Divert power to the engines and escape

The idea of giving Bollox a bloody nose is enticing, but you're not so sure you have the firepower to do the job. On the other hand, the Velvet Hammer has always been fast and a little boost from the reactor might just give you a chance to escape.

"Goob," you address your Oranguman engineer, "if I give you the order to reroute power we're going to be defenseless. Can you do it?"

"Well, there is the matter of resistance in the conduits that could...yes, I believe it is so. We will be able to make our escape."

"We'll be ripe for the picking," warns Jen. You meet her gaze and see the fire burning in her eyes. She practically lusts for an opportunity to use her weapons.

"I'm sorry, Jen," you say. "Goob! Give the engines everything you've got. Sypharra, be ready on the helm. Teatro, hold onto something. Jen-" you turn to order the big Amazonian to shutter the gunnery nest but she is already climbing up, her muscles straining and her face tensed in anger.

"Transferring power," says Goob, "in 3...2...1..."

The lights flicker and shut down. Even the consoles. The only lights are the distant stars viewed through the ship's forward viewing ports. You feel a creeping sensation up your back as you imagine Bollox's huge flagship overtaking the Velvet Hammer. You've heard of what Bollox does to his debtors. The lucky ones are fed to his pets, the unlucky ones get to know the full extent of the hideous slaver's perversity. Better to get a pistol out of the arms locker and disintegrate your head.

The lights flicker and come back on all at once.

"He's on top of us!" warns Teatro, leaning against the short-range scanner's console.

"Full power to engines!" you bark and Sypharra acknowledges. You accelerate slowly and then surge forward, leaping through space at great velocity. The engine diagnostics redline and warning lights flicker all over. The ship shudders and you can feel her pain from the overloading engines. Sparks fly from a nearby console.

"Goob?" you ask.

"She will hold, Hannah," he says, though his tone betrays some fear.

Behind you Bollox's ship opens fire, plasma blasts and laser beam cannons sweeping space and falling far short of you. That's great, but you are far exceeding your ship's rated speed and Sypharra seems unable to slow things down. The speed readout displays an error message. Suddenly, the motion of the stars ceases and the engines go quiet.

"Impulse speed," announces Sypharra.

"Bollox?" you wonder.

"No sign of him," says Teatro. "The bastard is well outside our sensor range. But...Omicron-69 is only hours away."

Impossible! You must have travelled at ten times your normal rate of speed. What an incredible achievement by Goob.

"Excellent work, everyone," you say. You feel like heading down to the engineering room to congratulate Goob personally, but then you recall Jen, who is prideful and was clearly angry to be ignored. Perhaps you should go mend ****-barriers with her.