Chapter Nine: Battle in Hyperspace

(A/N: I'm sick with the flu... coughs but I won't fail the readers! sniffles

''...You're kidding, right?!''

''Nope. Besides, I won't have you freeloading around my ship, Bandage Girl.''

''Uh-huh, when KOS-MOS tried to shatter that window, you were singin' a different tune...''

''What was that?'' Captain Matthews glared down at Shane who coughed in response. ''Nothing.'' Nice, stupid. Just try to get yourself thrown out in space again... She sighed heavily. ''So, what do you want me to do?'' He held his chin, looking at the milky-haired girl until a beeping noise came from his console that was on the left side of his chair. ''Everything's normal in the catapult deck, Captain,'' Shion's voice said over the U.M.N. ''All right, if there's nothing there, I guess we're fine. Good work. Come on back.'' He looked back at Shane. ''I'll talk to you later about what you can do on the ship, alright? First we need gate jump to the Militian star system.''


After a few minutes, Shane was laying on the floor near the door obviously going to sleep...or trying to. She listened to Captain Matthews speak with an employee from the U.M.N. in order to get permission to gate jump.

''Thank you for choosing the U.M.N. Transport Gate. We would like to confirm your vessel's registration. Organization: Kukai Foundation. Vessel class: Type II Cargo Ship Vessel number: MFHE-59824751 Vessel name: Elsa Captain: Mr. Matthews. Is this correct?'' The U.M.N employee asked Tony.

''Yep. You got it.''

''Please transmit your flight plan.''

She yawned, sitting up as Tony sent the flight plan. She looked up at Shion who entered the bridge a few minutes ago. ''Tired?'' ''Meh.'' ''You should rest,'' she said. ''...Meh.'' the milky haired girl answered. ''...Is that all you can say is 'meh'?'' She looked at her and nodded. ''Meh.''

''Thank you. Cargo is scrap material. Destination is the Miltian star system. Oh…you appear to have some excess cargo mass.''

Captain Matthews rubbed the back of his head ''Yeah, we got a little carried away.''

The U.M.N. Employee nodded. ''There will be a surcharge on the bill sent to the Kukai Foundation. Will that be all right?''

''Yeah, that's fine,'' he answered.

''Very well. Have a safe journey.''

The U.M.N. employee ended the communication. Hammer sighed, leaning back in his chair. ''I had a feeling they'd notice.'' ''Well, we did pick up some extra junk.''

''Ah, nothing to worry about, right? We always go over the limit.'' Captain Matthews chuckled to himself. ''That's true.'' Shion stepped forward, looking at him. ''You could've billed Vector for it.''

''You crazy?'' He said, looking at her. Hammer shook his head. ''Things are already complicated enough as is.'' A grunt of agreement came from Tony.

''...Hey, Shane?''

''Nani?''

''I'm going to go and contact Vector HQ to tell them me and Allen are okay,'' Shion said with a small smile on her face.

''...Alright. Have fun.'' Knowing this, you're probably gonna bitch at Miyuki and scare her half to death... She yawned loudly and stood up. ''What is it you want me to do, Captain?'' He looked at her. ''Calm down, Bandage Girl,'' he said, ''Why don't you go and do maintanance on the A.G.W.S in the hangar? chaos, can you go show her?'' Shane turned red as the white haired young man stood up and walked over.

''..Hey..''

He smiled. ''Hey again. It's the second time today.''

''Eh? Nani?'' She tilted her head some.

''Our second meeting. We met when you woke up earlier...''

She smacked her forehead lightly. ''Oh, god, I'm sorry!'' she said. ''My mind's kinda fuzzy, but I remember; don't worry, I remember your name, too.''

He nodded and took her hand in his gloved one. ''Off to the hangar then?'' She nodded, smiling. ''Right.'' As the two white haired teens walked out of the bridge, a small smile crept onto Captain Matthews' face. ''Captain, you are wrong for what you did,'' Hammer said and recieved a kick to the back of his chair.


