*Bang! *BANG!
*creaaaaak!
The sounds of explosions rattled through the narrow interior of Rox's ship—
*Bang! *rattle!
Each rattle and tremor shook the panels above her head as faint sparks flickered from overworked circuits.
"Kughk!"
She gritted her teeth, jerking the controls hard towards the left.
*Vrrrrrrrrrr!!!
Her ship weaving through the shattered remains of massive debris drifting just in front of her.
They were shards of old warships, floating like malformed tombstones.
Rox's ship skimmed close—
*screak!
metal shrieking as the hull of her ship slightly scraped a fragment of rusted plating from the debris.
From behind her,
*zzzpow! *zzzpow! *zzzPOW!
streams of laser fire tore past, streaks of red and white that burned through space, slightly grazing the edges of Rox's ship as she continued to maneuver her ship to dodge.
One enemy ship clung stubbornly to her tail, its engines roaring as it relentlessly pursued her through the graveyard of wreckage.
Then—
*bzzzt!
the broadcast radio on her console crackled alive, filling the cockpit with static before a woman'svoice slipped through—
smooth yet laced with smugness.
"Stop being feisty and give it up, Rox,' Velen's voice rang out, dripping with confidence…
the kind only a hunter gave when the prey had nowhere left to run.
But Rox is no prey.
Rox didn't even glance at the console.
Her hands tightened on the twin handles of the flight stick to the point that her knuckles started to turn pale.
She then angled the ship hard, barely missing a tumbling rock twice the size of her craft.
*Vrrrrrrrrrrrr!
The engines of her ship screamed and roared as she slammed them to full thrust, energy cores screaming as it pushed itself to give Rox's ship speed.
The cockpit trembled while the lights flickering.
"Me? Give up?" Rox retorted back into the radio, her voice sharp and defiant.
*vrrrrrrrrrr!
She then dipped the controls in a sudden manner as her ship plunged down into a rolling dive, dodging lasers and descending as her craft nosed down.
"I'd rather die." she continued.
For a brief heartbeat, her chest tightened—memories flashing.
A hall of tyrannical banners, a voices filled with scorn and authority, voices she used to serve without question, even if it was against her will.
But that time was gone.
"The emperor…" she continued, her tone steady and heavy with conviction.
"Him and his damned officials had lost their minds… and I'm merely using this chance to finally break free. And you won't stop me."
Her voice rang prominent as it cracked through the radio and reached Velen's ears.
.
.
.
"Then you leave me no choice," Velen's voice crackled through the comms, her tone no longer smug but sharpened with cold seriousness.
*Shrrrrrrrrrreaaaak!
Her ship roared as its thrusters ignited,
*BANG!
blasting through the debris field with reckless power.
Chunks of wreckage shattered apart on impact, scattering into molten fragments that lit up the void.
Metal groaned and servos whined as her vessel began to reconfigure itself mid-flight.
*clack *click!
*creaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!
With loud mechanical creaks, panels along its sleek frame split open.
One by one, heavy cannons emerged, locking into position—
their barrels glowed faintly with condensed eidra energy.
"DIE, Traitor!" Velen shouted, her words slamming through the channel as her fist smashed down on a crimson lit trigger.
*Bang! *Bang! *Bang! *Bang! *Bang! *Bang!
The cannons then fired in a synchronized blazed, unleashing a salvo of explosive lances that spiraled outward before snapping into homing arcs, their tips glowing red as they screamed towards Rox's ship.
*BEEP! *BEEP! *BEEP! *BEEP!
"Alert! Alert! Alert!" Athena's synthetic voice filled the cockpit.
"Incoming missiles—rapid approach. Automatically allocating five energy cores to Aegis protocol."
*rattle!
Rox's cockpit trembled as the defense systems kicked in.
Energy surged through the hull, and with a deafening—
*VWOOM!
a shimmering barrier of violet light enveloped the ship.
*BANG!
The first lance struck.
*BANG!
Then another.
*BANG!
And another.
Each impact rocked Rox violently in her set, the shield flaring brilliantly for a while before flickering under the strain.
*BANG! *BANG! *BANG!'
The last barrage then arrived and detonated against the barrier with a blinding flash…
then silence.
The aegis was gone.
"All reserve shield energies depleted," Athena reported flatly.
"Tch!" Rox clicked her tongue in frustration.
But it was not over yet.
Rox still had a plan.
And that was to rely on her piloting expertise.
"Veryn, allocate all energy cores to our space thrusters!" Rox commanded, her voice sharp and steady despite the chaos rattling around her cockpit.
"Affirmative," the AI chimed.
"Allocating all energy cores to propulsion. Warning: Process requires stabilization. Output surge expected."
Before Rox could reply, Velen's mocking voice cut through the comms.
"HAH! Do you really think you can escape me? Me!?'
*Shhhhhhhhhhreeeeeeakk!
A piercing shriek roared across the void as Velen's ship surged forward, its thrusters unleashing a violent flare that turned the surrounding debris into streaks of molten glass.
