Doubts
"Alarm lights in cockpit are flickering through flames, but everything is gradually fading into a smoke. Normally there would be heard the cracking of the hull, but without atmosphere is present only a infinite silence. Pilot seat is missing, deep gouges leads up to an emergency opening in the ship hull. Small bullpup mk 3 freighter wreck slowly falls deeper and deeper into asteroid field, but emergency beacon shows in a debris cloud an jettisoned escape module. But module positional jets are not functional and his trail is leading directly into a sun corona. Temperature inside pod is slowly rising ..."
"BEEEP, BEEEP, BEEP" unscrupulous alarm sound suddenly interrupted an nightmare. Officer has slowly standing up from bed and aimed to bathroom in police apartments at Freeport 9. This was not his first or worst nightmare, but still ... it was the most recent which was containing distinct details. It was only a few hour ago when he was on patrol run in Tau systems and received radio call from a known mercenary. It was only a formal request for informations about legal status for one pilot which silently passed Sigma-17, nothing special. In police databases were not records about this pilot, all looked normal except one small detail, pilot's market index showed higher changes in a very short time. Intensive trading in Omicron Theta? Unlikely, almost no one is legally trading there or stay for too long.
Passed only a short time when small police ship entered Omicron Theta and started searching. Radar was empty, but then came info that target jumped into Omicron Alpha. Still it was nothing special, there was rich and actual trade route for Alien Organisms into Alaska. Officer decided to follow target's expected course, but he was in half way when suddenly decided to head back. He was still far from Theta when his target appeared just there ... "ok, looks it is needed to consider this small patrol more seriously", thought.
Suspicious unknown ship then moved to Omega systems and entered also officer home system - Omega-3. "He want run into Inner Core sector? ... no, he appeared in Omega-7. This make no sense, unless ..." police ship has entered Omega-7 via shortcut in Omega-5 and radar suddenly showed a target. A ship scan first revealed ship type and used id (license), next info was much less surprising, in cargo was loaded sample for black market commodity. Was sent a formal request to stop ship engines. But in this moment things started to go a wrong way. Smuggler despite his bad situation decided to run away and entered a jump-gate leading into Omega-3. Two bad decisions in a short time changed officer's intentions, he jumped in Omega-3 right after his target and catches him at trade-lane leading to Freeport. Smuggler still refused to stop and when was fired missile package was too late for change an outcome ... it was also the moment which was later a source for a nightmares and doubts ... really was not there other way how to convince smuggler stop and communicate? Looking back it obviously was only a panic reaction and it was only one sample for illegal cargo. Really a reason for smuggler ship destruction? Yes, it happened in police clan system, but still ...
Smuggler's escape pod has been found and after taken to the Freistadt Base hospital. "Who knows if he is still alive, and that he does not want have a revenge some time in the future." Officer closed Freeport 9 apartment door and slowly headed to a hangar ... "I'm getting too old for this job, thought he for a moment." Then was a time for start a preflight check and doubts slowly faded away from officer's mind.
