Eternal Galaxy: Phoenix - Intermission

[S121]

Nevaaras

"Yea. At least it doesn't get boring here.", Ethan said to the girl as Megumi approached.

After Megumi stopped in front of Ethan, he couldn't help but faintly grin underneath his helmet as he almost playfully tilted his head to the side.

"Well hello again...", Ethan said and paused as he realized he didn't know the girl's name. Instead, he decided to continue speaking.

"Have you been getting into more trouble?"

Instead of getting an answer, Ethan was met only with silence and her blue-eyed stare. Ethan didn't really know how to react to her lack of reaction except to utter, "Uhhh..." After a minute though, the girl grabbed onto his waist and let her body slump to the ground. If she was any heavier, Megumi would have knocked Ethan off balance. Ethan was surprised by Megumi's reaction to him, especially since a few hours ago she was trying to get away from him. The only thing Ethan could do was look at Mokou and add on to what he had said before.

"You have no idea.", he flatly said to Mokou.

[WriggleRid3r]

Nevaaras

---

"You're right." Mokou raised an eyebrow at the girl's affectionate reaction. Either she was very assertive, innocent, or she knew Ethan before. Judging by Ethan's greeting to the girl, it was most likely the latter. "I have no clue."

Mokou suddenly looked up and around. She could feel something: her instinct warned her. To the north of the group, a dim cloud of sort rumbled, coming towards the group. "I can see a dust storm coming. We should probably hurry to wherever Miranda's taking us."

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey

---

Phenom took a few minutes to confirm that everyone in the inn was alright. A small bit of chatting revealed that they were. He was also told most of the situation. Of course, the colonists left out some of the sketchier details, but he could tell they were hiding something from him. It didn't matter. He turned to Terra and approached her once more, taking a brief moment to acknowledge Adam's presence.

He looked down at Terra and spoke, "Come with me." he said, gesturing upstairs. He wanted to find out what was going on from her perspective. There was definitely a reason that she was the only one out there fighting, and he was going to find out what that reason was.

[Cucoo5]

Chapter IV

At their founding, the Hunteri were trained to be masters of survival. They were to be skilled enough to help those in need to survive. In the end, their last squadron had exceeded that expectation. They had preserved Venturia against impossible odds.
- Last known publication of Heroes and Legends of Venturia during the Inevitable Conclusion

Strix Command Ship Legacy – Senari Orbit
“Frict.” Eleos closed his eyes as he wrestled with the situation that had just been dumped in his lap. “Igni’ta, you can’t just reactivate the Rixtrigan. The Void can tell when we use Rift Gates. It knows how we operate.” Ignis wilted slightly under his criticism, which made Eleos lighten his tone. “You’re so much like your parents. Between your father’s stubbornness and your mother’s brashness, I’m not surprised you thought that it was the right thing to do.”

“But, Uncle Eleos, the colonists were the ones that activated the Rift Gates. If the Void is as omniscient as you say, then it must realize that they would be testing it as well.” Ignis brought herself up to her full height. “We could begin organizing for the final strike now.”

Lotus stepped in, “Yet we’re far from that right now. We need to assemble an army discretely. We need to build up a fleet.” She shook her head in dismay. “Igni’ta, you jumped the gun, again. We’re not ready yet.” Eleos nodded solemnly in agreement. They had been waiting for the many Hunteri’cova, colonies of survivors, to build up their numbers across the galaxy. They were playing the waiting game for their army. Ships were another story, and Lotus knew that it would be their greater challenge if the Hunteri didn’t do anything for it.

Ignis however didn’t share their view on the situation. “We can assemble an army now. I can find the ships. Shev, I could find the Void by accident. All we need to do is recruit the colonists-“

“Why would they fight our fight? They’re not mercenaries and even then, they have no reason to help. This is a Venturian problem. We’ll take care of it ourselves.” That statement made Ignis step back. She knew what Eleos meant. He had survived the Senari Crisis, the civil war that resulted in the return of the Senari Federation. “It was a Senari problem, and we dealt with it,” was Eleos’s saying. He was always bitter about not doing things himself, despite his time in Strix Squadron.

“It’s not just a Venturian problem anymore. The Universe is collapsing and I know it’s because of the Void.” Ignis watched her aunt and uncle intently for their reaction. What she saw was grave resignation. They know, too. They just don’t want to bother with that aspect of it because we already have enough to deal with. She looked down at her own gloved hand, reaching the same question that Lotus answered next.

