Archive / Stories

The Hauler's Gambit

Type: Short Story Author: Perry Jones Published: Dec 4, 2024 Source: Medium Status: Canon (published)

Summary

Cort and Marla Bannigan, a married couple from Telovan IV, sell everything they own at the outset of a galactic civil war and buy a used cargo freighter, The Long Shot, to become armed haulers. The story follows several high-stakes runs: bluffing the pirate gang Razor's Reach out of boarding them, and outsmarting a patrol loyal to warlord General Kradok using a shipment of aggressive, thawing livestock. It closes with the Bannigans still flying, weighing how much longer they can keep taking these risks as the galaxy destabilizes further — with a passing joke about joining the Janastian Warhawks mercenary company.

Entities Introduced

Worldbuilding Notes

  • Confirms full game title as "Maf: Starfleet Battles" — [UPDATE: this is now the game's former/legacy title; the current official title is simply Maf, per creator decision. Not a contradiction, just predates the rename — see main README.]
  • References the Galactic Civil War as active backdrop. Dates use Maf's Earth-like calendar (confirmed canon — see timeline entry for the intentional ambiguity around the war's official start date)
  • Story uses "Kila Vas credits" — confirmed non-canon phrasing; correct terms are Helvatica Dollar (official) / Kila Vas Dollar (colloquial). Flagged for correction if this story is ever revised.
  • Kila Vas confirmed as Maf's central city and primary player entry point
  • Warlords and organized pirate factions are established as a recurring galactic threat
  • ✅ RESOLVED: the story's reference to "a colony on the edge of the Milky Way" (raw source) previously seemed geographically odd given Kila Vas is Maf's central city. Now explained: Maf sits in the Snickers Galaxy, which intersects the Milky Way at the Confluence Region — ships based at Kila Vas can plausibly reach Milky Way space via that corridor. Also confirms the Galactic Civil War (this story's backdrop) is a Milky Way-only conflict, geographically separate from Maf/Norihing itself.

Open Questions