"Silent runnin- Flight Assist Off," Verity announced, the two commands practically overlapping as Alex sent them hurtling forward under their own momentum, completely unseen. Her hands hovered poised over her controls as she watched them close the distance, making only the bare minimum steering movements to keep them on course as the three ships grew larger in front of them. She watched her scanner intently and the moment as they were in range Verity spoke again.
"Thermal signature restored," she confirmed as Alex threw her throttle to full and squeezed her trigger. Before the canopy her laser cannons sprang to life, unleashing their own torrent of red into the darkness. The shots swept across the back of the remote fighter, enough finding their mark to quickly punch through its meager shields. The ship twisted in space; its operator realizing the danger.
Eta heard the gentle hissing sound beneath her feet as Alex's missile racks sprang to life. A swarm of glowing lights erupted out from below the ship, swirling and twisting erratically towards their target. Eta's eyes widened in surprise as she watched them converge on the doomed fighter, slamming into its hull in a series of explosions, and ripping it apart.
"Flight Assist on," Verity confirmed, and Eta felt the Peregrine's thrusters reignite, countering their sideways motion and keeping the ship on course as Alex threw them into a dive. Overhead a blinding stream of laser fire bathed the cockpit in a menacing crimson: the Gunship having turned its superior weaponry towards the Peregrine.
Alex threw them to the side, pulling the ship into tight curve as their attacker fought to trap the little ship in their sights. She wrenched on her sticks, dragging the Peregrine back towards the Megaship with the Gunship's lasers cascading over she shoulders.
"How long until they get another fighter running?" Alex asked tersely from between clenched teeth as she sent them skimming under the belly of the Megaship, green eruptions all around them as the pirate's shots scattered against the Imperials' shield.
"A minute and a half at minimum," Eta answered quickly, her mind focused on all the slaves frozen inside the Megaship. Alex didn't answer as she jerked back on her controls, pulling them into a steep climb as the mass of the imperial ship disappeared behind them and leaving open space above their heads. But sure enough, the Gunship couldn't match her in the turns, and so as she rolled them over she dropped onto the tail of the sluggish pirate.
Alex pounced, sinking her claws into the Gunship as its entire flank became awash with her own laser strikes and the blue flashes of its shields. The pirate tried to shake off its pursuer, but Alex was relentless. Eta felt herself being thrown from side to side in her seat. Her harness digging into her shoulders as Alex matched the Gunship through every turn. But she was far too focused watching her Mistress' shots land than to worry about feeling sick.
The Gunship seemingly realized it couldn't out-turn them and tried a new maneuver. It threw itself into a corner, but as it did Alex saw most of its thrusters go dark. The ship began it spin on its own axis, having deactivated their own flight assist as they swung their guns towards the Peregrine despite still moving away from her. Alex calmly jerked her stick to the side, sending them into a roll as a red stream of lasers erupted through where they had just been.
Alex sent them into a dive, Eta's knuckles turning white from gripping her arm rests. But as they came out of it Alex had landed them directly on the back of the Gunship once again, and she resumed her merciless bombardment as her fleeing target raced away. And at long last Eta saw the first signs of the shields beginning to struggle. The once resilient blue shell that protected the pirate flickered, taking longer and longer to recover after each hit.
Alex would not let go no matter how hard they desperately tried to turn away from her, but as the Gunship rolled in front of her, she caught a brief glimpse of its underside. Through the weakening shield she could see a skeletal platform had extended out from the bay doors, carrying the ship's second fighter that they were frantically trying to launch into fray.
Without a word Alex forced their nose down. She corkscrewed the Peregrine, bringing them into a position where she had an unobstructed shot at the Gunship's belly and fired. The shields sputtered, her shots visibly fracturing and distorting the surface. But just as it looked on the brink of failing the remote fighter sprang to life. Its thrusters ignited as it flew free of its frame, blasting clear of the battle and stabilizing itself before beginning to circle back.
"Motherfucker," Alex spat, hesitating for a split second before making her decision. The platform beneath the Gunship hadn't yet retracted, and so Alex gripped her controls as she pounded the shields. Putting all her spare power behind her guns as she watched the blue glow fracture and begin to fail.
But just as it finally gave out the Peregrine sounded an urgent alarm. The remote righter had dropped in behind her, pecking at her own shields in return with its modest guns. Alex unleased another swarm of missiles spiraling in towards the vulnerable structure below the Gunship as she broke off. She twisted the Peregrine, diving away to shake off her new attacker. But the remote fighter was even more agile than she was, and as the stars spun around them the Peregrine's alarms grew louder as it continued its work of chipping away them.
