The small craft propelled itself forward and went straight under the sand like I had hoped. But now, I was facing the ultimate dilemma. Pull up too fast and be spotted by the Emperor’s fleet or stay too long underground and eventually hit something and die. I reckoned though that the pirates would have considered this and made sure there was no debris in the way. I never thought I’d have to rely on the thoughtfulness of pirates but there you go. Another thing that I had to take into account was the thick, toxic atmosphere that should hamper visibility.

After what seemed like an age of inner thoughts but in reality, no more than twenty seconds I pulled the craft up and out of the sand. Not a moment too soon either as we would have hit ruins if I waited a few seconds longer.

I stayed close to the ground of the habitat to avoid detection. The rest of the habitat was more of the same. Sand and ruins of cities. I kept on expecting to see some plant life but to no avail.

We reached the edge of the habitat and I now flew out back out into space and round to its underbelly.

The Empire is seeking two terrorists. We know that you have them in your possession. Release them and you can go free. Glory to the Emperor!

This message then went on a continuous repeat.

I was right. They were after us. Suddenly, the ground stopped shaking. We didn’t have much time. They were giving the bikers a chance to bring us to them, I reasoned.

The tunnel led us to a large hangar with an array of ships. They looked old and beaten, and most exhibited marks from being previously hit by laser fire. There was no point in being picky so I went straight for the nearest one quickly getting into the cockpit.

“Will you be able to fly this?” Tabitha asked wide-eyed, in an excitable tone.

Its controls looked very familiar apart from a peculiar set of buttons off to the right that I hadn’t seen before. Then a ship buzzed passed us. Rather than going straight up, it propelled itself under the sand. I understood and pressed the top right button.

The leader and her cronies now entered the hangar and opened fire with small lasers.

Tabitha put on her belt as did I. I pushed on the accelerator.

I felt the ground shake or did it? Then it happened again. I opened my eyes and was hit by a cacophony of sounds. Our captives were under attack by aerial bombardment. They seemed very disorganized. This didn’t happen too often from their faces of astonishment. Then the thought struck me. It was us they were after and not them.

Tabitha was already taking action.

She was marshaling the other prisoners to try and push down the cell railings. I quickly got up and added my weight. At first, I thought it was hopeless but then I felt movement. I urged all those around me to keep going.

Then I suddenly lost my footing as the railings finally gave way. I looked up and saw the bikers had not noticed. But that wouldn’t last as other escapees ran right through them. Sure enough, some of them started collapsing to the ground under laser fire. I grabbed Tabitha’s hand and motioned for her to follow me.

The gang must have some of its own ships somewhere. And they were nowhere to be seen on the way in. So, we go deeper.

A hair, round biker suddenly appeared in front of us but realizing that he had no support, he let us scurry past. The ground continued shaking as we hurried down a tunnel.

Then we heard chatter over speakers that must have been installed in the tunnel.

Then a bald, fat faced woman took center stage.

“What do you want?” Tabitha roared.

She and the rest of the crowd laughed in response. Then she began to speak.

“Well, well look what we have found. A pity about the ship but this fiery one should fetch a fine price in the sex slave markets. And then there is him of the Emperor’s lineage. Many will pay to watch him die as horrifically as possible.”

“I promised you riches, when I became leader. And riches you will have.”

There was a huge roar of approval.

“Take them to the cell.”

One more, we were pulled forward by the neck. Fortunately, the destination was to the rear of the large chamber, so our legs didn’t give up. The nooses around our necks were removed and we were pushed into a cell that swiftly clanked closed behind us.

It was dark, but we immediately sensed being surrounded by other bodies. A putrid smell hung in the air. Probably, other poor souls captured for the slave market. I clasped Tabitha’s hand and held it tightly as much for myself as her.

“What next?” she whispered.

“No idea,” I replied faintly.

I wished I could have replied something more hopeful. But I could not.

An armed guard was keeping watch so we decided it was best to try and rest,

A few seconds later and we were surrounded by a group of bikers. Their faces almost completely covered by masks depicting white skulls. They roared like wild animals over the din of their powerful engines.

