Moonlight Drive

Where: Flight Deck/Docking Bay and space above the Hymie home world

When: After the Hymie blew the turret

Who: Davie, and one annoying computer

<Snip>

Luckily the door held firmly, but Davie was still stunned from the explosion, He sat in the corridor for a moment, shaking the fog from his head.

<End Snip>

Davie stood up slowly, exhaustion catching up to him again. He forced it out of his mind and willed his body to move. He turned and ran towards the Flight Deck. He arrived just in time to see the tail end of a strange looking Star Bug rocketing off into the distance. He decided to ignore the ship for now, if it wasn't shooting at him, he wasn't worried. He looked around the Flight Deck, searching for a ship he could use.

Nothing. Nothing except a large, brown sheet covering some hidden piece of machinery in the far corner. Davie ran across the length of the docking bay towards the mysterious mass, hoping it to be a ship. It's a long shot…Davie thought as he flung back the brown dust covered sheet. No way…I haven't seen one of these in years…thought Davie, surprised.

He saw under the sheet, a black, dusty looking ship. It's sleek black hull rounded at the cockpit and tapered off into a tale that stuck out curving between it's twin thrusters. Two short wings stuck out from the sides just behind the cockpit, each with twin missile launchers on it. Four guns jutted out a short distance out from the front of the ship. Davie had recognized as an older model of defensive craft that was equally suited to attack. He had flow one when he was a mercenary for the Space Corp. This particular model's production was stopped when the Space Corp. rethought it's approach to combat craft. It still was, Davie remembered, a well rounded combat craft that was affectionately known by it's pilots as "The Killer"

Davie opened the cockpit and was met by musty air rushing towards his face. He sat in the cockpit and powered up the ship. Light and computer screens flickered on. "Identify yourself." came a deep, angry voice from the ship's on-board computer. "I don't have time for this…" Davie said annoyed. "Identify yourself." said the computer again. "Davie Jones."

"You do not have permission to pilot this vehicle."

"Oh god I remember what a pain the computers were with these ships…"

"Please exit the vehicle."

"Look, I'm in the middle of a battle. Give me control of the ship."

"Control of the ship shall not be given unless authorization is first given by appropriate Space Corp. personnel."

"Just give me control of the ship. It's an emergency!"

"State the emergency."

"We're under attack from a race called the Hymenoptera."

The computer thought for a moment, and then said "No known species on record."

"Ugh…" Davie said in frustration, "of course, you went out of commission before they were discovered."

"Please exit the vehicle." the computer said again. Davie sighed heavily and leaned down, drawing his combat knife and flipping around in his hand so that the but of the handle was facing outwards. The Hymenoptera bug's dried blood still crusted into the serrated edge, in the blood groove, and in the crescent moon and star etched into the blade above the handle. He smashed in a small metal plate under the control consol. "Cease and desist immediately! You are guilty of damage to Space Corp. property!" protested the computer. Davie just ignored it, and pulled out a bundle of wire. "Cease and desist immediately! You are guilty of damage to Space Corp. property!" repeated the computer, as Davie began to cut the wires with the blade of his knife. "Cease and des--" the computer was cut off as Davie sliced through the onboard computer's control circuitry. "Finally…" Davie said, starting the engines.

The ship lifted from the ground, moving slowly towards the docking bay doors. He saw a button on the wall of the cockpit of the craft. Hmm...must have been a different model I flew. he thought, deciding to ignore the button for now. The doors opened remotely as they sensed him approaching. He heard a voice coming over the radio as it crackled on. ""Blue Dwarf this is Vespidae. We need backup here, get some people on the turrets. God dammit anybody! The idiots from McDonalds will do we are getting slapped silly out here!" he heard of the radio once the static cleared.

He barreled out of docking bay, guns blazing as a wing of Hymenoptera fighters flew past. His fire cut through the lot of them, sending shrapnel flying everywhere. He spun his ship towards a group on fighters locked in combat with their enemies. He joined in the dog fight, and with the help of the Space Eagle fighters the Hymenoptera fighters were destroyed quickly, and the human fighters were able to focus on the rest of the alien fighters and the Hymenoptera defensive platforms.

Davie spotted the Space Corp. warship in the distance, engaged in an intense battle of it's own. As Davie came round for another pass he saw some of his allies flying towards the planet, guns blazing. He turned his ship to follow them. A Hymenoptera defensive platform opened fire at him. Dave's agile ship easily avoided it's plasma fire. He pressed down the secondary fire trigger, and his ship began spitting missiles at the platform, tearing it apart.

Suddenly, to his right came a wing of three Space Corp. fighters. The guns of the lead ship blazed in his direction as the other two broke off from the group, and headed into the fray, firing at Blue Dwarf and other SC Marine ships and fighters. Five bolts of laser cannon fire slammed in his starboard armor, jostling him around. "Dammit, hold your fire! I thought your Captain made a truce!?" Davie shouted through the comm. at the marine pilot firing at him. "Our Captain is a traitor to the Space Corp.!"

Smeg…Davie thought, the Marines must be having a civil war on board their ship… Davie swung his agile fighter around and begun firing his lasers at the Marine pilot, clipping his portside wingtip. The Marine swung his ship around and Davie locked and fired a missile in his direction. The missile tracked the Marine as he tried desperately to shake it. The missile connected with his fighter craft, his ship exploding in fragment of metal that clinked against the hulls of ship nearby. Davie flew near the wreckage and saw that the blood was red as he expected it to be, but green. "What the hell are those people working on?" Davie said as he looked away from his passing glance at the wreckage.

He flew one more into the thick of battle between the Hymenoptera, Space Corp., and his Blue Dwarf companions. As if we didn't have enough problems…

<Tag/TBC>