Hello Sci-fi fans and writers, I hope that this here is the correct spot to ask this question regarding a conundrum I have come about during my work on a sci-fi short Story.
Outline
In said Short Story, I have some people (Agents) chasing after some other people (Heroes). The heroes stumbled upon some critical information that could damage the faction (Bad Guy) that employs the chasing party. The information got intercepted in time, but to make sure that the information wouldn’t be leaked again, they would need to silence the heroes.
Technology
In space there are two modes of flight: conventional reaction based propulsion and a higher speed propulsion which uses a so-called jump drive which flings the spaceship along a predetermined trajectory at high sub-light speeds (max speeds would be 0.5c). There is near instantaneous communications, but you would need to be in coverage of the network itself, which is flaky at best.
Conundrum
So how would agents be able to intercept / interdict the heroes in a plausible fashion? Would it be reasonable to have a micro wormhole generator or some other way to deploy gravimetric wells, which would destabilize the entire star system? Would it be anticlimactic to just have the agents wait for the heroes to finish their jump, as they would know where they would drop out?
I would love to hear opinions and suggestions from you.
Edit:
I should have given a bit more context of the setting. All of this happens in one Star System and this particular scene would happen between Mars and Neptune. The Heroes are flying in a pirate ship (the captain is a pirate and the two others are from the empire that began to realise that not everything in the empire is fine and dandy) and pirates are being shot upon on sight.
Also
Thanks so much for this much engagement, ideas and recommendations. I wouldn’t have imagined this when I posted this question.
@swope @nyrath @DmMacniel Collapsing corporate space colonies seems really underexplored, but very cyberpunk, theme
@simonbp @swope @nyrath @DmMacniel
Story concepts:
Giganaire buys space colony and cuts costs, killing himself and everyone on the colony because he used air filters made from toilet paper.
Giganaire buys space colony and fires 3/4 of the maintenance staff, claiming they weren’t doing a good enough job, but does not replace them.
Hey, this is fun!
@darrelplant @simonbp @swope @DmMacniel
The stories almost write themselves, don’t they?
@DmMacniel @simonbp @swope @nyrath
Strains credulity even for speculative fiction.
@darrelplant @DmMacniel @simonbp @swope
Truth is stranger than fiction, because fiction has to make sense