Eva remained undeterred despite the setback she now faced. She simply took a deep breath, collected herself, and refocused on the task at hand - survival. It didn't matter if she was getting chased by nine or nine hundred, she wasn't going to let anyone get the better of her.
Not in this life.
She yelled out, "Gimme everything you got!"
Inspired by Eva's tenacity, Miko also doubled down on her part. Her hands danced across her display as she tweaked the ship's systems and squeezed out every bit of power possible.
Now that the pirates were shooting to kill, she reduced the energy shielding to a minimum and reactivated the life support systems. She gave it just enough power to maintain cabin pressure and cycle oxygen.
More critically, restoring life support also reactivated the nanorepair submodule, which worked to seal any small lacerations in the hull.
The lifeboat's maximum thruster velocity fell slightly due to the shift in energy consumption, which made it a little less agile. It meant they were likely to get hit more often, but they absolutely needed the ability to repair any breaches.
Although the repairs didn't re-strengthen the boat's structure, it was a necessary measure to ensure a stable cabin pressure. If the pressure suddenly destabilized and they lost all their oxygen, they would all be as good as dead.
Keeping the boat sealed was a top priority.
Behind them, the pirates hung on to their every move with murder in their eyes. Fueled by their anger at having lost their comrades, they too grit their teeth and doubled down with ballistic fire.
They took turns throwing bullets at the lifeboat, all in an attempt to tire out its pilot. Just like any predator, they chased down their prey to the point that it was exhausted of all energy. At that point, all they needed to do was strike for the kill.
What they didn't realize was that their target was no ordinary prey.
Eva tensed up as she constantly evaded their gunfire. Luckily she had become much tougher in this new life and was able to endure far more physical punishment than before.
Her muscles burned as she performed her maneuvers one right after the other. And even though it was both mentally and physically demanding, she never once felt drained.
She knew that every hit they took wore them down bit by bit, and it was critical that she avoided as much as she could. Since this was a lifeboat, it had minimal armor plating, and was mainly held together with the struts that bound the hull. Every hit they suffered would result in those struts getting damaged. And the more they got damaged, the easier it was to get hit.
She was in a terrible catch-22.
But that didn't get her down. In fact, the challenge of it all invigorated her even further. These were the few moments in life when one had the ability to really push themselves forward. No amount of practice or preparation or pondering could ever compare.
And that was a feeling she thoroughly enjoyed.
~
One of the pirates held back and just observed the lifeboat. He tried to figure out if there was a pattern, or if there was an opening that he could exploit. But he found the opportunities were few and far between.
Whoever that pilot was knew exactly what they were doing. He had no doubt that if they had weapons, all of them would have been dead by now.
The thought frightened him.
Despite his quarry’s abilities, he managed to find a good position. One where he believed he had a great advantage with an unbeatable firing angle. He watched and waited for his opportunity, and allowed his fellow pirates to maneuver the lifeboat into the perfect spot…
His finger danced on the trigger, eager to spring the trap.
The lifeboat had to make a hard turn, and his position was lined up so he had a clear shot when it hit the apex of that turn. He squeezed the trigger and fired, and fully expected to perforate the lifeboat just as its velocity slowed at the apex.
But he went pale as the boat applied light lateral thrust and veered just slightly off-course. His burst of fire just grazed the gunwhale of the boat instead. The 'perfect shot' resulted in superficial damage, even after all that observation and positioning and waiting.
He was about to tear his hair out! Who the hell was this damned pilot?!
~
"Tch," Eva muttered. She was visibly irritated that she didn't get away cleanly. Ultimately, this was just a flying sausage, and it was ridiculously easy to hit under normal circumstances. If it wasn't for her and Miko, they would already have been captured.
"Structural integrity down to ninety-six percent," yelled Miko.
Beyond manipulating the thrusters, Miko tensely kept an eye on the ship's well-being, and did what she could to help keep it in one piece. She was as worried as Eva about any damage they took. But she didn't let it sink her either, and instead just focused on the task at hand.
