Star Runners
Authors: L E Thomas
Star Runners
Copyright 2014 Shadow Max Publishing
Published by Shadow Max Publishing for Kindle
All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in any form without written permission of the Publisher. Brief quotations may be used for inclusion in articles published for noncommercial use including written news articles and reviews. For permission requests, write to
[email protected]
, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator”
All characters in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to events or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Cover art by Andrei Bat
Dedicated to the memory of
Max Thomas
Warning signals flashed a bright red. The laser fire splattered across his forward view, the energy battling against his shields. His Legion X4 Trident fighter craft couldn't take much more from the Tyral Pirates bearing down on him from above.
He yanked back, the stick crackling under stress. The stars spun as he veered away from his attackers, flying deeper into the asteroid field, banking and turning as he increased speed. He checked his sensors; three pirates still on his tail, one closer than the others. He risked a glance in his rear view. The pirates’ modified Tridents pursued like bloodhounds catching a fresh scent.
"Could use a little help, Razor," Austin Stone said under his breath without transmitting.
Razor engaged a pair of fighters on the far side of the asteroid field. They had split up in the fur ball of spacecraft clashing together during the start of the engagement: Razor taking the four bogeys on the right, Austin zeroing in on the other three. Razor made quick work of the first two pirate craft, knocking them out with missile fire. Austin did the same with the first bogey, but the other two refused to go down.
Four new pirate Tridents appeared, bearing down from the rear. The incoming bogeys were too far away for identification. Austin wondered if it might be Scorpion.
"Razor," he said, pressing the headset microphone closer to his mouth, "we’ve got more bogeys coming in. Looks like they’ve just spawned."
He glanced at the time; it was almost over.
Pulling the Trident's power from the shields to the engines, Austin veered his fighter around one of the larger asteroids, nearly skipping across the surface of the massive rock. Crimson lasers flashed past the fighter's nose, blasting asteroid chunks into space. A little faster and he would be out of sight. When the laser fire stopped, he escaped the enemy's crosshairs. He slammed his engines into full reverse, spinning the Trident horizontally and bringing his fighter to a full stop. Keying for missile activation, his fingers rested on the trigger. He watched the asteroid spin for a moment before his prey zipped around the edge of the rock. Austin fired.
The cockpit image rocked, the missile shooting forward. His enemy fired off two bursts of laser fire. Austin smiled as the missile struck the enemy's cockpit and the pirate craft exploded.
"Nice shot, Rock," Razor said, his voice surrounded with static.
Austin glanced at the sensors; the four incoming bogeys flew alone. Razor had taken out his two targets and the remaining bogey on Austin's tail. Austin shook his head and shrugged. "Good. We've got less than two minutes."
Austin balanced the power systems, diverting energy back into the shields. He brought the Trident over the giant asteroid. The four incoming pirate fighters flew in tight formation. Austin keyed for a twelve o'clock view. Above, sulking behind a perfectly sized asteroid, floated the darkened silhouette of Razor’s Trident. He powered down the fighter to avoid being picked up on a sensor sweep, but left the wings lowered below the fuselage.
Good idea
, Austin thought.
I'll draw them out
.
He popped his knuckles and rested his right hand on the stick. His fingers flew across the keys, diverting most shield power forward with the remaining into the engines. He glanced down: one missile left. It would be enough for his plan to work.
The Trident shot forward like a dart. Austin watched his speed reach maximum. Alerted to his presence, the four bogeys split into pairs. One pair maneuvered right while the other remained focused on him. He keyed for missile activation and tried for a lock. The moment his crosshairs settled on the lead fighter, the target craft pulled up. Austin changed course to match. Two more seconds and he would have him. Despite enemy fire pelting his fighter's underbelly, Austin remained trained on his mark.
The warning tone screeched and the display flashed red: shields down thirty percent. His crosshairs showed red; the steady high-pitched buzz of the missile lock filled the air. He squeezed the trigger and watched the missile smash into his enemy. The pirate fighter disintegrated, but three more bore down on him.
