Kremainn 2, a large brown gas giant planet streaked with dark brown lines. The planet looms large over the nearly endless field of icy asteroids that form the orbiting concentric discs. The distant asteroids disappear against the star-filled backdrop in the shadow of the planet. Inside the rings of asteroids there is a beacon marking one of the Federation-patrolled asteroid mining locations. A nearby asteroid, shimmering in the bare sunlight as it tumbles seemingly in place next to the other asteroids. Around this asteroid, darts a Falcon Delacy Python, a ship ¾ the size of a football field, traveling at 200 meters per second. The python is flying so close to the asteroid that the roof comes within meters of scraping along the asteroid. Beams of light and small projectiles can be seen scattering past the ship as it hugs the outside of the asteroid.
Inside the cockpit of the python a man sitting in the pilot chair and an empty secondary seat. It looks as if, just outside the window, The universe is twisting and turning around to meet the movement of the flight stick. Over the radio a voice speaks in a New Zealand accent “Your shields are already down 94% El Scolio, Just a few more shots and it’ll be all over for ya mate. Why don’t you just slow down and make it easier on yourself.”, The man in the chair grimaces as an asteroid in front of the ship is hit with a stray multi-cannon round causing rocky ice debris explodes in all directions and dusting across the Pythons shields. “Unfortunately I made a deal with myself to not die in a Python, so this will have to wait.”, The voice comes over the radio, “Well If you want to eject now, I can scoop you up and kill you on my ship, in case it is a luxury ship you are looking to die on.” The pursuing ship is the slightly larger Anaconda named "Ara TioTio”, manufactured by Falcon Delacy, and is one of the most powerful multi-purpose ships in the galaxy, piloted by one of the most skilled pirates in the Kremainn system, Rez Yetsler of the House of Grebmo. El Scolio fumbles with the controls and engages one of his shield batteries and after taking a few more shots, the Pythons shields jumps from a meager 2% strength to 87%, “Whew, that was close, a couple of more hits and that wouldn’t have worked.”, “A shield cell bank?” And angry voice came over the radio, “Yes, did I say that out loud?”, more shots sizzle against the the pythons shields as it dives behind another asteroid. “Yes, I thought you meant to say it to me.”
Scolio steers the ship straight for a large asteroid and fires off chaff to distract the Anacondas auto tracking timbales weapons, “No, sorry. I think it is a bad habit from my time in the in the Eafots sector”, Lasers and projectiles scatter around the python wildly due to the chaff, “You went out there chasing the mystery? I have a few friends who have gone and they have never been the same.” A barrage of seeker misses slams into the Pythons shields dropping them to 40%, Scolio dives behind the asteroid but cuts a sharp left to throw of the pursuant anaconda. Scolio starts a hard turn and disengages flight-assist causing an uncontrolled fast spin, Scolio reengages flight assist just as the nose of the Python is facing the Anaconda who is just rounding the asteroid. Scolio fires the two rail guns into the anaconda dropping the shields, a second volley directly into the anacondas power supply bringing it to a quick stop amongst the ice asteroids. “What the !” Yelled the voice over the radio. “Anaconda Ara Tiotio flown by wanted pilot Rez Yetsler I demand that you surrender yourself peacefully. I have full intent to deliver you alive into the hand of the law. It is my responsibility..” Scolios rehearsed and mandatory speech is cut short by two beam lasers sizzling across what little is left of the Pythons shields, dropping them and scaring the metal hull beneath. “ off you piece of bounty hunting trash!” The radio spattered into the cockpit. Scolio suddenly awoken from his droning speech fires his engines to full, and boosts out of view around the asteroid. “Listen Pirate, we has had a lot of fun here, but that is only going to delay me long enough to get my shields back to full. We both know you are dead in the water, So why don’t you just give up.”
