Few Nebula Hopper League craft have as storied or vibrant a history as the Maple Leaf. Under the guidance of Star Captain Kyle Dubas and Master Engineer Sheldon Keefe, the legendary vessel speeds through the galaxy searching for new tales of glory…

“Time’s up.” Kyle hasn’t left his seat on the Maple Leaf’s bridge since they lost the first battle against the Blue Jacket over an hour ago. “Hope you’re ready.”

“What’s the matter,” Sheldon asks, his smile shining through the comms. “Don’t you trust me?”

Kyle trusts Sheldon completely, a trust earned from years of harrowing adventures through the farthest reaches of the known universe. But they have never been in Stanley’s Race together. Each stage of the race is like a small, self contained, game to see which crew can adapt faster. The Maple Leaf lost the first game, now comes the time to see if they’ve learned.

The two ships dive at each other, the Blue Jacket veers port while the Maple Leaf pulls up. Both ships let off a salvo, both shields hold, and the second game is underway. Kyle feels a difference right away, his controls are slightly more responsive and his ship is just a touch faster. Much like before the opponents are almost perfectly matched, except slowly the Maple Leaf begins to press it’s advantage. Sheldon lets a punishing volley fly from the port torpedo line that was never intended to score a hit. As the blast clears Kyle watches one of the mycelial graviton stabilizers on the Blue Jacket flicker and go out. The stabilizers keep the shields moving with the ship, losing one won’t be a total disaster but it’s not great.

The ships drift apart to prepare for a second pass.

“Things are looking good.” Kyle says. “Let’s just keep on going, yeah?”

“Things are looking good.” Sheldon agrees. “I’ll feel better when we break through their shields.”

The Maple Leaf brings a new level of fury into the second frame. It is all the Blue Jacket can do to keep from getting hit, but somehow that’s exactly what they do. No matter how clean of a look Sheldon gets the Blue Jacket always has it’s shields in the right spot. Instead of getting frustrated Sheldon bears down, determination seeps out of his forehead and drips off his nose.

The Maple Leaf swings hard to port and Sheldon flashes his tubes, faking a shot. The Blue Jacket doesn’t fall for it. Kyle sets the ship into a corkscrew and the Blue Jacket goes into a mirrored inversion of the maneuver bringing them into the keel line’s field of fire. Sheldon slams his fingers on the fire button for two of the three tubes in the line. After only a fraction of a seconds delay he fires the third torpedo. This torpedo is one of Sheldons absolute favourites, a truly special blend that most other engineers can only dream of acquiring one day, his name is Matty. Matty shoots harder and faster that the other torpedoes, so much faster that the shot catches up to the first two. The timing is perfect, one torpedo bounces off the others and all three spin wildly out of control at the moment before impacting the Blue Jacket’s shields. The first two shots careen into the void. Matty gets through. Finally the Maple Leaf has scored a point. As the second period ends Sheldon and Kyle can feel the tide shifting.

The third time pays for all and as the Blue Jacket approaches Kyle knows he’s in for a fight. The problem for the Blue Jacket is simple math. They need to score at least twice to win which means they need to start taking chances. The more chances they take the better the odds that the Maple Leaf can take advantage. Of course the Blue Jacket would have to make a mistake for that to happen.

When they finally do it’s everything Kyle could hope for. The Blue Jacket pulls into a hard loop, bringing the Leaf’s bridge right into their dorsal torpedo lines firing arc. The Blue Jacket even shunts power from the stabilizers to the torpedoes for extra penetration. The problem is that the Maple Leaf isn’t there. With a quick thruster boost and an almost lazy roll the Maple Leaf brings it’s own dorsal line into range of the small portion of the Blue Jacket unprotected by any shields. The stabilizers re-fire but it’s too late, The shield shimmers into place even as a slug of crystalline pulsar steam explodes into the Blue Jacket’s hull.

“We got ’em now!” Kyle yells jubilantly.

“Don’t get cocky.” Sheldon warns. “But yeah, we got em.

The Blue Jacket seems to agree. As far as desperate last stands go… it is uninspired. The Blue Jacket seemed content to conserve energy for the next fight when something happened. Accidentally, but on purpose, the Blue Jacket wheels into a perfect Greboolian Strap which had been illegal for centuries even if ships did it all the time. Most times the damage was strictly cosmetic, this time one of the Maple Leaf stabilizers was sheared clean off.

The Blue Jacket dropped it’s own shields as an act of contrition but, even though Sheldon took the shot, it did not make him feel any better. That was his best stabilizer. As the second battle ends both Sheldon and Kyle are thinking more about if they will be able to retrieve the stabilizer than the win.