''What's the captain's deal, huh?'' Shane asked chaos as they walked out, standing near the doors. He chuckled lightly. ''Well since you're on the ship along with Shion and the others, you have to earn your keep.'' Earn...my keep? She blinked. ''Wait, do I have to come up with some sort of skill thingy so I won't get thrown out in space?''

''...I was going to tell you that, but you've got the idea.''

''...Damn.''

''Don't worry, I won't tell anyone where you're actually from, Shane.''

She looked at him with a worried look on her face. But when chaos smiled at her, she calmed down some. ''Alright, thanks buddy.'' She jumped once the intercom came on and Matthews' loud voice could be heard.

''Hey, Ms. Vector! Bandage Girl! You can hear me, right? Get yourselves over to the bridge!''

''God, man, he didn't have to shout...'' Shane and chaos ran back into the bridge as Shion and Allen came after. ''You don't need to shout, I can hear you just fine!'' She said, rubbing her ear.

''Just take a look at this.'' He activated a screen that showed an escape ship under attack and being chased by Drone ships. '' Wow… I had no idea there are ships that small that can enter hyperspace.'' The Drone ships flew by the Elsa at breakneck speed, almost like a bat flying straight out of hell.

''Watch it!'' Tony yelled.

''Do you know who those guys are?'' Captain Matthews asked Shion.

''No idea. Doesn't look like one of our products,'' she answered him.

''What about the other small ship?''

She shook her head. ''I'm sorry. I have no idea.'' Shane stood behind chaos's seat as she looked at the screen with awe. Man, I want one of these back at home... The white haired boy turned to the captain. ''There's a distress signal coming from the small ship.'' Shion stepped forward with a look of concern on her face. ''Why aren't we helping them?''

''We've got enough trouble just dealing with you guys!''

''Oh, well we're SORRY for getting onboard!'' The milky haired girl yelled. ''Damn! We're in their line of fire!'' Tony yelled. '' What? Get out of the way!!'' He held onto the controls tightly and moved the Elsa to the side, causing everyone to hold on to anything they could find. Captain Matthews looked over to see that the ship was close to the hyperspace wall. ''If we hit the column walls it's over!'' Everyone felt the ship shake violently as the Elsa's right side hit the column walls. Shane closed her eyes and clutched the back of the chair, screaming. She felt a warm gloved hand grab onto her wrist. She knew who it was, even though her eyes were closed shut. '' I want to live!'' Hammer yelled. ''--Someone save us!'' Allen finished. ''Damn it! You try to be polite and they just walk all over you!''

''What's the plan, Capt'n? We gonna join the party?''

''What are you, nuts?! What'd I just say to you?! We've already got enough trouble!'' A blast from one of the Auto-Tech ships' weapons fired and hit one part of the Elsa, making the ship shake again violently.

''There's a hit to sector four! Outer hull partially damaged!'' chaos yelled. He had let go of Shane's wrist to go back and type hurriedly at the console. ''Captainnn…!'' Hammer whined as Captain Matthews kicked the back of his chair. ''Shut up! Any enemy of theirs is our ally! Tony!'' ''Aye aye, sir! That's more like it!'' Tony increased the speed on the Elsa as everyone jerked backwards. Shane fell onto the floor. Ow...crazy bastard...! She stood back up; Shion mouthing the words ''Are you okay?'' She nodded at her. '' Wha…? Wait a second! You're gonna take a ship like this into battle in hyperspace?! You've gotta be kidding!'' Allen yelled in protest. The Elsa pilot grinned widely. ''Ya better believe it! Don't worry about it. With Elsa's Logic Drive and my immaculate piloting skills, there's nothing we can't handle! Let's do iiittt!''

''If you get us killed, I swear to God, I'll kick your ass once we're all on the other side!'' The milky haired girl screamed at Tony. ''Like I said, no worries!!''

