With the appearance of two different ships and an apparent pursuit, you make a snap decision, "Frank, put us on an intercept course for the chase. Simo, warm up the guns and get me a scan of the Mavros first, then the Zlatna Peperuda. Something is very wrong here, and we need to find out what."

Frank responds promptly, "New heading set, going to full military power: 360 gravs of acceleration."

Simo chimes in after only a few minutes, "Sunsears primed and ready, passive lock acquired on both ships. The Mavros appears to be a standard Jerico-class bulk hauler, but she's got some interesting features; I'm reading a warpsbane gellar field and a Deep Void-class sensor array. Both things are not common outside of dedicated naval scout craft. Scanning the Zlatna Peperuda now, we will be in range in fifteen minutes."

The next ten minutes slip by to the tempo of your beating heart. Everything could be about to go to the Warp in a fancy paper hat, and you are in command of the biggest ship in the system. For your first taste of Void combat, you figure you should do ok so long as no serious competition shows up.

Simo speaks up again, "Scans on the Zlatna Peperuda are coming back strong. I think we know this ship. Jace, check me on this please?"

Jace comes back over your microbead, "Sir, Simo is correct. the Zlatna Peperuda is the Golden Butterfly. The similarities are too close, right down to the fluctuations in her shields."

You nod sharply, several things coming together in your head, "Simo, priority target is the Golden Butterfly. She is a Merchant Raider, so take her out before she can gut the Mavros. Try to keep the Golden Butterfly in one piece if you can, but saving the Mavros comes first. Frank, adjust out intercept appropriately." Both Frank and Simo respond in the affirmative, and you glance back to the sensors overview just in time to spot a new return ghost onto the display. "Jace, sweep the Ice Rings again, I'm seeing a faint return from that direction. Simo, stay ready on the guns."

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Two minutes later, the sensor ghost near the Ice Rings starts to firm up, and things get a tad more complex. "Jace here, That 'sensor ghost' is starting to look an awful lot like a Wolfpack class Raider."

You promptly re-shuffle your priorities. "Simo, take the Raider out. Frank, go to evasive maneuvers. Jace, stand by Damage control. Were in a proper furball now."

Simo already has the Raider locked up and is firing before you even finish speaking. The Sunsears spit streams of red light, and the Raider gets mauled. Her dorsal macrobattery is reduced to so much slag and she is bleeding atmosphere into the void.

The Mavros comes about and fires her meager broadside at the raider as well, but scores no significant damage.

The Golden Butterfly unloads her prow plasma batteries at the Mavros, but only succeeds in wasting power. Her lance is aimed to the Raider however, and adds her own contribution to the Raider's pain.

The Raider, now hemorrhaging atmosphere from several decks, gets only a single lance strike out in return, shredding the Mavros' shields.

Simo's next volley shreds what is left of the Raider. The detonation of its plasma drive only serves to illuminate the splintered fragments of its hull as they are consumed.

The Mavros gets her shields back online and keeps turning, taking the Golden Butterfly under fire. She manages to strip off the shields, but otherwise does little more than scratch some paintwork.

The Golden Butterfly gets her shield back online, and maneuvers to break away from the fight, obviously not wanting to tangle with both the Aegis and the Mavros at the same time.