Alex killed power to her weapons, pouring it into engines and shields as she danced with the fighter close behind, before being forced to quickly reversed the direction of her roll as a torrent of red filled the sky. The Gunship having dragged its guns back on target.
Alex swore, swerving over the deadly stream as she pushed the throttle to full. She watched her scanner display, plotting a wide circle around the Gunship as a plan came together in her mind. She twisted back towards the pirate, the fighter locked on her tail as she nudged all three of them into place.
And just as her alarms were reaching their peak Alex streaked across the bow of the Gunship, offering them the shot. The pirate leapt forward, unleashing a flood of crimson lasers towards her. But just as they did Alex shut down her shields, dumping everything her power plant could muster into her engines as Eta was thrown back in her seat.
A new alarm sounded, a warning of the remote fighter's shots striking across the back of the hull. But Alex's sudden lunge forward had left the Gunship's shot behind her, creating a stream of lasers that not even the fighter could turn fast enough to avoid. It's dot on her scanner display flickered, before going dark as it was reduced to shrapnel by its own ally.
Alex twisted her controls, sending them screaming back towards the Gunship and diving down on her target with a vengeance. She rebalanced her power, hoping to give her shields a chance to recover as she laid into the Gunship once again. She was relieved to see that all that remained of the fighter platform was tangled wreckage dangling from the belly of the pirate. And after cracking what little had returned of its shields her shots sent of river of sparks pouring out of the craft as they finally reached the hull.
More hissing emanated from beneath their feet as Alex sent another flurry of swarming missiles towards the Gunship, impacting along its length and causing the ship to buck as it bled sparks and shrapnel out into space.
The Gunship's thrusters were being pushed to their breaking point, which sent it hurtling back towards the Megaship with Alex right behind as her shots ripped into the back of the craft. But just when it seemed that the pirate vessel was about to collide, it dived hard. Skimming under the Megaship so closed that it triggered a cascade of green from the imperials' shields. But Alex realized she was at the wrong angle and moving too fast to follow. She cursed loudly as she was forced to break off and climb over the Megaship instead: momentarily losing sight of her prey. And just as she swung around to find them again, a blast of laser fire lashed up at the Peregrine from below. Her battered shields almost immediately crumbling in the face of the Gunship. Alex pulled away, rolling evasively as she tried to shake the larger ship. Alarms blared in the cockpit as Alex's shields came to the brink of failing. She sent them into a steep dive as he hit another trigger on her dashboard.
"Silent Running," Verity repeated. Alex growled something unintelligible as a wave of heat swept over them both. The last two times Eta had experienced this, Alex had deliberately kept her power usage low. But this time the Peregrine was being pushed to her limits, and Eta almost immediately began to sweat. Her skin tingled in the growing heat, and she tried desperately to ignore her discomfort.
"Warning. Temperature critical," announced Verity calmy. But outside the windows the Gunship's shots sprayed wildly. The pilot suddenly unable to get a proper lock on the little ship. Alex yanked her throttle all the way towards herself. Throwing Eta forward in her seat as the ship lurched backwards. But the tricked pirate overshot them. Unable to stop in time to match Alex.
"Thermal signature restored," Verity announced as Alex slammed open her heat vents: much to Eta's relief as she was thrown back into her chair. Alex once again pounced and seized a target lock of her own. She shut down her battered shields once again: putting every bit of power she could spare behind her laser cannons as they continued to rip the Gunship apart.
"Oh fuck yes!" Eta cheered out as she saw another swarm of missiles rake across the pirate's hull, sending metal fragments and sparks pouring out of the failing ship.
"Eta, I love it when you swear!" Alex called back in glee as her shots focused in on one of the rear engines: pounding the sputtering thruster until it finally went dark. The Gunship lurched sluggishly, struggling to control its maneuvers. But Alex didn't stop, her shots now striking the rear wing again and again until it finally cracked and split apart. A huge chunk of it spun off into space, and Alex had to roll out of the way to avoid a collision with it.
But now missing one of its main engines and its weight off balance the Gunship began its death spiral. The ship tumbling over and over as the pilot lost all control. Only then did Alex ceased her attack, simply watching the doomed ship as she slumped back in her seat and blinking for the first time in what felt like far too long.
