The Zeta Sector

BANG!!!

You can feel your heart skipping a beat as a shockwave ripples through the ship’s hull.

What happened? You ask yourself. You jump up from the bed, and make your way towards the cockpit. You could have been attacked by pirates. Or by the government. Perhaps is the engines that died. Or something inside the ship exploded. For a moment, you think getting to the Zeta Sector was a bad idea on your part. But you are a smuggler alright, and this is your best chance to pay back your debt to your partners, so you stop blaming yourself for once.

On your way you slip, and almost hit your head in the wall. You keep going, and moments later you arrive in the cockpit, looking at Elena with a puzzled expression on your face.

“What happened?” you ask.

“Looks like someone managed to snatch us,” Elena says.

Snatch? You frown. It is not the most common use of the word, at least not in this line of business, but you quickly figure out what it means: Your ship got pulled out of FTL by the local pirates, who just happened to set up shop here to prey on newcomers. Back home pirates don’t usually have this kind of technology, so this already comes off as bad news in your book.

You want to ask how long you have before the pirates get here, but by this time you could already see the ship in the window. It is a vessel larger than yours, a frigate by the looks of it. It doesn’t seem particularly advanced – rectangular shape, four engines on the sides, dot-like windows, some rust scattered through the hull –, but it has a large gun on top of it. Large enough to take on a cruiser.

“They are getting close,” Elena warns.

“I know,” you answer. You run through your options in your head, although none of the seem ideal:

One. You could try to outrun them, see if they can keep up the jamming while they have some catching up to do. Problem is, if they can, you will be sitting ducks for that cannon.

Two. You could set your engines to full throttle, and grab them by the throat. That way your main gun would almost always hit them, while that big ass cannon of theirs would have trouble to keep up with your maneuvers. Problem is, if it does, that will be the last time when your ship - and you two in it - happens to be recognizable.

Three. You could make a turn to starboard, and try to exchange shots from a safe distance. That way you could at least afford to take a hit, and you could get them to break off from the fight eventually. Problem is: the eventually.

Four. You could surrender. You have to admit, this time the odds are against you. These guys aren’t fucking around. They have the better ship, the bigger gun, and they have every reason to believe they would come out on top. Why would you risk your life then in such a foolish venture?