“I know you want to save everyone, Igni’ta, but we are few. There’s only so much we can do.”

“Our goal is to purge Venturia without using the Phoenix Code. Revere has managed to buy us time, but we’re not ready to strike at every Nihiliod at once. We have to operate like the Phoenix Code, just far more selective.” Eleos pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to subdue the headache he felt. “We have to do this because we can’t access the GAIA Computer to change the program.”

Hunteri Stronghold – Sedes Imperii
Achlys still felt like she filled the entire chamber that housed the power core of the Palaci. Adapting back to life as a five foot six inch bipedal Arcain instead of a forty foot tall quadruped Arachnae was more challenging than she thought. I just need to give it time. I’ll be back to my old self soon enough, just with a lot more energy coursing through my veins. Arcain blood was normally a silvery color, making their veins invisible against their skin. Achlys’s, however, now took on a dark purple hue in some places due to the high concentrations of Gaia’va. Most beings would die from Gaia Energy poisoning, but she was Arcain; she was born with Corlaviri embedded in her heart, granting her the ability to contain it.

“Confira’strav, maki’ta?” Still claustrophobic, sister? Aion stood at the entrance with a sideways grin on his face which always betrayed his concern despite his show of good humor. “This place is a lot emptier now that you… lost some mass.”

“Shacir, Hunteri.” Achlys tried to keep a serious face, though eventually she gave in to fits of laughter. There was something disarming about how he could still find humor in these dire times. Part of her envied his ability to do so. Regaining her composure, Achlys addressed the leader of the Hunters. “I assume you’re not here just to crack bad jokes, maki’te.”

“Nay, just here to check on our favorite alchemist.” Aion carried himself like a General who was wise beyond his years. Achlys knew, though, that he was a renegade who lived by the standards of the Hunteri. When she first met him, Aion was a mercenary searching for the truth of the War of the Eternity. Now he held command of a new generation of Hunteri during a dangerous chapter of Venturia’s history. His demeanor quickly became grave as he turned to Achlys again. “I also want to know if you’ve sensed anything different. I would try to train our Vatians to access the Fo’yia, but I would rather not risk it.”

Achlys felt herself sigh as she smiled wryly. She understood what he was really asking: He wanted a reason to be let loose; to stop hiding and start fighting. “If you really want to know, Helios has an unusually high amount of Dei’arc activity.”

“Helios, huh?” Aion seemed suddenly fascinated by the dormant Corlaviri Crystal that made up the city’s power core. “Maybe it’s time to pay Joe a visit.”

“If I recall, we don’t have enough transports to relocate our base, unless you intend on leaving some of your dear Hunteri here.” Achlys watched a smile grow broader by the second on his face as he began to head back to the makeshift headquarters.
“Nay, we’re all going. I trust the Dei’arcs enough that if they know something is wrong then we should listen.” He turned to watch Achlys smile as well. And yes, that does mean I’ll even listen to your advice, Achly’ita. Aion knew that they waited long enough; it was time to bring together the scattered Hunteri into one force. He had to trust that the resulting army would be big enough to handle what he had in mind. If not, then it’ll be a waste of life.

The main base of operations was a closed circuit system that fed off of the main computers of the city. It was contained and ultimately invisible from outside the city. Vatians, Irians, Papillians, and Arcains bustled about the various chambers that had been retrofitted as a concealed military garrison. Everyone worked with the utmost efficiency, carrying out basic tasks to keep everything operating and prepared for anything. As far as Aion was concerned, these people were true Hunteri. A female Vatian officer approached him, saluted, which he acknowledged with a nod, and then gave her report. “Aion, sir, border patrol has reported that a group of bipedals have landed not too long ago. Scans indicate they are using Ven’tec equipment.”

Aion’s brow furrowed. “How many? And did they ID the ship they came in?”

“Two, sir. And the ship is also of Venturian origin: VE-C02443. According to scans, it originated from Helios via Rixtrigan.” The Vatian stood with her arms held at the small of her back, waiting for Aion’s response. She held respect for him because of who he was as a person, not because he was her CO. It was something that all the Hunteri were taught, and something she took to heart.

VE-C02, Freighters designed for the Empire during Lady Avonna’s rule. The kind of transport I would choose if I wanted to get people somewhere fast. Aion gave a start when he came back to reality from his thoughts. “Which planet did it originate from, or, better yet, which space port did it come from?” With that question, the Vatian blinked a few times as if it was unusual that he had asked.