The frightened passenger yelled, "Why'd you mention that? Why does it matter?!"
"It's important," Miko replied. "We need to know how close we are to fifty percent."
"Wh… what happens at fifty?," he asked reluctantly.
For the first time, Eva acknowledged the frightened passenger and turned towards him to reply, her countenance grim.
"Because fifty's when the boat's basically torn in half."
The pirates put in more effort to hit them, and as a result the hull was getting hit a little more often. Miko did her best to manage the repairs and direct the nanites towards the most critical breaches. Though she was quick to seal the tears, she knew it wasn't going to be the end of it, and kept all repair jobs as busy as possible.
The only thing was they were limited in how much they could repair in the first place.
"Eighty-nine percent integrity," Miko stated. "We are also down to ninety-two percent repair materials and four minutes of oxygen."
The lifeboat began to shudder and groan as it strained to maintain its integrity. Eva's high speed maneuvering threw around great amounts of g-forces in every direction. While this kept them from getting outright perforated, the maneuvers also further weakened any support struts that were already damaged.
Despite her efforts, the pirates got even more shots on the boat.
"Eighty-five percent."
The tension in the lifeboat rose with every breath they took. No-one said it, but they all felt it - it was as though their deaths were imminent. Still, not one of them gave up hope, least of all Miko and Eva. In the light of their tenacity, the other passengers couldn't help but be emboldened.
The lifeboat's shuddering became more pronounced as things went on.
"Eighty... Seventy-four."
But even that light of hope started to dim as the lifeboat took on more and more damage. Plus the more breaches they had, the more chances for their oxygen to escape. Every bullet that hit whittled away at them and carved away seconds off their lives.
"Sixty-nine… Three minutes oxygen."
A few passengers started to hold their breaths.
Suddenly, Eva's forward display flashed with a brilliant light!
It was so blinding that everyone else instinctively turned away or shielded their eyes. Eva had no choice but to keep her eyes open - this was a perfect opportunity to gain distance.
And what she saw left her awestruck.
A Sol Federation Battleship had just ported in. It was massive - at least five times larger than the pirate cruisers nearby, and was an imposing sight that choked her up.
Its thick, angular armor greatly protected the ship and ensured nothing but the largest weapons would be able to penetrate it. Meanwhile, its multiple gun batteries, missile emplacements, and defensive turrets threatened to rain down unrelenting terror on any and all who opposed it.
Unlike the cruisers, it was designed to both deliver and receive massive amounts of punishment.
Eva surmised that even by itself, the cruisers stood little chance of winning. However, it didn't come by itself. It was accompanied by four Destroyers and a full complement of fighters, and they all looked like they were itching for a fight.
A man in his 50s suddenly appeared on every ship's main display, friend and foe alike. His hard stare complemented his impeccably trimmed gray beard, which lent him an air of absolute authority.
When he spoke, it was like thunder.
"This is Rear Admiral Tori of the Federal Warship Diomedes, here to answer the emergency beacon transmitted by Regeneration Center Theta. All hostile ships are hereby ordered to stand down immediately and surrender. Any further action on your part will be considered an act of war against the Sol Federation. Such acts will be met with deadly force. In addition, all lifeboats are ordered to immediately retreat to the Diomedes. Tori out."
The feed cut out as suddenly as it appeared, but the hope it gave to all survivors spread like wildfire. All the lifeboats immediately accepted those orders and made a bee-line towards the battleship.
In the same vein, the appearance of the Diomedes caused a wave of fear to ripple through the pirates, but it didn't dissuade them from their attack. In fact, they expected that the Federal Navy would send reinforcements.
However, they didn't think that they would send a fully-armed battleship!
The cruisers that were previously attacking the station had just entered attack range and moved to flank the battleship. Meanwhile, the ambushers sped up their duties, and scooped up as many lifeboats as they could. Even the pirates who were chasing Eva didn't back down, and continued their bloodthirsty pursuit.
"Hang tight," Eva said.
She quickly turned towards the Diomedes, maxed out the throttle, and hoped to make it in time.
