Mina watched as Nayeon scanned the radar. There was no smile, no attempt at levity, just absolute focus.

Mina looked away. What if she broke the girl's concentration? She was already on edge as it was. 

Her eyes fell immediately on Nayeon’s arms, specifically the left one. The skin of her upper arm was scarred. From the elbow down, the arm was a dull grey metal. It was a prosthetic like no other she’d ever seen. There were many individual parts, even by the forearm. Most just had two or three main components by that part and the rest were found in the hand. 

“Story for another day,” Nayeon muttered. “Check what things look like in the guard station.” 

Mina didn’t respond. She just started tapping into the border station's transmissions. She still couldn’t believe that they had hacking software of this level, as well as range. It couldn’t have been designed either. She knew it to belong to the Earth system. Jeongyeon was from there. Had she stolen it or worked somewhere she’d gotten it? 

The girl beside her cursed. “They’re fast.” 

“But they’re alone,” Mina said. “We’re just a witness to them.” 

“Like that's any better,” Nayeon scoffed. “Witnesses don’t get taken prisoner.” Before Mina could reply, she said, “if you even start by telling me there’re laws protecting us. Those don’t apply here.” 

She couldn’t help but glance at her. There was tightness in Nayeon's eyes. There was a sheen of sweat all across her face.

Should she reach out to her? Dahyun had done that, reassured her that they ‘were good’. 

No, she just had to do what she was here for. And trust that Nayeon was captain for a reason. 

“No emergency transmissions,” Mina called into the room. “Not even nothing. Just the normal cataloguing.” 

“Are ships leaving or just coming in?” Chaeyoung asked. She looked far more relaxed than Nayeon did. So what was the matter with the captain? 

“Two left today," Mina replied. "Many're coming in, but they’re being held for far longer than they should.” 

“That’s normal,” said Nayeon. “Price of weapons rise, so does paranoia. I bet Kepler wants everyone coming in to be double-checked. Twice.” 

She wasn’t sure if that was a joke or not. People were being held there for nearly twelve hours at a time. When she’d come to the Kepler system, they had checked her, but she’d had the right cover story and, as Nayeon had said, the right accent to be accepted as a native to the system. This type of a block would have been disastrous if she’d only come through now.

“They’re gonna fire,” Chaeyoung said. “Not sure what exactly.” 

“Anything else coming around?” Jihyo’s voice was surprisingly monotone. Again this focus. It was a trained reaction to a situation like this. From all of them.

“No.” Nayeon’s fingers flexed around her controls. The knuckles of her hand were white. She wasn’t using her left hand. It rested on the board used for messages. 

“Then shoot anything they send over.” A pause. “How are the shields?” the pilot called. 

Dahyun’s voice began with a buzz. “Fully charged. Engines good.” The buzzing stopped. Then it started again. “Should we go to zero g?” 

Was that to make sure nothing overloaded? Redirect power?

“Do it.” Nayeon secured herself on the chair. "Really hoped Jeongyeon and Tzuyu were awake."

"And not in the shower," Mina added, doing the same. 

The captain snorted. 

Then there was a clang. Mina jumped. The feeling of weightlessness began. 

“That’s healthy!” Chaeyoung called, sending her a dimpled smile. “Just look at one of us whenever you hear a noise. If we’re worried, then be worried. If not,” she stopped, her gaze fixing on the monitor.

Mina watched as several bursts of energy came their way. The Breakthrough shot back and she saw one of the bright lances disappear. 

She didn’t feel anything, but the ship made a few clanging sounds as Jihyo changed its trajectory. The sounds of the ship set her on edge more often than not. You weren’t supposed to feel anything in a ship, especially not when it accelerated. But here it felt like the parts were loose, jostling as they hurtled through the vacuum of space.

Mina shook her head. She turned her attention to the computer. She brought it back to the Luna 4 station. There weren’t any calls for reinforcements, but a ship was on a different course. Going after the enzyme delivery. 

Another buzz. “Do we want to lose it or destroy it?” Dahyun asked. 

“Destroying it will make you an even bigger target,” Mina said. They couldn’t risk everyone on Luna 4 coming after them. 