Just them Scolio’s controls alerted him to four new contacts, up front a Eagle flown by commander Laser Maestro trailed by two vipers and an Anaconda flown by Kremainn system authority pilots. Scolio hears the thuds of the fire, and then sees the Anaconda “Ara Tiotio” disappear from his target view on his control panel. “Rez?” On the global channel Scolio can hear the idiotic uncontrollable yelling of a pilot “I killed my first ‘Conda!”, “Good job citizen, you haven taken down the pirate Rez Yetsler, who is responsible for the hijacking of cargo got worth in-excess of 100 million credits. Please turn in this bounty at Wholer terminal. Good day citizen.” Scolio switches over to the public comms, “This is Commander El Scolio of the…” spot lights from an anaconda flood the bride of the python, “Do not move, we are doing a routine scan of all ships nearby the crime scene. Commander it looks like you ship is in bad shape, As a representative of the Federation, I apologize that we were not able to get here sooner, I see you are carrying no illicit cargo, you may now get back to mining.” Scolio tries “I am not a miner! I jus…”, the Federation Anaconda pilot interrupted “Please keep this channel clear until we have finished our emergency response protocol”. Scolio is sitting in his chair staring at the eagle doing loops around the wreckage of the “Ara Tiotio”. After the all clear is sent over the public channel the eagle stops and a young voice is heard over the radio “Wow! 243k bounty! I am going to go buy a brand new viper when I get back to the station!”, Scolio winces when hear hears the total of the bounty that should have been his. “I wouldn’t flaunt your money in pirate rich territory.” Scolio recommended, “Right! Thanks for the tip!” The eagle flies off.
For some time Scolio is just watching the view of the nearly endless disc of white asteroids. After each ship has left his scanner range Scolio pulls out a small plastic pouch filled with brandy, he twists the top and starts sucking the contents out, and a light on his comms panel lights up. Scolio pressed it, “I remember when I got my first viper…” The voice was of Rez, “Wait, did you use an escape pod?”, “No” Rez pauses “I jumped into my light fighter but the ship split in two just before I launched it. Though the canopy windows is cracked and it is telling me I only have three minutes before I am out of air.”. “Are you able to get out? Maybe I can pick you up with my cargo scoop.”, silence for a bit “Looks like I can, “Could you be a dear and just fly over here so I can just jump over to your ship?”, “sure, but there are some rules before you come on my ship.” A few seconds pass “What kind of ‘rules’?”. “No guns, this is my ship, no touching controls. No eating food without asking. Before you come over to my ship I want to see that you don’t have any weapons.” The voice speaks again “Those all seem fair.” Scolio inches closer to the broken fighter bay for the Tiotio. After some time there is an explosion of glass an helmeted pilot floats out of the tangles charred metal of the anaconda toward Scolio’s Python. Scolio’s ship registers the captured cargo Scolio’s onboard computer chimes “Cargo Secured” as Rez enters the python and the hatch is closes behind.
Scolio grabs a pistol floats down to the cargo container. He engages the magnetic boots he is wearing to the floor and opens the door to the cargo hatch. Inside he sees Rez floating in mid room trying to grab at a strap on the side of the room. “Stop!” Scolio yells as he is holding out a pistol. Rez stops grabbing at the wall and turns and faces Scolio. “I am not armed.” Rez says as she takes off her helmet. “It is pretty obvious from your pilot suit that you are not hiding any weapons.” Rez tosses the helmet aside and it floats to the wall. “Frankly, your already dead as far as the Federation cares, so I have no reason to kill you”. Scolio grabs a pair of mag boots from outside the room and gently tosses them to Rez, whom promptly puts them on and clamps herself to the floor. “Frankly I can think of one reason to kill you” Rez snarls. He holsters the gun “You know, this is all business, we signed our lives away when we took the jobs that we did” Rez shrugs as Scolio continues. “ You can either get your revenge on me or I can take you to the Volta station or Wholer Terminal. Either way have to cash in my other bounties. Rez “Wholer, but you will need to get in without being scanned, I am a wanted dead person, you know.” Scolio tosses small pouch of loud, “Yeah, I don’t know how I can explain smuggling a dead pirate into a federation station. In the meantime as a guest of my ship we can both celebrate living another day, That is Whiskey from Ferguson Dock in the Binar system, there isn’t much like it in these parts”, Rez snatches it out of the air and takes and takes a swig through the zero-g drinking cap, “courtesy of my Wife”. Her eyes close as the taste of smooth whisky rolls over her tongue, “Wow, it does feel good to be alive.” Scolio motions out the door “I can either lock you in the cargo bay or you can sit on the bridge, which do you prefer?” Rez looks around the room a bit, “Not a great view in here, and a little closer to an airlock than I am accustomed too.” Scolio cracks a smile and turns steps out the door leaning back through the door, “The bridge is this way.”