“Duon, sir. From the Pangaea Space port.” She was about to ask why that was important but Aion interrupted her with the answer.

“Then that means Morpheus decided to send us a sign. Something is wrong.” He turned on his heel and made for the communications center. “Spread the word, we’re preparing for Evaz’trae.” The Vatian froze at the order.

“Sir, are you sure you want us to evac-“

“Positive. Assemble whatever squadrons you can and activate all systems to full. Deivi’pa caro’muc Void locu’tinun.” Hell if I care if the Void finds us now. He left the Vatian dumbfounded as he entered the room where they had all of their communication systems. He grabbed one of the intercom microphones and flipped it on as he activated the voice recorder. “Attention all personnel, prepare for immediate Evaz’trae. I repeat, prepare for immediate Evaz’trae. Utilization of Ven’tec is permitted.” Aion flipped the system to replay the message. All present in the room stared at him. “Well? Don’t just sit there, Rapi! Move!”

The bustling activity that filled the lower levels of the Palaci suddenly erupted into organized chaos. Men and women ran about, shouting orders to others while carrying or packing equipment. Achlys was amazed that, despite their rushed actions, the Hunteri kept their efficiency. While crossing the central chamber to the communications room she was almost swept up in the rush as well. Achlys was surprised, after the ordeal of reaching the room, to find it nearly empty save for the person she was looking for. Aion was pacing in front of the long range comm system, seemingly at odds with himself as he spoke to whoever was on the other end. “Eleos, I know it’s a risk, but I need you to get your bac’kut over here. I’m not one-hundred-percent certain I have enough transports here to completely evac my base. Yes, I know, it’s insane to issue Evaz’trae when not fully prepared. Yes. Maki’te. You’re the last person I need a lecture from today. Hey, it’ll be like old times, right? All the rushed evacs? C’mon, just use the Rixtrigan. Eleos, there’s no point in trying to minimize the damage, it’s already been done. Yes, we just declared our presence to the Void. Just get over here.”

“I don’t remember Eleos being so cautious.” Achlys said softly as she watched Aion’s reactions. He was tense, waiting for a response, hand held firmly to his ear so that he could hear even the slightest whisper that might come through the comm unit in his ear.

A moment more of silence was finally broken by a sigh of defeat over the comm. “Fi, You win. We’ll be over there in fifteen minutes. We have to deal with a certain someone that decided to come back home.”

“Thank you, maki’te.” Aion slumped into a chair letting relief flow over him. It only took a few seconds to realize what Eleos had said at the end. “Unmo’mi, who came back home?” A chuckle answered him followed by a quick wait-till-we-get-there before the comm went silent.

Strix Command Ship Legacy – Senari Orbit
Eleos let his head fall back into the headrest of the seat of the comm station. “I thought the saying was Like father, like daughter, not the other way around.” Lotus simply laughed.

“It could be worse, maki’te. Besides, it sounds as if Aion was tired. Most likely from sitting on his bac’kut for so long.” A dismissive wave was Eleos’s response. “Plus, he has a point; No point being subtle anymore. And it’ll be good for Igni’ta to be reunited with her father.”

“Aye, maybe that news will keep her from running off to whatever colony she was talking about.”

“It might be too late for that.” The voice of Spear, out of breath and worried sounding, sounded from the doorway of the bridge. “She just left for H-BP04.” Eleos and Lotus both looked at him incredulously. “I tried to stop her but, frict, she was too quick.”
“Shev. She went to a boundary planet?” Eleos looked to Lotus who seemingly read his mind.

“We don’t know the status of the boundary planets when it comes to Nihiliod infestation.” She got off of her seat on the control console and made for the exit. “I’ll take Anna and go after her. And you.” Lotus pointed menacingly towards Spear. “You’re coming, too.”

“What? What did I do wrong this time?” He looked from Lotus to Eleos who had a smug grin on his face.

“I think it was the part on how you couldn’t keep a little girl from escaping.” Spear adopted a look of skepticism. “I’ll make sure to contact Joe so that he can help try to intercept her.” He responded with a silent shrug of agreement before leaving Eleos to his thoughts while he sat in the bridge. Yeah, just like old times. You were right, Aion. You were right.

[Aria of Forbidden Magic]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Umineko: When They Cry - Apathy
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PxxAmlmVvQ4

---

Terra looked after the man as he walked away. She wondered why he wanted to talk to her. Sure, she had been the one fighting out there, but it seemed like he wanted to talk in private. This confused the girl. It had been a confusing day for her all around. She yawned. She said a quick goodbye to Adam. "Uh, I guess he wants to talk to me. I'll see you later, I guess. Bye!"

