somebody did take it seriously.  Like the Old Man.  He thinks your idea may have some merit."

McDonnell was agog.

"As you know, Leǔtenanto, the region is politically highly unstable.  Settled largely by religious fanatics who are all convinced that God wants them to kill all the other fanatics.  Groups and clans change alliances like underwear.  It's impossible for outsiders to maintain any footholds there."

"So Kentaurus is seriously considering the idea of sending in spies who will act as pirates."

"Privateers to be more exact."

McDonnell thinks about this for a moment. "We could launch a vessel well stocked with ordinance and eavesdropping equipment.  Convince local warlords that we are the rising stars on the battlefield, and get cozy with the leading fanatics.  Get the scoop on the latest alliances."

Komandanto Sørensen smiles and hands McDonnell a data disk.  "Your new orders, Leǔtenanto. Ĉu iuj demandoj?"

"Jes, moŝto. Du demandoj. The first has to do with the ethics of the situation.  The second: Kial mi?

"I'm not an ethicist.  Kaj kiu alia? It was your idea."