A Ship's Destruction Read online

wiped over half the fracking shields, Hera, all firepower to the... the thing out there,’ Scanners finally target the ship and supply its Identity on the console.

  Ship: Imperial Courier

  Rating: Deadly

  Bounty: 5,000cr

  Notes: If you spot this ship, flee. You’ll need to be Elite to attempt combat.

  ‘Oh Frack!’

  ‘What is it Dony? why are you turning and running. Its only....’ there was a crackle of static as a second shot comes in from the Imp. Dony fearing the worst ignites the witchdrive injectors, spinning and reeling the ship to try and get away. Several minutes later a bloodied Hera appears at the cockpit. Dony’s relief washes over him ‘Oh honey, you’re OK, I thought I’d lost you.’

  Hera sits down and straps herself in, drowsily she tries to focus her eyes. ‘Muss be concussssed,’ Slurring like she’d had five Evil Juice. ‘Wosssat thing out there anyway?’

  ‘It’s one of them new Courier combat ships, He’s damaged us bad with just two hits.’

  Dony notes that an energy cell has ruptured from the strike. ‘I’ve no idea what he’s got out there.’ More screeching came in from the port side this time as the scout ship peppered them with pulse laser shots. Opening up wideband communications Dony sends out the alert, ‘Assistance required, Trader ship Endurance under attack from pirates, please help!’ Still fighting with the sluggish controls and the shields failing to recharge from the pulse laser hits, Dony repeats his call for help another two times.

  Hera unbuckles herself and stumbles from the cabin. ‘Get sat back down Hera, you’ll be thrown around back there.’ Just as another bolt from the Courier hits them, with shields completely gone and smoke filling the room, Dony looks at the console:

  Fuel Scoop Damaged

  Fuel Cells Damaged 20% Capacity

  Docking Computer Destroyed

  Port Thruster 70% Efficiency

  Starboard Thruster 35% Efficiency

  Energy Cells Damaged 60% Capacity

  Life Support Damaged 20% Capacity

  Escape Capsule 1 Offline

  Escape Capsule 2 Damaged - No Life Support

  Dony targets the one remaining missile on the Courier, knowing a ship like that will have an ECM, but it’s his last chance. Palms sweating, he forces himself to calmness, to see things clinically and make the best of the situation.

  Hera returns, a little less disoriented she buckles herself into the co-pilots seat, ‘That cargo roster is wrong, I knew it.’

  ‘What do you mean wrong?’

  ‘What I mean is there’s no Evil Juice, and no Beenri beads which are supposed to be what makes the trip worthwhile.’

  ‘Well what’s in there then?’

  ‘I don’t know they look like cryo chambers, whatever is in there is greenish black.’

  ‘Hell I’ve got to do something about this,’ Opening a narrowband channel he signals the Courier, ‘Pilot of the courier, we’ve just found out what we’re transporting isn’t correct, stand down and we’ll eject the cargo, Please acknowledge.’

  A few moments silence and a missile is launched. Warning sirens call out and Dony activates the ECM. There’s no explosion, as a sleek serpentine arrow streaks towards the Endurance. ‘Frack, it’s a hardened missile, BRACE!’ There’s a blinding flash sending the ship spinning, Dony is out cold and Hera takes the controls.

  So much for that. She punches up the witchdrive injectors to be greeted with a clunk and scrape. A high pitched whine getting louder and louder, ‘Damnit!’ she cuts power to the injectors and the wail dies down.

  Dony wakes up, ‘What happened? oh the Courier, Missile.’ He looks down at the console:

  ECM Offline

  Witchdrive Injectors Damaged - Warning Attempted Use May Explode!

  Hera looks at him with tear filled eyes, ‘We’re not going to make it are we?’ I’ll never see David again, I’m glad he’s not here.’

