{"data":{"id":12827,"title":"Cassandra's Tears: Issue #8","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/serialized-fiction\/12827-Cassandras-Tears-Issue-8","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/12827","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/12827","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"Cassandra's Tears","images":[{"id":109,"name":"CalMasonFI_Crop.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/dzgf0umox510mr\/source\/CalMasonFI_Crop.jpg","alt":"","size":2001824,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2013-07-19T05:28:41+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/109","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/109\/similar"}],"images_count":1,"translations":{"en_EN":"Penny waited, arms crossed, in the cold holding cell. Her foot tapped a beat on the floor. Six hours and fifteen minutes passed since guards dumped her in this chair.\n\nThe lock on the door thudded before it screeched open. An officer entered and Penny snapped to attention. She couldn\u2019t identify any unit or division designation among the medals and bars. His tag said Darrow. He barely acknowledged her, his attention keenly focused on the files scrolling across the Glas in his hand.\n\n\u201cAt ease.\u201d Darrow slid into the seat. Penny sat down. After a few more moments, he laid the Glas on the table and lifted his crystal blue eyes to look at her. \u201cQuite a spot of trouble you\u2019re in, Lieutenant.\u201d\n\n\u201cPermission to speak freely, sir.\u201d\n\n\u201cSure.\u201d\n\n\u201cFirst of all, what the hell did you do to my rig? You have no idea how long it took me to put that thing together so it better be fixed by the time I get out of here. Second, the Cassandra project was decommissioned like sixty years ago, so why are you wasting your time grilling me about ancient history instead of asking yourself why a Vanduul raid was so interested in obtaining outdated tech?\u201d\n\nDarrow was lost for words but Penny was just getting started.\n* * * * *\nCal Mason was also in a spot of trouble. Handcuffed in the cargo hold of the Phoenix, his death sentence had just been issued.\n\n\u201cYou should\u2019ve taken my offer, Mason.\u201d Sasha said and headed back toward the pilot chair, \u201cIt would\u2019ve been easier on everyone.\u201d\n\nNesser looked between Sasha and Trunk, obvious a little uncomfortable about this whole cold-blooded murder thing. Instead of saying anything, he just walked away.\n\n\u201cNot me. I got no problem tossing people like you in the void.\u201d Trunk hissed and shoved Cal toward the airlock. Cal saw something in a toolbox on the starboard wall that looked promising. Now he just had to get over there\u2026\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll bet you don\u2019t. Saves you the embarrassment of losing in a fair fight.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou serious, little man?\u201d Trunk chuckled. Cal turned around and got right in Trunk\u2019s face.\n\n\u201cSure. I heard the only survivors on Cathcart were the ones that hid like cowards.\u201d Cal said, although he thought he went a little far with that one. Apparently, Trunk did too. He shoved Cal, hard.\n\nCal stumbled back and slammed into the starboard wall. His fingers found what they were looking for.\n\n\u201cYou know, I think the airlock might be a little too quick.\u201d Trunk said as he slowly approached. One hand snatched Cal\u2019s throat and pinned him against the wall. The other drew a blade.\n\n\u201cCome on, man. Don\u2019t\u2026\u201d Nesser popped out from the bunks, attracted by the noise.