This is for Nail by request.
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Tarkesh Mur blinked once then twice at the image before him, not quite believing his eyes. The viewscreen revealing the wreckage of the Ghost Runner, his cousins ship shrewn across the asteroid field. Tarkesh Mersh had been one of the best arms runner in the Prime Industries, his ship one of the fastest raiders and equipped with a cloaking device, he had run undetected through the edge of the Lyran Star Empire for a decade without much more than a few scratches on his hull, most considered him lucky, but those who knew him had known his skill was the reason. Yet it appeared that any luck he had had run out shortly before this rendevous.
Tarkesh Mur was brooding about whether to turn and make a report or to proceed and finish the final part of the journey in his cousin’s stead. It would be risky to proceed. His ship, the Strong Arm, though more heavily armed than the Ghost Runner had been was more suited to enforcement than to cargo runs, despite the ample cargo bay. He had no cloak and his ship was not as fast as a “Runner” Class, neither was he as familiar with the route, though he knew the ultimate destination which lie well within the Far Stars Duchy. The prudent thing to do would be to turn around and report to the Prime leadership, but the importance of these prototype gatling phaser designs made this delivery crucial, if he returned to base to make the report it would require vast time and resources to obtain Lyran patrol schedules and reassign another “runner” ship to finish the job. Why had his cousin been so stupid, he thought to himself.
The officer manning the science and salvage station had been quietly proceeding with his work, to check for survivors and see if and useful equipment could be saved from the wreckage. Suddenly he cried out. Captain, scanners have indicated scores of disruptor burns all across the Ghost Runner’s hull, the surface atoms of which are still in flux!
Tarkesh Mur didn’t wait for a further analysis, if the hull’s atoms were still in flux it meant that the ship hadn’t been long dead. “Red Alert!” , he bellowed then turned to the helmsman, “Sarlax get us out of here maximum speed!”
At just that precise instant a lone Lyran Cheetah class frigate came into view from behind a large asteroid, followed by another, and then a third. The frigates didn’t hesitate in firing having apparently known of the Strong Arms precence before it was aware of theirs. The first disruptor blast smashed into the starboard hull before the Strong Arm managed to raise its shields knocking several systems offline including most of the phasers. A wave of drones followed the attack, causing the Tarkesh Mur some confusion as to the armaments of these frigates as he had never known Lyrans to employ drones. “Fire all phasers in point defense, defensive tractors on” he ordered, taking out several of the missiles and catching several others in his tractors, but two of the missiles got through. He stared at the nightmare unfolding before him as the ship buckled with their impact and he watched in horrid fascination as a drone released as a tractor went down, then another, then a third.
The enemy captain hailed him, and he looked up at the viewscreen, preparing defiance at the Lyran commander, but no Lyran was there. Instead, he found himself staring at a Romulan! “Greetings Fellow Pirate,” addressed the enemy captain, “you have two choices, either surrender your ship to the Cambro and possibly find employment among us, or face oblivion, you have 3 seconds to choose.”
Although Tarkesh Mur was not afraid to die, Prime Industries had been his only chance at employment due to his long crimal record, but another Cartel was definitely an option and although not afraid he had no wish to die. “Standing down Sir!” Tarkesh answered directly and immediately, snapping into a salute. “Very wise choice,” answered the Romulan pirate, intentionally leaving out the unnecessary and now inappropriate “captain” as a further indication of changed status “I’m sure your cargo will be of utmost interest to my employers, and I’m sure you will find our new relationship to be profitable for all involved.”
Tarkesh Mur was never heard from again.
Thus began “The Gas Wars”
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Let me know if this works for you Nail.
Topic: The Gas Wars a prologue (Read 775 times)