Fiction Friday: Series 4 - Part 21

Previously:
Prologue Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13
Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20
 
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Local spiked as eight pilots from my corporation jumped in. I listened to the fleet commander, Greyhound67, ordered the align to the station and initiate warp as I felt the first pinpricks on my back and sides of the Templar fighters' lasers. But my battleship was far more prepared for this assault and I easily solidified the shields.

"You brought friends, Kirith?" Blodel asked as the mixed fleet of battlecruisers and battleships arrived. "That's not very sporting of you."

"What's wrong, Blodel? Not so sure of yourself now that you don't have me all to yourself?"

Grey brought the fleet into range and targeted the large carrier. Missiles, shells, antimatter, drones, and lasers flew across the void to strike the ship but its shields barely registered the damage. My shields, despite the reinforcement I was pouring into it from my booster, were at 50% and failing. Still, her fighters had disengaged as soon as stargate control reported the new pilots and began flying back to their hanger in her ship.

"She's de-aggressing, just like we thought she would," Greyhound observed on our fleet comms. "Give me a sec," I responded.

"Damn, Chrystina, giving up already?" I taunted on the private channel I had to her. "I was hoping to fuck you over like I did your brother. At least that stupid asshole had the balls to stand up to me and fight." Silence was the only response and the fighters were almost back; I decided to take a gamble. "Maybe I'll have more luck with your other brother."

I had done some basic research into Blodel as we were coming up with our plan and I knew that she had other brothers besides the one I shot back in Slays. Chrystina was the only one to aspire to be a capsuleer though, and the only girl of that generation in the family. I was gambling that her overachieving manner (becoming capsuleer, hunting me down in Minmatar space) was a product of trying to attain approval from an old patriarchal family that naturally favoured the men over the women. It was a stretch, but it was all I have left.

The fighters, all ten of them, stopped their approach and made a tight turn back to me. The Archon itself activated neutralizers on my ship and I felt the capacitors in my belly as they were destabilized.

"Bait taken," I told Greyhound.

"Excellent. Fleet, target those fighters and once they start orbiting Kirith put some webs on them, spread out as much as possible. Max, light the cyno."