On Unofficial Business...

[Thexare]

A routine patrol in California, Floyd told them. Keeping an eye out for pirates, he said. He wouldn't need any backup. Well, keeping an eye out for pirates was half-true. Keeping an eye out for pirate would be more accurate. His Virage's weapons were online, his scanner was actively searching for a specific identification code... that of the Lane Hacker calling herself "Blackmoon". All intelligence indicated that she was in the system, yet she was nowhere to be found. Neither along the lanes nor in the typical pirate hiding spots. He headed back toward New York, but suddenly, in the middle of the lane between the Magellan jump gate and Planet Los Angeles and still hidden within the ice cloud, he hit a nuclear mine and was quickly attacked; the Hacker was hunting, not hiding.

He quickly responded, expending multiple batteries to quickly recharge his shields and turned his Virage toward the Hacker... yet when he turned, she was gone. He thwarted an attempted attack from the rear with a mine of his own, and turned toward her again. Her cruise engines were active, she appeared to be retreating. However, when he pursued, she spun around, shot a cruise disruptor, and fired her thrusters to get behind him. She then ran directly into a mine that disabled her shields. This impact shook her ship enough for Floyd to get her into his sights and fire off her laser cannons, but by this time she was ready to engage in a normal fight. Bolts of blue and red energy were all over the ice cloud and enough mines were discharged that any passing smuggler would be killed, the fight went on for half an hour. Eventually, however, Floyd shot off Alicia's last gun with his one remaining Heavy Flashpoint.

"You gave me more of a challenge last time, Alicia. Stick with the computers from now on, lady, if you ever get out of prison," the LSF agent taunted as he slowly approached the apparently-disabled Slipstream. Suddenly, Alicia fired up her engines and slammed into the unshielded Virage, knocking off its final gun.

"You're not bringing me in today, Roberts, or ever," she said as she disappeared into the mist.

Floyd then remembered something: he had done the same thing himself a year ago, in Kusari. She must've learned that from him...