Friendly Fire
21 Nov 2023Oak7603
Gerry Gilbert stepped out of the F63 Condor and looked at its pitted and scorched hull. He was beginning to love the ship, getting to know it's strengths and it's weaknesses. How he could squeeze every last drop out of it. He put his hand on the pulse laser and gave it a firm shake as he smiled and then patted the hull and walked through the fighter bay to the main cockpit."Fighter all packed up and ready to go Rear Admiral", Gilbert said as he dropped into his seat, looking over to his boss.
"Thanks Gerry. You did good. What's the Tally?"
Gerry flicked on the terminal and opened the EDDiscovery program that logged the complete history of The Maynard. He sank into the chair as he looked through the data. The Maynard was a new Federal Corvette recently purchased and outfitted by Commander Oak7603, one of the Federal Navy's newest Rear Admirals. It wasn't cheap, in the region of 800+ million credits. Gerry had once wanted to be able to afford a ship like this but that wasn't to be.
The program beeped at him and he looked at the total. Exactly 100.
"100 Boss. That's all Pirates."
"Any sign so far?"
"Nothing. Early days though"
He'd served in the Federal Navy himself for many years, even fighting Thargouids out in the Merope system, but then it all went to shit and that was why he was here, employed as a mercenary fighter pilot. Not because he had done anything wrong, but because of those damn Pirates. They had taken his son and he was going to do anything to get him back. When he saw the advert looking for a fighter pilot to join a Pirate hunting ship he was there. His story caught the attention of Cmdr Oak and he was hired. Now 100 dead ships later and over 11M Cr in his pocket, in less than a day, he knew he would either get a lead or he'd be able to hire other ships to work for him, doubling hsi efforts, tripling maybe.
But things don't go to plan which is why they are sat at the Kryyst Excavation Facility in the V418 Hydrae system.
"How you feeling Boss?" asked Gerry to the back of the Commanders head as he looked forward out of the cockpit.
No answer. No surprise really, the last mission had ended in disaster. To be fair it was hectic. 6 or 7 Pirates - Anaconda's, Ferdys, Eagles, the works. Fed Sec had turned up. There was a convoy. All shooting, he was out in the Condor and the full force of The Maynard was stripping ships in seconds and then he heard over the radio. 'Don't fire Captain! We are not Pirates' but it was too late. The Anaconda exploded and Gerry saw in his HUD - Murder on Faction Olympus Trading Corp, Against MrGordon (Clean). There was silence from The Maynard and then the dock order came through, and they left the fight immediately. Cmdr Oak didn't say a word. They just low waked away and then high waked to the nearest station. Gerry stayed in the fighter bay until they had landed here in V418 waiting to sort out the mess they were in.
Losing a son was one thing, but knowing you'd killed an innocent pilot was another level, thought Gerry as they waited. He hoped that this wasn't the end of his journey to save his son.