by Emma James
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Kira replied, leaping to her feet uninjured.
Kira and Thor ran hard with Thor keeping a pace that Kira could duplicate. They were constantly checking over their shoulder for any sight of their potential assassin.
“Why didn’t he kill us?” Kira asked between breaths as they charged through the crowds.
“Bounty’s higher if we’re alive,” Thor replied, seeming to have infinite endurance. “For now, that’s working in our favor.”
Kira wanted to point out the irony of the situation, but she didn’t have the breath left to spare for a joke at this point.
Her heart still pounding in her ears, she felt a slight wave of ease wash over her when they rounded a corner and the dry docks became visible in the distance. Still searching the crowd, her eyes landed on their group.
Thor continued to lead the way, running up to them quickly, panting slightly as he said, “we should probably get on that ship.”
“Couldn’t agree more,” Bron said, his eyes shooting over Thor’s shoulder.
Kira craned her neck around, expecting to see the demonic, robotic rodent running after them. Instead of Nico Rax, though, she saw the three Arcanum soldiers who were guarding Dario’s ship running quickly towards them. Her body once again pumped adrenaline through her system and she spun around, pushing the group forward.
“Hurry! Where’s the ship?” she demanded.
“Here,” Bron said, leading them towards a small, roughly constructed freighter.
Kira was slightly disillusioned when she saw the metallic mass in front of her. It was unlike any ship she had seen before, and not in a good way. The mismatched parts and worn metal hull had a sad, almost pathetic quality to them. Still, it was all they had.
Bron entered another set of codes into the control panel next to the retractable ramp and after an electronic beep of confirmation, the ramp lowered down to the platform. It shook and stuttered as it dropped, and Kira winced, afraid it might fall off.
As they began boarding the ship, the Arcanum soldiers began to fire on them. The particle beams buzzed in the air and Thor and Vinnie were returning fire from the ship’s ramp. Dario, Kira, Bron, and Alaria all made their way up the ramp one at a time.
“Bron! Which way to the flight deck?” Kira yelled.
“Straight down the main corridor, don’t turn, you’ll run right into it,” he shouted back in reply as Kira took off.
Weapon fire continued to fill the air, and Dario had started to return fire with Thor and Vinnie.
“Get in!” Bron shouted to the group and Thor instructed Dario and Vinnie to move first.
As they boarded, Thor continued to fire upon the foremost advancing Arcanum soldier and planted two shots on the man’s torso when he recklessly abandoned cover. He dropped to the ground in a heap and Thor used the opportunity to spin out of his own cover and spring up the ramp.
Bron quickly hit the retract command on the control panel and the ramp shuddered and rumbled upwards and ended with a firm crunch of metal on metal.
“Is that sealed?!” Alaria asked Bron with a great deal of disbelief.
“Won’t know until we’re in space,” Bron shot back to Alaria’s dismay.
Thor sprinted off towards the bow of the ship, heading for Kira and the flight deck.
As he reached the flight deck he entered to find Kira sitting at the controls and cycling through a series of pre-flight checks.
“We have to move, we don’t have much time,” Thor said to Kira.
“Yeah, yeah, keep it together tough guy. This rig is a pile, and if I don’t ease it into space we’ll be killed just as we make our escape,” Kira quipped, her eyes glued to the control panels around her.
The sound of weapon fire impacting the hull rang out.
Kira paused, “Okay, you’re right, we need to move.”
She spun around and entered commands to bring the ship's engine systems online. Nothing. She entered them again. Still nothing. The weapon fire continued to pelt the hull.
“What the hell is going on, get us out of here,” Bron shouted as he rushed onto the flight deck.
“Your ship doesn’t want to fly!” she yelled over her shoulder at Bron.
“Damn it,” Bron said, reaching for the comm button and broadcasting ship wide - “Vinnie, get to the engine room and get this rig running!”
“Alaria too!” Kira added. “She’s an engineer.”