He pulled back on the stick and turned for the safety of the same massive rock that saved him before.
As enemy fire filled the space around his fighter, Austin pulled to the left and back again, zigzagging across the asteroid field, avoiding spinning rocks and pirate fire. Shields dropped to ten percent. He pressed two keys and shifted all power to the engines and rear shields. The cockpit controls sizzled, sparks showering the display.
Razor’s fighter bolted onto the sensors, erupting out of his hiding place, his lasers spitting lethal red bolts. The fire shattered into an enemy fighter, sending it twirling into the asteroids. Another fighter spun away damaged, crashing into a cloud of smaller rocks. The remaining pirate bore down hard for the safety of an asteroid cluster. Austin changed course to pursue.
He diverted power into his lasers, leaving his shields without power, and squeezed off two bursts. He missed. The identification popped on the display as his crosshairs fell on the target.
"I knew it," he said.
Scorpion.
"I'm going after him."
Austin looked at the sensors. Razor’s Trident flew out of position, but he banked left to swing back into the fight. Austin soared closest to the final enemy. He blinked away fatigue and sat up in his seat.
"Come on, come on," Austin said, squeezing off several shots. His damaged Trident strained as he coaxed more power out of the engines.
The Scorpion's Trident reached the asteroid cluster and shot upward, disappearing behind the rocks. Austin pulled back gently on the stick and rested his crosshairs on the top half of the cluster. The moment Scorpion decided to make his big reveal, it would be all over and they would finally have victory. His pulse quickened. He pressed forward toward the top of the cluster. His fingers rested on the trigger as he waited on Scorpion to fly out into the open. A shadow passed over his crosshairs and he fired.
An asteroid shattered into pieces. Austin sank into his seat and exhaled, cursing himself for giving away his position.
"Rock," Razor said, "he's looped back around the bottom of that cluster! Get out of there!"
His earphones released the familiar high-pitched wail, signaling Scorpion had missile lock. He pulled back on the stick and sent the stars spinning. He keyed for a flare in hopes it would divert the inbound missile. Austin watched the small red dot on his sensors inch closer. He put power into his shields and saw it fluctuated at ten percent. After searching for a solution, he released the stick as the missile made contact and everything went dark.
Austin gazed at the dark green text on the screen:
Game Over
*****
He waited for the session report. When the screen updated, his friend Josh or Razor had eight kills in the ten minute match. Austin had three. It wasn't too bad considering it was the elite server. The session report transitioned to the server's overall standings. The best of the best competed on the elite server and Austin, sitting at number six in the standings, was definitely as good a pilot online as anyone else. Of course, Josh edged him in the standings, currently second only to Scorpion, who boasted thousands of kills without a single defeat. Somehow, Scorpion always showed up when they were having a perfect session.
Austin slipped off his headset and buried his face in his hands. The computer beeped, notifying him of an instant message.
RAZOR: Tough break tonight buddy.
ROCK: Yeah. You get him?
RAZOR: No. We chased around the 'roid field for a while and I couldn't get him. Session timed out. Nite.
ROCK: Right. See you tomorrow.
Austin logged out and turned off the monitor. He spun his chair around to face his room. A collage of sports posters mixed with spaceships and bikini-clad women covered the wall, including an eight-by-ten image of the Trident; the best fighter on all the servers. Dirty clothing topped with empty bags of chips and pretzels littered the floor, concealing the carpet. Laundry doesn't get done on Labor Day weekend.
He sighed. The special online tournament of
Star Runners
would end at midnight and the weekend would be over. His skin stuck to the back of the old leather chair as he stood and stretched. Kicking over a pile of dirty shirts, he stumbled to the door and walked down the hall.
The dark living room flickered in the blue light of late night television. His mother slumped on the couch. One leg draped over the coffee table while another stretched on the arm of the couch. A melting carton of ice cream sat on the side table. It squished as Austin picked it up.
