“Where’d they come from?” Gerrin asked as he reached the top of the ladder.

“Don’t know”, Loomie answered. “They’ve been there about ten minutes. Not running a pulse beacon or navsat, that’s why we didn’t see ‘em ‘till now”.

Gerrin slid into the co-pilot’s seat. “So somebody didn’t want us to see them until they were right on top of us”.

“Yeah, but why?” Loomie turned to look at him. “You don’t think it’s another bounty hunter looking for your head, do you?”

“Hard to tell”, Gerrin mused. “It’s not Reavers: they’re running with containment and closing slowly”. Thinking for a second, he decided “Speed up a bit, let’s see what they do”.

“Okay”. Loomie took the intercom handset from its hanger and announced “Everyone, everyone, we have to do a little maneuvering to avoid an incoming ship, so hold on to something”.

Replacing the handset, Loomie accelerated the ship. In less than a second, the pursuing ship accelerated toward them and a third blip appeared on the screen, moving quickly from the other object toward them. “They’re firing!” Loomie exclaimed.

“Evasive maneuvers!” Gerrin commanded.

Loomie banked to the left and accelerated the Troll away from the two blips. The third object continued to close on the scope. Five seconds later, a missile passed close under the hull and exploded in front of the ship. “They overshot!” Loomie exclaimed in relief.

“Or it was a warning shot”, Gerrin corrected her. “Any chance of outrunning them?”

A voice crackled on the radio. “Transport ship, cut your engines and prepare to be boarded. Try to run and we will end you”.

Gerrin grabbed the handset and flipped a switch. “This is the commercial transport Nordic Troll. What seems to be the problem?”

Two seconds later they heard the sound of bullets bouncing off the hull behind them. “I’m not gonna tell you again”, the voice at the other end of the comm rasped.

“Well, that answers that”, Gerrin fumed. “Pirates”.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Damn, I shouldn’t have packed away the tail guns”,