~
Admiral Tori paced back and forth on the bridge of the Diomedes, his face dark.
This wasn't the first attack he'd seen these past few cycles, and what he saw prior bothered him greatly. These pirates were attacking various regen stations and kidnapped whoever they could.
Whatever their aims were, he knew they couldn't be good. He guessed that they were being sold to slavers.
And that was unacceptable.
"Report!" commanded Tori.
"Sir," one of the officers said. "Pirate cruisers split between two fleets. One inbound at speed, another mixed in with the lifeboats. Five portside, three forward. They're accompanied by two dozen fighter squadrons each, but have suffered minor casualties and aren't at full strength."
"Armament?"
"Only weapons of note are the TNM-187 Railcannons, ranked B. The cruisers are equipped with one each."
Tori nodded when he heard that. He was familiar with those railcannons, and knew their destructive potential. Without a doubt, they had the power to puncture through the thickest armor. The damage would be even greater if they concentrated on a single spot.
On top of that, their own armor wasn't all-encompassing. There were still many exposed areas of the ship, and the cruisers could still do excessive damage to those sections if they aimed for them.
"Take us right up to the middle. Our primary objective is to ensure the safety of the evacuees. I want the cruisers scooping up lifeboats targeted and disabled immediately. Lethal operations are authorized against all other pirate vessels. Let's acquaint each of those fleets with a welcoming Federation broadside."
"Aye, sir," confirmed the officer.
Another officer quickly stood to get the Admiral's attention.
"Sir! We have a situation! A wing of pirates are firing lethal rounds at a lifeboat. They're seventeen hundred meters from our position and closing at speed. Our readouts indicate that the boat has close to half structural integrity remaining."
These pirates never used lethal force during their previous raids. Why were they doing so now? And why just the one lifeboat?
"Send a wing to intercept! Secure that boat immediately!"
The five aggressive pirate cruisers were steadily advancing on the warship Diomedes' portside flank, their intentions quite clear. They were no doubt preparing to attack the battleship, even though they were technically outgunned.
"Time to space some Feds," snarled the lead pirate captain as he rose from his chair.
His officers looked at the MFDs before them and reviewed the battlefield that lay right ahead. Various readouts revealed critical information as they scanned for weaknesses to exploit. They all looked like they were itching for a fight, and some were even visibly trembling from the anticipation.
"Aye, sir," replied one of the officers. "The railcannon's primed for a full power shot."
A sly grin curled up from the captain's lips.
Terra Nach Mar railcannons were among the best capital ship weapons in the universe. Their ability to penetrate armor was second-to-none, and the captain was confident that a barrage of five rail shots at a hundred percent would puncture even a battleship's thick hide. If they targeted the battleship's power generator, broke through the armor, and then destroyed it, then the fight was as good as theirs.
"Fire on my mark!"
The railcannon mounted above the cruiser began to hum as it charged up to maximum. Moments later, just as the hum hit a fevered pitch, it fired a round with astounding speed and power. It was more than enough to rip through standard armor with absolute ease. The round's protective sabot fragmented and broke off just as the round exited the barrel, the pieces spun out in every direction.
The slug underneath was slim and slightly conical. It also had sharp grooves that spiraled down the sides, like it was a giant drill bit. Designed to puncture through the toughest armor, it spun with dizzying speed as it was propelled toward its imposing, heavily-armored target.
In less than half a second after it was fired, the slug smashed into the Diomedes, followed by four more slugs from the other cruisers. They all precisely struck the area marked by the first pirate captain.
Each one kicked up a cloud of metallic dust on impact, as both slug and armor ground each other into oblivion. The force of all five blows caused the Diomedes to lurch severely, but its starboard thrusters kicked in moments later and stabilized it back into position.
The pirate captain watched with bated breath as he was eager to see just how much damage they had caused.
The dust thinned out and spread, which gradually revealed the condition of the battleship's armor. The battleship's thick plating suffered major damage, and was massively dented and gouged at each point of impact.
But not a single slug penetrated!