\n\n\u201cYeah Trunk\u2026\u201d Cal snapped the cuff around Trunk\u2019s wrist, click, \u201cdon\u2019t.\u201d\n\nTrunk\u2019s eyes went wide. He swung the knife. It was clumsy, hurried. Cal dodged the attack and swung him into the wall. The blade clattered to the deck.\n\nSasha sprinted from the pilot\u2019s chair, weapon drawn. She drew up on Cal just as he came up with the knife to Trunk\u2019s throat. She froze. A couple moments of silence let the stand-off settle in.\n\n\u201cWhat you think you\u2019re doing there, Mason?\u201d Sasha said, slowly advancing. Cal glanced back at Nesser who had grabbed his gun too.\n\n\u201cCordially declining the airlock.\u201d Cal divided his attention between the pair of guns on him. He wasn\u2019t as concerned with Nesser shooting but still, a gun\u2019s a gun.\n\n\u201cThink this through. You don\u2019t really have many options. You kill him, you die a second later.\u201d Sasha glanced at Nesser. She doubted she\u2019d be able to count on him. \u201cAnd it\u2019s a little inhospitable outside.\u201d\n\n\u201cMaybe.\u201d Cal kicked the control panel on the floor. The housing for the P52 slid open. Sasha fumed. Trunk coughed and struggled but the knife put him back in line. The P52\u2019s cockpit opened.\n\n\u201cYou won\u2019t stand a chance in that thing.\u201d\n\n\u201cI do love a challenge.\u201d Cal grinned. He moved beside the cockpit and hit the button for the housing to start closing. He leaned toward Trunk. \u201cI\u2019m sorry about the Cathcart thing. To be honest, I thought that campaign was disgraceful.\u201d\n\nCal shoved Trunk toward Sasha, completely cutting off her shot, and dropped into the cockpit a second before the housing closed completely. He opened the outer doors and quickly powered up the ship. It hummed to life. Cal sighed, relieved that they maintained this ship too.\n\nSasha raced back to the cockpit to lock down the outer doors but it was too late. Massive thuds echoed through the ship as the P52 disengaged. She slid into the pilot\u2019s seat and fixed the Phoenix into attack position. Trunk walked up behind her, rubbing his wrists.\n\n\u201cGet on the turret.\u201d Trunk hesitated until Sasha glared at him.\n\nCal took a second to take in his position. He was in Banu territory, about a half-hour burn back to the traffic heading into the jump-point. His screens lit up as the Phoenix launched a spread of missiles.\n\nCal flashed his engines. He rerouted power from the guns to boost his speed. She was half correct about the P52. While it doesn\u2019t have the firepower to hurt the Phoenix, it\u2019s got agility. Cal weaved around the missiles. The swiftness stirred his blood. The missiles cut around and reacquired. The Phoenix\u2019s turret unleashed a barrage of cannon shots.\n\nCal corkscrewed through the shots and punched straight toward the Phoenix. The missiles screamed after him. Sasha knew what he was up to, dove and cut the engine. The missiles stayed locked on Cal. Trunk tracked him with the turret. One shot blasted a missile.\n\nCal feverishly re-calibrated the pilot-assist. Too many features were set on auto. He liked the control. He needed it to be able to open this bird up.\n\nThe Phoenix swung up behind him. Cal looked up. He was set to go. The P52\u2019s engines rumbled with the added power and screamed forward. The Phoenix unleashed another volley. Laser blasts streaked past Cal. He put shields back and weaved around, trying to put the rockets in the line of fire. A neutron shot clipped another missile, which tumbled off course then exploded.\n\nCal got some distance on the Phoenix and kept the throttle max.