The Galaxy Runner zipped in, over, and between a cropping of stray asteroids. The Enforcement Shuttle maintained pace not far behind.

Ahead, Enforcement Shuttle Two approached, darting under a cluster of rocks.

“Another shuttle’s approaching in front of us,” Nova said, turning the steering gear to guide the ship away from crashing into a space rock.

“Great,” Ace added sarcastically, “either get smashed to pieces in the asteroid field or blasted to pieces by Galaxy Enforcement!”

A display monitor attracted Legart’s attention. “There’s an incoming audio transmission. Should I ignore it?”

“No,” Orion relented, “let it through.”

Rayet Wolf’s voice boomed across the Galaxy Runner’s cockpit. “I know you’re aboard that ship, Darkstarr. You’ve played a good game, I’ll give you that much, but now it’s the end of the line.”

“Considering your insistent attacks, I’m assuming you don’t want us to surrender,” Orion asked coolly.

“Your kind never surrenders,” Rayet roared. “But don’t worry—I’ll be sure to give you a death fitting of the title, scourge of the galaxy. In the last few minutes you have, remember the name, Rayet Wolf. Tell your maker I sent you to him!”

Legart ended the transmission with an abrupt click. “Slaggin’ upstart thinks he can get the drop on us? He doesn’t know the Galaxy Runner!”

“Rayet Wolf,” Orion muttered. “Wolves are noble animals, but not very efficient when separated from their pack.”

At a loss for words, Ace rubbed the back of his head. “Where’s Galaxy Enforcement finding these people? I think that guy’s a few planets short of a solar system.”

Their adversary sounded young and inexperienced—a good combination for an enemy, at least from Orion’s point of view. He figured that such a lack of space combat could be used against the G.E. officer. This man, this Rayet Wolf, appeared to be well versed in tactical assault but, judging by most previous G.E. officers Orion had encountered, was only efficient when it came to standard text book scenarios that they read about in the academy. Orion would have to show the young officer a thing or two about actual battle.

“Nova,” Orion called out, “take us to full speed. Legart, activate the star drive.”

Rayet slammed his fist against the console. “That bastard cut me off mid communication! No one cuts me off!” He would now allow his pride to be wounded, at least not by pirate scum. No matter, Rayet gathered, in moments Orion Darkstarr would be nothing more than a distant memory.

Legart did a double take when he heard Orion’s orders. “You can’t be serious? We’d never manage to pull of a star-jump in an asteroid field, it’s never been done!”

“Then we’ll have the privilege of being the first,” Orion countered.

Legart could feel the tension mounting in the cockpit, he sensed that even Nova was beginning to get nervous—and that meant something. “Orion, we’ll be killed!”

Even for Orion, the notion of such a reckless act had to stand well beyond the realm of possibility, Legart concluded to himself. It was a comforting thought, but fleeting at best. On average, Legart was the last person to question his friend, but this was pure madness…

Orion didn’t think so; he let out a quirky smile. “We’ll make it. Trust me.”

All at once, a thousand thoughts rushed through Nova’s mind. The lives of the Galaxy Runner’s crew were now in her hands. Of course outwardly she showed no sign of concern, although she assumed Legart may have picked up on her newfound apprehension. So much pressure had never been foisted on her shoulders. She hadn’t even been with the Galaxy Runner that long and Orion had already bestowed this heavy a responsibility on her?

Trust, he said…Nova tried to come to grips with the thought. She wasn’t sure she had enough trust in herself. Failure wouldn’t just mean letting herself down, no, the stakes were far higher than that. She nearly relented and was about to transfer the steering gears to Legart. But that would be a sign of weakness! It would prove that I was vulnerable, helpless, powerless—all things I vowed never to be again! I have to do it. I have to prove to Orion and the others that I can do it. I have to prove it to myself!

Nova’s fingers wrapped tightly around the steering control and directed her focus to the asteroid field ahead.

Orion nodded to Legart. “Set coordinates for Titan.”

Despite his reluctance, Legart complied. He pounded a sequence of buttons on the console. As requested, the stardrive was synchronized to Titan’s coordinates.

Ace nibbled on his thumbnail, staring at the floor with a vacant, blank expression. “We’ll hit an asteroid, I know it. We won’t make it,” he stammered.

“Stow it,” Nova cautioned, wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. “I see an opening in the field.”

Orion took a deep breath, leaned back in his command chair, and closed his eyes. If a random spectator had just wandered in on the situation, they may have deduced that Orion was calm and relaxed.

“It’s done,” Legart sighed, “stardrive’s activated and the coordinates are set. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Orion was always humored by Legart’s attitude. They had been in similar situations countless times, one would think that by now Legart would be used to these haphazard events. Orion could only laugh to himself.

