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CAPTAIN'S LOG: SECTOR 1, JUMP POINT 5
Just as we arrive through the jump point, the warning panel is lit up and Betty is reporting errors in the power system: Engine output is trying to crash down to unusable levels and maneuvering thrusters are offline when Betty chimes in:

SHIP DETECTED

Ah, now it makes sense. Sensors have picked up a Mantis Scout ship, showing pirate markings. Bastard must be running advanced hacking modules in an attempt to kill our engines so he can board us. He picked the wrong victim today. Mort is able to keep the engines barely running but the pirate's advanced hacking module is giving us some problems.

I give the order to Lisa to target the pirate's weapons and then to follow up with a volley into their bridge. I want to keep them from being able to run away. If the Rebel Fleet catches them and gets information on our course and heading, that could spell disaster.

After the order is given, further scans show the Mantis ship is badly outmatched. With a small single-shot laser and a beam-weapon of some sort, our improved double-layered shield can't be penetrated. They fire first but both the laser and the beam-weapon bounce harmlessly off the 'Wood's shields. No matter. This will end quickly.

The Burst Laser powers and with a satisfying wump-wump-wump sends our first volley at the pirate ship. His simple single layer shield is no match and goes down easily. The burst has found its target and their weapons systems are scorched badly. I see the targeting reticule shift from the pirate's weapons to their control bridge as the Burst Laser powers up again. Sensors show their weapon systems are being repaired but are not fully operational. Ultimately, it wouldn't matter anyway. The second Burst Laser volley strikes home and slams into their bridge. The pirate is on fire and drifting. I can see lights flickering and going dark throughout the ship. Their beam-weapon feebly fires, painting a feeble red stripe across our shield.

A final burst and the pirate ship breaks apart. With full power restored to engineering, we salvage some fuel cells and scrap. No time to linger, we have to race the Rebel Fleet to the exit beacon.

CAPTAIN'S LOG: SECTOR 1, JUMP POINT 6

An abandoned and dilapadated space station is near this jump point. Sensors are detecting faint life signs. Not sure if we should spend the time to board and search for survivors or just grab some quick scrap and move on.

An extra crew member could be a valuable asset. We will board the station and search for survivors. Hopefully something ugly isn't waiting for us instead.

All around us is the stench of decay and death. Between the hangar bay and living quarters compartments in the station, WaiShing doubles over and starts vomiting blood everywhere. He doesn't look good at all. Lisa and I put the big man's arms over our shoulders and start half-dragging him back to the ship for medical attention. It must have been some kind of disease that wiped out the station.

Damn it.

CAPTAIN'S LOG: SECTOR 1, JUMP POINT 7

WaiShing didn't make it. We held a brief service and some words were said. No time for this right now, as the Rebel Fleet is right behind us. We commit his body to the void.

I will have to let the ship automate shield control for now. We just don't have enough bodies to cover all the systems at this point.

CAPTAIN'S LOG: SECTOR 1, JUMP POINT 8

We jumped into another damned uncharted asteroid field! A Rebel automated scout follows us in. If we let it get away, our position will be revealed. If we stick around, we're sure to risk taking serious damage. Damned if we do, damned if we don't.

Might as well go out fighting. Full power to the forward battery, shields up and, wait... this auto-scout is not equipped with any shields! Before the Burst Laser can even fully charge, it is shredded by multiple asteroid impacts. Our shields safely bounce the incoming rocks aside.

Lisa hasn't been complaining, but she is hurt, it looks like some time ago. I order her to the Med Bay for attention. We're already down a crew member, and we certainly can't afford to have anyone operating at anything less than 100%.
We quickly gather some of the scrap from the unmanned scout's debris field and charge the engines for another jump.

CAPTAIN'S LOG: SECTOR 1, JUMP POINT 9

We are close now to the exit beacon. Only one more jump and we should be there. It is not clear whether we will beat the Rebel Fleet to the exit or if we will have to fight our way out.

