Passerby

[sincerelymatthew]

Continuation-

{10 Years Later: Gate Barrier Station}

I had grown up since that fateful night when I first got here. I didn't exactly have a room, I lived in the Mechanic Bay. More specifically in my broken down Crow. It was the most available ship at the station. They were going to scrap it when I had taken it off their hands for 500 credits. Since then I had worked for people, fixing their ships and guns. Every time I gained a bit of money, I would spend half on my ship and the other half on food. By the time I was 22, my ship was pilot-able and in "decent" condition.

I was in the bar when I heard some pirates talking about going on a run, something about a DSE convoy going to Manchester. I approached them and asked if I could join in. They told me to get lost. I spent the night in the asteroid field flying around, shooting them as they whizzed by. Later when I returned, the siren went off and I watched as those same pirates who had denied me earlier, entered one by one dismembered. I later found out that a small cruiser had been just "passing through" the system.

I was 23 when I finally got a job being a pirate. A wealthy pirate, Surrey Stanlow, had asked me to come along with him. I was quick to say yes, but knew that most pirates who accompanied him didn't make it back because of the risks. I hoped that maybe I'd be the exception, but knew all too well that the odds were against me.

Daniel Cook had become my friend in the Mechanic Bay. Before I left with Stanlow, he told me to come with him because he had a gift. I followed him into his special leased hold for spare parts. He stopped, turned around and pointed to a set of guns on the floor.

"You been a good friend. I don't want you to get in over yur head out their so I gotcha a pair of Purple Goddess."

I was overwhelmed. I spent the rest of the night mounting them on my ship. Perfecting their firing arc.

In the morning however, I looked at my Crow, in dissatisfaction. It lacked spirit. I went to Cook again and asked him for some paint. I proceeded to paint a trifecta blue burst on the side of my ship. I splashed blood red paint over the rest of the hold, hoping to give it a malicious appearance.

I took off from the hanger and headed to Cortez just like Stanlow instructed. I followed him and in due time we were in New York. We jumped several convoys before some liberty fighters showed up.

They jumped us from behind and one of the other pilots Stanlow had brought was torn up. He exploded within moments. The other tried to run but they were too fast, he too was shot down.

Turning around they locked on to me, but I was quick to jump and took out the incoming fighter.

"Good work, good to see you're a decent pilot, unlike the others," replied Stanlow.

10 more fighters soon entered the fight and we quickly were able to take them all down.

Stanlow would allow me to go on various missions with him in the following year. I would be 25 when I got some very interesting information. I would be able to seek revenge on my childhood's demon. I would kill him for what he did to my mother. I would make sure he suffered. Whether a slave, dieing in the vacuum of space or at the tip of my revolver. Lt. John Swere would suffer. I promised myself he would.

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In the duty of war. There is no substitute for someone who has already accepted death.