Avon
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Posted - 2004.04.30 13:49:00 -
[1]
Edited by: Avon on 30/04/2004 13:54:07
He hated the darkness.
He was used to the numbness, the feeling of dislocation. He was even able to stay calm whilst being acutely aware of the sensory rush, the pain of knowing, which was about to consume him.
But that darkness…
Then everything:
Light, sound, even a tactile awareness of the condition of his ship. The pod became the ship. He became the ship. It took just a moment for him to adjust, he felt complete again. All systems were online; he knew everything was fine. Not the knowing one has from checking a thing but the knowing one has that their arms and legs are still in place. Unconscious, automatic, natural.
He never usually waited for permission to undock, and today was no exception. Full thrust, with a blatant disregard for protocol or safety, he left the confines of the station.
Flashbacks were not unusual this soon after interfacing. He had been assured by the memory implant manufactures this glitch fixed in their newer models; they advised him to upgrade. He viewed these claims with his usual cynicism, nothing more than an advertising ploy. His thoughts jarred back to the single incident that had decided his career path.
“Avon, get your fat ass hauler over here. My can is about to pop and you are up there jerking off with the combat boys”. The mining operation manager was always pushy.
“Yessir Mr. Bossman”, he replied. “I was just providing some jamming support, I’ll be right there”. He hated hauling almost as much as mining. He was a trader at heart, and a good one too. Corp mining ops got in the way of his chosen occupation, but duty was duty. That didn’t mean he had to like it.
Slowly the lumbering bulk that was his Badger MkII turned to approach the can full of ore. As he crawled into transfer range he became aware of a ship warping in. It was not one of the usual pirate vessels that infested these belts. He couldn’t put his finger on what made it different, it just was. Protocol dictated that he should drop what he was doing and warp away, but his curiosity got the better of him.
The pilot of the Blackbird couldn’t believe his luck. Four cruisers mining, three frigates defending, and an industrial ship hauling. Easy money. The industrial was the primary target. Often the expanders on industrial ships were the highest value items, sometimes being worth more than the combined total of all the ships in the group. He locked the three frigates and the Badger without hesitation. Knowing that his targets would be surprised added to his confidence; it was going to be a good payday.
Locks acquired he jammed the frigates and warp scrambled the indy. Next he activated his cargo scanner, gathering as much info as possible.
Avon felt the sticky tendrils of the scrambler enveloping his ship. Running was no longer an option. He informed the team of his position. The cruisers were already entering warp. The frigates informed him they could not help as they were unable to target the intruder. Then that horrible feeling, like knowing someone is staring at you; he was being scanned. Rechecking his calculations, Avon relaxed a little, he knew the fight was already won. There was only one factor that could put him in jeopardy; he forced that scenario to the back of his mind.
“Two million or the indy gets ganked”, the pirate demanded.
The time to act was upon him. Avon’s ship had automatically returned the Blackbird’s lock, so he was free to act without tipping his opponent off. He felt the icy cloud of interference briefly around him as the jammers on his ship activated. The cloud then leapt to the Blackbird, followed closely by the tendrils of his own warp scrambler.
“How about you wire me two mil and we’ll call it a draw?”, Avon responded. Now the waiting. Soon the frigates would be able to lock the pirate and shortly after that the scrambling effect the Badger was suffering would wear off. Avon knew the next 10 seconds would decide the outcome. If the Blackbird was carrying F.O.F missiles the launchers would be loading them…
Avon activated the micro-warp drive on his Crow and banked steeply, swooping through the gaggle of ships outside of the station, and aligned his ship with the first asteroid belt in the system. He was hoping for an easy payday, but secretly he really wanted one of the miners to put up a fight, to free their spirit.
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Never argue with idiots.
They will just drag it down to their level, and then beat you through experience. |