The ship’s engines give a faint hum that can be heard all throughout the cabin, a thrumming heartbeat of the ship as it speeds through the darkness of space. Passengers stay in their seats, some looking out to the streaking stars outside, others trying to sleep, and still others watching an old movie as they await their landing on a new world. One passenger seems more uncomfortable than most, wearing heavy plates of steel and holding tightly onto the handles of her seat. Her neighbor, a slight human woman with her dark hair drawn back into a ponytail, seems to keep a good distance from the worried pony.
Quite suddenly, the hum of the engines changes loudly before dying out altogether. The passengers are jarred by the change, beginning a panicked conversation, questioning what could be happening. Prism makes a quiet sound in her distress as the ship comes fully to a stop, looking out her window into the now still stars. A silhouette begins to blot out this incoming star light, a space ship coming toward the passenger shuttle.
Before long, the airlock opens and several large reptilian humanoids walk through. Covered in salvaged armor and bristling with weapons, the pirates silence the panic of the crowd by shooting their vicious looking blasters into the air. Having established control, two of their number go into the cockpit before more discharges are heard there while one more walks through the airlock. A truly massive creature, with crimson scales covered by a premium grade scatterlight suit, this Drak announces himself as the crew’s captain, Krül the Butcher.
Sneering malevolently, Krül speaks in a growling voice like the erupting volcano, “Hello there! As you can see, my men have taken control of this ship. After we take anything of value from it, we intend to blow it to bits.” This elicited a stunned gasp or scream from most of the crowd, a fear which Krül seemed to revel in. “Unfortunately, we’re quite full as a crew for now, and none of you are worth your ransom. However, if you’d prefer to not be scattered across the starways, please step onto my ship and we will work out your price of transit.” He finished this with a serpentine smile, and watched with a predator’s gaze as an elven man stepped forward only to be beaten down by two pirates, manacles cruelly shoved on.
Once again the passengers started to panic, and Krül only gave a calm, “Plan B then…” as his men began beating and shooting at the innocent passengers, roughly shoving them into a line for collection. The scene erupted into chaos, with people jumping rows of chairs to escape their assailants and shots being fired with rage into the madness. In this mob, Prism managed to let go of her seat, walking into the aisle toward Krül as a steady rock in the storm. One of the pirates sees the strange pony and thinks to try and wrestle her to the ground. Prism’s horn flares as her hammer appears, smashing it into the skull of the pirate. Continuing her steady march, now demanding more attention, she comes within reach of Krül before he stops her, “Now, that’s quite enough of that.”
Her voice barely rising above a whisper, Prism speaks to Krül “Stop this, go back to your ship, and no one else dies.” She looks up to the Drak hopefully, even if her heart tells her what to expect.
Smiling down at the pony, Krül mockingly considers her offer as his men start to encircle the pony, cutting off her retreat, “Well, that’s a good point actually, I could give up a big score and just go home empty handed.” Spitting at Prism, his snark vanishes into a deep hatred, “I mean, that or I could just kill you where you stand and take the rest of these pigs to market.”
His men start to advance on Prism wickedly, but are interrupted by an ominous pound of her hammer into the ground. Softly as ever, she speaks again “How about this, you and I fight alone to settle this.” Her eyes glint with determination as the hammer ignites into purple flames with magic.
Krül feels the readiness of the pony, and it spurs on something deep within him. The primal bloodlust for which his kind have been known and feared across the free systems. With a vicious grin and a breath that glows like a forge, he agrees. Drawing out a blaster pistol in one hand and a red-hot vibrating blade in the other, Krül charges forth into battle. Prism parries his opening strikes with her shield, but her hammer manages to land true, smashing into the great mass of the captain. The pain seems to drive Krül into a crazed frenzy, like a shark tasting his own blood. The frenzy of bladed attacks puts Prism on the defensive and forces her back, with the final blow knocking up her shield for an easy shot from the blaster. It scorches a mark in Prism’s armor, as she gives a small grunt of pain. Prism’s counterattack comes in the form of a spinning blow from the hammer, which knocks the captain back and bloodies his left eye.
Prism advances on her fallen foe, trying to finish her fight. Suddenly she feels a jolt of electricity from behind, followed by a half dozen more. Turning to see this treachery, she was in time to see the nets and chains thrown by some more of the pirates. Covered in these bindings, and under assault from the stunners, it was finally too much and she fell, the hammer dissipating from her concentration. A moment later, she hears the heavy steps of Krül moving around to be in front of the pony, sparing a step to kick her while she was down, he spits venomous words at her as he covers a wounded eye, “Nice tricks, bone head. Tell you what, we’ll see if a buyer wants you undamaged before we break that pesky horn.” These last words are accompanied by another sharp kick to the horn of her armor.
Prism whimpers in pain at the assault, but is surprised when she sees one of the passengers, a gnome, moving silently behind the pirates, casting a Suggestion charm on the distracted captain before retreating back. The unknown passenger whispers a few words, which are parroted by Krül “So, you men think I can’t handle this pony myself? I’ll show you lot!” Suddenly acting on these words, Krül rips the nets off of Prism. As the spell’s effect runs its course, his eyes returned to normal, and he turns swiftly to his men to correct his enchanted words. Before he can speak, Krül is pulled into Prism’s magical grasp and slammed into the wall in a raging violet aura. Respecting their captain’s orders, and fearful of the pony’s sudden ferocity, the pirates stand far back from the fighting. Picking up the ropes and nets she’d just been bound with, Prism ties the captain up, being sure to gag him before dropping the reptile to the hard floor. Her work done, Prism manifests her hammer again with a flourish. With a fearful remaining eye, Krül helplessly watches Prism lift her hammer high, before smashing it into the ground next to his head with sufficient force to warp the steel floor of the ship.
Prism leaned down to the captain, and whispers a simple question, “So sorry, it looks like I missed. Will you leave this sector forever, or should I adjust my aim?” A fearful nod is all the response that Prism needs before removing the gag from the captain, who gives an immediate and desperate order to retreat. As they leave, Prism helped the other passengers who had been enchained, before heading without fanfare to her seat. The gnome from earlier speaks to her, thanking her for her help and offers to fly the ship, while offhandedly speaking of the tracker he slipped onto Krül to assure his arrest. Prism asks only one question of the traveler, “Where are you going, that they have heroes like you?” Perplexed that he is the one being called a hero here, the traveler still gave his answer, security at Miracle Station.
Satisfied by this answer, Prism refuses any payment or reward from any of the passengers, only taking thanks as she simply returning to her seat. Though, regardless of her opinion on the matter she receives an impromptu hug from the woman next to her, bringing a smile to her face in spite of an aching body.