The escape ship circled around the column walls and flames emitted, burning and burned and destroying the Drone ships. ''Woooo! That ship's got some serious moves! That's what I call wave riding! Yeah! I can feel it, baby, I can feel it! Yahoooooooo!'' Tony yelled in a maniac-esque voice. The Elsa went at full speed and touched the column walls as flames destroyed the Auto-Tech ships. Allen, Shion, and Shane felt weird and dizzy from the battle.

''Oh, noes, I'm gonna blow chunks...''

''Well, don't because chaos is in your line of fire,'' Shion said, holding onto the floor.

Suddenly, enemy reinforcements arrived.

''Reinforcements!'' Hammer yelled as at least 2 more enemy ships appeared on the screen.

''What?!''

Enemy reinforcement fired at the escape ship that was trying to dodge as much as possible. chaos gripped his gloved hands tightly, standing up. ''No! There's no way they can avoid all that!''

''With all those weapons firing...!'' Shane clutched the back of his chair.

Suddenly, one of the Auto-Tech ships shot the left booster off of the escape ship piloted by whoever was inside.

''No!!'' Captain Matthews yelled.

The escape ship touched the column walls and looked like it was going to break up to pieces at any minute. Shion ran out of the bridge as Shane and Allen ran after her. ''Where are you going?!'' Shion turned to her. ''Just stay on the bridge!''


Shane and the others watched the grappling claw grab the escape ship with whoever inside. ''Nice catch, Shion! Looks like we made it just in time!'' Tony yelled. The captain used his intercom to speak to the people inside. '' We're gonna pull you in. Hurry inside once the hatch closes. We'll get rid of 'em,'' he told them. The Elsa tried to close the deck, but suddenly, it stopped. ''What happened?'' Hammer turned to the captain, a look of concern on his face. ''The deck isn't closing!''

''What?!''

''Could it be that…?''

''Damn electrical problems! At a time like this!''

''Attention vessel occupants. Can you make it up on your own? The ship's shielding should cover you a bit, so if you put on your spacesuits and use the hull as a shield…'' chaos trailed off.

A man's voice came over the intercom from the escape ship. ''Roger. Neither of us here are human, so I'm sure we can make it.'' Hang on, that voice... Shane thought as she held her head some. In the Elsa, the captain slammed his fist on his chair. ''Damn it!'' ''Intruder alert! They're on the catapult deck!'' Hammer yelled out.

Everyone looked up to hear the Auto-Tech ship on in the intercom.

''Surrender and maintain cruising speed,'' it said. ''If you do not comply, we will attack. Repeat. Surrender and maintain cruising speed. If you do not comply, we will attack. We guarantee you will not be harmed if you follow our instructions.''

''An Auto-Tech. My ass… Who are you kidding? We're screwed either way. Tony! Full throttle! Use the ship to take him out!''

''You got it!''

Tony moved the Elsa toward the column walls, creating flames and destroying the Drone ship. The Drone ship hits the catapult and got destroyed. The catapult then closed. ''Nice! That shock closed the catapult!''

''Oh! This is insane!'' Allen yelled, holding his head. Suddenly, one of the other Auto-Tech ships dropped multiple Auto-Techs in the catapult section of the ship. ''We've got trouble! They're taking over the rear hangar! I'm detecting transfer waves! They're calling in terminal units!''

''We'll just have to take 'em on! Prepare for hand-to-hand combat! Seal the internal barrier doors!'' Captain Matthews ordered.

''Roger!''

chaos stood up from his chair. ''I'll take the corridor! Shane, take my place until I come back, okay?'' ''Eh, but I can't--!''

''I'll go, too!''

''No. It's too dangerous,'' he told her.

Shion shook her head in response. ''I can't let you go by yourself, chaos. Don't worry, I've got KOS-MOS with me. Right, KOS-MOS?''

''Yes. I will eliminate the enemy units,'' KOS-MOS said. The brown haired girl stepped forward and told the android, ''But don't damage the ship! Understand?''

''Understood. I will proceed at 30 output.'' Shion turned to Allen. ''Allen, go find the Commander and protect the cabin!'' He blinked then his mouth dropped to the floor. ''Huh?! Are you serious?''

