(Deep space patrol)

Einarr checked his scanners as the streaking lights of hyperspace released his modified TIE/In Interceptor from its grip. Moments later another similarly modified for long patrol duty Interceptor appeared in a flash of light. Einarr flicked the switch to retract the locks on the hyperspace ring which encircled his fighter from the stubby wings at the center of his P-s 5.6 Twin ion engines. Einarr waited as the ring detached to drift slightly until the stabilizers kicked in holding it in place, then he slid the throttle control forward. As he neared the asteroid field at the border of the dark system, Einarr activated the comm to his wing man. “Kraken 1 to Kraken , you got anything?”

The TIE Interceptor on his wing seemed to drift slightly as the relatively fresh pilot swapped his attention from the controls to the sensor board. “Negative K 1, nothing yet.” Einarr nodded as the reply crackled through his headset then reached up to adjust the straps over his armor. It had taken a lot of getting used to, to get the life support pack over the grafted armor, much less to fit his entirety into the tight confines of the Interceptor. Einarr checked the gravitational readout on his main board and began having Cassius run the numbers. The largest gravitational interference was coming from a large asteroid at the core of the field 30 degrees up from center on his current orientation. The second was from a minor red dwarf at the center of the system to far distant to disturb the gravity mapping of the current field. Einarr nodded as he triggered his comms with a twitch of his cybernetic right eye.

“Kraken , return to my ring and take up passive watch. First sign you use the following algorithm to hyper out of here and report in. I repeat do not engage, cut and run at first sign.” Cassius transmitted the gravitational algorithm for a safe hyperspace jump to Kraken 2's navcomp as Einarr sped up his progress deeper into the system.

“Confirmed Kraken 1, returning and going passive only. ROE is no engage.” Einarr watched the designator for the other interceptor turn slowly before it sped back the way they had come. Fear of being alone in the darkness of space overcame Einarr for a moment before Cassius sent a stream of synthetic chemicals into his veins to steady the Mon cal. The last time he had been alone in the Dark for an extended period of time he had awoken in captivity with the right side of his body gone. The chemicals took root in his nervous system and Einarr shook off the haze of fear that had clouded his mind before sliding the throttle to full as he weaved between the minor asteroids, his sensors probing between the metal and stone of the space rocks, bouncing back in irregular patterns as his mind sank into the rhythm of probe and hunt. The somber tone of an irregular return ping sounded inside his awareness as the sublight signature of a New republic made Incom 4j.4 engine returned the signal. Einarr checked his plot then with a twitch of the control yoke followed by gradual pressure on the left rudder pedal, he slowed the fighter before he brought the Interceptor around in a long sweeping turn as he circled in on the rear of the signal reflection. His biological left hand steadied at the prospect of a fight as he wove a path slowly around a large asteroid, if it was a single or even a pair of  fighters he could hopefully catch them by surprise and continue his patrol.

“Quarren spawn” the curse lipped from his lips as the sensor report lit up with a trio of aging t-65 x-wings escorting a small freighter, looked like a starlight class light freighter. He was coming in to slow to turn and run or to engage effectively. Options flashed through his thoughts both provided by his own biological brain and that of the far faster AI of Cassius, each discarded or considered in less than a heartbeat as he toggled his lasers to 80%, then set Cassius to preparing a firing solution for his missiles on the freighter. Einarr slid the throttle forward once more as he sped towards the foe, the X-wing's preparing to turn as they began their own acceleration in formation. The tone sounded as Cassius triggered the nerves leading to the digit standing ready on the missiles firing stud, a pair of missiles streaked out in a parabolic arc as they lifted over an asteroid to come down from above, the first taking the freighter in the shields in a flurry of sparks and coruscating light, the second seeming to hesitate before sliding through the barrier and detonating against the arcing blade shape of the crafts sole wing. The Freighter lost pressure as the wing separated, then secondary explosions sent the on board O2 and remaining fuel out in a vibrant wave of light and pressure. The X-wing closest to the now wrecked freighter was pushed off course to collide then bounce off the lead fighters shields before coming to rest nose deep in a speeder sized asteroid. Its detonation as its missiles and fuel detonated sending fragments of rapidly cooling metal and stone out in a secondary wave. Einarr continued forward through the remains of the wrecked freight wincing at the sounds of shrapnel from the derelict wrecks demise pelting against his shields or occasionally his hull. He wove the nimble fighter around another large asteroid roughly  the size of an imperial AT-ST, if said machine were hunched into a malformed ball, as the twin fighters turned once more in enraged pursuit. The echos of Kraken 2 leaving the system in a burst of energy registered on his sensors and Einarr hoped the hid had stuck around long enough to catch the data packets with the sensor readouts on the freighter for VENI to look over later.