“This is a station directly tied to Kepler,” Nayeon replied. “We sent word to all their stations, but we don’t know if they’ll make it. And if they do, we got no idea what’ll happen to them.” 

"Exactly why we should keep this an escape. Not make it a hunt," she snapped.

The last thing they needed was another hunter. Mina watched as two blasts that Chaeyoung hadn’t blocked hurtled towards them.

Jihyo was moving the ship out of the way, but one hit the shield. It nearly blinded her watching it. 

“Shields won’t last long,” Dahyun said. “Destroy or leave?” 

“Wanna risk finding out who the ship belongs to?” Nayeon turned to her. Mina saw in her eyes that she’d already made the decision. Why ask her? “They’re already trying to kill us, so we can check.” A glimmer of her playfulness appeared. Then she looked back to the cameras. “And they’re going for another fire. Missiles this time.” 

Mina began accessing the other ship, while the Breakthrough continued to fire back. 

There were ties to Earth. Nothing about the model of the ship itself. Only that it had a direct connection set up to Coruscant. Mina tracked it. 

“It leads right to Aphrodite.” 

She hadn’t thought it possible, but Nayeon stiffened even more. 

“We’ll engage,” the scarred captain said. “Do we have the power?” 

More buzzing. “We’re good.” 

“Jihyo,” Nayeon called. 

“Got it.” The ship behind them was offset by an angle. Jihyo was turning around. 

“Is this necessary?” Mina asked. She didn’t know what the new information meant. Perhaps these people knew the ones who’d captured Sana and Momo, or it was simply a coincidence. She didn’t know. How could Nayeon act like she did?

Nayeon just nodded. She was putting in commands that Mina couldn’t follow. She only heard distant creaks and more buzzing noises. Were those the weapons coming into place? 

“With any luck,” the captain said, “we’re hitting two birds with one stone.”

Mina knew what that meant. She didn’t like that she knew. 

A toothy grin appeared. “While we take care of them, let the guard station know we’re coming a little later.” 

____

“What does that mean?” Momo asked. “The Coruscant system’s targeting a science station. Do you also have an obligation to protect them?”

Dahyun shook her head. She checked the statuses of the engines. That might’ve been the fifth time in twenty minutes. “We know how Aphrodite works. Their expedition teams at least.” The engines were running. They were fine. The fuel cells were intact. They were fine. We’re fine. 

She pushed herself back down to the girls. She hadn’t given them anything to do. Not yet. They didn’t actually have to be here. Maybe she could get them out. If something hit them exactly the wrong way, all three of them would be at risk. 

It was always strange. Being in a closed off room while the fight was happening just outside. She operated best here, but it still made for a disconnect. She was calm when she was supposed to be, but on edge when she probably didn’t have to be. She was calm now. 

“Look, Aphrodite being anywhere but their planet is bad news,” Dahyun said. “They don’t take prisoners, unless they’re highly valuable,” she deliberately avoided looking at Sana then, “and their tech is exceptional.” 

She looked at the monitor. Chaeyoung and Nayeon were fending off four missiles. The energy blasts were going to be a disaster for the shields. 

Dahyun pushed away from the screen. She lowered the temperature in the workshop, storage room, and her own room. “What are your strengths? Between combat and maintenance, what is it?” 

“I started as an aerial fighter,” Momo said.

“Get to the cockpit then,” Dahyun said. 

The girl glanced at the princess. The latter nodded. Momo drifted off and through the doors. 

Dahyun turned to Sana then. “Engines are a one-man—woman thing. If something happens—“

“You don’t have a use for me,” the princess finished. Her attention was on the screen. Dahyun didn’t see any fear. Either she wasn’t seeing the threat or she was level-headed. Dahyun hoped desperately that it was the latter. 

“No.” 

“But if you need to do repairs on the outside, I can make those." 

The screen lit up as a missile exploded. Only one left. She crossed her fingers. 

Dahyun shook her head. “We’re in space. I’ll handle those if we need them.” Then, like some higher power was laughing at her, the last missile hit the shields. 

She went to the right monitor immediately. It wasn’t as problematic as the other blasts, but the shield's power was low. She kept putting down the temperature, but avoided doing so for the cockpit. They could all have better suits later, but the others needed to be comfortable, not worried about freezing.

