“Almost home,” Trou spoke gleefully. He couldn’t wait to see his family again and to greet his niece or nephew into the world. He leaned back in the chair as his ship drifted through space. Ten planets away from Kapnek and close to home. When he stood from the chair and started to make his way off the bridge, the proximity alarm went off. He spun around as his heart skipped a beat and glanced down at the monitor. A ship was coming upon his with a blistering pace. Trou leaned over the console with his hands grasping the edge. His eyes widened at what he saw on the monitors and radar. “What the hell?” he muttered.

“Evasive maneuvers,” he ordered the ship. He began to type in the command to bring up the weapons when the ship dipped. His hands shook as he fastened the harness around his chest and clasped it between his thighs. “Who the hell are you and what do you want?” he spoke through clenched teeth. Beads of sweat popped out on his forehead and he reached up to wipe them away with the back of his hand.

The ship spun around to avoid being hit by a laser from the unknown ship. “Shit.” The second laser barely missed him. The ship spun to face the enemy, his finger on the fire button and he pressed it. The other ship maneuvered out of the return of fire. “Shit.” The harsh word echoed throughout the bridge. He pressed the button again and the other ship moved out of the way.

His ship took a direct hit causing the lights to dim for a second before staying on. Sparks flew from the control panel causing him to raise his hands and stand. “What the hell did they hit me with?” he growled roughly. The lights on the bridge grew dim then brightened again when the emergency generators came on.

“It is unknown at this time; the type of weapon used is not in my data banks,” the computer informed him.

Trou reached up to run his fingers through his blonde hair then ran the hands over his face. The ship shook again when it was hit. “Get us out of here now!” he roared and jumped back into the chair and strapped the harness over his body. He glanced down at the monitor when the ship jerked and began to speed through space.

“Damn, they’re still on our stern,” Trou muttered hoarsely. He couldn’t seem to shake the other ship. No matter what maneuvering was done or the speed he was traveling, they were still behind him. He pounded a fist, hard, on the control panel. At least the ship was dodging whatever weapons they were firing upon him, even the new one.

He sped past Kapnek and he glanced at his home world with longing in his eyes. He didn’t want to land there, not with whomever it was chasing after him. Not wanting whomever it was to be running loose on his world, Trou kept traveling through space as fast as he could. He’d return to Kapnek as soon as he lost the person firing on his ship.

“Do you have an identity of the ship?” he asked the computer.

The ship’s computer responded, “Negative.”

Trou slammed a hand against the console then moved his gaze to the radar; they were getting closer. “Shit.” He’d thought the ship Taira had given him was the fastest in the entire galaxy, she’d thought wrong. The ship chasing him was even faster. “What the hell kind of ship is that?”

“The type of ship isn’t in my data banks.”

The faster his ship went, the faster they followed right on his tail. Trou watched through the radar screen with amazement. Sweat beaded along his forehead; he reached up with his arm to wipe it away. His heart was racing wildly; he wasn’t trained for a space fight, only ground battles. Trou glanced down at the radar screen; they were getting too close for his liking. “Damn,” he muttered harshly, he couldn’t seem to shake them off his tail. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t get the away from this ship.

He returned fire whenever possible but the lasers weren’t even striking their ship. He knew that he was losing the battle and was afraid that he would never see his sister again, or her baby.

Trou’s ship began to lose power and was slowing down. He’d taken too many hits to keep it going. He was losing power and the emergency generators couldn’t keep up with the fast pace.

“I’m sorry, Elisa,” he muttered softly. “It looks like I won’t be making it home after all. But I’m going to try. Damn hard.” He shook his head as he sat down in the chair only to stand suddenly. “I’m not going down without a fight,” he growled. He spun around and marched across the bridge to the weapons cache. He pried it open and took out one the lasers tucked away inside. He checked the charge and it was full. His shoulder hit the bulkhead, hard, causing pain to shoot down to his fingers.

Someone was about to board his ship. His heart hammered and blood rushed through his veins. “They’re not about to get my ship. Taira will have my head if something were to happen to one of her ships,” Trou spoke roughly. He wiped his mouth and waited.

He glanced over his shoulder at the sound of pounding feet. Trou reached up to push a lock of blonde hair from his eyes. “I’m waiting,” he called out softly. He braced his back against the bulkhead and aimed the laser right at the door. He wasn’t about to let them take him without a fight. He waited patiently as the steps grew closer to him. The laser held in a tight grip, armed and ready.

The pounding footsteps were getting closer; Trou gripped the laser even tighter. He darted across the bridge toward the door and stood beside it. “Come and get me you son of bitches,” he muttered.