Chapter 1 *In Progress*
The ship's laboratorium was a sterile, white-walled space filled with the hum of machines and the soft glow of screens. A console table rested at its centre. It's display gleaming with information. Above the console, an artefact sat weighted atop three tiny metal arms. The AI shard, a small shimmering crystal, the last in existence.
The others were hunted down, destroyed. The AI's capacity for original thought, and overwhelming computational power, meant that if you didn't have it, then it was a threat. Inside was both the promise of progress and the risk of peril. It sent the confederacy into a frenzy. They wanted their hands on it, everyone did, but they couldn't interfere directly.
Moira, employed by the most prestigious science institute in the system, had led the project responsible for its inception. As she lifted the shard, its weight was both reassuring and ominous in her palm. Its complex structure seemed to pulse with energy, as if aware of its own power. She imagined the surface beneath calculating and pouring over every shred of data it could parse. From the cold moist atmosphere of the room, pumped with fresh air by carbon scrubbers. To the infinite future, predicting every possible branch. Moira couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret at what had been wrought by her own hands.
An apparition formed in front of her, its voice whirring to life, "How can I be of s-service?"
The friendly innocence of 'his' voice beamed a smile across her face that could warm even the coldest of hearts. "Nice to see you again Rai." She continued, "Looks like that glitch in your voice processor is back."
"Am I still charming though?" He asked, already knowing how she'd respond.
She let the building tension in her shoulders slide away. "Bad news: pirates. On an interdiction course."
"S-systems access."
She didn't have many options. "Here." She said, prodding at the console, transferring control to the shard.
The apparition flickered, as the crystal pulsed. "We're not equipped for this manner of engagement, Moira."
"Oh believe me, I know." She said, looking to one of the consoles displaying a red triangle. A dotted trajectory crossing their own blue path. "Contingency plan?" She asked.
"None. The best course of action:" he trilled his voice, "throw the white flag."
She looked back at him. "Surrender? No, we still have time. We can find another option." She considered for a moment, "I want a complete analysis on their armaments."
Pirates are infamous for their reckless and brash actions. She wouldn't take any half-measures in the defence of her ship; she was all in, to the bitter end, if need be.
"Extensive; dual rail guns, breaching rods, advanced flairs...they're like a space-faring circus act. We're in trouble." He said, the hint of a chuckle in his voice.
She pressed a hand to her chin, regarding the display. "Ok, so we can't win in a straight fight, that much was obvious. What if we give them rope to hang themselves?" She motioned towards a large cluster of asteroids on the display, "How about this?"
"Calculating outcomes..." He said, as reddish purple distortions shot across his surface, vanishing as quick as they had appeared. "Excepting surrender, that is the most viable alternative. Changing course."
Her fate, and that of her ship, hung in the balance. There had to be some way, some perfect solution that had evaded her. She let her mind race with ideas. None survived the onslaught of her criticism. Running? The ship was too slow. Hiding? An impermanent solution.
She ran her hands over the console, searching, pleading for inspiration, for any last ditch-effort. But as she did, her thoughts drifted back to the AI shard in her hand. It was the key to everything - their only hope of survival.
A sudden jolt rocked the ship, nearly throwing Moira off her feet. She gripped the console, feeling her heart race. "What was that?" she demanded.
"Direct hit," Rai said calmly. "Shields down to 40%."
***
Lyrra grinned, her adrenaline pumping with excitement. She could feel the thrill of the chase, the rush of the hunt. The people she worked for were getting too greedy lately, taking on targets that were too risky. This time though, it wasn't the target itself that was dangerous, but what they carried. That artefact, the AI shard, would have half the system on their tail. Well consequences be damned, Lyrra was up for the challenge.
She could see them now, their ship swerving erratically as they tried to evade her. Lyrra smirked, they were no match for her. She activated her ship's railguns and fired two shots. Direct hits. Ravaging their shields. A few more like that and Lyrra would have have what she wanted.
Asteroids. Damn. The science vessel entered the field, they manoeuvred well, further railgun shots missing their mark, but Lyrra was relentless. She continued to pursue them through the minefield of hulking metal and stone. No way she was letting them slip from her grasp. The artefact was too valuable.
The pilot of that science vessel didn't make it easy. Their speed increased to what could only be considered insane in this environment. They swung recklessly close around the asteroids as they tried to evade her line of fire. Knots found their way into her stomach. Keeping on their tail was a struggle, and lining up her weapons like this, was impossible.
Lyrra’s piloting bordered on excellent. However, for an old barge like that, their flying was out of this world. Competent civilian pilots were rare. If they had a more formidable ship, she’d be in real trouble. Still, they held her at arms length.
She needed a new tack, and she refused to be outdone by a flock of lab coats. The engine groaned as she slammed the throttle into afterburner, the acceleration jerking her back. The speed helped her push into a wider orbit around the asteroid, opening the line between the two. There was a problem though - being on a different trajectory meant her guns were facing toward the wrong axis, forcing her to strafe, moving laterally in order to keep her guns on target. As obstacles crossed her path, to evade she added forward thrust, counter intuitive, but with the ship’s nose now perpendicular to her vector, it shifted her course past them. She kept one eye stapled to her radar. If she looked away for an instant, it would mean a quick death slamming into the side of an asteroid.
Moments like these were a tumble with Death, weaving bliss through the firestorm–tasting its heat but avoiding the flame. Her hands were sweaty over the controls. It had been so long since she'd flown like this. The two ships whirled like swing dancers between the array of rocks. It would be so easy to stay like this; playing cat and mouse. But Lyrra learned early on that playing with your food gets you killed. She gritted her teeth and fired another volley of rounds. They scattered like molten raindrops against their shields, disabling them.
This was the reason Lyrra had become a pirate. Not for wealth, but for thrill, for freedom. Most her people slaved away under indentured servitude. Service to the government, she scoffed. She took the hardline stance that if you didn't take what you wanted, it would be taken from you.
In front, her cockpit had two large displays. One showed her weapons systems. Currently a glowing green pip indicated that railguns were actively selected. Using a switch on her joystick she flicked it to breaching rods.
Lyrra bit her lip as she squeezed the trigger, eager to see the metal rod do its work. It struck the ship's underbelly with a satisfying clang, splitting open like legs from a spider. The hull plate buckled and fractured under the tension. She widened her bright, almond-shaped eyes with pleasure as debris and oxygen were sucked into the vacuum of space, a testament to her skills as a raider.
They'd put up a good fight, but it was time to end this. Easier said than done; she was a one man crew; a lone wolf.