*BANG!
Her vessel once again plowed through shattered wreckage like a beast unleashed, glowing cannons sliding into alignments across all its frames.
*Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
The space around them shook as Velen overtook Rox, her silhouette cutting across the star filled backdrop like a predator ready to strike.
Then,
came the release—
*THOOMP! *THOOMP! *THOOMP!
Cluster bombs scattered from Velen's ship, blooming outward in a deadly fan of spinning spheres.
Each pulsed with crimson light, trailing sparks as they tumbled in Rox's path.
Rox narrowed her eyes, instincts blasting fast within her.
"Mhmp!" She yanked the handles of her ship upward in a sharp pull.
*Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
The vessel groaned under the maneuver, its hull brushing dangerously close against the floating debris as the bombs detonated beneath her in a fiery blossom.
*Boom! *Boom!
*Boom! *Boom! *Boom!
*Boom!
Explosion rippled just below her, shockwaves reaching Rox's ship as it slightly rattled it.
Rox gritted her teeth and forced her ship forward,
*Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
engines roaring as they propelled Rox's ship forward.
But Velen wasn't done.
Her ship ascended into pursuit with merciless precision, cannons creaking once again into position.
With a hiss of power, she unleashed another barrage.
*Bang! *Bang! *Bang! *Bang!
*Bang! *Bang!
*Bang!
Salvos of glowing explosive lances screamed through the void, snapping towards Rox's ship.
"You're not going anywhere!" Velen shouted.
But Rox was swift in her maneuvers.
Her hands danced over the controls, instincts and experience guiding her as she dipped the ship down sharply.
*Vwoom! *Vwoom!
Two lances screamed past her—
*Bang!
colliding with a massive chunk of debris that erupted into a fireball just in front of her.
Without pausing, she jerked the handles and spun the vessel into a flawless barrel roll, sliding to the right just in time to dodge another three salvos.
Rox's lips then curled into a smirk as she pressed the comm switch.
"You must have forgotten, Velen. I am the best pilot the empire had ever raised. Your attacks are as pitiful as they always were."
"You… YOU DAMNED EIDRIVKAN!" Velen's voice erupted, no longer smug but filled with rage.
Her vessel's cannons swiveled, glowing even brighter as she primed an even larger salvo.
But before the shot could come, Rox's entire ship lurched forward as the thrusters roared like thunder.
Her ship is now finally primed.
"All energy cores successfully allocated to thrusters," AI Veryn confirmed, its synthetic voice calm despite the shaking interior.
"Perfect," Rox muttered,
*click! *clack! *clack! *tap! *tap!
her fingers flipping switches in rapid sequence.
Her eyes then sharpened as she slammed her hand down on the final lever.
"Let's get the hell out of here. Initiate slipsace!"
"Confirmed. Performing slipspace in five seconds," Veryn replied.
*Whirrrr…
The ship's console then began to glow as arcs of energy rippled through the cabin as the drive whirred up.
On the comm's Velen's voice broke through in a scream of fury.
"DON'T YOU DARE ESCAPE FROM ME! DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE!"
"4."
"Goodbye, Velen," Rox said through the comms, her voice was calm yet it was edged with finality.
A faint smirk tugged at her lips.
"Our relationship… was interesting while it lasted."
*Whirrrrr!!!!
"3."
"2."
"URGH!" Velen's voice erupted in frustration as she slammed her fist against the controls of her ship.
*shreaaaaaaaaaak!
Her ship's multiple cannons then ignites—
*Bang! *Bang! *Bang!
*Bang! *Bang!
*Bang!
releasing a storm of rocket salvos that screamed into the void, dozens upon dozens streaking towards Rox like a swarm of ravenous locusts.
"1."
*WHIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!
"Now then," Rhox whispered, eyes gleaming as they locked on the horizon.
Stars glimmered in the distance like promises yet unfulfilled, and for the first time in hundreds of years…
She felt an urge of something close to excitement.
"Time to be free, baby."
*WHIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRZZZZZZZKKK!!!
"PERFORMING SLIPSPACE, HOLD ON!" AI Veryn announced as the ship rattled violently, its frame creaking under the strain.
Energy rippled across the hull, bright arcs dancing along its edges.
Then,
It came,
With a piercing—
*BAAAAAAAANG!
Rox's ship tore forward and vanished into the rippling void, the slipspace drive igniting with blinding force.
*Boom! *Boom!
*Boom! *Boom!
*Boom!
Velen's salvo detonated in a cascade of fire just behind the point where Rox had been a second earlier—
Too late.
"ROX AGGRO!!!" Velen screamed, her voice ragged with fury.
Rage consumed as she clawed at her own hair, her teeth grinding together hard enough to ache.
Her eyes burned as she stared at the fading distortion where Rox had disappeared.
"I swear… I will find you," she hissed, each word trembling with conviction and venom.
"You will never escape me… nor the empire… as long as you still draw breath."