As we prepare for our jump, sensors pick up a refueling depot under attack by an unmanned auto-assault ship. Saving the refueling depot could mean valuable reward. We close the gap and power up the weapons systems.

The assault ship appears to have a heavy laser and a beam-weapon of unknown type. Before the Burst Laser can be charged, its heavy laser fires first. Notch, quick on the controls, dips the 'Wood slightly and the shot goes wide.

Lisa deftly controls the Burst Laser and targets the unmanned ship's weapons. It is shielded, but the triple-shot of the Burst should be enough to punch through and disable or severely damage the thing's weapons.

The auto-assault ship proves to be quicker than any of us expected. It dodges two of the bolts and the third is absorbed by the shield. The enemy returns fire with its beam-weapon but our dual layered shield easily handles it. We are not in any danger, except if the unmanned ship escapes and reveals our position.

Computer, bring engines down to idle, supply all available power to Artillery Beam and forward batteries!

Sensors show its FTL Drive powering up. The ship must not be allowed to escape! I give the Arty Beam charge readout a few meaningful taps with my finger, trying to will it to charge instantly. The auto-assault ship fires another futile volley. The Burst lights up again, the first bolt going wide, the second absorbed by the shield. The third strikes home into the engine compartment. It is not disabled, but is showing signs of significant damage! Its attempt to jump out has been stalled.

Then, the familiar hum begins and a second later the craft has a huge gash down the center, billowing flame and sparks. The battle is over and we still have a chance of reaching the exit beacon before the Rebel Fleet catches up.

The refueling station hails us and as thanks, sends over a Hull Laser free of charge for us to mount to the 'Wood. We will have to upgrade our weapons suite before we can use it, but it may prove useful later.

Jump drive enabled, let's get out of here.

CAPTAIN'S LOG: SECTOR 1, JUMP POINT 10

We have reached the exit beacon ahead of the Rebel Fleet, but not by much. Sensors have picked up intelligent life forms on a nearby planet that do not match any known records. We have time for a quick look.

We land in a large open field, whose only occupants are brightly colored, six-legged animals that resemble horses somewhat. We could try to bring a few back onto the ship to sell later, or who knows, maybe they are intelligent enough to communicate with. Lisa has the best language skills of the crew, so she is tasked with making contact. She attempts to communicate in every way possible but is met with passionless stares. We withdraw back to the ship and prepare for a jump through the exit beacon.

Our two available exit points are into uncharted nebula or Zoltan controlled territory. It's not clear whether or not the local Zoltans still have goodwill towards the Federation, but the dangers of the nebula are enough to make this decision easier. The nebula are notorious for blocking sensor readings, which would make it somewhat easier for us to pass through undetected by the Rebel Fleet, but at the same time, solar storms can shut down even the strongest reactor cores, and we simply don't have the power to spare.

We are through our first Sector. Sector 2 awaits.

CAPTAIN'S LOG: SECTOR 2, JUMP POINT 1

No sooner do we jump into Zoltan space are we stopped by overzealous border police wanting to perform a customs check. Discrepancies in our weapons licensing leads to heated words and before we know it, weapons are drawn and there is a fight on. Thankfully, the Zoltan are notoriously fragile and do not present a serious threat as a boarding party. Unfortunately, the opposite is true of their ships. They regularly come equipped with an advanced hardened shielding barrier that is difficult to bring down before you can even attempt to assault the ship's shields, let alone the ship itself.

Interior scans show three Zoltan custom agents on board, two in the sensor room and one in the adjacent storage compartment. I send Mort and Lisa in to make short work of the singled-out Zoltan to even out the numbers, while I punch firing instructions into the computer. Full power to the Burst Laser and Artillery Beam, at the sacrifice of the Med Bay and Engines. We will be a floating easy target, but we need every ounce of firepower we can muster to break through their shield barrier.

