A pilot's tale

[esd]

My solar plants were grounded. Repeated Khaak sorties into the area meant none of my ships could go about their normal business. Credits limited, my Boron Mako was not going to make a dent in the Khaak forces, and with the solar plants out of action, I had no money coming in.

I took what little cash I had and bought a Split TS, tuned up it's engines and fitted a drilling rig. I mounted the best shields I could afford: a 25MW, and a 5MW. I spent the rest of my cash on cargo upgrades. I transferred all my critical systems from the Mako, and climbed aboard the TS.

We made for Seizewell, knowing an M1 protected that sector, and one of my SPPs. Once I arrived, I had the Mako dock at my plant, and quickly altered one of my Energy sellers to collect ore. A Boron TP, with 1MW of shielding and no weapons. Fast though, and it needed to be. She was dubbed "The Mule".

I did a sweep of the sector, locating the juiciest asteroids before letting rip with the driller on my turret. The Mule was then sent in to pick up the bits while I moved on to the next 'roid. This went on for well over an hour, and I had stripped many rocks of their precious ore.

Suddenly my hostile alert sounded, and I looked at the gravidar. A large cluster of Khaak had jumped in next to me. I abandoned the rock I was drilling, and hit the burners while pointing at the nearest station. The Khaak quickly came into firing range, and a barrage of weaponary opened up onto my shields. The Mule was a good few klicks away, so I ordered her to get back to my SPP. The station was a good 20K still, but I was unarmed. The missiles pounded into my ship as I dodged about, desperately trying to avoid the wrath of the enemy ships. 10K and I could see the M1 bearing down towards the Khaak, and me. I veered off course and headed for it, hoping to shake some of my pursuers. I went past as close as I dared, the M1's radar dish nearly scratching the new hull of my TS.

As I hoped, some of the Khaak were destroyed immediately by the masses of Teladi turrets, some were distracted by the fighters protecting their mothership. Some continued to follow me.
The station was now only 8K. 4 Khaak M3's continued to pound my ship as I closed in. At 4.99K I engaged the autodock, and launched immediately hoping to put some space between me and my nemesis. I pointed my craft at the Teladi Space Equipment Dock, figuring that they would be well armed. I was about half way there when the Khaak M3's caught me again. The Teladi battleship was still fighting the Khaak I had shook off, so there was no help coming.

In desperation, I ordered my turret to defend my ship using the driller, and threw myself into a series of steep swerves and twists. Suprisingly, the drill had good luck stopping the incoming missiles, but nothing was protecting me from the beams.

Shields were down to about 10% when I started to give up hope of survival. I knew there was no point ejecting. A normal enemy would most likely just leave you there in your suit, or at worst pick you up and take you to the slavemarket. From there a few calls to the right person could get you free again. Not the Xenon, and most certainly not the Khaak. They didn't just kill. They sterilised.

I had just leveled out of another evasive manouver when I saw the M1 again. It was less than 2K away from me, so I made a dash for it. I pointed the ship right at the M1, and jumped in the turret. Those Khaak were slippery bastards, I could barely get a hit in. The shields were collapsing when a blue barrage of fire came sailing into view from above me, striking back the 3 Khaak ships that had been hunting me. One of them exploded immediately, whilst the second broke pursuit and turned to the M1. The third just kept after me.

I squeezed the trigger in my turret, hurling drilling particles into empty space. My David, and the Khaak Goliath. I don't know how many shots I fired, or how much damage the scum's clustership had taken from the much larger Teladi, but it exploded. The M1 was already coming back to assist me having dealt with it's targets when I killed that last one.
When the Teladi hailed me, and thanked me for my assistance in dealing with the attack, I didn't know if I should laugh, or cry.

Needless to say, I docked immediately. I'm going to give mining a break. Too exciting for me.

That Sir, is my tale. True, every word. And now Sir, it's your round.

[SunFire]

lol nice story 4 m3's huh?

[esd]

Actually,it is true - I just figured that going "guess wot! I did this!" would be boring.... so I made it into a tale

[Acidic]

I felt the cold icy glass of the station window, trying to come to terms with what was happening. I turned to the people behind me, all frightened, their faces riddled with confusion and panic.

The Khaak had shown no mercy in their ruthless assault. They had come with intentions to destroy and they had proved great advessary's. Sheer numbers overwhelmed the Argon Defense Fleet stationed in Presidents End. The battle was akin to a million credit fireworks show. It lasted only an hour, but the hour seemed an eternity.

Feeling a new sense of discomfort I turned to look back out the window. Twisted metal wrecks lay strewn around the sector. In the distance the great hulk of a once proud Argon Carrier lay utterly anihilated, its demise a grizzly end. It was dead and lifeless, the stars shadowing the fallen crafts, their silhouettes ghostly visages.

I fumbled for a cigarette, my hands shaking with inexplicable fear, the lighter fell from my hand down a grill in the floor. I knelt down to try and find it, desperate, driven by something I could not explain, trying to shut out the desolation of the outside world. Yet I could not, could not trick my mind and my heart into believing everything was alright.

The Khaak were boarding the station and they would be here soon. Though no-one knew what they had in store for us, I had a good idea. Unable to continue staring at the horrid dessolation outside I once more turned to face the station inhabitants.

A lady and her newborn crouched in a corner, the baby crying uncontrollably. Three burly men argued around a table, rational thoughts having deserted them after news of the boarding. A priest sat on the stations' metal floor, his hands together in prayer, as many more huddlde around him. Crying children could be heard along the stations long corridors, scared by panic-mongerers talking of the coming doom and destruction.

I sat on my knees, calm and collected, my mind on the escape, eyes on the door. I would never be taken, death or escape were my only options, but it would have to be done quickly and without arrousing suspicion. Better a live coward than a dead hero, someone else could lay there life upon the altar of freedom. No, today I would run, hard, and fast. A frantic man came crashing down in front me, and he started to yell

"There coming, they're coming!"

To Be Continued...

[Acidic]

Sry, didnt realise you wanted fact and not fiction

[esd]

Yeah I was gonna say.... you can't do that ingame

{Locked, because people keep ressurecting it. esd}