“They’re also not letting our stuff through,” Nayeon said. She sounded tense. Dahyun was glad she’d sent Momo over. 

“Use the second set.”

“Second set?” Sana repeated. 

Dahyun pointed at the screen. It was too fast to really watch, but there was a massive lens flare. She’d have to check the camera later. “They’ll be a hassle to refuel, but the other ship‘s not got the right counters.” 

Then there was a sigh. A relieved one. “Again?” Jihyo asked. 

“All of it,” Dahyun said. It happened again. The footage cut off. She cursed. “Someone keep me updated.” 

“Shields still up,” Chaeyoung said. “But not for long.” 

Then silence. They were trying something. 

Another contact. The Breakthrough's shields went down. It was too soon. She heard a rumble. Had they been hit? She didn't even know. 

Dahyun cursed all the way to the screen. She started working on the second set of shields. Weaker, but better than nothing. They could take one blow, maybe two, if the Aphroditans didn’t use the energy blasts. Were they light or something else? 

Then a sound began to blare. High. The boosters. One of them at least. One too many. 

“I’ll redirect power,” Sana said. 

Maybe it was better that they had two people. Dahyun just had to trust that the princess knew what she was doing. 

“Focus on the bottom ones. Jihyo’ll compensate.” Dahyun finished with the shield. She kicked off towards the engines, hissing as she used both legs, not one. The pain was like pins and needles. Then fire joined it. 

“Their shield’s down.” Was it Nayeon or Chaeyoung who said it?

Didn't matter. They could hit them. Even if it was Aphrodite, they could still get the ship. 

A whine sounded. More boosters. Maybe the kitchen was totalled. She didn’t know. 

Then Dahyun heard sputtering. Something had pierced a fuel cell. 

“Number 4,” Sana called. 

She grabbed one of the caps and spray bottles. “Got it.” Dahyun cut off the connection between the engine and the vacuum. She pulled the fuel cell out.

The bottom part was shredded. It was still half full. It was hot. She sprayed it first. That’d cool it and hopefully fix the top part. She moved her head back as a large drop came up her way.

“Watch out.” Maybe the warning was a little redundant. 

She forced on the cap, the edges of the cell dug into her suit and gloves, but she was used to that. She sprayed it again, catching a glimpse of how hot fuel sizzled on her sleeve. It was done in less than a minute.

“Got ‘em,” Chaeyoung said. 

“How close?” Dahyun asked, evading another sliver of bright fuel. She’d have to catch that stuff too. 

“We could bring the hardware in,” Jihyo said. 

“Do it,” Dahyun replied. “There was a spill on the way. Watch it.” 

“Hey captain.” Nayeon’s voice was quiet. Not good. “I’m going.” 

She wanted to say no, but Tzuyu would never let her out if she went alone. “We’re going.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Sana said. “With your leg, I could do it.”

Dahyun didn’t know how to say it right. It wasn’t as though she didn’t think Sana could do it. And saying that Dahyun had to do this wasn’t a good reason either. Damn. 

“Once again,” Dahyun said, “zero g.” She tugged Sana out of the way before some fuel got on her. At least the girl’s hair was tied. “Here,” Dahyun took off her gloves, “there’s things over there to catch fuel. Do that, while I tell Chaeng to get the fuel cell.” She handed the gloves over. “Might be a little small for you, but put ‘em on and you’re good.” 

Sana nodded. Her eyes were on Dahyun’s hands. A question was forming in her eyes. 

Dahyun took that as her cue to go. She got to the door, very thankful for the crutches and how they were great for pushing off. She opened it and glanced back. 

Sana was already where Dahyun had pointed, slipping on the gloves as she drifted off. 

“Thanks for earlier,” Dahyun said. 

The princess looked over her shoulder. A small smile appeared. “Guess we did find a use for me.” 

____

“I hate space,” Dahyun muttered. It was through the comms between them and the cockpit. Jeongyeon and Jihyo were both in it. They were keeping lookout. 

Nayeon chuckled. “You get used to it.” 

They pushed themselves from the top of the Breakthrough. Nayeon looked back. There would have been no way getting out at the back. At least the kitchen was still intact. 

