Outsider

[Laowai]

The 4 thrust engines of the Corsair gunboat hummed through the deck plates. The "Outsider" had proven herself well over the last few weeks. She was a lucky buy courtesy of an over zealous pirate's desire to buy a mini razor - and one that Ben Laowai had chosen to take full advantage of.


The mid sized bridge was silent, and he sat in the command chair, leaning foward to view the information coming through on his helmsman's screen.

The badlands in New York were no place for a Corsair to be caught alone.


"What is it?" he growled quietly, as if the sound of his voice could be enough to alert others of his vessels' presence.

The Helmsman, Phillip Alberto, the same helmsman that Laowai had picked to fly his Cruiser, the Xibanya Nuren replied with an equally hushed tone of voice. "A four bird patrol of outcast vessels, they will have us on their scopes, but they are not moving to engage."

A loud rumble echoed across the bridge from the energy discharges outside. The badlands deserved their name. Even if the strength of the enemy patrols was not altogether that bad, the place just had an eerie BAD feeling about it. Laowai slightly enjoyed it. He had brought the Outsider into Liberty space as a trial run for some of the newer crew he had chosen and to conclude some business he had on Rochester.It had been successful, the weapons deal he had set up ensured him a shipment of arms for the Nurens' crew, and then some, and the Lane Hacker technology he had acquired, which would no doubt take him weeks to decipher, would inevitably prove useful.


He studied the screen. Timing was important, he needed to make for the gap in the Zone 21 mine field without there being a Navy patrol in scanner range. The outcasts were the least of his worries, for, at the very least they were not likely to reveal their own position to the Liberty Navy by revealing his...

"it's clear" the helmsmen whispered.

"engage Cruise engines, ahead full, maintain comm silence" Laowai hissed.

The Outsider jumped forward as it's cruise engines kicked into life, bolting out of the last clouds of the badlands as she entered free space. Liberty comm traffic started to filter in over the comm speakers; A gun trader here, a cop there, a liberty rogue taunting them all. Thats fine he thought to himself, just keep talking and not looking where you should be.....

The dark haze of the zone 21 minefield now filled the ships scanners and view screen - "located the gap in the minefield" Alberto said, still whispering. Laowai sat back, allowing himself to breathe for a moment. "take her in Phillip, steady..:

Why the Liberty Navy did not station a permanant battle station at the mouth of this minefield was something he had never understood. But the fact they did'nt was a blessing for every pirate and trader who wanted a back door into liberty.. that is if they survived the Alaskan patrols and the nomads they would inevitably meet on the way.
The ship thrummed slowly towards the jump gate. "send the activation codes" Ben said, starting to feel considerably less tense. Once they had reached the Alaska system their chances of interception decreased massively. The systems sensor interference, nomads and sheer size meant that avoiding detection was not too difficult. "Codes sent, jump gate has returned an ok, we're heading through" Alberto said. A sense of tangible relief passed throughout the small bridge, and Ben himseld slouched back into his chair.

"Once through plot a course for home" he said, "Take us via Yaren, i need a drink...."


There was a faint chuckle amongst the crew. Laowai closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled, Tomorrow morning would see him back in his hangar on Crete, and then onto Cambridge for a meeting with a certain Dr....

He was wondering if he needed a vacation. But where, he thought, does a Corsair take a holiday?

---

http://img686.imageshack.us/img686/3289/...047770.png