Spacer's journal - Maia

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Login: Maia
Subject: Personal diary
Encryption: High

Maia waked up with scream. She was sitting sweating and frightened on her bunk bed, and took a while to calm down. It was a nightmare dream. She doesn't dream it very often, but it disturbs her from time to time.
She reached out for a glass of water and drank it empty. Now, she was finally calm and focused. But she couldn't sleep any longer.
She reached out for her laptop, put it on her lap and turned it on.
"This is my special diary entry. I promised you story about that scary Outcast, so here it is.", she said, and began her story.


Chapter four – Outcast from hell

Small Onuris fighter was flying through one of the many debris fields in the Texas system. The ship was slightly damaged, but as scorched hull plating tells – not by gun fire, but by black matter storms. The ships was flying towards run down Junker station floating in the debris field and as soon as it got into communication range, opened comm.
„Beaumont station, this is the Order long range patrol, I’m requesting permission to dock.“, said Maia with slight urgency.
„This is Beaumont control, state you business on our station.“.
„My ship run into dark matter storm and is in need of some basic repairs and decontamination.“.
„Acknowledged, order patrol, you are cleared for docking. Follow signal to your assigned bay, control over.“

***

Onuris was already repaired and practically ready for departure. Maia circled her ship, checking through the open outer panels to make sure all systems were repaired as they should. But suddenly she heard a breath from a respirator. She immediately turned and tried to see any movement in the darkened dock.
"Hello, is anyone there?" She asked uncertainly of the empty dock.
However, the dock did not answer her except for the normal noise in the background of the station. She stared at the shadows for a moment longer, but she still couldn't see anything unusual. She felt bad about it, so she reduced her checks to a cursory inspection by her eyes and closing the outer panels as fast as she could.
She heard a breath from the respirator behind her back again. Maia froze and instinctively reached for pistol in her holster. She turned slowly to see a fairly tall, dark-haired, hispanic woman five meters in front of her. She had a respirator on her face. She was at least by a head taller than Maia and stronger at first glance. She looked young and beautiful, except for a cruel gaze in her eyes.

"So the station gossip was true, we have the Order's Dog here.", the unknown woman said coldly, but there was tension in the background of her voice.
Maia took a step back, her right hand still on her holster. She was afraid, worse, she was scared. Until then, she had only heard stories about Outcasts, but now, for the first time, she was facing one of them. What's worse, it wasn't a completely friendly meeting.
"I'm talking to you, sniffle! What are you looking for here?!”, said angrier Outcast, taking a step closer to Maia.
Maia took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She looked Outcast in the eyes and replied: "I'm not looking for any trouble, I'm not here for people of any faction.".
The woman was only more irritated by her attempt to alleviate the situation. She saw in front of her a potential enemy receding in front of her and shaking with fear. She didn't even care what Maia wanted to say anymore. She watched Maia's eyes intently. She is going to pull out the gun, Outcast thought.
The woman took another step toward Maia, who, exactly as expected, pulled the pistol from its holster and aimed it at her. She looked at Maia thoughtfully, calculating the risks. She had good movements, yes, she was relatively fast even for an ordinary person. But she wasn't a killer, her eyes betrayed that.
"Do you really want to shoot me at Junker Station?", Outcast asked, continuing: "Do you know what they'll do to you after that?".
"Not a step further.", Maia said softly, and when she hit her back on her ship, her fear intensified.
"What if I don't listen to you?" The woman asked, shortening the distance to Maia again. With her beast's gaze, she measured Maia in front of her. She tied her gaze and just inconspicuously threaded her right feet through the tool box lying on the ground.
"Then I'll shoot.", Maia replied, and in addition to the attempted threat in her voice, there was a wish.
"Okay, I'm not going any further," the woman smiled under her respirator and did not continue on to Maia, who was watching her intently and aiming her service pistol at her.

The woman took a half step back and raised her hands so Maia could see them. As Maia breathed with a sign of relief, Outcast took advantage of her inattention and kicked the toolbox with her right foot toward Maia. The toolbox threw her off balance for a moment, and by the time she recovered, Outcast was standing next to her, swirling her pistol out of her hand and throwing her behind her.
"Pistols are for the cowards." the woman snorted, pulling her knife from her back holster. She made sure her victim could see the long, viciously toothy blade.
Maia shouted, trying to slip out of the unfavorable position between the woman and the Onuris. Outcast, however, with her superhuman reflexes, grabbed her by the collar and pushed her toward the ship. The blade of the knife flashed in the dim light of the hangar, and the knife cut smoothly through the delicate skin, muscles, and jammed between the bones. Maia cried out in pain as a serrated knife slammed into the right palm of her hand, which protected her body in one last desperate defense. The blood from his severed palm began to drip onto the rusty floor of the dock. The Outcast released the trapped knife and instead broke Maia's five ribs with two powerful blows. She could no longer resist, and fell to the ground, half shocked. She gasped painfully and watched the Outcasts in fear as she put more heavy kicks in her stomach. Outcast exhaled in disappointment.
"Is that all there is to it? I found out about the Order's spy at this station, waiting for a fight with a seasoned lone wolf, and all I get is this whimpering puppy?“, Outcast walked away from Maia towards a pistol lying on the floor. She picked it up and examined it carefully.
"You fight like a Zoner. I wanted to kill you, yes, but when I see you here - I think I'll hurt the Order the most if I let you live. You can keep the knife as a gift, I'll take your gun. I always wanted one of these flashy toys of yours. Your superiors will certainly have fun when they find out how you lost it. "
Outcast looked back at the sounds of people approaching from one of the corridors, saluted with Maia's captured weapon, and disappeared into the shadows of the station.


Maia finished her story and closed the laptop shut. When she was talking about it, maybe she could feel a bit of relief.

---

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Task Force Phoenix
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