She heard Dahyun’s breath catch. “The bastards,” she muttered. “If their guns are still intact, we get those too. I need to see what that was.” 

They drifted towards the ruined craft. They’d not used energy cells to completely destroy it, but they’d still used the heavyweight ammunition. The scorched metal and bodies around them were testament enough to that. They’d split the ship clear in half. 

“Aren’t you glad we can’t smell anything?” Nayeon asked. She toggled the tiny boosters on her suit so that she evaded a crew member. She had a gun ready. Maybe the pilot had managed to seal the cockpit off. 

Dahyun snorted. “Yep.” 

“Aren’t you morbid,” Jihyo said. “Sana’s finished gathering the fuel, by the way. Not sure what’s happening with the other two.” 

“Definitely gonna come back to oversee our progress,” Nayeon muttered. She was impressed by both Mina and Momo. They weren’t incompetent. Both hadn’t been freaking out. Unlike her. She wondered if they’d picked up on it. Mina probably had. 

“Well ,” Dahyun said. “I was really hoping this wasn’t Aphrodite.”

The design was sleek. Or it would’ve had been. The ship was a matte grey colour and its sides were cut in a way that made it more like a planetary plane instead of a spaceship. It wasn’t exactly inconspicuous, nor entirely exposed. Most of the ships didn’t use stealth. They knew their ships were superior, especially in a system like Kepler. It was arrogance, but almost justified. 

Worse words ran through her mind. There was only one good thing about seeing this ship. Nayeon knew they put the shield tech in the cockpit. That made this job so much easier. They needed to know how the ship lasted so long—much longer than the Breakthrough. 

“I’ll go first,” Nayeon said. She didn’t wait for the response. There wasn’t one. She just heard Dahyun’s breathing and her own. 

The uncanny part about space was how quiet it was. If someone shouted at you from the outside, you’d never hear it. It was one of those facts you were just expected to know. If you didn't, you'd learn it soon enough. 

There was an old Earther film with a saying that had terrified Nayeon to no end as a child. It still scared her. She didn’t really remember it exactly, but it was something about no one hearing your screams. 

She put out a hand to stop her advance. She raised her gun as they went to the door. There wasn’t a passcode. It was just about proximity. 

Nayeon didn’t know if air was rushing out or not when the door opened, but she saw movement. She pulled the trigger right before getting herself behind the doorframe. Dahyun was on the other side. She didn't know if they'd fired back. 

“I’m pretty sure there’s just one,” Nayeon muttered. “Any chance we can break the glass behind him?” In her head, she added her. This wasn't exactly the time to be inclusive. 

“On it," Chaeyoung said. 

“Don’t cut costs,” Dahyun said. 

Nayeon really hoped the reward would be covering all this. At least they were recording the footage. It would be clear that the ships weren’t from the system. They definitely hadn’t gotten here legally. 

“Got it.” 

Nayeon saw the way the glass cracked as she turned. The person had whipped around to see it. She shot. 

“Same here,” she said. A part of her recoiled at how casual she sounded. The other part reminded her that these people would’ve been doing the same exact thing if the Breakthrough had been the ship that was destroyed. Still, she'd pay her respects to them later.

They got to work. Dahyun was in the cockpit. Nayeon was going through the rest of this half of the ship. None of the shots fired had severed the tether to the Breakthrough. At least there was that. 

She checked any other rooms that could’ve held a crew member. She found none and she was glad about it. She wasn’t about to try and kill every survivor. 

“I’m gonna check the second half.” 

Mina’s voice came over the comms. “There’s been no movement, but messages asking for the progress.”

“I’ll tell them it’s still in progress,” Dahyun said. 

That bought them, what, ten minutes? Twenty?

“On my way.” 

The other half was a little bit away. She’d have to get dragged back.

Nayeon kicked off, adjusting her route as she did. There were two other crew members. Dead. The craft was a small one. Four were the typical number. Either one was hiding, or this was it. 

She fought the urge to close her eyes. Even if these people worked for Aphrodite, that didn’t mean they'd deserved to die.

Then again, they couldn’t exactly let the Aphroditans finish the job or start a chase. With the former they would’ve died, and the latter would’ve been impossible. 

“Getting guns or finding the safe room?” Dahyun asked. 

