Maverick

: an unbranded range animal especially : a motherless calf

: an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maverick

Resisting all my instincts to stop and amble about on the myriad of planets I had scanned and passed, but I was physically not up to the challenge. I was still wheezing and struggling to catch my breath, my situational attentiveness was dangerously absent.  That being said, who would turn from a distress beacon, right. EOCH PRUAE TO-P D6-5852 8 A, one distress call, one minor wreckage showed up on the planetary scan.

Hurtling down to the surface, it hit me, I have no armaments on the Hiraeth. With a better jump range than most ships capable of taking me down I can tuck tail and run leaving the would-be assailant in my wake.

Making a flyby of the distress call site, there seemed to be no signs of any pirates waiting to pounce. Debris from a large ship littered the area, this was not a high g planet so something else must have brought it down. In amongst the twisted smouldering piles of metal were glimmering containers.

I dusted off the Maverick suit, it was time to go scavenging. 

The crash site was rather flat save for a few hills, I had no issues getting the Hiraeth in close. Briefly examining some of the mechanical parts strewn around, it looked at first glance that these maybe easy to salvage using my plasma cutter. I couldn’t see anything that looked to be concealing a transmitter or any computer equipment, I was hoping to download some log files and get some information on the wreck.

The distress signal itself seemed to be coming from just over a small brow.

My eyes welled as my heart sank, 10 maybe 12 escape pods. I had no cargo racks on the Hiraeth save those designed to take personal luggage and some hoppers for spare parts. I had nothing in the hold that would support any of these, keeping them secure from being battered about during flight. But then which ones would I take? How would I decide? Maybe they were empty…? 

I hoped they were empty.

Grievously I walked over to the first pod, occupied. I dropped to my knees; I couldn’t just leave them here. I wiped my hand over the front of the capsule, clearing dust and revealing a name… Ada Lewis.

The whip crack of a ship entering orbit echoed out overhead. I think I was about to learn what and who brought Ada’s ship down. Using the escape pod, I pushed myself up onto my feet. I couldn’t make out the ship, it was still too far away.

I tried to pick up speed but as I did my chest got tighter and my joints ached. A second whip crack permeated through the air, looking back over my shoulder the first ship appeared to be a DBS, Diamondback Scout. There was slim to little chance that it could have taken out this ship, my guess was the second craft was going to be bringing the firepower.

As I boarded The Hiraeth I could make out the sound of the DBS touching down, my hope was they had not seen me and the Hiraeth was just out of sight. Enough that it would give me time to plot a course and jump the heck out of here before I ended up stranded in my escape pod or worse.

I launched myself into the crash couch, pulling the coms panel into easy reach. Quickly I opened contacts tab to review my soon to be pursuers. The DBS was piloted by Kevin Kuzyk, rank of Master.  The second ship was identified as a Viper Mark 3, no pilot detail yet and I did not fancy much hanging around to find out. However, the Viper is a fast ship and will have me as soon as I give away my position, I was going to have to wait for a window. If I could put some jump space between us, I think they will give up and return to collect the spoils of their defeated target.

Nervously, silently, I observed the scanner display which contained 3 cubes. One an indication of the distress signal, the cube next to it, representing the DBS and a third rapidly descending on the other two, the Viper. My window of opportunity was approaching.

The Viper stopped between the DBS and the distress signal, I powered up the engines, retracted the landing gear, plunged the engine boost button, hammered the throttle and yanked back on the flight stick.

Yelling at the mass lock indicator on the HUD to go away, there it was, the sound of laser fire thumping off the shields.  I got impatient, I must not have given them enough time, they must not have gotten out of the craft.

Du, du, du went the lasers again, my shields were dropping, fast. The mass lock had only given way, I locked the first target available at the end of my jump range and engaged the frameshift.

Hull integrity compromised; the computer politely informed me.

Tat tat tat, the Viper was now opening with multi cannons.

The frameshift charge indicator felt like it had stalled.

Tet, tet, tet the cannons continued.

The jump countdown began, I closed my eyes and reached down the side of the crash couch and pulled out the white foam ball. Listening to the dents as they formed in the hull, I gritted my teeth and squeezed.

There was an almighty roar and tear all around me, my ears popped and through my clenched eye lids, flashes of light.

Witchspace..?