As expected, Mort and Lisa make quick work of the singled-out Zoltan. However, the other two agents have made quick work of the sensor room and the lights go out. We are blind and will have to search room by room.

The first volley from the Burst strikes the hardened barrier and takes it down to about 40% strength. Artillery Beam charging, showing 52%. The Zoltan Energy Bomber returns fire with a dual laser turret, which is easily absorbed by our double-layered shield.

MISSILE LAUNCH DETECTED

With the engines powered down and no anti-ballistic defense, all we can do is helplessly watch the inbound missile as it tracks in on our position. It strikes the aft portion of the ship, penetrating the hull and detonating in the engine room, disabling all engine control.

Mort and Lisa dive through the door into the sensor room to take the fight to the remaining two Zoltans but they are nowhere to be found. The only other exit from this room leads back into the Fire Control module! Mort and Lisa barge into the room to find the Zoltan agents shooting at control panels indiscriminately. They close with the Zoltans and engage in hand to hand combat. Meanwhile, with the engines offline and no reason to man the controls, Notch sprints forward to join the melee in the Fire Control room.

MISSILE LAUNCH DETECTED

Nothing we can do about it, except get the boarding party off our ship and then worry about attacking theirs. As expected, the three crew members begin quickly dispatching the Zoltan saboteurs. Within moments, they are all dead. Then, a twist of irony as the Zoltan's inbound missile strikes home, plowing through the armor plate of the Fire Control module creating a gaping hole into space. The warhead detonates right next to Lisa and she is instantly cut down. Mort is near death but dragging himself aft towards the Med Bay. Notch is amazingly only scratched slightly and begins working on sealing the hull breach before all the oxygen is sucked out of the room. If he cannot repair the breach now, it will become even more hazardous to try and repair the now disabled weapons suite once all the Oxygen is gone. Notch is working as hard and as fast as he can, but the repairs are going slowly.

The familiar hum and jolt of the Artillery Beam is a welcome sight and sound. The powerful beam arcs across the Zoltan ship knocking down the last of their shield barrier and dealing heavy damage to their bridge, shield generator, life support systems and engine room. Their weapons system remains intact, however, and that is not good.

MISSILE LAUNCH DETECTED

Mort is only partially patched up in the Med Bay but we must get our systems back online or we will not survive this pounding. He races forward to help Notch bring the weapons back online. The Artillery Beam is charging quickly, back up to 67%. Another few seconds and this fight may be over.

Disaster. The inbound missile impacts and detonates in the Artillery Beam control room. While not destroyed, the charging mechanism is damaged severely and the display now only reads 23%. It is climbing at a painfully slow rate.

MISSILE LAUNCH DETECTED

Betty adds, WARNING: HULL INTEGRITY 30%

We are getting pounded by the relentless barrage of missiles. There is smoke wafting through the corridors, but without sensors, it is difficult to tell where the fire may be. As a precaution, I have opened the exterior airlocks and vented the rooms on the starboard side of the ship that has been taking the majority of the impacts. Mort and Notch have brought the weapons suite back online and I task the Burst Laser to target the Zoltan ship's weapons control. We have to take that missile launcher offline or we are doomed.

More explosions as another missile impacts the fore supply room.

MISSILE LAUNCH DETECTED

Mort and Notch race back through the ship to the aft engineering compartments to work on the Artillery Beam control room and the Engine control room. We can't stop the missiles with shields, so the only other chance is to try and fire up the engines to attempt evasive maneuvers while we wait for our weapons to silence the Zoltan bomber.

Another explosion shakes the ship. The aft airlock has been hit. Doors are opened as a precaution against fire, as the sensors are still down and we have no way to know. Involuntarily, I look over at the life boat readiness indicator. This is not looking good.

