“As I was saying,” Blackarachnia cut in, “We are getting reports from the rendezvous point that they have come under attack. We will be jumping out of light speed straight into a battle. You have twenty minutes to be aboard your ships and ready.”
The other pilots went off to get ready. Blackarachnia turned to Nifty. “You’re my number two. Piestoff, you're with Wickede. Snoodgrass has the bridge here.” He looked at them. “You’re two of the best pilots here, you just need to show them all how good you are.” He took Nifty by the arm and led her off towards the ships, talking quietly to her. Piestoff turned to Wickede. The Ick leader grinned at him, a look of mischief in his eyes.
“Let’s get you into a flight suit and get a sip of whiskey in you before we have to climb aboard.”
The battle was going badly; four of the nine Ick dreadnoughts had sustained serious damage. Two were drifting and escape pods could be seen launching. The ships attacking them were unknown to Captain Noble, not being of any design she had encountered before. She had been a bounty hunter for years and knew her trade as well as any that operated in the Outer Systems. The robotic fighter-ships were fast and agile while the larger ships had unbelievable fire power, they were almost a match for the dreadnoughts. These were more than just a bunch of pirates; this was an army. Her own frigate had been destroyed and now she was fighting to stay alive in her custom fighter bomber. She had seen many of the bounty hunters she knew die as the larger force of the attackers hunted down their numbers.
The attacking cruisers concentrated fire on an Ick dreadnought. The shields held for a short time before buckling, and it exploded in a large fire ball, the crew lost before they could abandon ship. She destroyed another two enemy fighters that were trying to chase down a bounty hunter’s ship, flown by an old hunter by the name of Jack Lantern. His ship had taken damage but he was one of the best and would still be hard to kill. The outnumbered hunters and Ick were causing heavy damage to the attacking force, but they would still lose this battle.
One of the badly damaged Ick dreadnoughts suddenly accelerated towards an attacking cruiser, ramming it amidships. Both disappeared in a great explosion. From behind her came a great flash of light; this heralded ships jumping out of light speed. She didn’t have time to check whose side the new arrivals were on as four enemy fighters came at her. Jack Lantern this time came to her aid, destroying three as she got the fourth.
Suddenly three of the enemy cruisers exploded, hit by an onslaught of firepower from behind her. A swarm of Ick fighters swept past her, lasers firing, sweeping the enemy fighters before them. Finding herself in a brief lull, she spied the jet black personal fighter of Blackarachnia being supported by another fighter who flew with great skill, destroying enemy fighters with ease. To their left flew two other fighters in Blackarachnia’s black and silver colours, who both showed great combat skills, striking and moving to the next targets without a pause. Turning her ship back to return to the battle she saw Jack Lantern's ship fall in beside her, taking up position as her wing man. The enemy cruisers started to pull away from the site of the battle as more fell to the Ick dreadnoughts. Enemy fighters turned and raced for the safety of their mother ships but very few got there, and even then they were not safe as the Ick’s deadly onslaught continued. Suddenly Captain Noble felt her ship rock; a damaged enemy fighter, spinning out of control, had collided with her left wing, smashing it half way down its length. Fighting to keep control of her own ship, she watched in helplessness as two more enemy fighters homed in on her ship. An Ick fighter zoomed from below her, coming between the enemy and their prey. He opened fire, causing the two fighters to swerve away. One fell to the Ick ship, while Jack Lantern destroyed the second as it tried to escape.
The battle was fierce and brutal as the enemy was quickly run down, then suddenly it was over. Five of the enemy cruisers had managed to jump to light speed and escape, but the burning wrecks of over two dozen drifted lifelessly, explosions ripping apart their hulls. Ick fighters flew in pairs scouring the battlefield while the surviving dreadnoughts and assorted bounty hunter frigates moved clear of the floating wreckage of the battle. Captain Noble reached for the pendant of Sung around her neck and kissed the emblem of the one-eyed llama in thanks.
The Ick fighter ship that had come to her aid came back into view. It was one of Blackarachnia’s fighters from the colours. Her radio crackled to life.
“Do you need a tow or can you make it to a ship?” The pilot asked.
“I’ve got enough left of my wing to steer still so I’ll see you at Blackarachnia’s dreadnought and I’ll buy you a drink for saving my skin back there.”
“Best idea I’ve heard all day. Meet you in the bar.” He answered.
The pilot turned his fighter and flew back to Blackarachnia’s dreadnought as Captain Noble turned her ship towards the dreadnought. Jack Lantern fell in beside her as she headed after the unknown pilot.
“Blackarachnia and Wickede turn up for a pirate hunt? I don’t think we got told everything, Noble.” Jack said.
Captain Noble could only agree. “Well I’m glad they did come to play. Problem is we’ve taken the credits from the Federation for the job, so we’re stuck for good or bad.”
Jack said nothing more, but then he never was a chatty sort, even with fellow hunters he had known for years.
Thanks for reading, all images are my own work.