Using the elevator's cord as a makeshift rope, I slid down at a controlled speed, descending tens of floors into the station before landing atop the elevator's roof. Peering over the side, I estimated my position—two floors above the third. Unfortunately, the walls were bare of any ledges I could use to climb down, and taking the elevator would alert anyone stationed outside its doors.
Gripping the top hatch, I pried it open and quietly slipped inside, pressing myself into the front corner. Outside in the hallway, a scruffy platoon of insurrectionists loitered, their numbers far greater than before—at least thirty of them now.
"That's a stark difference from earlier," I murmured under my breath. "What are they doing this far from the hangar?"
[Unknown. Deploy distraction measures to sneak past,] Andromeda directed.
Reaching into my leather jacket, I retrieved a small disk and flicked it down the hallway, sending it soaring above their heads. It clattered onto the floor several meters away.
A woman's scream erupted from the device. "Ahhh!" The desperate wail echoed through the hall, instantly drawing their attention.
"What was that?!"
"Is that the missing hostage?"
"Follow that voice!"
The thirty rebels took off in pursuit, their boots thundering against the floor.
Seizing the opportunity, I darted in the opposite direction, sprinting toward a crossroads. A quick scan of the overhead signage pointed me left—toward the stairwell.
"Bravo Team, I'm picking up some magnetic interference in your area," a voice crackled from a nearby radio.
I froze, pressing my back against the wall just before turning the corner.
"Bravo, do you copy?"
A sharp 'thunk' sounded as someone smacked their radio in frustration. "Damn thing... Say that again, Overseer? My hearing aid's struggling to catch you."
"Never mind. Everything seems fine now. Continue patrol."
"This—!" The man seethed, ready to yell at his malfunctioning radio.
Unfortunately for him, he was standing directly in front of the stairwell door—right in my path. And he wasn't leaving anytime soon.
Without hesitation, I slid forward. My blade flashed. A clean slice across the throat. The soldier never even heard me coming. He gurgled, choking on his own blood, his eyes wide with disbelief before collapsing.
Dragging his body into the stairwell, I whispered, "Andromeda, can you loop the camera feed that was watching him?"
[Already done, Pilot. The loop will hold for only a few seconds.]
The radio on the dead man's chest crackled again.
"Oi, Richter Squad. Tango reported strange sounds in the toilets a floor above you. Go check it out."
A thought took root. I plucked the radio from his vest, lowering the volume. "This'll help track their movements until we reach the security centre."
[Interception of enemy communications has a strong history in warfare, Pilot. This will greatly increase mission success.] Andromeda thrummed approvingly.
I moved swiftly, vaulting down the stairs two floors until I reached the third level. Creaking open the door, I spotted a lone guard patrolling the hallway. Andromeda buzzed a silent signal.
I took action.
A rapid dash. A gloved hand muffling his mouth. A dagger sinking deep into his chest.
His body stilled.
I pulled him into the stairwell before continuing forward.
"The security centre should be... here." Pressing against the walls, I navigated through the corridors until I arrived at a familiar section. "Yes, this is it. Thankfully, the layout matches Epsilon Station's."
Peering around the corner, I used the reflection of my bloodied knife to scout ahead. Two guards stood at attention outside the door. A straight corridor. No cover. No chance to take them down silently without alerting others.
I tightened the silencer onto my pistol, ensuring a snug fit before taking a deep breath. Knife tucked under my arm, gun held in both hands—I moved.
A swift dive from cover.
Two shots fired in rapid succession. The first guard's skull snapped back as a suppressed round punched through his temple. The second barely had time to open his mouth before another shot tore through his cranium.
I hit the floor, rolling onto my shoulder. A sharp pang ran through my arm—could've executed that better.
Shaking off the discomfort, I approached the bodies, delivering two more shots to each as a precaution. Their armour was old-gen, designed to stop rounds to the chest, but they had no helmets. A helmet might've saved them.
Reaching the door—its lock already broken—I nudged it open. My visor's scan outlined three hostiles inside, standing over the corpses of security personnel. In the corner, one man remained alive, heavily bruised but conscious.
His frantic eyes flickered toward something on the floor.
I followed his gaze.
[Stun trap detected,] Andromeda warned. [Trigger linked to the door's motion.]
"Only one way past that, then."
I stepped back, then kicked the door open, and in the next instant, multiple electric tasers fired from the ceiling, their crackling energy arcing toward the floor but striking directly into the floor instead of me.
