The Tease

“You fly and I’ll shoot?” Calynn asked.

“Sounds like a plan to me. Be ready on the HLD too.”

“I’m already plotting a course.”

As soon as Kash got the comms tuned to the base’s channel, they were bombarded with chatter. Pilots shouted over one another, calling out targets, desperate warnings, and pleas for backup. Kash closed his eyes for a moment, letting the chaos wash over him as he tried to piece together the situation. The pirates were sending strike-fighters inside the defense rings while pounding the base from a distance with heavy artillery. The defense rings were forced to focus on shielding the base from the artillery, leaving the base’s pilots outnumbered and unsupported inside the rings. One by one, they were getting picked off by the bigger and stronger strike-fighters.

Kash and Calynn looked at each other for a moment. Their new friends were dying as fast as they launched. The determination grew in Calynn’s eyes and Kash felt it growing inside him also. Although they had only just met, they weren’t going to let them get slaughtered.

Kash adjusted the trim on the ship and keyed up the comms.

“Dock six control, this is The Alley Cat Savant,” Kash spoke concisely. “Open the doors and get me in this fight!”

“They’re after your ship, Kash,” Lee replied. “You should stay put.”

“Fuck that! I’m ramming it right down their throats. Let me at ’em!”

The Base Commander didn’t have to think long about Kash’s request. The lights came on above the hanger doors to indicate they were opening. Kash’s heart was hammering in his chest. He readjusted his grip on the controls as he waited for the door to slide open. For those ten or twelve seconds, he was a caged animal yearning to be set free. Kash gripped the controls tight and took a deep breath trying to control his adrenaline. He needed to be focused, not feral.

“Here we go,” Kash uttered, pushing the throttle.

Then Later…

“Destroying escape pods is a war crime, Captain Smith,” a strange voice commented over the comms.

“If you mess with the bull, you get the fucking horns,” Kash barked. “This is what happens when you come after me.”

“We will never stop coming after you,” the voice responded.

Kash froze for a minute. He thought the voice was another pilot or someone from the base, but it wasn’t. This was one of the people responsible for his current dilemma… and it was personal.

“I’m right here. Come get some,” Kash replied with a snarky tone. “Unless you’re afraid to go one on one with me?”

Kash scanned the horizon as he spoke. The enemy ship had to be close, but where was it? Was it cloaked? Or just too far for him to see it?

“There’s no doubt that you are a far superior combat pilot than I am,” the voice added. “It would behoove me to not engage you when you clearly have the advantage.”

“Hand to hand, then?” Kash asked. “I’ll meet you on solid ground any time you want.”

“Tempting, but still… no. My interest lies in strategy, not barbarism.”

“Ooohhh, so you’re one of… them?” Kash pressed.

“One of whom, Captain Smith?”

“A man of little to no talent who stands on the backs of those that actually possess the skills you covet,” Kash explained condescendingly. “I’ve met far too many of your type when I was a Legionnaire. The only thing you’re good for is talking about how to get others killed. Like say, these pirates… you know… the dead ones.”

“They were paid to do a job,” the voice argued. “They failed… not me.”

"Of course they failed. They followed your plan,” Kash rebutted. “All I see is debris and bad decisions. But hey, maybe the real war crime here was your dumb fucking strategy.”

“Every battle has casualties, Captain Smith,” the mysterious man continued. “That doesn’t change the greater goal.”

“Was the greater goal to create a floating debris field full of dead friends?” Kash asked sarcastically. “Because if so… bravo…”

“The plan was to eliminate a problem,” the man rebutted sharply. “And with proper intel, it would have succeeded!”

“So, we’re blaming the intel now?” Kash continued, even more sarcastically. “Good job, little Billy. Here’s your participation trophy. I guess we can mail the ones for the pirates to their families… since they can’t… anything… anymore.”

I wonder what happens next??