Word Count: 2830
Title: Gruff Bluff

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“Well we can’t turn back now. The Kid is short on fuel, and supplies are short all around; we wouldn’t make it through another spacefold. I don’t think we have any choice, we have to split the stars and make the run for Calton station. You know what they say the shortest path between two points is a straight line,” said Captain Sheila Michaels of the cruiser Billy the Kid.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” asked Captain Tarquin Cartier, of the Wild Bill. “Calton sent us reports of a pirate ship on the other side of the binarys. The Boötis stars move pretty fast and eclipse each other every three hours; we can only get one ship at a time over the gravitational bridge and through to the other side. Alone, none of our ships are equipped to defend against one of those tricky troll ships. Even the Buffalo Bill can’t match the maneuverability and fire power of a troll, and it’s a premiere class starship!”

"Pirates," Captain Cartier, of the Wild Bill, said. "Calton sent us reports."
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I found the intro a little dull, and I think that was just because of the amount of detail overwhelmed the hook (which for me was getting past pirates).

[This message has been edited by wbriggs (edited February 18, 2005).]