“Fuel. Then guns if we're lucky," Nayeon said. “But we’ll go when you’re finished.” 

“Or when a ship comes.” Mina spoke quietly, but unluckily (or luckily) for her, Nayeon heard it. Why couldn't she use 'if'?

“You really are a positive gal, aren’t you?” Nayeon asked. 

No response. Nayeon smiled. At least she could shut her up. 

No one rushed out to shoot her as she drifted down the halls. Their walls were smooth. All familiar, but nothing she liked seeing. The scrappy nature of the Breakthrough had become a comfort for her.

She got to other end of the ship. There weren’t any passwords. It was all the way she remembered it. 

Access to maintenance was easy. She didn’t even have to use a prying tool. 

There had been no leaks here. Nayeon and Chaeyoung hadn’t even managed to get a fuel cell or engine out of commission during the fight. The shields had lasted that long and never faltered. 

She found the extra fuel cells and tied them together. They could transfer those so they fit in their own engines. She made sure to capture the model of the engines. All of this was so obvious to who it led to. Those on Kepler would believe it. She wasn't sure how much evidence the Earthers would need.  

Next up were the weapons. She brought the fuel with her, every now and then heading updates from Dahyun. 

Jeongyeon reassured them that no one was coming. The ship that had gotten the enzymes had returned to Luna 4 though. Nayeon wondered if that was a mistake. 

The guns at the top of the ship were intact. Nayeon’s boosters were pretty low on power by now. She started cutting into the main guns. The energy one Dahyun had said had weakened the shields so much. She wondered why they hadn't fired it more. 

“They’re a to salvage, aren’t they?” Dahyun chuckled. 

It was a giveaway. One the others might not pick up on. Nayeon wondered if keeping the past a secret mattered anymore. 

“Yep,” Nayeon replied. The gun was almost free. 

“Done,” Dahyun said. “Ready?” 

“Gimme a minute.” 

It took less than a minute. 

“They want another report,” Jeongyeon said, the warning in her voice clear. “You just got the memory, right? Nothing on comms?” 

Nothing that could be tracked. 

“Just that,” Dahyun replied. “But check when we get there.”

Nayeon saw her appear. “Bring us back,” she said. “I don’t have power.” 

“Might be a little rough,” Chaeyoung said. “But I got you.”

The tug on her back was sharp. If they didn’t have the right padding, she would’ve broken a rib. 

“Bringing fuel,” Nayeon said. “Straight from Ichor lab, I bet.” She paused. “And no, there’s no bug on it. Promise.” Earth put trackers on its fuel cells. Sometimes even the guns. Thanks to Dahyun, she knew how to find them. 

Then her comms came to life again. 

“Switch to the one between us,” Dahyun said. 

Nayeon did. 

“I turned the footage off after taking a full survey,” a pause, “their comms were talking about our package. That they lost it.” 

Theory of Aphrodite's involvement: confirmed. Nayeon wasn't too shocked, but it didn't make it any better. 

“Did they talk about next moves?” 

“Wasn’t through this craft. The failsafes cracked down on the other line.” 

“And what about our next move?” Nayeon asked. She clenched and unclenched her fists. They were nearly at the Breakthrough. She'd rarely been so glad to see the clunky ship. She knew its current state would pain Dahyun. 

“I’m not saying we’re pulling out,” said her co-captain. “But we have to be fast. After the border, we get everything set up. Restock if they got something.” A pause. “Because if they come after us, we won’t be fighting them. Even if I get these shields up.” 

“So we outrun them.” Nayeon felt her chest tighten. 

They were here now. She knew what they were capable of. The only lucky thing was that they didn’t know Nayeon was there. They didn’t know that she was even alive. 

_____

Author's Note

Luckily the cliffhanger from last time wasn't left too long! I was so in the zone writing the next part that I got it finished way ahead of schedule. 

Action's not my strength and sci-fi action isn't either, so forgive me if there are any inaccuracies. Main thing is: Aphrodite was involved in Sana's kidnapping and our captains know quite a bit about their workings. 

Next chapters will be more 'relaxed', I'd say. There'll be more work with the characters now that more things about the crew and the Misamo's situation have been revealed. 

Can't wait to see you in the next chapter!