Scolio follows Rez up to the bridge where Scolio motions to the co-pilot seat. “Normally my wife sits there when I am not bounty hunting.” Rez sets herself down in the chair “Your wife lets you go bounty hunting?” Scolio chuckles, “Old habits die hard, I told her I had a risky federation smuggling job to do. Which I did. Those ranks don’t earn themselves” Scolio grabs the controls in his seat, “Your controls are disabled, but if you want something to eat or more whiskey to drink there is a refrigeration unit on the right side of your chair, Though don’t drink the all the whiskey, It is K’s favorite.” Out the window the white icy asteroids are payed out before them as far as the eye can see, “Can we just sit here for a moment? This asteroid belt is marvelous, and I almost died in it.” Responding to Rez’s request Scolio takes his hands of the controls, “So did I, I guess we are pretty lucky today.” Rez grabbing another pouch of the whiskey, “We are.” She holds it in he air to Scolio, “Cheers.” Scolio holds up his brandy pouch and taps her’s and, “Cheers”. “When we get to Wholer, if I can still access my accounts, I’ll pay for the damage to your ship. After that I think I am going to take a break from space flight.” Rez said while still staring out the windows at the glistening ice asteroids. “You’ll be back in space in no time, w are just born this way.” Scolio says taking a sip from his own pouch of brandy. “Yes, but I think I might be done with piracy. Maybe I should buy a passenger vehicle, or a cargo ship, I have all my money and I get to start over.” Scolio punches in the coordinates for Wholer Terminal, “Either way, it feels good to be alive one more day.”, Rez “It sure does.”, Scolio hit the FSD button and the computer added “Frame shift drive charging.”
Inside the cockpit of the python a man sitting in the pilot chair and an empty secondary seat. It looks as if, just outside the window, The universe is twisting and turning around to meet the movement of the flight stick. Over the radio a voice speaks in a New Zealand accent “Your shields are already down 94% El Scolio, Just a few more shots and it’ll be all over for ya mate. Why don’t you just slow down and make it easier on yourself.”, The man in the chair grimaces as an asteroid in front of the ship is hit with a stray multi-cannon round causing rocky ice debris explodes in all directions and dusting across the Pythons shields. “Unfortunately I made a deal with myself to not die in a Python, so this will have to wait.”, The voice comes over the radio, “Well If you want to eject now, I can scoop you up and kill you on my ship, in case it is a luxury ship you are looking to die on.” The pursuing ship is the slightly larger Anaconda named "Ara TioTio”, manufactured by Falcon Delacy, and is one of the most powerful multi-purpose ships in the galaxy, piloted by one of the most skilled pirates in the Kremainn system, Rez Yetsler of the House of Grebmo. El Scolio fumbles with the controls and engages one of his shield batteries and after taking a few more shots, the Pythons shields jumps from a meager 2% strength to 87%, “Whew, that was close, a couple of more hits and that wouldn’t have worked.”, “A shield cell bank?” And angry voice came over the radio, “Yes, did I say that out loud?”, more shots sizzle against the the pythons shields as it dives behind another asteroid. “Yes, I thought you meant to say it to me.”
