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The Argosy shot through hyperspace. 31 hours later, in Zebetrious, red lights and alarms were going off all over the Argosy when Jokki was jerked back into awareness. He got up, grabbed his blaster and holster, and headed up to the bridge. Cpt. Nathan Brazil was up there, giving out orders. "Get those turrets online," He screamed the gunnery officer. "I'm trying, damn it, sir," the gunnery officer yelled back. "What's going on?" Jokki asked the captain. "Pirates. One Corvette, two Defenders." "Oh shit....." On the radar, one large blip and two small blips headed steadily toward the Argosy. Meanwhile, on the bridge of the Confederate cruiser S.S. Invincible ||, Captain Luke Walker was not so worried. "Launch the Patrol ships," Cpt. Walker ordered the fighter officer. "Power up the Photon Torpedoes and the Proton Turrets," He ordered the gunnery officer. "Yes, sir." "Get a torpedo lock on that Corvette. I want a barrage of Photon Torpedoes hitting it. Send out the Patrol ships to deal with those Defenders. DO IT!" "Yes, sir." Four Confederate Patrol Ships launched from the cruiser's fighter bay, one at a time. "Attack those pirate Defenders," ordered the com officer. "Yes, sir," responded the fighter pilots. The Patrol ships pealed off, in two pairs, to go attack their designated ships. Meanwhile, back on the Argosy, Cpt. Brazil was giving out commands and swearing at his men. The two speedy Defenders were already strafing it, and the Argosy's two proton turrets weren't holding them off very well. Pirate Defender pilot Jackie Chan slammed down on his joystick, forcing his Defender in a tight dive down below the Argosy. "Yeeeeeehhhhaaaawww!" He screamed over his com to his fellow fighter pilot, Harrison Ford. "Shut up and fly, Jackie," The no humor Harrison responded. "Make me---whoa crap, where'd those damn Patrol ships come from? Shit!" Jackie yanked back hard on his joystick, pulling up and around the wounded Argosy, and diving down on a Patrol ship. His finger tightened on the trigger, spraying green laser bolts down on the Patrol ship, inflicting damage on the shields. The Patrol ship tried to bluff by pull up slightly, and then diving. Jackie predicted the maneuver, and dove. The Patrol ship dove down directly into his cross hairs. He squeezed hard on the trigger, firing more green death on the Patrol ship, bring it's shields down to nothing. Flame started sprouting from it's rear end, and one of the tail fins flew off, blue energy rocketing around the damaged maneuvering fins. The Patrol ship went spiraling off, blue energy and flame cascading off into space. It spiraled into a asteroid, and promptly detonated in a billow of flame and flying pieces. "Scratch one," Jackie reported to Harrison. Harrison yelled, "Shit....now get your ass over here and get this bastard of my tail, NOW, damn it!" "On my way," Jackie responded. He yanked up on his stick, pulling up onto the Patrol ship's tail. Too late, he realized he pulled up directly into one of the other ship's cross hairs. Blue proton bolts flew from the Patrol ship's cannons into his rear shields. They went down quickly, as a Defender is only a fighter, and has little shielding. Before his shields went down all the way, he pulled up and managed to avoid the rest of the blasts. Back on the Confederate cruiser, the 5th torpedo left the launcher, and started its cruise to the Corvette's shields. The Corvette had just about had it for it's shields when the 4th torpedo hit its shields. The shields went down, and the 5th torpedo hit armor. Armor plates started falling off into space from the Corvette. More torpedoes followed, pounding into the Corvette's hull. Flame started billowing out from the engine area. While the torpedoes were hitting the Corvette, the Argosy S.S. Helpless || was making a break for it. The shields had only been damaged a little bit by the Defender's strafing runs. Jokki glared at Cpt. Brazil. "Why didn't you stay to help the Patrol ships?" "Because." "Because why?" "Because, we'd have been slaughtered by the Defenders. This is a freighter, not a Kestrel." Jokki stalked off angrily to his quarters. The Defenders were losing the dog fight. Jackie dove when the first of the blasts started to hit his shields, but the patrol ship stayed with him. "Shit...shit....shit....shit....I'm hit....shit....HOLY SH--" Static. The pirate Defender took a direct hit on the engines, and detonated in a burst of brilliant light. Harrison Ford, the other Defender pilot, whispered to himself, "Jackie....no..." He started screaming, "...you fucking bastards!!!" He shoved forward on his stick, diving and pulling around after the Patrol Ship who had killed his fellow pilot. He dove on it, pulling back on his trigger and pouring fire on the unlucky Patrol Ship. Even after flame was billowing from all over, he still continued razing it with green death. He let up on his trigger after it was reduced to ashes. On board the Argosy, Cpt. Brazil was giving orders and plotting a hyperspace route to Barnard. The Argosy disappeared from Zebetrious in a streak of stars. Back on board the Confederate cruiser S.S. Invincible ||, Cpt. Walker ordered the helmsmen to aid the last two remaining Patrol Ships. "If we can get a lock on that Defender, its as good as ashes." Harrison Ford attempted a bluff dive by pulling up on his stick a little and diving quickly. The two Patrol Ships on his tail didn't fall for it. They both followed him down into the dive, both pounding on his shields. They failed. Flame began emitting from the left wing. "Holy shit..." Harrison said to nobody. "Oh damn." Those were his last words as the Defender blew apart into flaming ashes. The remaining two Patrol ships pulled up and shot off to the cruiser, their mother ship.
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