"Bye! See you later," he responded. Terra waved, looking somewhat guilty for just leaving him. She followed after the man in the dark cloak. Hmm, maybe in this private talk I'll actually see his face, Terra mused. She couldn't stop herself from imagining what he looked like beneath his mask-like scarf. She hoped he wasn't scary-looking. His height and attire were intimidating enough, and his skills in battle as well.

Her mind, boiling over with countless thoughts, continued to steam with questions as she followed after her enigmatic new acquaintance.

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=F...-_Complete_OST

---

Phenom, led Terra to the room across from hers, opting not to use the room opposite due to the completely destroyed door. He opened the door and entered, making his way over to the chair that stood in the corner of the room. He slowly lowered himself into the chair and awaited Terra's entrance. When she did enter, Phenom spoke.

"Close the door." he said, observing the flustered girl as she obliged him. He then silently gestured for her to sit on the bed.

"Terra... I have a few questions I would like you to answer." He said through his scarf.

[Aria of Forbidden Magic]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Umineko: When They Cry - Apathy
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PxxAmlmVvQ4

---

After shutting the door as she was told, Terra took his offer to sit on the bed. She was a little disappointed when he didn't show any sign of lowering his scarf. She had been curious. Plus, it would make him feel a bit less imposing...

Terra cocked her head a little upon learning that he wanted to interrogate her. "U-um... you want to ask me questions? Questions like... what?" For some reason she was worried about what he might ask her. His tone seemed neutral, but she couldn't really tell if that was his aim. Terra was momentarily gripped by a worried sense that maybe he was angry with her for some reason. Maybe for somewhat recklessly trying to fight an entire army.

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=F...-_Complete_OST

---

Phenom squinted slightly, noticing Terra staring at his scarf. He groaned and shook his head, pulling down his scarf to reveal the lower half of his face. His expression was as stoic as his tone implied.

"Better? I'm no monster." He said. Leaving the scarf lowered, he leaned towards Terra and began to speak.

"Before anything... My name is Phenom. I am a Guardian Angel from Heaven, under the employment of GaHDD." he said, identifying himself. It appeared he would only give such details in private, and the way he spoke of himself implied that there was some sort of holy nature to him. Angels? Heaven? God? Who would even begin to fathom that he was just a... well.. he wasn't a regular human, per se.

"Now then... do you have any idea why that... Army... attacked this village?"

[Aria of Forbidden Magic]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Umineko: When They Cry - Apathy
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PxxAmlmVvQ4

---

His scarf had been pulled down. The way he said "I'm no monster" made her feel a little guilty. Terra hadn't thought of him that way, she was only curious, and only slightly imtimidated. Still, it did make her feel better to see his face. Safer, in a way. He also wasn't exactly bad-looking, in her opinion.

Terra sighed. "Sorry, I don't know anything about them, or why they were attacking. I'm not really from here. In fact, this is the first day I've even been in this town. I don't know much of anything about it." Terra looked down. She didn't want to be a hindrance to him, but the sad fact was that if he wanted to know about the town or the army, she was totally clueless.

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=F...-_Complete_OST

---

Phenom put his hand to his chin and turned his gaze to the floor in thought for a moment. "Hm.... Tell me what you were doing out there all on your own? Why were you fighting?"

[Aria of Forbidden Magic]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Umineko: When They Cry - Apathy
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PxxAmlmVvQ4

---

Terra clasped her hands together on her lap, still looking at the floor. "Um... how should I explain this... Their leader said that he would let us go if I could defeat him in battle. He called me out specifically, saying I had 'great power' or whatever... then he somehow was able to... change his appearance so that he looked like me, and he also had my powers, it would seem. Most likely that was his goal, to take out the person he believed to be the most useful and copy their abilities."

Once more, a sigh escaped Terra's mouth. "As for why I fought at all... Well, that should be obvious. I wanted to help these people out. From what I can tell, they're just regular people, and regular people don't deserve to die." Terra paused and looked up at the man called Phenom, wondering if she sounded like she was glorifying herself. "I mean... if I did nothing, everyone would have died anyway, right? I-I thought it would be good to try and help..."

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=F...-_Complete_OST

---

"Someone who can copy abilities..." He pondered what might have happened had this character stolen his own abilities. That would be problematic. The only person who's ever really been able to keep up with Phenom without matching speed was Quigann... and he killed Quigann 6 "years" ago.