Scolio steers the ship straight for a large asteroid and fires off chaff to distract the Anacondas auto tracking timbales weapons, “No, sorry. I think it is a bad habit from my time in the in the Eafots sector”, Lasers and projectiles scatter around the python wildly due to the chaff, “You went out there chasing the mystery? I have a few friends who have gone and they have never been the same.” A barrage of seeker misses slams into the Pythons shields dropping them to 40%, Scolio dives behind the asteroid but cuts a sharp left to throw of the pursuant anaconda. Scolio starts a hard turn and disengages flight-assist causing an uncontrolled fast spin, Scolio reengages flight assist just as the nose of the Python is facing the Anaconda who is just rounding the asteroid. Scolio fires the two rail guns into the anaconda dropping the shields, a second volley directly into the anacondas power supply bringing it to a quick stop amongst the ice asteroids. “What the !” Yelled the voice over the radio. “Anaconda Ara Tiotio flown by wanted pilot Rez Yetsler I demand that you surrender yourself peacefully. I have full intent to deliver you alive into the hand of the law. It is my responsibility..” Scolios rehearsed and mandatory speech is cut short by two beam lasers sizzling across what little is left of the Pythons shields, dropping them and scaring the metal hull beneath. “ off you piece of bounty hunting trash!” The radio spattered into the cockpit. Scolio suddenly awoken from his droning speech fires his engines to full, and boosts out of view around the asteroid. “Listen Pirate, we has had a lot of fun here, but that is only going to delay me long enough to get my shields back to full. We both know you are dead in the water, So why don’t you just give up.”
Just them Scolio’s controls alerted him to four new contacts, up front a Eagle flown by commander Laser Maestro trailed by two vipers and an Anaconda flown by Kremainn system authority pilots. Scolio hears the thuds of the fire, and then sees the Anaconda “Ara Tiotio” disappear from his target view on his control panel. “Rez?” On the global channel Scolio can hear the idiotic uncontrollable yelling of a pilot “I killed my first ‘Conda!”, “Good job citizen, you haven taken down the pirate Rez Yetsler, who is responsible for the hijacking of cargo got worth in-excess of 100 million credits. Please turn in this bounty at Wholer terminal. Good day citizen.” Scolio switches over to the public comms, “This is Commander El Scolio of the…” spot lights from an anaconda flood the bride of the python, “Do not move, we are doing a routine scan of all ships nearby the crime scene. Commander it looks like you ship is in bad shape, As a representative of the Federation, I apologize that we were not able to get here sooner, I see you are carrying no illicit cargo, you may now get back to mining.” Scolio tries “I am not a miner! I jus…”, the Federation Anaconda pilot interrupted “Please keep this channel clear until we have finished our emergency response protocol”. Scolio is sitting in his chair staring at the eagle doing loops around the wreckage of the “Ara Tiotio”. After the all clear is sent over the public channel the eagle stops and a young voice is heard over the radio “Wow! 243k bounty! I am going to go buy a brand new viper when I get back to the station!”, Scolio winces when hear hears the total of the bounty that should have been his. “I wouldn’t flaunt your money in pirate rich territory.” Scolio recommended, “Right! Thanks for the tip!” The eagle flies off.
For some time Scolio is just watching the view of the nearly endless disc of white asteroids. After each ship has left his scanner range Scolio pulls out a small plastic pouch filled with brandy, he twists the top and starts sucking the contents out, and a light on his comms panel lights up. Scolio pressed it, “I remember when I got my first viper…” The voice was of Rez, “Wait, did you use an escape pod?”, “No” Rez pauses “I jumped into my light fighter but the ship split in two just before I launched it. Though the canopy windows is cracked and it is telling me I only have three minutes before I am out of air.”. “Are you able to get out? Maybe I can pick you up with my cargo scoop.”, silence for a bit “Looks like I can, “Could you be a dear and just fly over here so I can just jump over to your ship?”, “sure, but there are some rules before you come on my ship.” A few seconds pass “What kind of ‘rules’?”. “No guns, this is my ship, no touching controls. No eating food without asking. Before you come over to my ship I want to see that you don’t have any weapons.” The voice speaks again “Those all seem fair.” Scolio inches closer to the broken fighter bay for the Tiotio. After some time there is an explosion of glass an helmeted pilot floats out of the tangles charred metal of the anaconda toward Scolio’s Python. Scolio’s ship registers the captured cargo Scolio’s onboard computer chimes “Cargo Secured” as Rez enters the python and the hatch is closes behind.