\n* * * * *\nAboard the Phoenix, Sasha was losing patience. The P52 proved to be almost impossible to hit. Her tracking computers got tripped up as it twisted and tumbled through the air.\n\n\u201cHe\u2019s going to hit that traffic.\u201d Trunk said over comms.\n\n\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter. He doesn\u2019t have a jump-drive.\u201d She replied and rerouted the ship\u2019s power to give the engines a boost, \u201cand he\u2019ll run out of fuel in ten minutes.\u201d\n\n\u201cGot some company.\u201d\n\nSasha looked over. Some Banu Militia circled but kept their distance. Probably there to make sure the chaos was contained.\n\n\u201cCheck your shots, we\u2019ll be fine.\u201d Sasha shifted her focus back to Cal. She took a calming breath and gave herself to the controls. In her zone, she matched Cal\u2019s wild flight moves beat for beat. Trunk snapped off shots to pen Cal in.\n\nThe two ships screamed through space. One by one, the missiles hit their range limit and exploded. Sasha kept a sustained stream of fire. More and more energy blasts connected, chipping away the shields of the small fighter. Trunk nailed the P52 with a solid hit. The shields couldn\u2019t stop the shot, which punched into the engine.\n\nCal Mason zipped past the jump-point and looped up. Sasha stayed on him. The damaged engine decreased his speed enough for her targeting computers to get a lock. She kept the Phoenix on course. Her finger hovered over the trigger.\n* * * * *\nThe P52\u2019s cockpit was getting pretty ragged. That last shot should have cut his ship in half but somehow it held up. Cal knew he had one shot at this. He glanced at the jump-point. A Caterpillar was just about to cross.\n\nCal hit a retro-burn, twisted and dove back down. The Phoenix swept past him. He punched it and fell in behind the Caterpillar.\n\nThe jump-point opened and the Caterpillar disappeared inside.\n\n\u201cThis is really dumb.\u201d He muttered and dove into the jump-point through the wake before it closed.\n* * * * *\nSasha watched the P52 disappear into the jump-point in stunned silence.\n\n\u201cUm\u2026\u201d Trunk said over the open comm.\n\n\u201cYeah.\u201d It seemed like an awful lot to go through to just kill yourself.\n\nFinally, Sasha turned the Phoenix and burned away. They had places to be.\n\n. . . TO BE CONTINUED","de_DE":"Penny wartete, die Arme verschr\u00e4nkt, in der K\u00e4ltekammer. Ihr Fu\u00df klopfte einen Schlag auf den Boden. Sechs Stunden und f\u00fcnfzehn Minuten vergingen, seit die Wachen sie in diesen Stuhl geworfen haben.\n\nDas Schloss an der T\u00fcr dr\u00f6hnte, bevor es aufschrie. Ein Offizier trat ein und Penny erregte Aufmerksamkeit. Sie konnte keine Einheiten- oder Bereichsbezeichnung zwischen den Medaillen und St\u00e4ben identifizieren. Auf seinem Schild stand Darrow. Er erkannte sie kaum an, seine Aufmerksamkeit konzentrierte sich stark auf die Akten, die in seiner Hand \u00fcber das Glas scrollen.\n\n\" R\u00fchren.\" Darrow rutschte in den Sitz. Penny setzte sich hin. Nach ein paar weiteren Augenblicken legte er das Glas auf den Tisch und hob seine kristallblauen Augen an, um sie anzusehen. \"Sie stecken in ziemlichen Schwierigkeiten, Lieutenant.\"\n\n\"Erlaubnis, frei zu sprechen, Sir.\"\n\n\" Sicher.\"\n\n\"Zuerst einmal, was zum Teufel hast du mit meiner Ausr\u00fcstung gemacht? Du hast keine Ahnung, wie lange ich gebraucht habe, um das Ding zusammenzusetzen, damit es besser repariert werden kann, wenn ich hier rauskomme. Zweitens wurde das Cassandra-Projekt vor sechzig Jahren stillgelegt, also warum verschwendest du deine Zeit damit, mich \u00fcber die alte Geschichte zu informieren, anstatt dich zu fragen, warum ein Vanduul-Raubzug so daran interessiert war, veraltete Technologien zu erhalten?