My arms begin to feel the intense heat beneath my suit as they shield my face from the raging flames combusting over my console. I slam a fist down on a button to my right, and my dome door shoots open and lets fresh oxygen rush inside.
I struggle to undo my seatbelt, but once I get it off I climb from the fire and escape my shot-down fighter jet. I land in the dirt and hear the deafening whistles of enemy fighter jets flying overhead. They chase my teammates ruthlessly, and now there's not a thing I can do about it.
I hold a panel down on my P.V.D still clutching to my wrist.
Me (Personal): "Titan, I'm down! My ship's not getting back up."
Titan (Personal): "Understood, kid. We'll take these dogs out in the next ten seconds. Find some cover, I don't want any scrap metal taking you out on the way down."
My P.V.D pings, and this time it's Cheq on the line.
Cheq (Personal): "Stay put, Nev, I'm coming down to get you."
I hold the button again, but my eyes spot an abandoned Anti-Aircraft cannon just a sprint away.
Me (Personal): "Wait a sec, I have an idea. Do these cannons on the ground still function?"
Cheq (Personal): "They should, Paxes Defense Force only got ran out of here about a week ago."
My legs press hard into the sandy terrain as I carry myself to the cannon hastily. I get there in one piece and circle around the seat until I find the hatch to let me in. The cannon is still pristine, but nothing is working, it's been switched to passive mode.
My P.V.D switches to an 'All Broadcast' channel and Knight is the first to speak.
Knight (Group): "Titan, Cheq, I'm getting blasted over here and I can't shake 'em! I need some cushion!"
Cheq (Group): "Hold still, I'm coming in behind you! I see that scrapper pecking your backside. Damn, missed!"
Titan (Personal): "Nev, if you got the cannons working, now's a good time to try a test fire right on Knight's chaser."
Titan maneuvers his jet to a position behind Knight. Other ships intervene and he's forced to fly away as Cheq does the same.
Titan (Group): "Blast!"
I press all the important-looking buttons hoping for a reassuring sound, but nothing comes. I look up to the sky and see Knight's ship taking several hits from his pursuer's photon cannons.
Knight (Group): "I can't take another damn barrage like that, I'm gonna burst into flames!"
His left thruster shuts off, and his flying becomes unstable. He no longer has balance on his flight path, but he tries to keep it in the air while avoiding more laser fire. Titan and Cheq are too busy dealing with their own scuffle to help out. Two pilots out of the fight is certain defeat.
Me (Group): "Hold on!"
I bang all over a console I've never seen before. Finally, a whir of blue lights explodes from the targeting systems; the cannon is ready for use once I charge a blast. Knight desperately performs defensive maneuvers, my eyes shift between watching him and watching the "Reloading" screen.
I track the chaser's ship and find the targeting system to be sticky and easy to use. As soon as "Cannons Ready" appears on the screen, I press a button and let a massive blast shoot for the ship. It connects, and the ship explodes in a fiery red; the scrap metal falls down on the desolate planet.
Knight's ship safely lands in the dirt.
Knight (Group): "I'm using an Armor Pack! Nev, you saved my ass."
With the cannon operational, I take out enemy fighters from the ground until they notice me and fire at my location. The armor plating is good enough to fend off photon blasts, but I'm not taking my chances with bombs.
Knight's ship partially repairs itself and he flies up into the scrap.
Me (Group): "I count three left."
Titan decides to broadcast a public transmission so the enemy fighters can hear as well.
Titan (Public): "I'd clock out now if you want to leave with your ships intact, boys. Don't make me shoot you down."
An unknown voice responds.
Beta-Ray Pilot (Public): "Leave it to Paxes to hire mercenaries for their dirty work. Tactical retreat, now!"
The remaining three ships get into formation and use 10X-Thrusters to hurl themselves out of the planet's atmosphere and into deep space. Titan, Cheq, and Knight all land their ships near mine and climb out of their cockpits.
I get out of the cannon and join them, pointing at my downed ship. "Can you fix it, Cheq?"
"It's on fire."
"Is it that bad?"
"Actually this is the best shape you've left it in for a while. Let's get it back to Motley's hangar."
Cheq unsheathes a transporter that shoots a beam around my ship, instantly shrinking its size and depositing it into the pocket-sized device. "Should we check if there are any usable pieces of scrap?"
Titan kicks some scrap metal around. "You're going to trust a Beta-Ray's quality in equipment? I'll pass."
Knight grabs a piece of a trashed fighter jet and inspects the metal. "I'm surprised Beta-Ray managed to run off Paxes Defense Force, and an outpost no less."
"I hate to admit it, but it was kind of impressive. I guess Bouncer found some decent mercs to recruit this time." He walks to me and throws an arm around my shoulders. "Good shooting, kid. You can bum a ride off me, you've earned it."
I shake my head. "A ride with Titan. What a privilege."
"I could always just leave you here, but I'd miss ya too much."
He pops open his cockpit and hops in while I squish myself behind his chair. Our jets are one-seaters, and there's hardly room for a passenger, let alone seatbelts or bars to hold on to. He takes off into deep space, and my head spins as the g-force is so much harder on me without a seat to lean back into.
The HWSS-Motley mothership drifts lazily among the stars, its cannons ready to blast any unregistered spacecraft out of existence. Titan enters the perimeter first and his jet's encrypted identification pacifies the Motley's deadly lasers. Behind us, Knight and Cheq enter the airspace as well.
We drift and wait for the hangar bay's Oxy-Gate to activate so we can fly through the grid without letting oxygen out of the room. A great blue shine appears all over the entrance and Titan flies through and parks inside. The rest of the team does as well, and when Cheq ejects from his ship, he places my broken ship next to his.
