[Pulp] Somewhere in the Ridge Down Starport

[Rob Miracle]

Kriger slips in and out of various  shops, bars, restaurants, and 
hostels tracking his quarry.  Suddenly a scent catches Kriger's nose.   
Not a scent of Sir Jace or his body guard, but a smell of burning flesh 
and hair . . .

"Sontograz" shouts Captain Koltarik "get a repair team up to the bridge 
immediately".   Kriger looks towards the astrogation station and at his 
friend Sontograz where a column of flame rages out of the console.  The 
left side of his face a charred shadow of the brown and white patch fur 
that adorned the Vargr 2nd officer.   Sontograz using the last of his 
strength makes a call for help has the Halon rips the air out of the 
bridge suppressing the growing fire.   

Captain Koltarik continues barking commands to the gunnery officer.  
"Fezeick.   Target their bridge.  I've had enough of this." showing his 
focus on the battle at hand.

A system defense boat had jumped the corsair suddenly shortly after 
raiding the yacht of some mogul from whatever system the Captain was 
plundering.   The systems and planets and victims were all a blur to 
Kriger.  After being sold to this ship, the plunders were frequent and 
usually deadly for the victim.    "If I ever get an opportunity to fly 
for the good guys" Kriger thought as he steered the ship through a 
series of yawing rolls trying to keep the system defense boat's bridge 
in the main gun's reach worring every second about his friend, seriously 
burned and probably dying behind him.   The smell.  Charred fur and 
flesh is something that never leaves you.  The ship rocks as a missile 
from the SDB explodes nearby.  "Damed proxemity fused missiles" thought 
Kriger who pitched enough for the missile to miss.   "Dog what are you 
doing" shouted the Captain.    Kriger reacts with a hard reverse of the 
engines while counter-thrusting with the RCS jets to pitch the maneuver 
drives towards the SDB and at full thrust cooked the inbound volley of 
missiles.

Kriger quickly reaches over to another console and brings up the 
astrogation controls.   Sontograz had gotten the jump program entered 
but the burst of fire from his console he never got a chance to execute 
their life saving jump.   Another surge of energy crashed into the 
corsair setting off a fresh set of alarms.  This time life support was 
failing, probably due to a hull rupture. 

"Captain, we can jump at though sealing that breach will be difficult in 
j-space." Kriger called back to Koltarik.    "Jump" screamed the Captain 
and like instinct Kriger keyed in the execute sequence and with a sudden 
jerk normal space vanished.   They lived to fight another day.

It took more than a minute before anyone did anything other than 
breath.  That pungent smell now filling the bridge with stench.   The 
captain hits the comm calling the Doctor to the bridge.   Kriger after 
securing  the pilot station runs to his friend.  Half his face and a 
good third of his body were burned to the third degree.   He was no 
longer breathing.   Kriger's old friend was gone.

Suddenly a pole brings Kriger back to the now as he avoids crashing into 
a local comm box.  A reminder that he needs to check in with the Captain.


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Rob Miracle
rob at robmiracle.com
http://www.robmiracle.com