\"\n\nDarrow war sprachlos, aber Penny hatte gerade erst angefangen.\n* * * * *\nCal Mason war auch in Schwierigkeiten. Im Frachtraum des Ph\u00f6nix in Handschellen gefesselt, war gerade sein Todesurteil verk\u00fcndet worden.\n\n\"Du h\u00e4ttest mein Angebot annehmen sollen, Mason.\" Sasha sagte und ging zur\u00fcck zum Pilotstuhl: \"Es w\u00e4re f\u00fcr alle einfacher gewesen.\"\n\nNesser sah zwischen Sasha und Trunk hin und her, offensichtlich ein wenig unbehaglich bei dieser ganzen kaltbl\u00fctigen Mordsache. Anstatt etwas zu sagen, ging er einfach weg.\n\n\"Nicht ich. Ich habe kein Problem damit, Leute wie dich in die Leere zu werfen.\" Der Kofferraum zischte und schob Cal zur Luftschleuse. Cal sah etwas in einem Werkzeugkasten an der Steuerbordwand, das vielversprechend aussah. Jetzt musste er einfach da r\u00fcberkommen.....\n\n\"Ich wette, das tust du nicht. Das erspart dir die Peinlichkeit, in einem fairen Kampf zu verlieren.\"\n\n\"Ist das dein Ernst, kleiner Mann?\" Der Kofferraum kicherte. Cal drehte sich um und bekam direkt in Trunks Gesicht.\n\n\"Sicher. Ich habe geh\u00f6rt, dass die einzigen \u00dcberlebenden auf Cathcart diejenigen waren, die sich wie Feiglinge versteckt haben.\" sagte Cal, obwohl er dachte, dass er damit ein wenig weit gegangen w\u00e4re. Anscheinend hat Trunk das auch getan. Er schubste Cal, hart.\n\nCal stolperte zur\u00fcck und knallte gegen die Steuerbordwand. Seine Finger fanden, was sie suchten.\n\n\"Wei\u00dft du, ich denke, die Luftschleuse k\u00f6nnte etwas zu schnell sein.\" sagte Kofferraum, als er sich langsam n\u00e4herte. Eine Hand schnappte sich Cals Kehle und h\u00e4ngte ihn an die Wand. Der andere zog eine Klinge.\n\n\"Komm schon, Mann. Nicht....\" Nesser sprang aus den Kojen, angezogen vom L\u00e4rm.\n\n\"Ja, Kofferraum....\" Cal schnappte sich die Manschette um Trunks Handgelenk, klickte, \"nicht\".\n\nDie Augen des Rumpfes gingen weit. Er schwang das Messer. Es war ungeschickt, schnell. Cal wich dem Angriff aus und schwang ihn in die Wand. Die Klinge klapperte auf dem Deck.\n\nSasha sprintete vom Pilotenstuhl, mit gezogener Waffe. Sie zog sich auf Cal ein, als er mit dem Messer an Trunks Hals kam. Sie erstarrte. Ein paar Momente der Stille lie\u00dfen den Stillstand einkehren.\n\n\"Was glaubst du, was du da tust, Mason?\" sagte Sasha und r\u00fcckte langsam vor. Cal blickte zur\u00fcck zu Nesser, der auch seine Waffe genommen hatte.\n\n\" Ich lehne die Luftschleuse herzlich ab.\" Cal teilte seine Aufmerksamkeit zwischen dem Waffenpaar auf ihn. Er war nicht so sehr mit dem Schie\u00dfen von Nesser besch\u00e4ftigt, aber trotzdem ist eine Waffe eine Waffe.\n\n\"Denke dar\u00fcber nach. Du hast nicht wirklich viele M\u00f6glichkeiten. Du t\u00f6test ihn, du stirbst eine Sekunde sp\u00e4ter.\" Sasha blickte zu Nesser. Sie bezweifelte, dass sie sich auf ihn verlassen konnte. \"Und es ist ein wenig unwirtlich drau\u00dfen.\"\n\n\" Vielleicht.\" Cal hat das Bedienfeld auf dem Boden getreten. Das Geh\u00e4use f\u00fcr die P52 ist aufgeschoben. Sasha hat geraucht. Der Kofferraum hustete und k\u00e4mpfte, aber das Messer brachte ihn wieder in die Reihe. Das Cockpit der P52 wurde ge\u00f6ffnet.\n\n\"Du wirst keine Chance in diesem Ding haben.\"\n\n\"Ich liebe eine Herausforderung.\" Cal grinste. Er bewegte sich neben dem Cockpit und dr\u00fcckte den Knopf, damit sich das Geh\u00e4use schlie\u00dfen konnte. Er lehnte sich in Richtung Stamm. \"Es tut mir leid wegen der Cathcart-Sache. Um ehrlich zu sein, dachte ich, diese Kampagne sei eine Schande.