“You heard the captain!” Bron yelled. “Now, go!”
Kira continued to work at the controls, familiarizing herself with the odd collection of parts and making sure she was ready to pilot the ship when the time finally came.
After a minute, the sounds of plasma impacting their hull subsided.
“Why did they stop?” Bron asked aloud to the group.
“Probably went to get a bigger gun,” Thor replied.
“Shit,” Bron said.
Bron pressed the comm again and called down to the engine room. "Vinnie, Alaria, where are we at?"
“It’s a mess down here, Bron,” Alaria replied. “This place is filthy!”
“Are you cleaning or repairing?”
“Both,” Alaria replied. “It’s no wonder this thing isn’t working…”
Her words were cut short when a heavy cannon fire blasted into the side of the ship. The hull rocked back and forth and Kira had to grab hold of the side of her captain’s chair to remain upright.
“Looks like they found a bigger gun,” Kira yelled to no one in particular.
“We’re short on time!” Bron yelled into the receiver.
“We noticed you big idiot, how about you stay off the comm and let us do our jobs?” Vinnie chimed in, the sarcasm not lost in his anxious tone.
Kira continued to re-enter the ignition sequence, holding her breath each time, waiting to hear the hum of the engines firing up. "Thanks for the great ship, Bron," she said sarcastically over her shoulder.
“It’s a hell of a lot better than the non-existent one you have,” he countered.
Kira squeezed her fist in frustration and entered the command one more time, the control panels in front of her lit up.
“Yes! We have engines,” Kira said.
“Stay low on exit, that cannon fire will find a home easier if you take a high trajectory,” Thor interjected.
“Right, thanks,” Kira replied, thankful for Thor’s tactical expertise at that moment.
Kira throttled up and their ship lifted off the landing platform with surprising ease.
“At least she has some power Bron,” Kira said over her shoulder.
“I told you, it’s not pretty but it’s more than it looks,” Bron replied triumphantly.
The comm system beeped a call of attention and Alaria nearly shouted, “We’re getting somewhere, engines up and operating well, despite the dust. We should have the sensor array online in a few moments and Vinnie’s working on the weapon and defense arrays.”
Kira continued to pilot the ship low on the horizon, and as they maneuvered away from the dry docks she could see Nico Rax watching helplessly from the ground.
She directed Thor’s attention to the bounty hunter, “Persistent little asshole, isn’t he?”
“Yes, unfortunately, I highly doubt we’re done with him yet – he doesn’t take setbacks well” Thor responded.
Kira began to increase their speed and the market began to drift away below them and the polluted atmosphere of Vandor gave way to clearer and darker skies as they ascended towards space.
Just then, the sensor array beamed to life and Kira was greeted with more bad news.
“Two on our tail,” Kira said to the group.
“Don’t get too comfortable just yet, it appears they’re not ready to concede our escape,” Kira said, her eyes still locked on the sensor array.
Bron grunted as he pushed himself back up and rushed over to the comm. “Vinnie, Alaria, we need shields,” he ordered.
“I bet
you do,” Alaria replied, “but we’re still working on the weapons and defense arrays.”
“Great, we’re unarmed and unprotected,” Kira bemoaned.
“I’m afraid so,” Alaria said.
“Damn it, what are you two doing down there?” Bron said.
“Drinking tea,” Alaria quipped. “What do you think we’re doing?”
“Whatever you’re doing, you’re not doing it fast enough. Get those arrays online!”
“I already told you to stay off the comm and let us work, so unless you’re planning to come down here and help we’d prefer it if you shut up for the time being,” Vinnie shot back.
“You let him talk to you like that?” Kira asked with a wry smile as she worked evasive maneuvers against their pursuers.
“Yes, unfortunately, he has no off switch, another quality of his that reminds me of you,” Bron replied, rolling his eyes.
Kira continued to maneuver the ship as best she could, but her lack of experience with this vessel was slowing her down. She barely had the basic controls identified and now she was in a high-speed chase.