"What—"
The first enemy to react barely had time to raise his weapon before a bullet punched through his skull. I moved in swiftly after the failed trap, my gun snapping toward the other two occupants. They were unarmed, frozen solid—shocked and afraid, their wide eyes locked on the cold, black visor of my helmet.
"Drop your radios and kick them over. Any odd moves, and you will be executed."
[On your left, Pilot!]
A muffled cry from the bound security officer made me turn—just in time. I barely dodged a punch aimed at my helmet. Instinct took over. My pistol snapped up, and I fired, the bullet tearing up through my attacker's chin. No hesitation—I turned and gunned down the remaining two insurrectionists before they could reach for a gun or a radio.
[You forgot to clear the corners, Pilot,] Andromeda chided as the dust settled. [You are fortunate that guard managed to alert you in time.]
I grunted in silent acknowledgment, shoving the corpse off me before stepping fully into the security centre. Walking over to the tied-up guard, I sliced away his gag and bonds. "I am Pilot Firefly. Are you alright?"
The man spat out the rag in his mouth, sucking in a breath. "A few cuts and bruises, but thanks to you, I'm good. H-Help me to the terminal. I can override security for you."
I lifted him up and pulled a chair over, easing him into it before pushing him toward the control panel. "How did Freiheit take over the station?" I asked, pulling off my helmet and placing it on the table.
"It happened so fast. Hundreds of them flooded in through the trash ejectors, killing anyone who resisted. They took the upper half of the station before we even knew what was happening, then disabled the emergency SOS and lockdown. Before they got here, my co-workers shut down most of the security systems—except for the cameras."
My gaze flickered toward the bodies of the two fallen guards. A twinge of sorrow tightened in my chest. "I'm sorry for your loss. How long have they been in control?"
"You have a job to do. So did my co-workers." He exhaled sharply, fingers flying over the terminal keys. "I think it's been three days. They kept me alive to try and force me to unlock the security systems. But I didn't give those bastards an inch."
"The Empress will surely reward you for your valour." I praised.
He entered a final passcode, and the screens flickered to life, displaying various camera feeds across the station. My eyes darted over them, scanning the sheer number of insurrectionists spread throughout the halls. This wasn't something I could handle alone. At the very top of the station, the hostages were crammed into the vivarium, closely guarded.
"Do you mind if I...?" I gestured toward the controls.
"P-please. You're the rescuer." He rolled aside as I inserted Andromeda into a terminal connector.
[I have established a connection to Helios Station's security grid. All cameras, doors, and other devices are under my control, Pilot. Give me a moment to scan the station.]
Taking advantage of the brief pause, I checked the time. Just under an hour had passed since my arrival. That left me with two more.
"Excuse me, Mister... Halajay, was it?" He nodded. "Is it true that a member of the Empress's family is on board?"
He barely reacted, simply nodding again. "Yeah. Her little brother, Prince Alexander. I don't know how, but he's been evading Freiheit's patrols ever since the takeover. Damn good at hide-and-seek for a kid."
I frowned. "Have you seen him? Could he be small enough to climb through the station's vents?"
Halajay considered the question. "...Yeah, definitely possible. He's only seven, after all."
'Seven?!' My thoughts ground to a halt. That was my age, too—an odd coincidence. But if he was really that young, then... he must have been born after the old Emperor was killed. Unless... was he from the Empress's mother's side? It had been twenty years since she took the throne at age eight. So who was bold enough to have a child with the Empress's own mother?'
I shook off the distracting thoughts.
"Uh, Pilot Firefly?" Halajay's voice brought me back.
"Y-Yes?" My voice cracked embarrassingly. I cleared my throat. "Mhm. Yes?"
"I can try to support you, if you would—"
"No." I shut that down immediately. "You're injured. I won't press that burden on you. My Knight has already taken over the security systems. Just make sure you don't get hurt any further, alright?"
He sighed but nodded. "Since you say so."
"Thank you." I slid my helmet back on and retrieved Andromeda from the terminal. "I'll find the prince first. After that, I'll come back for you, and we'll move somewhere safer. If there's an emergency, contact me through that mic. My Knight has linked it to my helmet's radio."
"Understood. May the Empress protect you, Pilot Firefly."
I nodded and stepped out, sealing the door behind me.
"Andromeda, do you have a lock on the prince's location?"