\"\n\nCal schob den Kofferraum in Richtung Sasha, schnitt ihren Schuss komplett ab und fiel eine Sekunde lang ins Cockpit, bevor das Geh\u00e4use vollst\u00e4ndig geschlossen wurde. Er \u00f6ffnete die Au\u00dfent\u00fcren und trieb das Schiff schnell an. Es brummte zum Leben. Cal seufzte, erleichtert, dass sie auch dieses Schiff beibehielten.\n\nSasha raste zur\u00fcck ins Cockpit, um die Au\u00dfent\u00fcren abzuschlie\u00dfen, aber es war zu sp\u00e4t. Massive Schl\u00e4ge hallten durch das Schiff, als die P52 auskuppelte. Sie rutschte in den Pilotsitz und fixierte den Phoenix in Angriffsposition. Der Kofferraum ging hinter ihr her und rieb sich die Handgelenke.\n\n\"Auf den Turm.\" Der Kofferraum z\u00f6gerte, bis Sasha ihn anstarrte.\n\nCal brauchte eine Sekunde, um seine Position einzunehmen. Er befand sich auf dem Gebiet von Banu, etwa eine halbe Stunde zur\u00fcck zum Verkehr, der auf den Sprungpunkt zusteuerte. Seine Bildschirme leuchteten auf, als der Phoenix eine Reihe von Raketen startete.\n\nCal hat seine Motoren gez\u00fcndet. Er lenkte die Energie von den Kanonen um, um seine Geschwindigkeit zu erh\u00f6hen. Sie hatte mit der P52 halbwegs Recht. W\u00e4hrend er nicht die Feuerkraft hat, um den Ph\u00f6nix zu verletzen, hat er Beweglichkeit. Cal hat sich um die Raketen geschlungen. Die Schnelligkeit r\u00fchrte sein Blut. Die Raketen schnitten herum und nahmen sie wieder ein. Der Turm des Ph\u00f6nix l\u00f6ste eine Flut von Kanonensch\u00fcssen aus.\n\nCal Korkenzieher zog sich durch die Sch\u00fcsse und schlug direkt auf den Ph\u00f6nix zu. Die Raketen schrien ihm nach. Sasha wusste, was er vorhatte, tauchte und unterbrach den Motor. Die Raketen blieben auf Cal gerichtet. Der Kofferraum verfolgte ihn mit dem Turm. Ein einziger Schuss schoss eine Rakete hoch.\n\nCal hat den Pilot-Assistenten fieberhaft rekalibriert. Zu viele Funktionen wurden auf Auto eingestellt. Er mochte die Kontrolle. Er brauchte es, um diesen Vogel \u00f6ffnen zu k\u00f6nnen.\n\nDer Ph\u00f6nix schwang sich hinter ihn. Cal sah auf. Er war bereit zu gehen. Die Motoren der P52 rumpelten mit der zus\u00e4tzlichen Leistung und schrien nach vorne. Der Ph\u00f6nix entfesselte einen weiteren Salve. Laserblitze str\u00f6mten an Cal vorbei. Er legte die Schilde zur\u00fcck und webte herum und versuchte, die Raketen in die Schusslinie zu bringen. Ein Neutronenschuss kappte eine weitere Rakete, die vom Kurs abrutschte und dann explodierte.\n\nCal hat etwas Abstand zum Phoenix genommen und das Gaspedal maximal gehalten.\n* * * * *\nAn Bord des Phoenix verlor Sasha die Geduld. Die P52 erwies sich als fast unm\u00f6glich zu treffen. Ihre Ortungscomputer wurden ausgel\u00f6st, als sie sich verdrehten und durch die Luft st\u00fcrzten.\n\n\"Er wird den Verkehr \u00fcberfallen.\" Der Kofferraum sagte \u00fcber Funk.\n\n\"Es spielt keine Rolle. Er hat keinen Sprungantrieb.\" Sie antwortete und leitete die Kraft des Schiffes um, um den Motoren einen Schub zu geben, \"und ihm geht in zehn Minuten der Treibstoff aus\".\n\n\"Ich habe etwas Gesellschaft.\"\n\nSasha sah sich um. Einige Banu Milizen kreisten, hielten aber Abstand. Wahrscheinlich da, um das Chaos einzud\u00e4mmen.\n\n\"\u00dcberpr\u00fcfen Sie Ihre Sch\u00fcsse, es wird alles gut.\" Sasha verlagerte ihren Fokus zur\u00fcck zu Cal. Sie holte einen beruhigenden Atemzug und gab sich den Kontrollen hin. In ihrer Zone passte sie zu Cals wilden Flugbewegungen Beat f\u00fcr Beat. Der Kofferraum schoss Sch\u00fcsse ab, um Cal einzusperren.