“Wait,” he said, holding his hand up. “A little longer…”

The Galaxy Runner accelerated through the asteroid field’s opening. The thrusters burned at maximum speed.

From front and back the two Enforcement Shuttles drew closer, converging on their target. They had both entered attack range.

Rayet spit into the transceiver. “Get those weapons ready, Shuttle Two! Prepare a ten count and launch everything at them, and I mean everything!”

Nova gave a firm push of the thruster control. The sensation of increased velocity throttled everyone in the cockpit against their seats.

Legart’s finger rested on the console to initiate the stardrive.

“Hold it…” Orion continued, “…a few more seconds…”

The following seconds felt like time itself had stopped while eternities passed by. The crew was deathly silent—the only noises were the faint chirps and electronic beeps of the console displays.

Orion sprung forward, opening his eyes. “Go for it!”

Legart pressed a blinking red button on the console. A white light rushed into the cockpit.

The Galaxy Runner blasted across the starscape faster and faster, soon becoming nothing more than a blur.

Both Enforcement Shuttles readied their weapons; machine guns targeted, beam cannon turrets shifted, and missile pods locked on.

A brilliant glow surrounded the Galaxy Runner as it blazed onward. In a blinding flash that could be seen from kilometers away, the starship vanished. Not only was it no longer in sight, it was no longer in that star system.

The Enforcement Shuttles were too slow to respond, both releasing forth their impressive arsenal-equipped onslaught of firepower. However, with the Galaxy Runner no longer between them, their weapons crisscrossed towards one another.

Enforcement Shuttle Two was plastered with a hailstorm of machine gun fire and a rogue missile. The starship twisted upside down, quick bursts of flame spewed out from the damaged hull before being choked away by the lack of oxygen.

Rayet’s Shuttle suffered a near direct hit from the beam cannon, severing the side of the starship in two.

“NO!” Rayet shouted. The pirate ship was gone. They had engaged in a star jump.

A section of Rayet’s console exploded, giving way to a rush of roaring flame. Overhead, fire-suppression units were already at work, spraying a liquid coolant onto the blaze. It had been subdued no sooner than it began.

Display monitors depicted to Rayet that a portion of the shuttle had been ‘cut off’ by the particle beam.

“This is Enforcement Shuttle Two, by some miracle we’re still alive,” a weak voice choked through the remaining functional speakers, “but our ship’s been taken out of the fight.”

Rayet waved his hands in an effort to push away the wisps of black smoke that escaped the control console. He took the steering gear and gave it a jerk forward. Nothing happened. Frenzied, he tried every button and switch in sight. Still, nothing. His shuttle was out of commission too. He had not only been defeated and humiliated by Orion Darkstarr, but now the accountability for the hijacking of the cargo shuttle and the destruction of two Enforcement Shuttles would rest solely in his hands.

Rayet threw his fist into the cockpit wall. “I’ll get you for this Darkstarr, just you wait!”

The Galaxy Runner rocketed along an endless tunnel of golden light beams. The ship had entered a warp hole—a direct result of the star-jump.

A collective breath of relief passed over the ship’s crew.

Wide-eyed, Ace glanced at his sweaty palms, tugged on his shirt, and then planted a firm slap to the side of his cheek. “Ow,” he said, wincing. “I don’t believe it, we’re still alive!”

“We’ll reach Titan in a few minutes,” Legart garbled in a barely coherent pitch, still shaken from the whole incident.

Orion relaxed in his command chair. Once again they had eluded capture at the hands of Galaxy Enforcement. While the crew would argue that it was Orion’s calm handling and astute observation of the situation, combined with his knack for shooting off quick, capable orders that saved them, Orion would argue the contrary. It had been his crew that pulled them out of the fire; even the most well-calculated decision or command was worthless without a competent crew. Too often credit would be given to a ship’s captain, when it was the men and women that piloted the ship who were really deserving of the recognition.

“Well done, Nova,” Orion commended.

“No problem, Captain,” replied Nova. She remained focused on piloting the Galaxy Runner, feigning that the preceding ordeal had been nothing. It was all a charade, of course. Hell, she had been just as afraid as anyone else, maybe more so.

Ace composed himself before the others did. He was back to his old playful self, despite facing certain death moments prior.

“Yeah, not bad for the new girl,” he praised, winking at Nova with a flirtatious nod before turning to Orion. “But come on Orion, level with me, how’d you know we’d make it? Really? You were so sure.”

“Simple, I trusted Nova and her skills as a pilot,” Orion responded.

Ace looked on, dumbfounded. “Trust? Seriously? That’s it?”

Orion offered a smile. “That’s everything.”