Avenger From Earth

Avenger From Earth

It took us three years, but by the summer of 2257, we'd finally reverse-engineered enough salvaged Easterner and M'kkiae hyper-string pseudo gravity pods to build HSPG units compact enough to fit in a two seater.

The Avengers would fit in a 6X15 ship bay with the pods retracted. And the base unit could hold eight full-sized ship-killer drones. That whole reactionless acceleration thing really made fighters useful again. There was enough fuel on board for thirty days, and with over eight gees sustained acceleration and nearly thirteen on full military power, the Avengers could fly circles around anything out there.

We could launch from far outsystem, drive up to a few percent of cee and coast into the thick of it undetected.

Too bad they were so fragile, though. One hit to one pod and the show was all over. Sure you could detach the forward cabin as a lifeboat, but if you’re a couple of hundred million klicks from the nearest friendly, there's not much to do but scream for help. If the Enemy wasn't listening.

I shudder to think how many jocks are still out there between the stars, without power, frozen, gliding through the darkness, awaiting a rescue that never came.

-Cmdr. Charlotte "Bengy" Benghazi-Chou, Confederation Space Navy (Retired)