Alaris. Episode One: Cracks

The first episode of a series of short stories.The Alaris nebula is home to over a million and Marack Nor sees himself as their best defense. Outnumbered and outgunned Marack and his fellow pilots attempt to protect desperately needed convoys from a seemingly unending swarm of pirates. He knows who is behind the attacks, he just has to live long enough to stop them.The first episode of a series of short stories.The Alaris nebula is home to over a million colonists from the planet of Irakillion. They exchange rare minerals from the nebula for desperately needed supplies. Always kept on the edge of starvation they are looked down upon by Irakillion and ignored by the rest of the galaxy.When a group of pirates begin attacking the supply convoys the Alaris Defense Force is re-founded with a handful of outdated ships and a dozen inexperienced pilots. Outnumbered and outgunned no one expects them to last more than a week or two. Only one pilot proves them wrong.After six months of attacks Marack Nor is the last of the original pilots. Numbed by repeated losses and defeats he has become convinced that the Irakillion government is behind the attacks. All he needs to do is survive long enough to prove it.