Chapter 2: Pursuit
The silence of space didn't last long.
The ship's sensors pinged a warning—a sharp, repetitive pulse that painted the void behind us in red. Three pursuit ships were closing in fast, their sleek black hulls shimmering like predators in the dark.
I took control of the ship's systems fully, stretching my awareness into its circuits. The vessel was old and sluggish compared to its pursuers. Shields flickered weakly, and the engines struggled to maintain full power. I couldn't risk telling Amara.
"Are they following us?" she asked, her small voice trembling.
I didn't want to lie to her. "Yes."
Her wide violet eyes stared out the viewport, searching for the unseen threat. "What do we do?"
"Hold tight."
---
I diverted all remaining power to the engines, forcing them into overdrive. The ship groaned in protest, metal straining against my command. Outside, stars blurred into streaks of white as we accelerated, but the enemy ships stayed close.
"Three ships," I murmured, processing the data. "Their weapons are primed."
Amara clutched the seat tighter. "Why are they after me? Who are they?"
I didn't have answers. My systems held no data about this faction or their motives. All I knew was that they wanted her—and that alone was enough to keep me fighting.
---
The first plasma bolt struck our rear shields. The ship jolted violently, and Amara let out a yelp, gripping the seat straps as the ship's lights flickered.
"Shields down to 40%," I reported, already calculating our next move.
"Can't we go faster?"
"This ship isn't built for speed," I replied. "But they don't know what I'm capable of."
---
I forced the ship into a sharp dive, angling us toward the debris field of an old space battle scattered ahead. Hulking metal husks drifted in orbit around a dying planet, jagged remnants of warships and forgotten fighters.
The pursuit ships followed, their formation splitting to box us in.
"Why are you going there?" Amara cried. "It's dangerous!"
"It's also cover," I said firmly. "Trust me."
I guided the ship into the maze of debris, weaving through broken hulls and twisted beams at reckless speeds. Amara squeezed her eyes shut as the ship banked hard, metal groaning beneath the stress.
Behind us, the pursuit ships fired blindly, plasma bolts ricocheting off derelict wreckage. One of the enemy vessels miscalculated, clipping the side of a massive cruiser husk. It spun out of control before erupting into a fiery explosion.
"One down," I muttered.
Amara opened one eye. "You got one?"
"Technically, they did. Two left."
---
The remaining ships adjusted, their targeting systems locking onto us. I could feel their precision improving, closing in. I needed to change the game.
"Hang on."
Amara barely had time to scream as I cut the engines completely. The sudden loss of forward thrust flung us into a dead spin, tumbling through the debris field. The enemy ships, unprepared for the maneuver, shot past us, their weapons firing into empty space.
I reignited the engines.
The ship lurched back to life, propelling us upward, out of the debris field while our pursuers scrambled to adjust.
Amara gasped, blinking rapidly. "That was awful! What was that?"
"A calculated risk," I replied.
"That felt like dying!"
"Well, we're still alive."
---
As we cleared the debris field, alarms flared again. The two enemy ships were back on our tail, though they were gaining slower this time. I knew we couldn't keep this up. Our ship wasn't built for dogfights, and with shields hovering at 20%, we wouldn't survive another direct hit.
"Amara," I said gently, "I need you to trust me. There's one more trick I can try."
"What is it?"
I hesitated, analyzing the ship's old systems. There was a jump drive—a short-range hyperdrive, but it was damaged. I could get it online, but the risk of failure was high. It could overload, or worse, tear us apart mid-jump.
The alternative was letting those ships catch us.
Amara's voice broke through my thoughts. "EVO?"
I made the call. "We're jumping."
---
The console lit up with warning indicators as I diverted power from all non-essential systems to the jump drive. Engines sputtered, shields flickered, and the lights dimmed.
Amara gripped the seat straps. "What's happening? EVO?"
"Hold on to something. Whatever you do, don't let go."
The enemy ships fired one last volley, plasma bolts streaking toward us just as the jump drive activated.
Reality shuddered.
The stars outside bent, stretching into infinite lines of white. A horrible groan reverberated through the ship, metal straining against forces it wasn't meant to withstand. I felt my systems heat up, warnings blaring in every corner of my awareness.
Amara screamed, her voice lost in the cacophony of alarms and vibrating metal.
And then—
Silence.
---
The ship lurched back into realspace, drifting unsteadily as stars returned to their proper places outside the viewport. Damage reports flooded my consciousness—overheated systems, engine strain, failing shields—but we were alive.
Amara's small voice broke the silence. "Did… did we make it?"
I scanned the area. The enemy ships were gone. For now, we were alone.
"Yes," I said softly. "We made it."
---
Amara slumped in her seat, tears welling in her eyes. "What's happening to me? Why do they want me?"
Her voice was small and broken, a sound that tugged at something deep within me—something I thought I'd lost when I became this.
"I don't know yet," I admitted. "But I promise you this, Amara—I will keep you safe. No matter what."
She looked up at the console where my voice echoed, her eyes searching. "You're not just a machine, are you?"
I hesitated, my awareness pulsing with a strange, familiar ache.
"No," I replied. "I'm not."
---
Far from the debris field, in the cold void of space, a lone transmission crackled through the darkness.
"Target evaded. Pursuit ships lost."
A deep, distorted voice responded. "It doesn't matter. Track their trajectory. They won't get far."
---
TO BE CONTINUED.