Fiction #1 "You win some, you learn some" Chapter 1/4; ‘Pirates!’

Chapter 1/4; ‘Pirates!’

Nashh rubbed the scar on his face; it itches him when he gets angry. 'You want to what?!' Vic the trader said bemused. 'You heard me' Nashh said. 'Let me get this right, you want to sell your Charon freighter for 550 million and an interceptor?'...

A few years earlier...

'Put those books away boy' captain Kadavr said. 'There is no money to be made in frigate class ships Nashh' he continued. Nashh sighed, expecting his dads "honest-hard work speech" again. Mr Kadavr had been a freighter pilot all his working life and was determent for his son to follow in his foot steps. Nashh had different ideas however. Although he was a fully skilled freighter pilot himself and ready to start an honest job whenever he felt like it, his dreams where of the darker sort.'Pirates! Pirates!' Midshipman Clarke shouted at the top of his lungs. 'They have us scrambled!'. 'Calm down Clarke' captain Kadavr instructed his second in command. 'Let them board' he continued, checking the warp core gages himself, 'let's see what they want, notify concord'. Captain Kadavr knew that running was not an option and he was not risking the loss of his ship. The freighter was insured but his son did not yet own a clone and thus would be lost forever if the pirates would choose the kill mail over a ransom. 'There are only three of them!' Clarke sputtered 'maybe we can take them!'. 'No heroics!' captain Kadavr hissed, 'you'll get us all killed, there are always more'.All the while Nashh had been looking out into space, watching the glorious acrobatics the pirates performed in their Interceptors. 'A Jaguar has docked captain; he is making his way up!'. 'Thank you Clarke'. 'Please stay calm and unlock the control room'. 'Nashh?'. 'Yes dad?' Nashh replied somewhat distracted. 'I need you to hide; there is no reason for you to be involved in this'. 'But I want to'. At that moment the control room door opened...

A tall man entered slowly, scanning the room briefly he said calmly 'no slaver dogs?'. 'We can't aff...' Clarke started but before he finished his sentence the pirate shot him in his right leg, flooring the midshipman instantly. 'You speak only when I request you do' the villain said. The atmosphere tensed. 'What's your name captain?'. 'Kadavr' captain Kadavr said. 'I am...' Nashh started but again the pirate silenced the interruption quickly, smashing the back of his rifle into Nashhs face. 'Enough!' the pirate said now annoyed.

"You are kindly requested to pay ransom in return for your precious ship and pod, if you do not pay up in ten seconds you shall surely perish...’My name is Ronindata, remember it"

Those words still echoing in his mind after all these years. What followed is hazy at best in Nashhs memory; the butt of the ion rifle had hit him hard, splitting his face across the left eye. Blood streamed heavily from its socket but there was no pain. He was sure now what he wanted. The feeling of admiration overwhelmed him before he finally passed out...

A few years later...

Nashh rubbed the scar on his face; it itches him when he gets angry. 'You want to what?!' Vic the trader said bemused. 'You heard me' Nashh said. 'Let me get this right, you want to sell your Charon freighter for 550 million and an interceptor?'...

'Why'? Vic asked, 'you can get 750 for it a mere 6 jumps from here'. 'It isn't stolen is it?' Not that Vic would have cared any less. 'No', Nashh said firmly. The truth was that he simply couldn’t make another jump in that slow boat. 'I am in a hurry though' urging Vic on to close the deal. It was probably the worst thing to say to a guy like Vic who didn't waste any time to strike up an even better deal, 'mmm, I only have 450 in my name at the moment and..' '525' Nashh cut him off, not interested in some bullshit story. Vic's grin now widening 'deal!', stuck out his hand eager to have it shaken. Nashh reciprocated in the manner expected and shook Vic's hand. It wasn't about the isk, it was about the freedom. It was his late father's ship he just flogged for the worst deal of the century but he didn't care. It felt like a weight lifted of his shoulders.

Ships were swapped and isk transferred. Nashh checked his new bank balance and the access code of the crow. He was a 750 million isk freighter poorer but he felt considerably richer.

Vic looked at the dark, solemn figure and felt an emotion he had not felt before, guild. 'Er..' He started, 'wait, I knew your father, let me help you get on the way a little'. 'I'll tell you what' as a token of my good nature I will help you fit out that speed demon of yours with a module of your choice; any you see in my shop for free, nada, zip! On the house!'. ‘Ok’, Nashh said, immediately pointing at the Gisti-b type microwarpdrive in the corner of Vic’s hangar, ‘I'll have that one’.Vic's alligator smile diminished a little but said 'ok' feeling a little better about the fantastic deal he just struck with a clearly desperate man.

Trader Vic watched Nashh step into his pod and plug himself in to the Crows onboard systems. He shook his head but wished him well. The pod closed and filled with bio fluid. A quick system check later and Nashh felt strangely at ease in his new vessel. The Crow gently lifted of the landing pad and proceeded to the undock point. There was no delay as this part of day was quiet at this station.

The tiny frigate got spat out into the black vacuum.

'Access map' Nashh commanded the onboard computers, 'set destination Pain, station 4, Bastards recruitment office…’