I had to get back into the Stanton system and was faced with a new legal system.
After my first mining success, I went to Dumpers Depot in a good mood. I wanted to get parts for my broken scanner.
My good mood melted away like an ice in the sun. They had no spare parts. There were none in the whole Nyx system. The next possibility was in the Stanton system. I had to go back to the chaos of the drug war.
Wallace had heard of my upcoming trip and gave me a small drug packet to take to Daymar. At least the Prospector offered some comfort, making the journey more enjoyable than in the Cutlass.
When I arrived in the Stanton system, I flew to the first Rest Stop. I was quiet surprised. The space station was huge. The old little stations had been replaced by big, new ones. That was not all that had changed in the Statnton system.
I learned that there were new laws and different jurisdictions in different areas. The security forces responded hard on drugs, as well as illegal and stolen goods. Ships were regularly interdicted and scanned.
It hit me like a punch in the stomach. I ran around with the drugs from Wallace. Unconsciously, I stepped aside and stood against the wall in the shadows.
Somewhat disturbed, I flew on. I hoped to meet no patrol. The Quantum flight to Crusader was long. They were long, anxious minutes. I reached the gas giant without problems. Relieved, I aimed the ship at Daymar. I started the Quantum drive. The Quantum tunnel opened and crashed after a few seconds. I was interticted. I already saw myself in handcuffs. Three ships appeared in front of me. They were marked red, not green. I was briefly irritated. Then panic.
A firework of laser beams came to meet me. The ships were pirates, not security forces. With my Prospector I had no chance. I deactivated the speed limiter and gave full throttle. I headed straight for the three ships. They hurled angry laser flashes at me. I would die either by laser fire or by a collision. There was no way out. The three ships approached quickly. I closed my eyes and waited for the explosion. With luck, I raced through the attackers. Unexpectedly, I had a clear path to Daymar. I started the Quantum drive. But the quantum tunnel did not want to open. The pirates jammed the quantum field. My hope of escape burst like a bubble. Amazed, I saw that the distance to the attackers was getting bigger. I had surprised them with my daredevil maneuver. They could not turn their ships fast enough to take up the pursuit. Then I was out of reach of the jammer. The Quantum drive started and a few seconds later I was in orbit of Daymar.