#1 by Thoren Karth

Thoren was so close to the Outcast pilot that he could see the shocked look on her face as her ship went from full shields and hull to no shields and critical hull in one pass. She probably never even saw the mine that put an end to her surprise for all time.

"Thoren Karth to Java station. That's the last of them."
"Roger that. Our scans confirm no bandits."
"Heading to the Tau-37 jump hole. There always seems to be a few Cardamine smugglers coming through from there."
"Roger that Thoren. Good hunting to you. We'll be awaiting your return."
"Glad to hear it. I might make a stop at Falkland base so if I don't show up in a few hours don't be surprised."

Alone in his cockpit Thoren thought about the situation.
"The Outcasts have been shipping Cardamine from their home on Malta for hundreds of years. While the house police have tried to keep it out of their space they haven't met with much success. But no one seems to have ever thought of attacking the smugglers closer to their origin. Sure I may be the only one out here trying to make a difference in this undercover war, but every ship I shoot down means one less smuggler and one load of Cardamine that never makes it to the people who the Outcasts are trying to addict."

Here he's interrupted by a group of Switchblades as they start to attack him. After a short intense fight they're taken out of the equation for good.

"Sure the outcasts still have their route on the other side of Omicron Alpha through Omicron Beta and down through the Sigmas. But their main route is here coming through Tau-23 and Tau-37. Unfortunately just about the only ones who have cared about stopping the incoming Cardamine are the house police. But with the Outcast and Dragon conquest of Kusari and the late Outcast takeovers in Corsair space, more people are taking an interest in the outcasts and how to stop them. Perhaps I will be able to find some good pilots to join me in this quiet war."

He then jumped into the Tau-37 jump hole and prepared to continue the fight on the other side.