Round 0 (Intro)

You bank the sleek white, black, and orange starship hard, thrusters firing as you swerve to avoid a massive asteroid tumbling through the void. The oval-shaped craft with the cockpit mounted high in its center is built for agility, perfect for navigating the tight confines of the asteroid field that fills this uncharted star system. 

You keep one eye on the viewscreen, watching for any sign of your quarry - the notorious pirate ship Orion. The other scans your ship's sensors, searching for any hint of warped spacetime that would give away the ion engines of a ship moving under cloak. 

So far the trail has gone cold. The Orion has vanished in this vast asteroid sea, using the churning chunks of rock to hide itself from pursuit. You refuse to let the pirate captain escape, not after the Orion's last heist cost the lives of so many innocent colonists. 

The starship's hyperdrive hums at the ready, able to jump across lightyears in an instant once the prey is in sight. For now, you are limited to normal thrust as you weave between the asteroids, the ship's narrow profile allowing it to slip through gaps too tight for bulkier craft. 

Up ahead, the white dwarf star that anchors this system glimmers, its intense gravity having long ago torn apart planets and smaller bodies that ventured too close. Somewhere in this cosmic minefield, the Orion lurks, no doubt with its own hyperdrive ready to leap away the instant pursuit draws near. 

You push the starship faster, feeling the deck vibration as the thrusters strain. The Orion's crew are criminals and killers, but they are still human. And humans always make mistakes. Sooner or later the hunted will become the prey. When that happens, you will be ready. 

The asteroid field beckons, offering endless places to hide and vanish. But it also promises the thrill of the chase - and you are only getting started.