“They’re closing on us,” Thor said as he watched the sensor array intently.
“I see it,” Kira replied, her tone conveying that she knew exactly what was happening.
Suddenly, one of the ships behind them opened fire. Kira tightened on the controls and drove the ship to the right, the beam rushing past them.
Both of their pursuers continued to close and after a few moments, both began to fire. This time, Kira sent the ship into a spiral, falling back down to the planet they had just escaped. As the unmarked vessels followed behind, she turned sharply to the left and drove the ship back up, towards space.
“I can’t keep this up all day!” she yelled.
Their pursuers were climbing quickly, gaining on them. Another beam of energy flew past them and the sensor array was pinging repeatedly, warning them of the danger.
Clenching her jaw, she attempted to pull all of her focus. "Shut those sensors off!" she ordered, the ringing was beginning to grate at her.
Thor rushed forward to switch the sensor array off and Kira sent the ship into another free fall dive. Thor was thrown forward, slightly, but regained his balance quickly. Bron, on the other hand, tumbled onto the ground behind her.
“Bet you’re thankful for those enhancements now,” Kira said, shooting Thor a playful smile.
“I can’t tell if you joking during combat is sadistic or stress management,” Thor said back.
“Can’t it be a little of both?” Kira retorted.
Bron continued to tumble around on the ground, cursing loudly behind them as she pulled the ship up again. Kira didn’t notice, but one of their pursuers didn’t follow them upwards this time.
The next dive she made put her directly in front of the vessel that didn’t make the climb.
“Shit, missed that,” Kira said, realizing her mistake.
“Shields are up!” Alaria’s voice came ringing over the comm.
“Ha! Perfect timing,” Kira replied.
“Weapons array is working, too,” Vinnie added.
“Bron, stop playing around back there and figure out how to get some fire in their direction!” Kira ordered.
“Damn you, Kira,” Bron called out as he regained his footing. “Thor, with me, there are starboard and port mounted pulse cannon turrets, let’s return some fire.”
They dashed off in unison and made their way to their respective turrets.
The ship in front of them sent another beam surging towards them. This time, Kira kept to her course, praying that the ship’s shields would be able to deflect the blast. The orange beam flew at them quickly, causing the ship to shudder and the lights to flicker.
Undeterred, Bron and Thor began to fire on the ships. Thor’s accuracy amazed her. He was able to keep the ship sighted despite Kira’s frenetic flight pattern, and his shots were finding a home.
“Pull up!” Thor ordered her, just before unleashing a torrent of cannon fire at his target.
Kira’s view screen became filled with a yellow-orange glow as the unmarked vessel imploded in on itself. The aftershock was coming quickly, Kira knew, so she drove the ship upwards, avoiding the disruptive aftershocks.
“The other ship is dead in the water, engines are offline,” Bron called out over the comm system.
Kira watched with interest as the vessel’s distance from them continued to increase and Thor and Bron re-entered the flight deck.
"Why do I do this to myself?" Bron muttered. "Why do I continue to get on a ship with you, when I know full well it's a bad idea?"
“It wasn’t that bad,” Kira said, evening the ship out and beginning to pull up their nav system to enter a course for home. “Don’t be dramatic, that’s not very Bandurian.”
Bron let out a loud, incredulous scoff and Thor chuckled, slumping down in the co-pilot’s chair to her right and released a quiet sigh of relief.
“Yet another close one, good flying ace,” Thor said with a smile.
“Thanks, good shooting on your part, you’d think you were a cybernetic super soldier or something,” Kira playfully replied.
17
After they had put a comfortable amount of distance between them and Vandor, Kira initiated the ship’s autopilot and communicated to the others to join her, Bron, and Thor on the flight deck.
"Looks like you two are stuck with us for the time being," she said to Bron and Vinnie once the others had shuffled into the now slightly cramped room.