MISSILE LAUNCH DETECTED

Then, Notch screams with excitement as he completes a partial repair of the Artillery Beam charging mechanism, the charge level shoots to 100% and the weapon comes to life. Standing next to the beam while it charges and fires, the sound is deafening. Notch has both hands on his ears as he excitedly screams and jumps up and down. The final blow is struck against the Zoltan Bomber as the massive beam weapon detonates their core, sending the ship cartwheeling off into space in 3 different pieces.

WARNING: IMPACT IN 5 SECONDS

The last missile launch. It is no longer actively tracking us, but with no engines to avoid it, the ballistic path will still have it on a collision course. Adding insult to injury, the final missile detonates in the shield generator room, causing more structural and hardware damage. The shields are disabled, but with no nearby enemies, it is less important than the fact that we are still alive, albeit barely.

WARNING: HULL INTEGRITY CRITICAL

Thanks Betty, I hadn't noticed. The 'Wood has taken a beating today. We have lost our Ensign, Lisa and the ship is barely holding together. Mort and Notch work quietly on repairing the downed systems after starting with the sensor array in order to confirm there are no hidden fires in any compartments.

If we don't find a repair station or merchant fleet soon, all may be lost.

CAPTAIN'S LOG: SECTOR 2, JUMP POINT 2

Lisa's remains are committed to the void and some words said. We must move on.

With all our sub-systems somewhat patched back up, we plot a jump and cross our fingers that some kind of repair resource will be available nearby.

Coming out of the jump, we pick up the last broadcast from a rupturing Zoltan freighter, “The Mantis, they're here, please... “

Without hesitation, full power is granted to the Burst, power diverted from the Med Bay and some of the shields to the Artillery Beam. This Mantis Scout has a missile platform and a laser weapon. We must focus fire on their Fire Control module or all is lost. The 'Wood is being held together with chewing gum and prayer at this point. One or two solid hits and we are finished.

Both ships reach 100% charge and fire their weapons simultaneously. Notch slides the 'Wood to the side of the first laser bolt and the second is absorbed by our shields.

MISSILE LAUNCH DETECTED

Just hearing those words makes me wince in anticipation. The missile is locked and tracking.

Our Burst Laser has returned fire, the first bolt taking down their shield and the second two bolts impacting dead on target, knocking the missile control offline.

With full engine power granted to Notch, he is maneuvering hard to avoid the incoming missile but is unsuccessful. The missile strikes the Shield Generator, reducing power and capacity to a single-layer of shielding. Additionally, the missile has opened a breach in the hull. I cannot risk sending in either Notch or Mort to repair the breach. It will have to wait until after this battle is decided.

The Mantis captain makes a critical error in judgment, electing to attempt to repair their disabled missile battery instead of charging their laser turret the last remaining bit. I can't say I blame him, we must look mostly dead. Our Burst Laser reaches maximum charge and with the familiar wump-wump-wump, sends another triple-shot into the center of the Mantis craft, crushing the repair effort and fully disabling all weapons systems. A glance over at the Artillery Beam shows 93% charge. One accurate shot here and this fight is over. Wish Lisa was here.

The beam reaches out and scorches the Mantis ship, detonating the core and sending wreckage everywhere. After salvaging some equipment and parts, the crew sets to carefully repairing the hull breach in the Shield Control room and repairing the shield generator itself.

Jump drives online, time to keep looking for opportunities to repair this boat.

CAPTAIN'S LOG: SECTOR 2, JUMP POINT 3

We jump into an asteroid field, or at least right next to one. If the ship was in better condition I would probably consider risking a look through the field to search for supplies but one wrong move with the ship in this condition and we are dead men. Time to keep searching for a station, repair drone or merchant fleet.

Jumping out.

CAPTAIN'S LOG: SECTOR 2, JUMP POINT 4

We have found an abandoned mining station on a nearby moon. No life forms detected. We were, however, able to locate some usable scrap and a valuable drone schematic! If only we could locate a merchant to barter for repairs and upgrades. Will our luck turn around?

Jump drive engaged.