The severely blunted and distorted slugs spun lazily away from the Diomedes after they bounced off, their kinetic energy having been almost completely neutralized.
Everyone on the bridge was astounded, most of all the captain who fired first. His jaw practically fell on the floor. He expected the last shot to get through and hit the generator, but this...
"What the hell armor did they install?," he stammered. "Fuh… Fire another salvo!"
~
"Sir!," yelled an officer on the bridge of the Diomedes. "Five confirmed hits to forward portside, belt armor severely damaged and at thirty-nine percent effectiveness. Slight structural damage."
Those B-ranked cannons would have easily torn through, Admiral Tori thought with a grin, if I hadn't retrofitted the Diomedes with A-ranked reactive plating in preparation...
"Overcharge nanorepair operations," he ordered. "I want that plating restored to a hundred percent before their next attack!"
He then turned to one of his officers with a stern gaze.
"And make sure we return the favor in kind."
"Aye, sir!"
Outside, a great majority of the Diomedes' portside turrets suddenly swung into action, and pointed at the cruisers before them.
Though their guns weren't nearly as large as the railcannons on the cruisers, there were simply far more of them. There were at least a dozen turrets, each one armed with four Devastator cannons.
Their cool grey barrels gleamed amidst the starlight.
The turrets zeroed in on the first pirate cruiser that struck, and proceeded to return fire. The barrage fired in rapid succession, one turret after another.
The cannonade was so powerful that the Diomedes would have rolled with each shot, but its starboard thrusters kept the recoil to a minimum. The Diomedes was clearly crewed by experienced combat astronauts, their mettle tested in dozens of battles prior.
Shells slammed into the cruiser and wrenched it open with a multitude of gaping holes. Every single hit tore off more armor and warped the structure further than the last.
The kinetic energy was so powerful that the cruiser was pushed back further with each destructive hit.
After the first dozen shells mangled the cruiser into a wreck, it was clear that it was soundly beaten. Its lights and systems powered down as the core leaked energy. But the cannonade wasn't over.
Rather, it had only just begun.
Over the next few agonizing seconds, the cruiser was repeatedly shredded and torn apart, piece by piece. Shell after shell struck it until nothing was left but an unrecognizable pile of scrap and dust.
As the barrage ended, the barrels on the turrets cooled down, which allowed their brownish-orange glow to fade slowly.
The turrets then tracked the next cruiser, adjusted their aim, and prepared to fire their next devastating volley.
~
The yoke shook violently as the lifeboat rocketed towards the Diomedes. It's structural integrity was low enough that it felt as though it was going to tear itself apart.
Eva and Miko were both determined to reach the safety of the domineering battleship, while the nine irate pirates were still tailing them, guns blazing.
More bullets scraped by as Eva flung the boat into another corkscrew.
"Alert!" sounded the lifeboat. "Multiple systems compromised and failing."
Eva's MFDs were now filled with various flashing notices and red warnings - the boat was on its last legs. It had been whittled away a great deal. The pirates' guns had shredded much of the hull, and even hit some of the various ship modules.
Sparks flew in increasing amounts as the boat's internal damage mounted.
But everyone inside were all wound up tightly; this was no doubt the most chaotic and stressful experience they had ever gone through. From the emergency evacuation, to the pirate fleet, to the hail of bullets, to the incessant warnings issued by the lifeboat's computer.
It was just too much for everyone, and many were on the verge of giving up and giving in.
Well, everyone but Eva and Miko.
"Fifty-nine percent!," yelled Miko. "Ten percent repair mats! Six hundred meters to the Diomedes!"
Steely determination flashed in Eva's eyes as she tightened her grip on the yoke. Just a few more seconds… They just had to keep it together for a few more seconds!
Suddenly and without warning, a Federation pilot appeared on one of Eva's screens.
"Lifeboat Tango-Tango-Alpha-Niner-Romeo. Backup has arrived. Head for FW Diomedes HB Five at forward starboard. Transmitting auth now. Over."
"You got it!" replied Eva.
