The Lane Hackers | Internal Comms

[Roeben]

...hack.initiated...decryption.in.progress...
...comm.id.recognized...transmission.encrypted...uploading data...

So a Mercenary, a Bounty Hunter, A Liberty cruiser and its escort Gunboat walk into a Bar.


===

The clock hit 19.30 SMT as I enjoyed a refreshing sip from my Frappuchino Device. As a part of my training, i was supposed to gather intelligence on a few ''lawful'' vessels. Now, some would consider going covert to sneaking around the debris fields of such places as California or Texas. For reasons unknown to me long range scans reported no contacts of interest in either system, so i opted to take a big risk and peek my nose into the New York system.

After a short stop on Buffalo to resupply my ship, i set out to do the dumbest, most idiotic thing i would likely ever do in my life. I evaded West Point and ended up somewhere inbetween West Point and Manhattan. Before I realised that i was probably a tad to close to the trade lane for my own good, Daniel Phoenix jumps out from the lane and demands that i surrender myself to him. A quick scan revealed that i was no match for him at all. He was a mercenary in an advanced light fighter. I considered my chances of escaping to be negligable, for i could surely not escape from a maneuverable Light Fighter, nor survive long enough to find a safe haven. But then i hit a stroke of luck. Before the Merc got the chance to demand my head, a Bounty Hunter drops in behind him. Of course, the bounty hunter saw me "first", and declares that my head belongs to the Bounty Hunters Guild, and not to a lowly mercenary.

The Bounty Hunter was in a Gunboat.

At this point my morale sank to sub-zero, and i was preparing to be blown to bits by a Merc/Hunter double-up.

Surprisingly, the Bounty Hunter did not want to share me. They got into an argument over who has the right to blow me up, when they could also split the bounty. I suggested they flip a coin to see who may claim the prize. Initially they don't want to flip anything, but they got to it after a bit of time. but this gave me a few seconds of time to scan the Gunship.



This is all i could scan before i was torn from my scanner, and back into reality. The quarreling Merc and 'Hunter had attracted something big.

The Cruiser USS.Prometheus.



This situation was quickling going from pants soilingly bad to Apocalyptic. I knew that I was proper scrap. Surely this battleship would open fire soon enough and obliterate my Dromedary Freighter.

I was fully expecting the hail of the ship's Captain and an early grave.

Except that it didnt happen. Instead the Captain hailed the others and demanded that since I was trespassing in Liberty space, I was to be under his jurisdiction. I took the opportunity to scan as much of the ship as possible.




Did i mention that was when a Liberty Gunship dropped in to see what was going on? Because that totally happened. I quickly took the moment to visually verify the armor of the cruiser (It was Mark VI) and the liberty navy ID.

I disengaged my scan from the cruiser, and took a look at the newcomer.



Now the gunboat commander was actually NOT trying to claim my head, instead he was cheering on the Prometheus, trying to aggrevate him into blowing me into smithereens.

I took the time to visually verify that i was facing a navy Gunboat (Liberty Navy ID and class III-V-ish armor were present.) and commensed a loadout scan..



Again, Before i could verify the cargo content of the gunboat, i got distracted yet again. The group was still quarreling over the right to take my head, and in between the scanning i had contacted the Hacker Skype channel. It had payed off.

Cutlass came swooping in from the general direction of Detroit Munitions. The bounty hunter immediately lost interest in me and raced for his prized assassin. The cruiser turned to face the newcomer, and the liberty gunship followed suit.



Smelling my chance, i scooted for the detroit debris field. The only one to notice my flight at first was the merc, Daniel Phoenix. He took off after me and disrupted my cruise. I went to thrusters and entered the field proper. he took down my shield after a short moment, I responded with shield batteries. Sensing that i would not make it out on engine power alone, i took a huge risk by killing my engines in the debris field, turning 180 degrees and shooting off a volley in the mercs direction. This caused him to make an evasive maneuver and effectively forced him back. Cutlass took the chance to rip him a good one, and i took the chance to charge my cruise engines. I narrowly avoided another confrontation with the Cruiser by making it into the badlands, where he lost me.

I took the long way around to Buffalo Base, and that is where i still am at this moment.


The clock hit 20.00 SMT as I enjoyed a refreshing sip from my Frappuchino Device. As a part of my training, i was supposed to gather intelligence on a few ''lawful'' vessels. Instead i ran into three capital ships and a light fighter, in a dromedary, and somehow got away with it with some helps of our Assassin allies.

I pledge to return the favor one day.


...encryption.in.progress...hack terminated...