Titan pops the cockpit and jumps out. He lands and turns around to extend an arm out to me. "Need help getting down?"
I shove his hand away. "Yeah right." I jump out and land next to him.
"Now, let's go get our money."
He walks to an exit, Knight follows, me too, but Cheq stays behind in the hangar. The clanking of our boots reverberates off of the metal hallway, I've always said it makes a bathroom trip feel cold and ominous. Titan swings into an open doorway and enters a large room with several seats, monitors, and piloting controls.
He sits in his chair as Knight and I stand by his side and watch the communications monitor extend down to our level from the ceiling.
"Should I say the trip was easy or hard?" he asks before pressing the button that would speed-dial the Paxes Defense Force commander.
"Say how it went, don't add flair to the details," Knight suggests.
"Say it was hard, maybe he'll throw in some bonus pity credits," I say.
He presses the button and the screen turns on with a grey background and a communicator icon in the center with exporting signal waves. After a few pings, our broadcast starts with a formally battle-dressed Paxes commander eyeing the screen with a firm scowl.
The commander's eyes quickly skim over each of our faces before settling down on Titan.
Paxes Commander (Personal): "Lux-Roulette, you're missing one. Did you lose him in the battle?"
Titan smiles a toothy grin.
Titan (Personal): "That sounds like wishful thinking, commander. You'll be sad to hear that he's fine and working on a downed Ucello."
Paxes Commander (Personal): "The outpost. What about the outpost?"
Titan (Personal): "First, why don't you go ahead and transfer our agreed amount of credits. After all, sweet little Nev here almost got blasted to bits to clear out the rabble."
The commander shakes his head.
Paxes Commander (Personal): "Put a pin in it. A crisis is happening on Planet Thucara and our forces cannot respond to it while holding the galaxy line against Angel Vanguard. We need you to run another mission."
Titan (Personal): "No deal. We agreed to a certain amount for a certain job, and that is its own business."
Paxes Commander (Personal): "We'll double the number if you tie in this scouting."
Titan (Personal): "Scouting only? Hmm."
Titan leans back in his chair and rubs his chin, but as long as I've known him, I can tell he's only pretending to consider thinking about a decision.
Titan (Personal): "All right, we'll take the job. How about you send an advancement anyway, you know, to repair our Ucello."
The commander loses his poise as he crosses his arms and rolls his eyes.
Paxes Commander (Personal): "Very well, Titan, you'll receive the agreed amount now and the other half after you deliver us information."
Titan (Personal): "Thank you, commander, we'll put it to extra parts and more firepower. I'll arrange a couple of us to take flight right now, expect a call soon."
Paxes Commander (Personal): "Aren't you forgetting something?"
Titan (Personal): "Oh, right. The outpost is yours again."
He nods and signs off leaving our monitor frozen on a "Signal Interrupted" screen. Titan gets up and stretches, walks over to his favorite corner table, and pours himself a whiskey into a small glass.
He takes a sip. "Nev, weren't you raised on Planet Thucara?"
"I was. Small town on the eastern quadrant."
"In that case, you and I are going to find out what's going on while Knight and Cheq babysit the Motley."
Knight rolls his neck. "I'll see if Cheq needs the money for any spare parts."
I stand with Titan and wait for him to finish his drink. He leans against the wall and stares at me, his smirk returning to the corner of his lips. "I'll tell ya, kiddo, it feels like any money we make gets put right into fixing our ships to make said money."
"A vicious cycle, sir."
"Sir? Feeling formal today? You did almost get taken out by a sour group of mercs, so I understand if you're a little shaken."
"Aren't we mercs?"
"Yeah, but we've got more style than Beta-Ray," he squints his eyes and twists his face at the mention of his long term nemesis. "I can't stand those wannabes, they're so desperate to put their name out there that they've repeatedly tried to hijack our contracts. I gotta say, getting paid to bust their heads felt good."
I lean on the wall with him. "I didn't see Bouncer's ship at the scrap. Maybe he knew you'd be there."
"I wouldn't put it past good 'ol Bouncer to send some fresh faces to fight for him. That washup is always retreating more than fighting." He finishes the last drop of his drink and sets his glass down. "All right, let's go make some easy money."
We walk through the hallway and get back to the hangar where Knight is reading an instruction manual for an Ucello while Cheq is working on my thrusters.
"We have to take off already. Is my ship good to go?" I ask.
Cheq steps away from the thrusters. "Not even close. If you're that desperate to fly right now, I can use an Armor Pack on it, but don't take it out on a cruise for Hell. It'll be fragile, good enough for transport and that's it."
"That's all I need it to be for now. I'll bring it back without any new scratches."
"You make sure that you do. We don't wanna see you floating out there with no power and squished to the size of a tuna can."
"Thanks for the imagery, I'll pretend it helps."
I climb on the side and wait for the cockpit to open. As I settle in my seat, Cheq begins using the Armor Pack on my ship allowing it to keep going while running on a band-aid method. I engage my engine and prepare my nose towards the Oxy-Gate.
I look to the right and see Titan pointing for the exit as well. Once we lock eyes, he gives me a thumbs up, drifts out of the hangar, and blasts off towards Planet Thucara. I go next and see Cheq and Knight wave goodbye as my ship drifts through the gate and enters deep space.
My ship travels a good enough distance away from the Motley, and I activate the 10X-Thrusters to catch up with Titan. His Ucello enters my field of view, so I slow down to match his speed.
"Leave any fighting to me, Nev, my ship actually works."
"Do I strike you as the type to sit and watch?"
"You strike me as the type to get in over his head."