You check your mail

The last time you were a free person you literally had so much debt it could make lifetime to pay it all back. That’s why you got to the Zeta Sector. And you are pretty sure there are still people out there waiting for their money.

You begin to sort through your mail and immediately find a message, coming from a person you know very well: Garin T’ar. He is one of the low-key pirates you owed a ton of money to. Plus you know he wants to ride you like a buffalo since the very moment he gazed upon you.

You take a deep breath, and open the message. It has a holo-clip, which automatically starts to play in front of you.

“Hello, my dear,” the man says. You can easily recognize him from his oddly shaped head, thin shoulders, and the fierce look of his eyes. “Now the both of us are smart people, so I won’t take your time with little games and such. You started to borrow from me. And kept you kept borrowing. But more importantly, you kept borrowing after I said no, and you thought you could get away with it. Now I made it good the past time. Very good actually. I even became what you could say a pirate king, with a lot of resources and fame and all that.”

“As we speak, your Emerald Grace is being tracked, and all of your media is kept under surveillance. You can remain in the Zeta Sector, but we will reach you one way or another. Guess you could try selling yourself as a ****, and then they would encrypt your data, but even then, we would get through that eventually. And why be a **** there if you could be my own **** here? You know how it works. You’ve crossed me, and I have to make an example. You go with your ship to the coordinates I’ve included in this message, and you surrender yourself to my guys. You will be placed under my supervision. You will be collared and trained, and you will take your place beside me as an example of what happens to those who cross me. This way your life will remain. And who knows - he smirks -, perhaps you will get fond of this thing in the long run.” With that, the recording ends.

“Fuck!” you say out loud. “Fucking shit!” you grab your hair, and start walking up and down the cockpit. The original message was sent two years ago, but it was resent every month up to this point, which means the guy is still after you. And you’ve logged in, so he knows where you are. And more importantly: he now can - and he will - track your new ship. Which means you have to ditch it in order to escape him. Which means that you will be immobile, while being a registered ****, and the authorities after you.

You realize this is a satiation that simply cannot be resolved by weathering out the storm. On the other hand, what you have is a very advanced pirate vessel. Similar to the one you fought. In theory, you could perhaps defeat his goons, and get to him? Or you could pretend to come along, and turn the tables? It is a risky plan alright. But you go to war with the army you have.