My Escape
24 Apr 2019PlasticPellet
I made my escape amidst a sea of chaos. The very idea of attacking a fully armed Imperial space station was ludicrous at best. Yet attack they did and to my good fortune. For 27 years I had labored in the 'polymer mine', as we called it, aboard Kondakova Plant in the Kebes system. As a young man of 21 I had left Sol bound for Sirius to enter the employ of The Sirius Corp. I never made it. While en route our vessel, 'The Likely Lass', had come under attack by pirates. Having destroyed her, they plucked my pod from space and sold me. To the Empire! Because of pirates I was in this mess and now, because of pirates, I had a way out.
Alarms began to sound, lighting suddenly went red and the station shuttered as the bloody pirates unleashed their bombardment. Fire erupted around me as once good pieces of space station came crashing down. Those glorious bloody pirates, may I never see them again. It was time to go.
As my so called masters reeled with shock and disbelief, I found clarity of mind and acted. I quickly stripped off my servile uniform and donned the tunic of an overseer who would have no further use of it. 'Do I take his weapon or not?' I thought. I decided against it. My purpose now was not to fight but rather to escape. The time for fighting would come. First I must escape, then prepare and only then would I be able to fight.
Removing the patch of skin which held my overlord's ID, I quickly scanned it. To my amazement it worked. The door opened and I entered the hallway. Now I moved with intent. As a slave, I had been instructed to keep my eyes and head down. I say instructed rather than trained because instruction is something you are given while training is something you receive. True, I obeyed. At least when they where watching. Now, however, was not a time for obedience but, rather, a time for impertinence. I began to bark out orders, to no one in particular, as I moved quickly through the halls in search of the hangar bay.
Arriving at the docks I had to pause. The enormity of it staggered me. Then I was moving again. I scanned the docks nearest me and spied a Sidewinder. It had taken damage but was not yet destroyed. I took the risk and entering found the Commander unconscious. Hauling him out, I laid him on a pallet of cargo canisters and set about familiarizing myself with the controls. No time for finesse now just punch and run.
I had heard, through years of listening to my fellow slaves, that one could receive training as a commander in the Eravate system so I laid in a course. I would soon find out. I selected the Launch option and had to grab my seat as I was spun into the launch position. 'So far, so good.' I thought. The docking clamps released and I was adrift. I cautiously applied upwards thrust testing my new craft. Gently, I applied forward throttle and began to move towards the entrance. Debris floated past as I reached the portal. I raised docking pads, gave it full thrust and flew 'out of the frying pan and into the fire' as they say. What ever a frying pan is.
I was engulfed by a swarm of angry hornets hell bent on destroying each other with their fiery stingers. I boosted through the melee as the pirate and system authority vessels remained locked in their dance of death. The mass lock indicator light dimmed and I engaged the FSD. I was away. I was free. Now, to train.