  Dony shakes his head to clear his thoughts. ‘Right, let’s get out of here! Not quite full speed, you spin us, randomly one way or the other, I’ll pitch us see what we can do.’ They start to flip and spin, daring not to use their last missile just yet and knowing the use of the laser will drain the last of their energy. The Endurance creaks and groans as the two pursuers close in. ‘There’s the station.’ Opening up wideband communications ‘Liam Rafferty’s Mobius, Please launch Vipers, Trader Ship Endurance under heavy attack, we can’t take any more.’ The scout ship, slightly faster, closes in and starts to strike hits. ‘Mobius Station, Launch Vip.’ There’s a strike and a spark as the console lights flicker:

  Missile Offline

  Communications Offline

  Life Support Failed - O2 T Minus 20 Minutes

  ‘Crap! we’ve got to make this in under twenty minutes.’ Another strike hits the Endurance, ‘Where the hell are those vipers?’

  Hera spots two dots through window from the left side, Purple streaks from their thrusters. ‘Dony we might make it, There’s two craft coming in on injectors, They look about five minutes away.’

  ‘Damn it, the Vipers should have launched by now, there’s nothing.’ Another blast from the courier takes the nose cone off. The Endurance bucks wildly out of control as air is vented. Two remlock masks drop from the cockpit ceiling and bounce to the floor. Hera unbuckles herself to pick them up. Placing one over Dony’s face she mouths the words ‘I Love You, Always’ and fixes her own Remlock just as the final shot tears the Endurance apart.

  Battered and bruised by the explosion, but protected from the worst of the void, the Remlock masks cover their bodies in a protective sheen and administer drugs to calm the body and slow down the metabolism.

  The scream of a Remote Locator mask is one all pilots take note of, to hear two simultaneously strikes fear into the hearts of all.

  In a drug induced haze, the pair of floating bodies see the Courier blow up the rest of the cargo canisters not stopping to leave anything behind. Hera watches in drowsy confusion as a bright white laser beam cuts through Dony. The last thing she knows is an an intense white light, and a moments searing heat.

  #

  Acknowledgements

  David Braben and Ian Bell for creating Elite, which I’ve spent years playing and its sequels, and offshoots ( Frontier, Frontier First Encounters and FFE Russian Mod). The game that got me hooked on games, and space.

  Giles Williams for Oolite, a fantastic remake of the original Elite.

  Drew Wagar - https://www.drewwagar.com - For his Oolite saga ‘Status Quo’, ‘Mutabilis’, ‘Incursio’ and ‘Finis’ - maybe better known for Rebecca Tyley and Jim Feynman. A fantastic saga which gave me the idea to write. I just wish there were more of these to continue.

  Last but not least Liam Rafferty for the fantastic cover design, and the use of his planet Liam Rafferty’s Paradise and his station Liam Rafferty’s Mobius.

  #

  About the author (that’s me)

  Hmm, first or third person? I think first.

  I started playing Elite back in 1989 at College in Yorkshire, and became instantly hooked. This led to many a sober ‘honest hosslifer, I’m not as thunk as drinkll peep I am’ philosophical discussion, propping up the hedge of a friends neighbour, with our feet dangling off the kerb.

  Then along came Frontier and its follow up, Frontier First Encounters. Again I was hooked.

  Appetite sated for a few years while I undertook FPS (First Person Shooters) online, with the community that goes with it. Then I’d heard rumors of Elite 4. WOW, and joined up with Frontier Forums. Several times a year I’d check in on them and nothing.

  During this time Mountain Biking, Karting, Track Days, Scuba Diving all loomed large. Scuba Diving still does, where myself and my partner dive occasionally with Seasearch North East (www.seasearchne.com a website they asked me to design for them, which isn’t too bad if you ask me, I’m no webdev.), the North East section of a voluntary group of divers who nationwide produ
ce reports and carry out seabed survey’s for the marine conservation society.

  Then in November 2012 a Kickstarter project for Elite: Dangerous started. That was it. Life on hold (ish). After a reasonable pledge for a few extra’s I’d started reading all the fan fiction, and was rather engrossed by Drew Wager’s Oolite Saga. Then reading several other’s, Coyote, Cpt Hesperus etc (all found on https://wiki.alioth.net) I thought I’d give it a go at writing one myself.

  Here’s the first installment.

  Oh and I’m back to enthusiastically playing Oolite and FFE in equal doses until the Beta comes out.