>Be Batmike and Speck
>Cruising through the R Aquarri sector in your tiny 2-bat freighter "Rosewood"
>She's a banged up old bird, but she gets the job done
>The multicolored glow of the system's symbiotic stars washes in through the main window
>R Aquarii itself is surrounded by the ghostly remains of a bat-shaped nebula
>All around, space dust floats like snow
>"Somethin' ain't right here," Batmike mutters, scratching his goatee. "Station's supposed to be right at these coordinates..."
>Laser fire blasts the ship's shielding just as the warning klaxons sound
>Rosewood groaned from the impact, and Speck wrestled with the controls
>"Right thruster's disabled," she growled. "Only the left's left!"
>The face of a bat pony flickered onto the mane console, accompanied by the sound of laughter
>"I am afraid you are far outclassed, little bats," the pirate said in a sultry, Eastern European accent. "Do not attempt to flee, and I vill let you live."
>"Aw heck, that's Anana Umbra!" Techmike said. "Scourge of the Celestia-darned Aquarius. We ain't gettin' outta this one if we run, Speck."
>The twin MANGO179A cannons leveled at the freighter seemed to agree with him
>Speck's heart was thudding in her chest as she stared at the pirate vessel
>"Why are you doing this? The delivery, the coordinates, was it all just a lie?"
>Umbra sighed. Her smile was devilish. "Poor girl. You should know that black market jobs with such pay are too good to be true."
>Speck's mind raced. She knew that one wrong move would mean the end of her life
>One wrong move, and she'd never see him again
>The one waiting for her back in port... back home.
>She had to get back to him, no matter what.
>The beginnings of a plan were forming in her mind
>"You were trying to smuggle something out, weren't you?" Speck said. "Which means whatever you want is in our cargo hold."
>Umbra frowned on the console screen. "Very astute. It is unfortunate for you that you did not realize this earlier. Now hand it over."
>"If you destroy us, you'll never see your precious cargo," Speck spat. "It'll be carGONE!"
>Umbra hissed angrily, as Speck shouted to her copilot: "Batmike, full power to the left wing shields!"
>"You got it, sugarcube!" He scrambled to fulfill her request, redistributing power from the SHADE unit to the left side of the ship
>Simultaneously, Speck activated the left thruster
>Rosewood swung forward, the wing like a blade slicing toward Umbra's vessel
>The pirate ship could not maneuver away in time, and the shielded wing slammed into its side
>Shots from the MANGO cannons burned holes deep into Rosewood's hull, sending plumes of steam into the central hall
>"Fire the emag!" Speck shouted over the scream of metal
>A button press from Batmike fired the freighter's one defensive weapon, the THIRSTER electromagnetic disruption device
>The cable lanced across the gap between the two ships and speared the exposed gash on the pirate vessel
>On the console, Umbra was spitting curses in her mother tongue 
>A moment later, she blipped out, her transmission cut off
>The two ships remained locked together, the battle over as quickly as it had begun
>Speck exhaled heavily, bowing her head
>She thought of him, his kind face
>She'd done it
>"Dang Speck," Batmike said. "That was closer n' a hair on a shaved pig."
>"Cmon," Speck said. "We have some cargo to examine."