Scene 1: The Wrong Ship

A soft glow surrounds the aged tan hull of the freighter.  A toned code is exchanged between the freighter and the nearby space station that it is approaching.  There is no other traffic. 

Holding course, the freighter approaches one of the station's hanger bays, which remains open to space through a force field.  The hull of the old ship creaks under the weight of the artificial gravity field that takes hold as soon as it passes through the hanger bay force field.  The ship comes to a rest on the right side of the hanger bay as there is another ship already parked on the left.  The landing struts strain under the weight of the ship and the glow fades from around the hull.

The boarding ramp lowers and a young man and woman step out into the empty hanger.  Another man, who happens to be somewhat fat and old, stays behind on the ship and sees them off at the door with a friendly wave.  The young couple must cross to the left side of the hanger bay for the exit.

ELLAN:  Why are we going through with this?

KANON:  There's nothing to it.
In and out.  Nothing to it.

ELLAN:  Do you even know where you're going?

KANON:  The meet is just around the corner.
One level down.  We'll be off the station in no time.

The moment they disappear from view, almost as if no time has passed, Ellan and Kanon run back into the hanger bay under a hail of laser fire.  They are forced to duck behind some cargo crates near the middle of the bay and cannot make it to their own ship.

ELLAN:  What did you take?

KANON:  It's what I gave them.  

I met these guys a few months back.

I guess they didn't like the relics I sold them.

ELLAN:  You didn't remember

who you sold them to?

KANON:  I didn't know it was the
same guys.  Saul made this deal.

Look, we need to get out of here.

ELLAN:  I'll say.

The small arms fire peppers away at the freighter as well as Ellan and Kanon.  Saul is forced to run away from the boarding ramp and heads to the cockpit to start up the engines.  And the glow around the ship returns.

ELLAN:  He's leaving without us.

KANON:  Saul wouldn't do that.

Kanon takes one glance at the strange ship
that was already in the hanger to begin with.

KANON:  Come on.

Before Ellan can protest, he takes her by the hand and they both run up the open loading ramp of the strange ship.  Once inside, Kanon immediately closes the door, and the pair quickly check to see the way ahead is clear at the point of a gun.

Much of the outer hull is painted black with some unpainted sections of grey metal.  The interior has them entering through a modest cargo hold with the only other door in or out straight ahead. 
The walls bow out to follow the curve of the ship and are a dark grey.  Beyond the hold, the corridor almost immediately branches into a T (ahead and to the right) and they turn right, which leads into the common dining area.  One more turn to the right leads them up the neck of the ship to the cockpit.
Having made it this far without encountering the owner of the ship, Kanon seals the cockpit door behind them and they both commence prepping the ship for launch.  Indeed, the controls are not at all complicated for them and a gentle glow also envelopes this second ship.  In turn, the laser fire stops leaving burns on the hull of the vessel.

KANON:  Do you see any weapons?

ELLAN:  Forget about that.

Let's just get out of here.

KANON:  You're right.

The dark ship turns and passes through the outer force field before engaging the full thrusters.
The old freighter is slower to turn and engages its thrusters too soon.  Sparks fly and structural supports fall.  The other smugglers retreat back into the station and seal the door to the hanger to escape the flames.  However, the damage to the hanger bay activates the station's alert defenses.

Ellan and Kanon are already too far away, but behind them Saul's ship limps along trying to catch up. And he comes under laser fire, which pounds away at the ship.

ELLAN:  Saul's in trouble.

KANON:  We'll never make it in time

to save him from the authorities.

SAUL:  {My shields are down!}

The glow around Saul's ship dissipates suddenly
and then the hull of the ship crumbles into wreckage
beneath the pounding of the station's laser cannons.

KANON:  No!  They killed him.

They didn't have to do that.

ELLAN:  Kanon, I'm sorry.

But I'm detecting a lot of cruisers
up ahead.  They'll be here any second.

KANON:  It's the blockade.

We're going to go through them.

ELLAN:  Are you insane?

KANON:  Those smugglers will follow us.

We need to go where they won't.

ELLAN:  Those cruisers will kill us.

KANON:  There's something in that star system

that they're protecting.  This could be

the big pay day.

ELLAN:  We just left behind the big pay day.

Do you remember how well that went?

KANON:  Strap in.  We really don't

have anywhere else to go.

The cruisers start firing long
before the ship is within range.

ELLAN:  I guess they see us.

KANON:  Keep looking for those weapons.

ELLAN:  This little ship is not going

to have anything big enough

to take on a cruiser.

KANON:  This is a smuggler's ship.

It will have what we need.

ELLAN:  What makes you so sure

that it's a smuggler's ship?

KANON:  I never felt more at home.

Kanon twists and ducks the fire as it becomes more accurate.  He rolls once, dives, and soon is close enough to skim the launch bay pod of one of the cruisers.  They travel the length of the ship in this manner and soon are rocketing away from the aft section of one cruiser and diving for the underbelly of another.  The scanner pings at Kanon that strike craft are launching from the second cruiser.

ELLAN:  I increased power to the shields.

For a moment it is still.  The cruisers have stopped firing.  And then the wing of fighters ahead of Kanon and Ellan start firing blindly so that the saturated laser fire does impact the shield by chance.  Rather than dive, Kanon plows through them and the fighters are forced to turn out of the way.  The wing of fighters then banks around and still manage to be on the smugglers' tail almost immediately.

Mercilessly, the small transport is showered with laser fire and Kanon has no other alternative but a dead run.  To make any more turns now would be to lose speed.  Ellan's readings grows ever more threatening until finally the shields are indicating to be in the red.  She works to compensate power and the whole of the ship starts to shake.

And then, suddenly, it all subsides.  The shields stop suffering damage and the hull's shaking stops.  Kanon and Ellan share a confused look.  And Ellan activates a rear view camera.  The fighters are turning back.

ELLAN:  Why?

Kanon checks the holographic map between them.

KANON:  We're inside the quarantined zone.

There's no turning back now.

NEXT