"Right... so then he copied your abilities and sicced his men on you... You said you weren't from around here... Where are you from? Where is your family?"

[Aria of Forbidden Magic]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Umineko: When They Cry - Apathy
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PxxAmlmVvQ4

---

These next questions were a bit tougher. Terra hadn't really explained that she was from an entirely different planet to anyone besides the doctor who she first met here because she didn't know whether it would cause some kind of uproar. For all she knew, if word got out that an alien girl suddenly showed up in a field, who knew what might happen.

Then, Terra remembered. This man had said he was from... Heaven? That certainly wasn't normal. A realization hit Terra. Had he told anyone else he was an Angel from Heaven, or was this some type of secret? Either way, he clearly wasn't from around here either. She felt as though she could tell him where she was from.

She didn't want to talk about her family, though.

"I'm not from this planet," Terra stated. "I'm from this town called Neri. I don't know if you've ever heard of it. Anyway, I was visiting a nearby town to get a book and this... rift opened in the plaza, and these odd, parasite-like monsters poured out. I tried fighting them off, but I fell through... and now here I am." Terra did not mention her family. She didn't live with them, so they weren't important to Phenom's questioning. Terra hoped that she could get away with this, at least for a little while. She nervously tugged on her long sleeves which, even now, bunched up over her hands.

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=F...-_Complete_OST

---

Phenom was not surprised in the least when he heard that Terra came from another planet, and it was clear that she was avoiding the topic of her family, so he opted not to pry. However, there was one thing in particular that sparked his interest.

"Parasites?" He said to himself, "Nihiliods... perhaps... But you're not from this planet. Same as us... hmm...." He looked out the window at the hills. It was barely the afternoon and work had already become so complicated for the day. He sighed and turned to Terra, opening his mouth before...

"PHEEEEEEEEEEEENOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

Phenom recoiled in pain as a loud, angry shriek echoed in his earpiece. The scream was so loud, there was no doubt that Terra would easily hear it. It was Lachesis. Obviously angry that Phenom had left her in his bed, alone, without so much as saying something or waking her up.

"JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE PHENOM? HOW COULD YOU LEAVE YOUR BEST FRIEND ALL ALONE IN HER SLEEP WITHOUT SAYING SO MUCH AS "GOOD MORNING" OR "I HAVE TO GO, BE BACK SOON". WHY I'VE GOT HALF A MIND TO- "

Phenom reached his fingers up to his ear and pressed a button on it, muting the earpiece.

"Apologies... my partner can be... eccentric..." Phenom apologized, sounding a little annoyed. But who could blame him? He had just nearly had his ears blown out by the wailing of a banshee. "Anyway... back to the matter at hand. I'm going to remain here for the night, just in case. If you need anything, just talk to me. Unless you have questions for me, you're free to go."

[Cucoo5]

Chapter V

Boundary planets were once heavily militarized bases to deter invasion. Due to neglect by the Venturian Republic, they fell to anarchy. No one dared to reclaim the lawless planets, for most of the Inner rim saw them as “Devolved.” Because of that view, they were labeled as being worthless and were unofficially quarantined by society.
- Social distribution in Venturia, published in RY 109,115

Foreign Colony - H-BP04

This was now the second time Ignis was in the atmosphere of this desert planet at the edge of Helios. Before she had the sense to come in low and slow in her freighter. This time, however, she was in an Interceptor fighter. Low and fast was the only option she had. The sand kicked up from the air pushed past the wings spiraled in graceful arcs as she rolled the craft over the dunes, keeping ten meters between her and ground at all times. I must be fricten insane. I’m not like Lotus or any of the others when it comes to flying and here I am thinking I can outrun them. The wrap-around view in the HUD showed that two other interceptors were on her tail, and one of them had a lotus flower marking. A twist of the left control stick activated the boosters, accelerating her fighter to sub-hypersonic speeds. The G-Force Dampeners worked overtime to counteract the rapid acceleration. If I pass over the colony at these speeds I’ll be breaking a few windows, but I’m not going to let them catch me. She called up to the center of her HUD a special image magnification feature unique to Interceptors. It showed the colony that was 600 klicks away as if it was only a few meters and not rapidly approaching. Most pilots used this to pinpoint a weakness to attack; Ignis used it to find a means to escape. All I need is a tall tower to jump onto. Then I would slow down enough to make Lotus overshoot, slam on full reverse thrusters, activate autopilot, jump out, and watch them chase the empty fighter. She felt that her plan could work as long as she timed everything right. That much wasn’t overly worrisome for her since she was the daughter of a Master of Time. Chronal perception comes standard for us. This should be a beka’ca. Piece of cake.