From just ahead of the lifeboat, a wing of six Federation fighters swooped in while in an impressive attack formation.
They immediately engaged the pirates that were chasing Eva, which took a great load off her back. Within seconds, they had already scored their first kill, and moved on to dismantle the rest.
A couple of the pirates were undeterred, however, and slipped through the net. They continued after Eva at full tilt. Their guns were firing almost desperately, and it seemed all their energy was focused on taking her down.
What a waste of skill and determination, Eva thought.
She then yanked the yoke to the side and avoided a stream of gunfire as she beelined for the Diomedes.
Having sustained so much damage, the lifeboat's agility had also suffered. Some of the thrusters had directly taken damage, while others were askew, thanks to the lifeboat's structure getting slightly warped.
This caused the lifeboat to constantly drift down and to the right, which she had to manually counter by engaging the opposite thrusters.
Thanks to this, the lifeboat suffered a few more strikes to its hull, which caused all the passengers to seize up with fright - they were moments away from total annihilation.
"Fifty-four percent," said Miko.
Eva struggled to keep the lifeboat stable, and decided to weave around the Diomedes' defensive turrets.
Her gambit paid off: they fired streams of chaingun rounds at the pirates chasing her, which caused them to back off a great deal.
One of them peeled off and retreated fully, having come to his senses and realized they were on the losing side of this fight. He would much prefer to be called a coward or a turntail rather than cease to exist altogether.
But the other remained and kept on firing.
Whoever Eva had spaced earlier must have been incredibly important to them, and never gave up the chase. Not that she cared in the slightest. The only thing on her mind was getting this boat on a landing pad ASAP!
An officer from the Diomedes suddenly appeared on display and said, "This is LZ Five. Slow your approach, Lifeboat TTA9R! You're coming in too fast!"
Eva yelled back in response, "Not an option!"
She then turned to Miko and said, "Open up the main thrusters!"
Miko nodded and quickly shut down everything else but the thrusters, controls, and displays, then cranked the thrusters' capacity wide open.
Eva speedily approached the open hangar bay and eyed the pad she was going to 'land' on. But her vector and velocity were far too high and too fast - if she tried to land now, all she'd end up doing was crash!
The frightened passenger grabbed at the seat in front of him, and ducked his head down. He didn't want things to end this way. They had run so far and so fast and yet things were going to end the same - he was going to die in a devastating wreck!
Just as Eva was a few hundred meters from the landing pad, she fired the thrusters so that the lifeboat spun around completely. They were now going 200 meters per second backwards!
She then put full power into the main thrusters to rapidly reduce their speed. She applied great amounts of thrust exactly opposite their previous velocity, which put massive pressure on everyone inside. They were down to half their speed a second later, just as she passed through the hangar bay's atmospheric shielding.
For a few torturous moments, every passenger experienced nine times earth's gravity, as Eva 'slammed on the brakes'. It didn't matter how much physical training one had - blackouts, whiteouts, and redouts were the body's natural warning that if the pressure didn't ease, then unconsciousness would be imminent.
And then, probably death.
Eva herself fought against getting g-locked as she tried to maintain control of the lifeboat. Massive amounts of g-forces pushed at the passengers as their vision began to narrow and fade!
Some went completely limp as they lost all consciousness.
Thanks to the sudden reverse maneuver, their speed had reduced dramatically. However, the boat still held a great amount of velocity. It hit the pad with great force, and parts of its hull broke off as it bounced up a couple of feet before falling again.
It scraped along the pad with an ear-shattering squeal before it came to a dead stop.
Wisps of steam and dust rose as the superheated metal that scraped against the landing pad cooled back down.
Emergency crews immediately rushed the boat in a mad flurry, as they sought to crack open the boat and rescue its passengers.
Inside, everything was completely powered down, and even the displays were dead. Blades of light shone from above, through the various lacerations all over the boat's hull. Various electronics sparked as a bent wall panel fell on the floor with a loud clatter.
And despite the ruckus that surrounded them just outside, the only thing that the passengers could hear was the heavy beating of their own hearts.
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