Pyrrhic victory

Daedalus system: Police central just issued a warning that known |DP| mercenary is moving to fulfil a bloody termination contract on peaceful IOC trader. Luck has smiled on professional bounty hunter that time. Nearest police officer from Silver Arrows had not yet fully functional his new ship offensive systems and mercenary ship has quickly left Daedalus while merchant ship debris were still floating around. No survivors were detected.

But despite brilliant fulfilled assassination not all has worked as planned. In space appeared three more police officers, one from Blood Guards, one known under his nick APE and one from K.P.F. clan and mercenary ship was soon after marked three times for fine. This was for a mercenary a really unpleasant situation, fine amount few times exceeded his bounty income and he decided to run and keep distance from all incoming police ships. Hunter and hunted role has changed and chase which started in Daedalus continued through Tau systems, Leeds, then Texas and in the end hunted mercenary decided to use Midpoint Rift way to return back to central crossfire system X-3043. During his run he observed, very likely with joy, how some of the officers had troubles with ruthless pirate known under nick LasTHumAn. But every luck have two sides and he should to know that far better as anyone else.

Silver Arrows officer was almost in Texas when he saw his target enter Midpoint Rift. Initially when he undocked his fully armed ship from Neutro Station he was behind by more as 80k, but now it was less as 20 ... still little too much. Chased criminal had chose a way which has kept him safer from other officers at the cost of give one much better chance to intercept him. Police fighter jumped from X-3043 to Tohoku, when ship systems detected ongoing nearby fight. In next moment was identified distress signal from escape pod and in radar range appeared pirate which has caused troubles during all this operation. Was obvious that mercenary refused pay to pirate a tax and this resulted in a fight which ended in a pirate favor. But also pirate's luck has ended at that time and in a following fierce fight was his ship torn apart by gattling projectiles fired from police ship.

After was area in Tohoku secured, was started search for escape pod which signal was noted earlier. But nothing was found. Mercenary has won and lost his "race" in the same moment, truly a pyrrhic achievement. But lack of escape pod or his remnants still let a open a possibility that it was not the last time, when he was seen in space.