[The station scan is still in progress. Using motion and heat sensors that were disabled prior to the takeover, I should pinpoint his location within three minutes and two seconds.]
I checked my ammo, securing the submachine gun from one of the dead insurgents. Seven bullets remained in my pistol's magazine.
"The communication array should be heavily guarded. That's on the fiftieth floor, just above the hangars. If I want to inform General Fenrir that I have the prince, I'll need to get there."
[What of the other hostages, Pilot?] An odd question from Andromeda, but I answered anyway.
"If we can, I'd like to save them too, Andy. But they're at the very top, in the vivarium. The prince takes priority. We'll see what happens next."
My stolen radio buzzed. "Attention all squads. The warship with the cargo we're after will arrive in two hours. Everyone head to Hangar Six with the elevators to prepare the ambush. Zeta and Foxtrot, stay on the lower floors and keep looking for the kid. Big Boss wants him alive, ya hear?"
Multiple responses crackled through. I allowed myself a small smirk. Fewer enemies roaming the station meant easier manoeuvring. Fenrir was already preparing for their ambush—I could trust him to handle that. My focus was on the prince.
[Station security scan complete. Target located.] Andromeda's voice crackled in my ear. [They are currently hiding in a vent within this floor's server room. Many hostiles are moving above him.]
"I better get moving before they find him."
Stepping into the corridor, I readied my handgun, my newly acquired submachine gun hanging from my belt where my helmet would normally be.
As I jogged through the station's halls, my helmet's HUD flickered with navigation markers. Fourth left. Duck under a bench—squad moving past. I held my breath as their boots clanked against the metal flooring, their muffled chatter fading down the opposite direction. Once clear, I moved swiftly, slipping into a narrow passage that led toward the server room.
I eased into the adjacent room first. Empty. "Some kind of break room," I muttered, noting the couch and abandoned coffee cups on a counter. Pressing on, I reached a glass door secured by an electromagnetic lock.
"Andy."
With a quiet click, the lock disengaged at Andromeda's command. I stepped inside. The dim glow of blinking server lights flickered across the dark space, casting shifting shadows along the walls.
[The server room is secure. The squad that passed us earlier came from here. Heat scan confirms the prince is still inside.]
"Copy..."
I moved cautiously, scanning between the rows of towering servers. The strobing lights made it difficult to focus, disorienting my vision. Grimacing, I holstered my handgun and began tapping against the metal casings, feeling for any hollow spaces.
"Andy, switch to thermal."
My visor's display shifted, the world fading into hues of deep blue and glowing red. My eyes swept across the room. Nothing unusual on the walls. The ceiling was clear. The servers were running as expected.
"So where...?" Lowering my gaze, I froze. Beneath the grated floor, a faint heat signature outlined a curled-up figure. "Disable thermal."
Kneeling down, I retrieved my knife, wedging the tip beneath the floor panel. With a quiet pop, the metal sheet lifted, revealing a small, trembling form beneath. Dust-covered and wide-eyed, the boy shrank back, whimpering.
"H-hello," I said carefully. "My name is Pilot Firefly of the Nymphas Empire. I'm here to rescue you, Your Highness."
I extended my hand. The prince didn't move. His body was tense, ready to lash out or retreat further into the dark if needed.
Slowly, I tapped the side of my helmet, disengaging the locking mechanisms. With a soft hiss, the front split into three parts, sliding away to reveal my face. "I'm not here to hurt you," I reassured him. "I am an AKP created to serve the Empire."
Still, his wary eyes darted between me and the exit. He didn't trust me.
I frowned. "Uh... Andy, what now? He doesn't believe me."
[If you have identification or proof of military affiliation, it may help establish trust.]
I resisted the urge to sigh. "He's seven, Andy. He's not going to recognize verification codes."
A thought struck me. Reaching down, I unhooked Andromeda from my belt and held it up. "Do you know what this is?"
The moment the prince laid eyes on it, his expression changed. Recognition. Cautiously, he crept forward, watching my every move, as if afraid I might suddenly lash out. I stayed completely still. Then, in a sudden burst, he lunged—throwing his arms around my shoulders.
The weight of his tiny frame pressed against me, his grip tightening around my back and scarf. His body shook violently.
"Prince, are you alright?"
His quiet sobs turned into words, muffled against my shoulder. "I-I was so scared..." His voice cracked with every breath, each word burdened by exhaustion and fear.
I exhaled softly, placing a hand on his back.
I can only imagine what he's been through.