“Come get me boys” Einarr mumbled into the dead static of the comms as he continued to weave his way through the asteroids, the pair in pursuit sending the occasional burst of coherent light from their lasers in pursuit like Kath hounds on the scent of a wounded Nuna. Einarr was determined not to be the prey as he fired his lasers in a double pattern into the asteroids in front of him, causing the space rocks to shatter into fragments or start moving in erratic patterns as stone collided with stone. Einarr began weaving through the now energetically moving hunks of rock. He pulled the yoke tight to his chest as he passed one last large asteroid into open space, the lead fighter on his trail trying to follow the movement right into a space one of those selfsame stones tried to occupy in a flash of accidental immolation. Einarr smiled as he re-entered the field, Cassius had plotted him a new course back to his ring even as he updated it every fraction of a second for the new positions of the rapidly moving and bouncing asteroids.

“Don't ever let me take you for granted Cassius.” Einarr said to his AI as he danced the craft in a pattern of jukes and dodges, the final pursuer began falling away as its path was blocked by the rapidly moving stones.

“Affirmative sir.” Einarr laughed softly to himself as he rode the adrenalin rush, the Interceptor slid into a part of the field that was currently sitting passive in its slow eternal rotation around the dwarfs extreme gravitational range.

“Cassius, do we have enough data to get a good plot on the grav fields in the area? I don't want to hyper out of here and into a planet.”

'Confirmation: The star is generating only .12 solar masses. The ring is outside of the risk envelope for departure. No known planets to factor. Largest obstruction not of stellar level is to far in system from final course point to provide hazard. Advisement: Upon reconnection with the ring, advise boosting further out to allow more time for energy buildup. Enemy fighter has not left the field and may still be a danger. Statement: Course and Algorithm has been uploaded to your on board Navcomp. I do not suggest you vary from the course set as it would change the algorithm. Destination has been factored in from preloaded maps. Target is on the outer edge of Abrea. You should arrive in easy range of the patrol carrier and Kraken .'

Einarr nodded “Confirmed, lets get it done.” As Einarr pulled into position on the ring and began relinking to it, the enemy X-wing cleared the asteroid field and started in pursuit with its S-foils locked closed. Einarr cursed as the right lock failed to grip on the first attempt to the aftermarket dock clamps installed on his wings. A wiggle of the yoke brought the clamps into alignment, and the readouts went green as Einarr slid the throttle forward once more with his right hand. His thumb lifted the cover of the button attached to the throttle by a thin wire, and the following press of the button caused the 4 engines on the ring to light in a burst accelerating the fighter forward in a line as Cassius took over and guided the fighter on its course. Einarr's right field of vision watched the digital display overlaying his view as the generators on the ring slowly warmed and primed the stasis field generators, forward shield projector module, heat surge radiator, and finally the hyperdrive motivators in sequence. Einarr was suddenly crushed into the seat as Cassius spun the ship onto its tail and fired the engines in a deceleration pattern to bring the craft to a stop at the proper point. Einarr watched the T-65 speeding his way, the subtle glow of energy filling the coils and capacitors of the crafts lasers seeming bright in the darkness of the light less vacuum and Einarr's overstressed perception. The inner ring seemed to go from motionless to a blurr as the hyper matter began its rotation, and Einarr's last view of the backwater system he had been sent to patrol was the pseudo motion seeming to launch him toward the pair of lasers burning their way towards him before they seemed to fragment and join the array of rapidly flashing lights passing his small crafts cockpit. Einarr monitored the forward shield levels of the ring as he tried to force himself to relax for the short trip. The end was not much less stressful, than the arrival at his destination, As the lights flashing past his cockpit faded Einarr took grip of the yoke and throttle once more, and as real space coalesced around him once more he found himself staring at a fast moving patrol of interceptors. Einarr kicked the throttle forward and stomped the right rudder as he brought the yoke back and to the left in a sweeping roll, the lead interceptor's shields sparking as they grazed those of his own craft. Einarr opened a comm channel to the patrol “Patrol lead this is Kraken 1, sorry for the rub, its been one hell of a ride.”

The bass tones of the other pilot rang in his ears like music as the security of returning home settled in. “No paint loss on my side Kraken, need an escort in?”

“Negative, though be on the lookout for one of those X-wings, doubt he would follow me here, but never can be sure with the rebs.” The patrol lead wiggled his wings in a fliers salute as Einarr reduced speed and turned for the carrier hanging motionless in the distance, a glance at his fuel gauge showing he was down to  % reserves as he guided his fighter along the computer marked path towards his berth on the escort carrier. “Control, this is Kraken 1 detached from Jexxel squadron for patrol duties requesting clearance for landing.”

“Roger that Kraken 1, welcome home. Please dock and turn over your ship to the deck officer for repairs and debrief.” Einarr nodded at the orders as he slid the fighter slowly through the hangars open hatch, the field of a magnetic shield springing up behind his fighter to reseal the hangar from the hazards of open space as the bays tractor beam locked him into the docking cradle. Einarr breathed a sigh of relief as he began preparing to disembark his temporary craft and report in.
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Double cert astrogation and advance flight maneuvers.
OOC: word count 2105