The next I knew was that I could feel a rope ripping me forward onto my knees. Tabitha cried out as the same happened to her. Now defenseless, we watched warily as some of our assailants left their bikes to inspect the ship, before angrily kicking it.

“There is nothing salvageable here,” one of them roared out from behind me.

With that, we were both pulled along like wild animals, struggling to keep up as they stayed on their bikes. This was unlike any habitat I had previously seen, they are usually optimized for human life but not this rotten world. It reeked of decay and death. Each breath was a struggle, the ground dry and lifeless. There were ruins everywhere hinting at a more prosperous past. If I hadn’t been so concerned by the fate that awaited us, I would have wondered what possibly could have happened here.

The group that captured us was about twenty strong. A mixture of men and women, all with a fair complexion. I noticed now too that their arms were covered in tattoos of red fists with insignia that was too difficult to make out.

But the Emperor’s fighters remained in hot pursuit. Their laser fire coming closer and closer. The devastating effects of being hit could be seen in the massive explosions when errant shots hit unintended space stations.

“Go there.”

Their new companion leaned forward and pointed to a massive space habitat in the distance. There was no time for questions. I just obeyed and hoped for the best. It was just one of those things.

I continued to weave this way and that as randomly as possible. Our destination was coming closer now. It was huge but looked somewhat ominous, its atmosphere an unhealthy-looking grey color. There were what looked like dilapidated mega-cities on its surface.

Then one of the laser shots grazed one of the ship’s wings. I nearly lost control of the ship but just regained control as we entered its atmosphere. The fighters pulled back and didn’t follow us. An emergency siren went off.

“Prepare for a crash landing,” I yelled.

And then things went blank. If it had been any other ship, we’d have been killed. Its emergency systems were legendary. It’s AI must have taken over to mitigate damage.

I can still remember regaining consciousness. It was a slow and painful experience. The first thing I felt was a throbbing headache.

A few moments later we were traveling through the launch tunnel, under intense laser fire. Then just seconds after we were in the vacuum of space surrounded by a vast array of large space habitats and stars. It was with much amazement that I spotted the moon for the first time. I thought I could just about make out some of the settlements on its surface. Then Tabitha’s voice brought me back to reality and to the predicament we were now in.

“Where will we go?”

On the face of it, there were boundless opportunities but I knew that wasn’t the case.

“Any rebel bases near here? I asked in hope rather than expectation.

I looked back and she nodded “no”.

Much to my horror I could see one of the Emperor’s fighters with two large laser cannons on its wings behind us. It had his colors and his insignia, the crossed swords on its front.

“What’s wrong?” our new female companion asked.

I turned around and put the thrusters on. My head jolted back. For a moment I felt my body getting hot but I started to breathe more slowly to try to calm myself. The ship was easy to control and I was soon weaving my way in and out of the different space habitats and stations.

Left.

Then right and right again.

Sure enough Uncle Robbie had not let her down. It was a Select 5 Raptor. This was my first time to see one in the flesh as they were totally illegal. For a moment I froze. This model spaceship was something that I had dreamed about when I was young. It’s a sleek design, with a polished black carbonate exterior, it was just perfect. Two large thrusters waited patiently to the rear.

It was the model that had once been predicted to transform Earth’s orbit from a multitude of quasi-independent habitats to a more unified political entity. Every citizen would own one. But it was thought that such freedom would be a threat to the Emperor’s order and then through a flood of new regulations the dream was stifled and then died.

So, it was with relish that I jumped into the front passenger seat and encouraged Tabitha to climb into the rear.

Our new companion got into the driver’s seat but then looked at me, her eyes enlarged.

“Do you know how to work this thing?

I didn’t require a second invitation.

We quickly changed seats. I could hear the echo of steps coming towards us in the distance.

Fortunately, in my past life, I had watched videos about the different panel controls on various ships never thinking it would become of practical use. I took the control lever in my hand. The ship jerked forward forcing me to break causing Tabitha to bang her slightly.

Now there was gunfire.

Instinctively I drove it onto the launch runway. The hood of the ship closed and I ignited the thrusters.