\n\nDie beiden Schiffe schrien durch den Raum. Einer nach dem anderen erreichten die Raketen ihre Reichweite und explodierten. Sasha hielt einen anhaltenden Feuerstrom aufrecht. Immer mehr Energieexplosionen verbanden sich und zerst\u00f6rten die Schilde des kleinen K\u00e4mpfers. Der Kofferraum hat die P52 mit einem soliden Schlag genagelt. Die Schilde konnten den Schuss, der in den Motor einschlug, nicht stoppen.\n\nCal Mason schloss mit einem Rei\u00dfverschluss \u00fcber den Sprungpunkt hinaus und legte eine Schleife auf. Sasha blieb bei ihm. Der besch\u00e4digte Motor verringerte seine Geschwindigkeit so weit, dass sie auf Computer zielte, um eine Sperre zu erhalten. Sie hielt den Ph\u00f6nix auf Kurs. Ihr Finger schwebte \u00fcber dem Abzug.\n* * * * *\nDas Cockpit der P52 wurde ziemlich zerzaust. Dieser letzte Schuss h\u00e4tte sein Schiff in zwei H\u00e4lften schneiden sollen, aber irgendwie hielt es stand. Cal wusste, dass er nur einen Versuch hatte. Er blickte auf den Sprungpunkt. Eine Raupe war gerade dabei, zu \u00fcberqueren.\n\nCal traf eine Retro-Verbrennung, verdreht und tauchte wieder nach unten. Der Ph\u00f6nix fegte an ihm vorbei. Er schlug es und fiel hinter die Raupe.\n\nDer Sprungpunkt \u00f6ffnete sich und die Raupe verschwand im Inneren.\n\n\"Das ist wirklich dumm.\" Er murmelte und sprang in den Sprungpunkt durch die Totenwache, bevor er sich schloss.\n* * * * *\nSasha beobachtete, wie die P52 in bet\u00e4ubter Stille im Sprungpunkt verschwand.\n\n\" \u00c4hm....\" Trunk sagte \u00fcber die offene Kommunikation.\n\n\" Ja.\" Es schien eine Menge zu durchmachen, um sich einfach umzubringen.\n\nSchlie\u00dflich drehte Sasha den Ph\u00f6nix um und brannte weg. Sie hatten Orte, an denen sie sein mussten.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n. . . WIRD FORTGESETZT","zh_CN":"Penny waited, arms crossed, in the cold holding cell. Her foot tapped a beat on the floor. Six hours and fifteen minutes passed since guards dumped her in this chair.\n\nThe lock on the door thudded before it screeched open. An officer entered and Penny snapped to attention. She couldn\u2019t identify any unit or division designation among the medals and bars. His tag said Darrow. He barely acknowledged her, his attention keenly focused on the files scrolling across the Glas in his hand.\n\n\u201cAt ease.\u201d Darrow slid into the seat. Penny sat down. After a few more moments, he laid the Glas on the table and lifted his crystal blue eyes to look at her. \u201cQuite a spot of trouble you\u2019re in, Lieutenant.\u201d\n\n\u201cPermission to speak freely, sir.\u201d\n\n\u201cSure.\u201d\n\n\u201cFirst of all, what the hell did you do to my rig? You have no idea how long it took me to put that thing together so it better be fixed by the time I get out of here. Second, the Cassandra project was decommissioned like sixty years ago, so why are you wasting your time grilling me about ancient history instead of asking yourself why a Vanduul raid was so interested in obtaining outdated tech?\u201d\n\nDarrow was lost for words but Penny was just getting started.\n* * * * *\nCal Mason was also in a spot of trouble. Handcuffed in the cargo hold of the Phoenix, his death sentence had just been issued.\n\n\u201cYou should\u2019ve taken my offer, Mason.\u201d Sasha said and headed back toward the pilot chair, \u201cIt would\u2019ve been easier on everyone.\u201d\n\nNesser looked between Sasha and Trunk, obvious a little uncomfortable about this whole cold-blooded murder thing. Instead of saying anything, he just walked away.\n\n\u201cNot me. I got no problem tossing people like you in the void.