"Cal? Is that you?"
Austin winced. "No, Mom. Just me."
She mumbled and tucked in her legs. Austin placed the carton of formerly frozen ice cream in the freezer. He grabbed a grape-flavored Popsicle and closed the door. Shuffling his feet across the carpet, he ignored the fact he had to go back to school tomorrow. He picked up the blanket from behind the couch and placed it over his mother. She murmured.
He sat in the recliner and flipped stations, passing the nightly dramas and ending on the news. According to the weather lady, it would be a stormy week. Perfect.
Austin turned the TV off and looked at his sleeping mother. He stood and stretched. The clock ticked above the fire place and rang the bell to announce it was eleven o’clock. He exhaled and went to his room, leaving Mom in the living room.
As he shut the door, he glanced at his computer. He looked at the alarm clock, then back at the computer. Josh is at the top of the standings, and Austin settled for sixth.
One more game won't hurt.
*****
The alarm set off a muffled buzz. Austin rolled over to hit snooze, but knocked the clock to the carpeted floor, his dirty laundry cushioning the fall. Austin grumbled, swinging his legs from beneath the covers. He rubbed his eyes and leaned over to silence the alarm. As he stood, his tired reflection in the mirror stared back. His brown hair hung over eyes half shut. Dryness invaded his mouth. His elbow ached. He must have slept with his mouth hanging open and his arm off the edge of the bed.
After a shower, Austin inched down the hallway. He stopped when he reached the kitchen. Mom sat at the table, staring into a bowl of cereal transformed into oatmeal. Her sandy colored hair tangled into swirls and curls as it fell away from her head. She wore the same red T-shirt and tattered gray sweatpants as the day before. She gazed with bloodshot eyes for a moment before smiling.
"Good morning.”
Austin shuffled into the room, his socks sliding across cracked linoleum. “Morning."
He grabbed a breakfast bar with one hand and a glass with the other. Rubbing his elbow, he poured milk and collapsed into the chair across from Mom. She studied him with light blue eyes.
"How late were you up last night?"
"I don't know." He crunched on the bar and tasted the sweetness of the strawberry center.
"What do you mean, ‘you don’t know?’"
"I mean; I don't know. I didn't check the time."
She pointed at his face. "You need to take better care of yourself, young man. You need to keep your grades up and stay healthy for ball in the spring."
"I'm seventeen, Mom, give me a break.”
"Don't give me that. If I didn't say anything, you'd never leave that game. You'd still be in there. I sometimes wish your father never bought you that computer."
She bit her lip, her shoulders lowered in defeat. She stared at him for a moment. With worry creased between her eyes, she reached over the table and placed her soft hands over his. "I shouldn't have said that, honey."
Austin grabbed his milk and drained it. "I have to go. I'll be late for school."
He left her sitting alone with her rapidly dissolving cereal and lukewarm milk.
*****
The dull roar of the lunchroom surrounded him. The noise increased, each student yelling over the other. Laughter mixed with hushed profanity, school gossip spreading around the tables. Austin sat with Josh on the far side of the lunchroom under the stained skylight. They sat in the designated area all seniors congregated.
Josh engulfed his second sandwich and grabbed a dozen chips, hurling them into his mouth. He glanced around the room as if he was waiting for something more exciting to happen. His leg bounced like a jackhammer under the table, his muscular frame barely fit into the blue plastic chair. With his closely cropped hair and sharp blue eyes, Josh looked like a poster-boy for a military recruitment center.
"You gonna eat that?" Josh asked, reaching for Austin's bag of pretzels.
"Go ahead."
Stealing the pretzels, Josh leaned back. Austin stared out the window at the sunlight. Beams of light shined down from the skylight, creating shimmering pools on the tile floors.
"You ready for the game this weekend?" Austin asked.
"I guess so," Josh said and shrugged. He might be the best player in the region and one of the most prominent to play at Central High School, but his best friend never cared too much about the game. "You coming?"