Post by prime on Oct 8, 2006 0:52:09 GMT -5
Zacks floated idly by his captains chair, wondering how long he'd have to float there. He's already been waiting in the systems southern asteroid belt for several days, but his target still hadn't made an appearance. Both he and Ocarinus, his ship, we becoming impatient. <Z, can't we go already? I don't think the smugglers are coming!> Rang through Zacks mind, his ship once again making its hourly assersion. <My love, I know your impatient, so am I. But we need the money. We need to get some armor outfitted on you! Look are your current carbon plating, its falling to pieces.> He said, flinching and his ship gave him a sharp poke in his mind. <Thats not nice.> He said. She sulked for a moment, then. <I'm sorry, I didn't mena it.> Zacks grinned. <I know you didn't sweetie. Oh, and there's our man!> Zacks exclaimed. His mind mirged with Ocarinus, and he looked out through the sensor blisters on the hull. X-ray was showing him a picture of a light freighter, moving much slower than it should be.
Zacks knew why of course, the freighter was a smugglers ship, and it was heavily armed. It was carrying a load of antimatter to a station in the belt, and both earth and mar's had sanctioned antimatter as illegal. He modified the shape of the ships concussion field, and sped forwards at 9 g's. (A G is a G-Force, which is the number, times earth gravity.) Ocarinus quickly accelerated as Zacks pulled himself into his chair, activating the comm line. <THIS IS THE OCARINUS, STAND DOWN YOUR ENGINES AND POWER DOWN YOUR WEAPONS, OR YOU WILL BE FIRED UPON!> Ocarinus mind bellowed into the comm. Zacks waited for a reaction as he slowly piloted the Ocarinus in closer to the smuggler ship. The ships acceleration increased by two times, the smuggler had decided to run. <Fuck!> Zacks said, upping his acceleration to 20 g's, his body being forced back into his chair. He ignored the discomfort in his effort to catch up with the smuggler.
<Z, he's quickly approaching a high density asteroid field.> Ocarinus warned. <I see it!> He answered, pumping more energy into the concussion field. He gained some distance on the smuggler, due to the debree's of the field bouncing off his concussion field, but the Ocarinus energy cells couldn't keep the debree's from hitting them forever. He swired and weaved around the larger pieces, keeping distance with the freighter in front of him. He could quite clearly see the smugglers guns swivel around, aiming at Ocarinus. <Shit!> He swirved, the asteroid beside them reduced to molten rock. He sent orders to his combat wasps, and they launched from their tubes. The computerised space-craft swirved and dodged through the asteroids at 50 g's, quickly catching up with the smuggler ship, and let loose their nuclear payload. Zacks backed the Ocarinus off the ship quickly, the nukes went off.
The sensor blisters went dark for a moment, then Zacks could see again. He looked until he saw the smuggler ship. It had a large hole in the side, and it'd smashed into an asteroid. Remarkably, the antimatter container hadn't breached, and the cockpit hadn't been destroyed. <Good.> Zacks said to Ocarinus. <Perhaps we can still collect our bounty.> He said, moving in towards the smuggler ship at 5 g's. He matched velocitys and docked with the smuggler ship. <Alright, I'm going in. Warn me if any other ships enter the vicinity.> He said. Ocarinus sent him back a brief agnowledgment, then began to watch the stars. Zacks cycled the airlock, pulling out his pistol.
The inside of the smugglers freighter was a mess. Most of the circutry had been blown out. It was quite lucky the antimatter hadn't gone off actually, otherwise he'd be dead. "Hello!?" He called. Maybe it wasn't strictly wise, but he did need to know where his bounty was. He heard running boots from the opposite hallway. He rushed forwards, barely catching a man's feet as he acended a ladder. "Shit!" He started to climb the ladder in the asteroids low gravity field. "Stupid smuggler ship with its shitty gravity drives." He said, climbing the ladder, then ducking down as several shots were fired at him. "Aaaargh! ARE YOU INSANE! YOU'LL BLOW OUT THE HULL!" He yelled. His adversary seemed to realise this at the same instant, because Zacks could hear a gun clattering across the deck. A second later, he heard the metallic hiss of a fusion sword being activated. He pulled himself out of the deck.