\u201d Trunk hissed and shoved Cal toward the airlock. Cal saw something in a toolbox on the starboard wall that looked promising. Now he just had to get over there\u2026\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll bet you don\u2019t. Saves you the embarrassment of losing in a fair fight.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou serious, little man?\u201d Trunk chuckled. Cal turned around and got right in Trunk\u2019s face.\n\n\u201cSure. I heard the only survivors on Cathcart were the ones that hid like cowards.\u201d Cal said, although he thought he went a little far with that one. Apparently, Trunk did too. He shoved Cal, hard.\n\nCal stumbled back and slammed into the starboard wall. His fingers found what they were looking for.\n\n\u201cYou know, I think the airlock might be a little too quick.\u201d Trunk said as he slowly approached. One hand snatched Cal\u2019s throat and pinned him against the wall. The other drew a blade.\n\n\u201cCome on, man. Don\u2019t\u2026\u201d Nesser popped out from the bunks, attracted by the noise.\n\n\u201cYeah Trunk\u2026\u201d Cal snapped the cuff around Trunk\u2019s wrist, click, \u201cdon\u2019t.\u201d\n\nTrunk\u2019s eyes went wide. He swung the knife. It was clumsy, hurried. Cal dodged the attack and swung him into the wall. The blade clattered to the deck.\n\nSasha sprinted from the pilot\u2019s chair, weapon drawn. She drew up on Cal just as he came up with the knife to Trunk\u2019s throat. She froze. A couple moments of silence let the stand-off settle in.\n\n\u201cWhat you think you\u2019re doing there, Mason?\u201d Sasha said, slowly advancing. Cal glanced back at Nesser who had grabbed his gun too.\n\n\u201cCordially declining the airlock.\u201d Cal divided his attention between the pair of guns on him. He wasn\u2019t as concerned with Nesser shooting but still, a gun\u2019s a gun.\n\n\u201cThink this through. You don\u2019t really have many options. You kill him, you die a second later.\u201d Sasha glanced at Nesser. She doubted she\u2019d be able to count on him. \u201cAnd it\u2019s a little inhospitable outside.\u201d\n\n\u201cMaybe.\u201d Cal kicked the control panel on the floor. The housing for the P52 slid open. Sasha fumed. Trunk coughed and struggled but the knife put him back in line. The P52\u2019s cockpit opened.\n\n\u201cYou won\u2019t stand a chance in that thing.\u201d\n\n\u201cI do love a challenge.\u201d Cal grinned. He moved beside the cockpit and hit the button for the housing to start closing. He leaned toward Trunk. \u201cI\u2019m sorry about the Cathcart thing. To be honest, I thought that campaign was disgraceful.\u201d\n\nCal shoved Trunk toward Sasha, completely cutting off her shot, and dropped into the cockpit a second before the housing closed completely. He opened the outer doors and quickly powered up the ship. It hummed to life. Cal sighed, relieved that they maintained this ship too.\n\nSasha raced back to the cockpit to lock down the outer doors but it was too late. Massive thuds echoed through the ship as the P52 disengaged. She slid into the pilot\u2019s seat and fixed the Phoenix into attack position. Trunk walked up behind her, rubbing his wrists.\n\n\u201cGet on the turret.\u201d Trunk hesitated until Sasha glared at him.\n\nCal took a second to take in his position. He was in Banu territory, about a half-hour burn back to the traffic heading into the jump-point. His screens lit up as the Phoenix launched a spread of missiles.\n\nCal flashed his engines. He rerouted power from the guns to boost his speed. She was half correct about the P52. While it doesn\u2019t have the firepower to hurt the Phoenix, it\u2019s got agility. Cal weaved around the missiles. The swiftness stirred his blood. The missiles cut around and reacquired. The Phoenix\u2019s turret unleashed a barrage of cannon shots.