Scolio grabs a pistol floats down to the cargo container. He engages the magnetic boots he is wearing to the floor and opens the door to the cargo hatch. Inside he sees Rez floating in mid room trying to grab at a strap on the side of the room. “Stop!” Scolio yells as he is holding out a pistol. Rez stops grabbing at the wall and turns and faces Scolio. “I am not armed.” Rez says as she takes off her helmet. “It is pretty obvious from your pilot suit that you are not hiding any weapons.” Rez tosses the helmet aside and it floats to the wall. “Frankly, your already dead as far as the Federation cares, so I have no reason to kill you”. Scolio grabs a pair of mag boots from outside the room and gently tosses them to Rez, whom promptly puts them on and clamps herself to the floor. “Frankly I can think of one reason to kill you” Rez snarls. He holsters the gun “You know, this is all business, we signed our lives away when we took the jobs that we did” Rez shrugs as Scolio continues. “ You can either get your revenge on me or I can take you to the Volta station or Wholer Terminal. Either way have to cash in my other bounties. Rez “Wholer, but you will need to get in without being scanned, I am a wanted dead person, you know.” Scolio tosses small pouch of loud, “Yeah, I don’t know how I can explain smuggling a dead pirate into a federation station. In the meantime as a guest of my ship we can both celebrate living another day, That is Whiskey from Ferguson Dock in the Binar system, there isn’t much like it in these parts”, Rez snatches it out of the air and takes and takes a swig through the zero-g drinking cap, “courtesy of my Wife”. Her eyes close as the taste of smooth whisky rolls over her tongue, “Wow, it does feel good to be alive.” Scolio motions out the door “I can either lock you in the cargo bay or you can sit on the bridge, which do you prefer?” Rez looks around the room a bit, “Not a great view in here, and a little closer to an airlock than I am accustomed too.” Scolio cracks a smile and turns steps out the door leaning back through the door, “The bridge is this way.”
Scolio follows Rez up to the bridge where Scolio motions to the co-pilot seat. “Normally my wife sits there when I am not bounty hunting.” Rez sets herself down in the chair “Your wife lets you go bounty hunting?” Scolio chuckles, “Old habits die hard, I told her I had a risky federation smuggling job to do. Which I did. Those ranks don’t earn themselves” Scolio grabs the controls in his seat, “Your controls are disabled, but if you want something to eat or more whiskey to drink there is a refrigeration unit on the right side of your chair, Though don’t drink the all the whiskey, It is K’s favorite.” Out the window the white icy asteroids are payed out before them as far as the eye can see, “Can we just sit here for a moment? This asteroid belt is marvelous, and I almost died in it.” Responding to Rez’s request Scolio takes his hands of the controls, “So did I, I guess we are pretty lucky today.” Rez grabbing another pouch of the whiskey, “We are.” She holds it in he air to Scolio, “Cheers.” Scolio holds up his brandy pouch and taps her’s and, “Cheers”. “When we get to Wholer, if I can still access my accounts, I’ll pay for the damage to your ship. After that I think I am going to take a break from space flight.” Rez said while still staring out the windows at the glistening ice asteroids. “You’ll be back in space in no time, w are just born this way.” Scolio says taking a sip from his own pouch of brandy. “Yes, but I think I might be done with piracy. Maybe I should buy a passenger vehicle, or a cargo ship, I have all my money and I get to start over.” Scolio punches in the coordinates for Wholer Terminal, “Either way, it feels good to be alive one more day.”, Rez “It sure does.”, Scolio hit the FSD button and the computer added “Frame shift drive charging.”
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