A fit man with a fusion longsword stood in front of Zacks. He holstered his pistol, and pulled out his fusion katana. The blade sparking into existance as the fusion energy filled the dampening field. "You shouldn't have chased me." The smuggler said. Zacks grinned. "Needed the money." He said, and lunged forwards. The smuggler parried the attack and slashed at Zack's head, who blocked the attack at the man's forarm, and sent him blade into the ground. Zacks kicked him in the chest, forcing him back to the steel wall, and slashed at him several times in quick succession. Fusion blade met fusion blade, sparks and bright light filled the corridor as they dueled. Zacks making a tricky parry, which just parely scratched his arm, leaving the smell of burn flesh and a black scar behind. Zacks growled, and lured the man into a blade lock. "Fuck you!" He yelled, and spat in his eye. The smuggler cursed and sumbled, and Zacks ran his blade through his shoulder, pinning him to the wall.
He quickly lost conciousness from the pain, and even more of his shoulder was burnt away as he crumpled to the floor. Zacks sat down, breathing hard, the sweat pouring off of his brow. "Dammit that was tough." He said. <I'm alright Ocarinus. I've got him.> He said. <Oh yay!> She squeed, Zacks winced, then laughed. It was always good to see her happy. <Alright, I'm coming back aboard.> He said.
Several hours saw them docking at the Corkus Belt Station, a day or so from earth by normal space. Zacks made sure Ocarinus was comftorble, then headed straight for the bar, in great need of a drink. He'd have to head back to earth to collect his bounty on the smuggler, but he didn't think a stopover could hurt. And Ocarinus was hungry to, so he'd arranged to have her fed something more to her liking. He walked into the bar, sat down on a stool, and ordered a Corkus Ale, local specialty. "Damn that's good!" He signed as the bitter brew slid down his throat, blocking essential nerves and lessening the pain in his arm. <That's not good for you!> Orcarinus whined. Zacks scowled. <Well I'm drinking it anyways dammit, might get laid while I'm here to.> He said, sending Ocarinus the mental equivilant of a big grin. <That I don't mind.> She responded. <I'm happiest when your happy.> Zacks rolled his eye's. <Then let me drink!> Ocarinus gave him another mental poke. <But it makes my head spin!> Zacks held back a very specific retort to that, and instead just ordered another drink. "You know what?" He said to the bartender. "Drinks for everybody! On me!" He yelled.
That really got the party started.
Zacks knew why of course, the freighter was a smugglers ship, and it was heavily armed. It was carrying a load of antimatter to a station in the belt, and both earth and mar's had sanctioned antimatter as illegal. He modified the shape of the ships concussion field, and sped forwards at 9 g's. (A G is a G-Force, which is the number, times earth gravity.) Ocarinus quickly accelerated as Zacks pulled himself into his chair, activating the comm line. <THIS IS THE OCARINUS, STAND DOWN YOUR ENGINES AND POWER DOWN YOUR WEAPONS, OR YOU WILL BE FIRED UPON!> Ocarinus mind bellowed into the comm. Zacks waited for a reaction as he slowly piloted the Ocarinus in closer to the smuggler ship. The ships acceleration increased by two times, the smuggler had decided to run. <Fuck!> Zacks said, upping his acceleration to 20 g's, his body being forced back into his chair. He ignored the discomfort in his effort to catch up with the smuggler.
<Z, he's quickly approaching a high density asteroid field.> Ocarinus warned. <I see it!> He answered, pumping more energy into the concussion field. He gained some distance on the smuggler, due to the debree's of the field bouncing off his concussion field, but the Ocarinus energy cells couldn't keep the debree's from hitting them forever. He swired and weaved around the larger pieces, keeping distance with the freighter in front of him. He could quite clearly see the smugglers guns swivel around, aiming at Ocarinus. <Shit!> He swirved, the asteroid beside them reduced to molten rock. He sent orders to his combat wasps, and they launched from their tubes. The computerised space-craft swirved and dodged through the asteroids at 50 g's, quickly catching up with the smuggler ship, and let loose their nuclear payload. Zacks backed the Ocarinus off the ship quickly, the nukes went off.