\n\nCal corkscrewed through the shots and punched straight toward the Phoenix. The missiles screamed after him. Sasha knew what he was up to, dove and cut the engine. The missiles stayed locked on Cal. Trunk tracked him with the turret. One shot blasted a missile.\n\nCal feverishly re-calibrated the pilot-assist. Too many features were set on auto. He liked the control. He needed it to be able to open this bird up.\n\nThe Phoenix swung up behind him. Cal looked up. He was set to go. The P52\u2019s engines rumbled with the added power and screamed forward. The Phoenix unleashed another volley. Laser blasts streaked past Cal. He put shields back and weaved around, trying to put the rockets in the line of fire. A neutron shot clipped another missile, which tumbled off course then exploded.\n\nCal got some distance on the Phoenix and kept the throttle max.\n* * * * *\nAboard the Phoenix, Sasha was losing patience. The P52 proved to be almost impossible to hit. Her tracking computers got tripped up as it twisted and tumbled through the air.\n\n\u201cHe\u2019s going to hit that traffic.\u201d Trunk said over comms.\n\n\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter. He doesn\u2019t have a jump-drive.\u201d She replied and rerouted the ship\u2019s power to give the engines a boost, \u201cand he\u2019ll run out of fuel in ten minutes.\u201d\n\n\u201cGot some company.\u201d\n\nSasha looked over. Some Banu Militia circled but kept their distance. Probably there to make sure the chaos was contained.\n\n\u201cCheck your shots, we\u2019ll be fine.\u201d Sasha shifted her focus back to Cal. She took a calming breath and gave herself to the controls. In her zone, she matched Cal\u2019s wild flight moves beat for beat. Trunk snapped off shots to pen Cal in.\n\nThe two ships screamed through space. One by one, the missiles hit their range limit and exploded. Sasha kept a sustained stream of fire. More and more energy blasts connected, chipping away the shields of the small fighter. Trunk nailed the P52 with a solid hit. The shields couldn\u2019t stop the shot, which punched into the engine.\n\nCal Mason zipped past the jump-point and looped up. Sasha stayed on him. The damaged engine decreased his speed enough for her targeting computers to get a lock. She kept the Phoenix on course. Her finger hovered over the trigger.\n* * * * *\nThe P52\u2019s cockpit was getting pretty ragged. That last shot should have cut his ship in half but somehow it held up. Cal knew he had one shot at this. He glanced at the jump-point. A Caterpillar was just about to cross.\n\nCal hit a retro-burn, twisted and dove back down. The Phoenix swept past him. He punched it and fell in behind the Caterpillar.\n\nThe jump-point opened and the Caterpillar disappeared inside.\n\n\u201cThis is really dumb.\u201d He muttered and dove into the jump-point through the wake before it closed.\n* * * * *\nSasha watched the P52 disappear into the jump-point in stunned silence.\n\n\u201cUm\u2026\u201d Trunk said over the open comm.\n\n\u201cYeah.\u201d It seemed like an awful lot to go through to just kill yourself.\n\nFinally, Sasha turned the Phoenix and burned away. They had places to be.\n\n. . . TO BE CONTINUED"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":72,"created_at":"2012-12-07T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"13 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-14 16:54:37","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":12826,"next_id":12828}}