Lotus was silently cursing to the goddess. Ignis was proving to actually be a competent Interceptor pilot. And here I thought she hated flying. The way Ignis was controlling her fighter reminded her of times flying against Aion during the War of Eternity in their Interceptor Duels. Shevic, the Bucki fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree at all. “We won’t catch her in a straight run. We need Joe here to cut her off now.”

Spear, flying on Lotus’s right wing, grinned mischievously. “And I thought you said this was supposed to be easy.”

“Shacir. I didn’t say that.”

“Ok. You implied it.” A low growl answered him which simply provoked the smile on his face to grow. “Well, ETA to the colony is 5 minutes. Lots of time. Besides, she’ll slow down, ‘less she plans on waking the dead by flying at one-point-eight kay-emm per sec at the deck.”

“Or making the living deaf.” A third voice came in over the comms. “I’m coming in like a Barcrat in heat. Guessing the one I’m seeing on sensors that’s in the lead is Igni’ta, right?”

“Affirm, Joe.” Spear responded. “Just need to spook her enough so that Lot’ita can disable her fighter.”

“Roger that. I’ll make sure to make my move after she flies over the colony so that she doesn’t slam into-“

“Frict, she’s making her move.” Lotus slammed the right control stick down and back, causing her fighter to roll left and pitch into a high arc, narrowly avoiding Ignis as she went into rapid deceleration. Spear had done the same, except towards the right. In a minute we’ll be over the colony. This is where she’ll do something brash, I’m sure of it. She brought her fighter around, using the craft’s RCSs to perform a sharper turn to bring her onto Ignis’s tail. Unfortunately, Ignis was one step ahead and had cut into her turn to go back towards the colony. She predicted Ignis’s turn around one of the colony’s taller buildings and turned tighter to meet her once she made her way around it. Spear had opted to fly over the building to try and keep her from pulling up. Ignis’s craft made a snap-roll in the opposite direction and accelerated away from the colony. Lotus saw an opportunity and lobbed off a burst in the hope of hitting the engines of the Interceptor. The fighter made a quick slide to evade the shots, but Joe dove in from above, forcing it to pull up to evade him. Spear fired a burst to spook it to the left and Lotus landed the final blow as it ascended. Without power to the main engine, the craft gentle rose a few meters more before falling to the open desert bellow.

“That got her. Now let’s get down there before she tries anything more.” Joe said as he quickly brought his fighter down alongside Lotus and Spear. All of them vaulted out of their ships and ran over to the downed Interceptor only to find the cockpit empty. “Oh, Frict.”

Spear had a look of disbelief plastered on his face “Were we chasing a decoy this whole time?” Lotus simply shook her head, equally bewildered.

“No. Autopilot can’t pull off those kinds of maneuvers. Plus there’s no on-board AI on that craft. She was on it just before we took it down.” But when did she jump ship? Lotus turned to the other two pilots. “Did anyone see her bail?” Both shook their heads no. She watched Joe glance to the colony as if it would provide an answer.

“Wait, that tall building, there” He pointed to the one that Ignis had flown past. “She flew awfully close to that one.” Lotus and Spear looked to the building, then each other, then to Joe, realization dawning on their faces at the same time. They then spoke it aloud in unison. “She bailed onto the building face.”

***
That was too close. Ignis thought as she dropped to the streets of the colony, Aura Barrier flickering as it absorbed part of the shock of the impact. If I had jumped any later I would have been seen, or worse, injured. She looked both ways down the alley she was in. At least no one was here to see me here, too. With that thought, she pulled her scarf and hood up and then put on her red goggles and made her way into the more crowded streets in the hope to slip into a group of people and, thus, vanish. I’ll need to work on finding that lady in charge again. Frict, what was her name? Ignis’s train of thought was quickly interrupted by a fact that quickly dawned on her: The street that she thought was full of people was actually very empty. Huh? Where did everyone go? At that moment, something told her to look towards the visible horizon. Oh, Shevic. Looming in the distance was the unmistakable silhouette of a sandstorm. A man, who she assumed was seeking shelter, ran past her. It wasn’t until she noticed a woman in pursuit did she realize that wasn’t the case. I guess I’m not the only person running from someone.