Read Frontier-0 :: FIRST GIG: Chapter # 11

Lily watched Arkady fall on his pompous ass after delivering her signature right hook across his dumb face. Most satisfying, she thought to herself as she cracked her fingers with gusto. But it was too early to call victory, they still had to contend with the rest of the HPA soldiers onboard, as well as her mother's robot.

There were only five others soldiers on the deck at the moment, and Roin rushed to dispatch them with haste, quickly dodging their rifle fire as he rolled in and cut the first one with his sword across the throat. Lily jumped in and took the next two with a quick movement to disarm them, and althoguh she could have been more literal with that, she only cut their weapons instead, then kicking the first one so hard he probably wished Lily had just run him through him instead.

The second soldier faltered under her glare, his gun already useless in his hands after Lily cut through it, and fell back on his own, paralyzed with fear. Lily took a moment of pity for the fellow and simply knocked him out with a hit to the back of the head with the pommel of her sword. Behind her, Roin had already eliminated the last two soldiers just as easily, much less mercilessly than her

"You are more of an exasperating brat than your mother ever let on!" said XM, his digital voice magnified in his rage.

"Well, then you must not speak with her too often," replied Lily cooly as she and Roin turned to face him.

"I can attest to it firsthand, but I rather find it charming once she's on your side," said Roin, smirking dashingly as they both raised their swords toward the robot.

"Is this your plan then?" demanded XM, looking between them. "You two taking me and every soldier on board with a pair of swords?"

Lily smiled, "have you noticed a swarm of soldiers rushing into the room?"

It seemed only then that XM noticed the alarm had drawn no further troops from below the ship. He activated a holographic projector on his arm, showing a video call with one of the lower levels. Lily could hear the multiple blasters and shouting in the background immediately, as the panicked face of a solider appeared, shouting over the noise. "Sir! Roin's crew are attacking us! They took the hangar and are advancing towards you!"

"How are you idiots loing to a bunch of loser pirates?!"

"They've blocked us off, sir!" yelled back the soldier. "Somehow one of them hacked the controls and closed us off in different sections of the ship! They're taking us piece by piece and...I think they have a Mantidian with them, sir. We're getting reports of some of our men getting coccooned and-Ah!"

The transmission ended as the soldier was clearly shot, leaving a frustrated XM looking down, his digital eyes red, and if he could release steam, Lily was sure he would. Roin tensed besides Lily, she could feel the same anticipation before battle, but Lily knew they could take him, no matter what tricks he had up his sleeves.

"Well...it seems I understimated you, Captain Baek. You've managed to turn the tables on me," said XM, regaining his cool.

"You make it sound hard," she replied cooly.

"Yes, well, I blame our former Captain for that," said XM, looking at the uncouncious Arkady on the ground, "but you would do well to remeber that the table can always be spun back."

XM made a creepy smiley face on his digital head and then pressed a button on his chest. Immidiately, a small redlight began to bleep and flicker, almsot like a...

"Roin, we have to destroy him now!" shouted Lily, rushing towards XM, sword at the ready."

"I'm afriad it's too late for that," and with a fnal movement, XM turned his arm into a cannon and blasted towards one of the main windows of the deck, blowing it up instantly.

The effect was immidiate, and the vacuum of space sucked the air and everything not bolted down in the room out into the black nothingness. XM went out first, as was his plan, followed by the uncounsious Akrady and his men, but Lily and Roin grabbed onto the rail by the main console, trying desperately to hold on before they joined them in death.

Less than a minute later, the defense shileds activated, with a thick metal sheet dropping to cover the entire broken window and sealing the hole. Lily and Roin fell to their feet, gasping as they desperately tried to catch their breath as air came back into the room.

"Ah, that damn robot! That was a beacon, wasn't it?" asked Roin, his voice hoarse.

"Yes," replied Lily, still panting. "We have minutes before HPA high command tracks him, and assuming there's any cruisers nearby, which I guarantee he made sure there were, they will be on us in less than ten minutes. Fifteen if we're lucky."

Lily stood up slowly, being exposed to space, even for a few moments, was a draining experience. But XM was not alive, and could float around freely in the cold until he was picked up. And Lily knew it would most likely be her mother herself who came to do it.

The elevator rang, and she and Roin turned to see Astor, Leon and Cassius come out. A little worst for wear, but clearly successful.

“The ship is ours,” reported Cassius.

“Tough bastards wouldn’t surrender until we took over the lower levels," added Astor, "although I think seeing the mess Acro made helped.”

"It was absolutely disgusting," said Leon.

"Yeah, but better them than us," said Astor, patting him on the back. "How are things up here?"

Roin and Lily exchanged looks. "We have to leave," said Roin.

"Sir?" asked Cassius, concerned.

"Gather the crew," continued Roin, "tell them to get back in the ship and be ready to depart as soon as I come onbaord."

"Did it go that badly?" asked Leon, looking between them.

"The Robot got away and is bringing company over momentarily."

"Ok, that is bad."

Astor wasted no time and took Lily aside to a corner, "Do you have a plan?

"Don’t I always?" replied Lily with a smile.

"We haven’t flown together long enough for me to say, but you are quick on your feet."

"And quick is what we’ll be. My mother is coming, and it wont just be a single cruiser led by a halfwit and a cocky toaster this time. If she captures us, you all will..." Lily didnt even want to finish the thought, the idea of her crew, her friends, being executed by her own mother was something she didnt want to even contemplate.

"This isn’t what you signed up for," she finished.

To her surprise, Astor placed his hand gentle on her arm, his expression kind. 'That dosen’t mean we won’t stay."

"I've been doing this job since I was a teenager," he continued, his voice half amused. "I was always trying to get the best odds on my side, but honestly, I can tell you I'm willing to go all in on this with you."

My, my, that’s quite the gamble on your part," said Lily.

Yeah, it’s a bad habit of mine, but I’m feeling lucky with this crew. I think you’re gonna keep us going, and that’s someone worth staking it all on."

Astor grinned as oly he could, both cocky and heartfelt at the same time. Lily had never told him, but it filled her with confidence every time he did, and maybe that's why she had chosen him as her second,

"It’s amazing I found you on a dumpster," said Lily, returning the grin.

"It wasn’t an actual dumpster."

"It was borderline that," Lily insisted before touching her com link. "Now, let us form a plan then. Emma, dear, did you finish placing all those bombs you requested?"

"Yeah," said Emma on the com. "Almost done, this ship is soon to be history with the push of a button."

"Wonderful, I'm going to need that button for what comes next. Now everyone, here's what I'm thinking, and please hold your protests until the end."