“It’s fine,” Bron muttered. “I never liked Vandor. Besides, those Vorion assholes won’t be able to find me now, and Vinnie gets a chance to see something other than the Bazaar.”
“Good,” Dario said, stepping forward, “we’re going to need all the help we can get.”
“What’s our plan, then?” Alaria asked.
"I think our best option is to go directly to the Terran High Command and make a case against Grimm," Dario explained. "With Thor's testimony and the notes I kept during my time working with him, I think we have enough to at least initiate a full-fledged investigation."
“We might need a little more than that,” Kira said.
“It’s all we have,” Dario replied with a slight shrug.
“Maybe,” Kira said, crossing her arms over her chest. “What about Admiral Artanis?”
Admiral Artanis, the commanding officer that took over her fleet after Grimm was promoted had, on occasion, expressed his dislike of the newest Arcanum forces leader.
“They’ve been long-time rivals and as far as I know, there is no love between the two,” Kira explained. “They’ve secretly hated each other for years and competed for the same promotions many times over. Artanis’ name carries weight and might make it easier for us to get proper due with Terran High Command. We need to speak to him, alone, before we go any further.”
“Will you be able to convince him to meet with us?” Dario asked.
“I don’t think it’ll be a problem,” Kira replied.
“Then I believe it’s worth trying,” Dario said.
“Alright, up until now this has been a pretty loose operation due to the, well, weird series of events over the past few days. Going forward, we’re going to have to organize ourselves, especially now that we’re running a ship,” Kira continued, her captain’s instincts coming out in full now.
“So here’s how we’ll set up this crew – Bron, and Thor will be our security officers, and each will lead fire teams when we’re not on the ship. You’ll both be responsible for weapons and defense arrays aboard the ship as well as maintaining personal arms for the crew.”
“Alaria will be our chief engineer and you and Vinnie will be responsible for this ship’s maintenance and operation,” Kira carried on.
“Dario is obviously medical, and Zola, well I guess she’s our therapy animal.”
“Any objections?” Kira finished.
“No, captain,” Thor replied proudl
y, and the others nodded in unison.
“Alright then, we have a mission – let’s get started, Alaria, where are we at with the warp system?” Kira said.
“Well,” Alaria said, setting the cat down and turning her attention to the group. “The ship needs some work and the warp system is going to take some coaxing to be reliable. Unfortunately, the ship is in a state of serious disrepair. Couple that with the virtual lack of supplies and equipment, and we’re at a serious disadvantage at the moment.”
“Shocking,” Kira said sarcastically.
“I haven’t given up hope on her yet,” Alaria added quickly. “I just need a little more time, and some extra hands to help with the work.”
“It’s my ship and if anyone can get her working right, it’s me,” Bron said stepping forward.
“Hey!” Vinnie objected. “I’m starting to sense that you don’t want to give credit where it’s due – we both know who did the majority of the work here!”
“Are you two seriously arguing about who gets to claim responsibility for this pile of flying garbage?” Kira blurted out.
“Well, if it’s a matter of pride, we better get to it, then,” Bron said, stepping towards the door. “The rest of you can explore the ship, find your rooms, and make yourselves comfortable.”
“If that’s even possible,” Kira shot back at Bron sarcastically.
“I forgot how much you talk,” Bron replied in jest. The rest of the crew chuckled at the banter.
“Private rooms are better than none, I’m sure some of you will want some rest for the journey ahead, let’s get moving,” Bron said as he left the flight deck.
They agreed and Thor, Dario, and Zola followed Bron and the others out of the Flight Deck.
“You coming?” Thor asked Kira over his shoulder.
“I’ll be along in a minute,” she said. “I just need to make sure navigation’s all set up here.”
Thor nodded and disappeared out the door. Kira turned back to the control panels in front of her. She had a meticulous system for checking and re-checking the instruments before entrusting the auto-pilot to take over full control. It took her slightly longer than it normally would, seeing as the ship was strange and unfamiliar to her. But, finally, she pushed her chair back and stood to her feet.