The sensor blisters went dark for a moment, then Zacks could see again. He looked until he saw the smuggler ship. It had a large hole in the side, and it'd smashed into an asteroid. Remarkably, the antimatter container hadn't breached, and the cockpit hadn't been destroyed. <Good.> Zacks said to Ocarinus. <Perhaps we can still collect our bounty.> He said, moving in towards the smuggler ship at 5 g's. He matched velocitys and docked with the smuggler ship. <Alright, I'm going in. Warn me if any other ships enter the vicinity.> He said. Ocarinus sent him back a brief agnowledgment, then began to watch the stars. Zacks cycled the airlock, pulling out his pistol.
The inside of the smugglers freighter was a mess. Most of the circutry had been blown out. It was quite lucky the antimatter hadn't gone off actually, otherwise he'd be dead. "Hello!?" He called. Maybe it wasn't strictly wise, but he did need to know where his bounty was. He heard running boots from the opposite hallway. He rushed forwards, barely catching a man's feet as he acended a ladder. "Shit!" He started to climb the ladder in the asteroids low gravity field. "Stupid smuggler ship with its shitty gravity drives." He said, climbing the ladder, then ducking down as several shots were fired at him. "Aaaargh! ARE YOU INSANE! YOU'LL BLOW OUT THE HULL!" He yelled. His adversary seemed to realise this at the same instant, because Zacks could hear a gun clattering across the deck. A second later, he heard the metallic hiss of a fusion sword being activated. He pulled himself out of the deck.
A fit man with a fusion longsword stood in front of Zacks. He holstered his pistol, and pulled out his fusion katana. The blade sparking into existance as the fusion energy filled the dampening field. "You shouldn't have chased me." The smuggler said. Zacks grinned. "Needed the money." He said, and lunged forwards. The smuggler parried the attack and slashed at Zack's head, who blocked the attack at the man's forarm, and sent him blade into the ground. Zacks kicked him in the chest, forcing him back to the steel wall, and slashed at him several times in quick succession. Fusion blade met fusion blade, sparks and bright light filled the corridor as they dueled. Zacks making a tricky parry, which just parely scratched his arm, leaving the smell of burn flesh and a black scar behind. Zacks growled, and lured the man into a blade lock. "Fuck you!" He yelled, and spat in his eye. The smuggler cursed and sumbled, and Zacks ran his blade through his shoulder, pinning him to the wall.
He quickly lost conciousness from the pain, and even more of his shoulder was burnt away as he crumpled to the floor. Zacks sat down, breathing hard, the sweat pouring off of his brow. "Dammit that was tough." He said. <I'm alright Ocarinus. I've got him.> He said. <Oh yay!> She squeed, Zacks winced, then laughed. It was always good to see her happy. <Alright, I'm coming back aboard.> He said.
Several hours saw them docking at the Corkus Belt Station, a day or so from earth by normal space. Zacks made sure Ocarinus was comftorble, then headed straight for the bar, in great need of a drink. He'd have to head back to earth to collect his bounty on the smuggler, but he didn't think a stopover could hurt. And Ocarinus was hungry to, so he'd arranged to have her fed something more to her liking. He walked into the bar, sat down on a stool, and ordered a Corkus Ale, local specialty. "Damn that's good!" He signed as the bitter brew slid down his throat, blocking essential nerves and lessening the pain in his arm. <That's not good for you!> Orcarinus whined. Zacks scowled. <Well I'm drinking it anyways dammit, might get laid while I'm here to.> He said, sending Ocarinus the mental equivilant of a big grin. <That I don't mind.> She responded. <I'm happiest when your happy.> Zacks rolled his eye's. <Then let me drink!> Ocarinus gave him another mental poke. <But it makes my head spin!> Zacks held back a very specific retort to that, and instead just ordered another drink. "You know what?" He said to the bartender. "Drinks for everybody! On me!" He yelled.
That really got the party started.