''I'm counting on you!'' Shane watched them leave the bridge then said, ''Be careful, you guys!''


After the enemy was destroyed, everyone on the bridge were looking over on the damage to the ship. ''How's it look?'' Captain Matthews asked. ''We got problems all over. The entire radar system is down. I bet the emitter's completely fried now,'' Allen replied as he shook his head. ''The generator output keeps on dropping… I guess we ran the ship into the hyperspace column walls a few times too many… Thanks to a certain idiot who flies like a maniac…'' Hammer glared at Tony who stood up from his seat.

''What?! Hey!! Who do you think it was that saved us?!''

''I wish you'd consider what the navigator has to go through! I'm getting carpal tunnel thanks to you!'' He yelled at him.

''Why don't you just direct-link it?!'' Tony yelled back. ''Isn't it obvious?! It's way cooler to navigate by hand!'' The pilot growled lowly then got into Hammer's face. ''Are you stupid or something?'' The blonde slammed his hands down on the console, growling back. ''Mind your own business! At least I'm more useful than a certain out-of-control lunatic!''

''Oh, okay now! So you think you're the man, huh?''

''You wanna go? Whatchoo got?''

''Bring it on!'' The two men went into fighting stances, growling at each other.

''That's enough! Both of ya morons, shut up! I'm sick of listening to your whining! My head hurts enough just thinking about what these repairs are gonna cost! The last thing I need is to babysit the two of you!'' Captain Matthews yelled at them, making them flinch back. Shane shook her head at them then looked at the doors as Shion, chaos, KOS-MOS, and the two occupants of the escape ship came in. '' Uh…we're back.''

''Ohhh… If I had known I'd be doing this, I would've spent more time at the firing range,'' Shion said as she held her head. She looked to the captain, Tony, and Hammer then at Shane. ''Hmm? What's going on?'' The captain shook his head at her. ''Nothing. Good work. So, who are these guys?''

''She's MOMO, and this is Ziggy. Looks like they're both with the Federation government,'' chaos told him. The little girl named MOMO stepped forward, her pink hair bouncing with her step. ''Nice to meet you.''

''You two were the ones in that ship out there?''

''Thank you very much for rescuing us,'' she said.

The tall man named Ziggy nodded his head slowly. ''Thanks for your help.'' ''They were being held by the U-TIC Organization, but they managed to escape.'' Shane and the captain's faces turned into looks of surprise. ''The U-TIC Organization?!'' they both said.

''Captain…Shane...''

''Never thought I'd have to hear that cursed name again.'' A chill went down the milky-haired girl's back as she gritted her teeth. ''What is it? That U…whatever?'' Captain Matthews waved his hand in front of him at Hammer. ''Nothing you need to worry about. Stop wasting time and plot our course already.''

''You heard him. It's nothing a stupid navigator needs to worry about,'' the pilot said antagonizing Hammer. He growled silently in anger. In his anger, he went back to his pilot seat. ''Allen! Hurry up and clean up the top of the panel! This stuff's in the way!''

''Wha…? You're the one who left these here. Don't take it out on me!''


Later at the restaurant, the group all sat near the table while KOS-MOS passed glasses of water to everyone. ''This is for you,'' KOS-MOS said as she handed a glass to Shion and Shane. ''Thanks.'' The milky haired girl drank from the glass. ''Thanks, KOS-MOS,'' Shion said. Allen slept with his head down on the table. ''Allen, wake up already. What's wrong with you?'' ''He's tired from the excitement today,'' Shane said as she drank from the glass again.

''Captain, here is your tea,'' KOS-MOS handed the captain his glass. ''Ah, thanks. Just set it down there.''

Tony sat with chaos and talked with them about the day's events. ''I'm telling you, that was crazy!'' The white-haired boy nodded. ''It was a close one, wasn't it?'' The pilot nodded then turned to Ziggy. ''I gotta say though, those were some pretty sweet moves out there, old man,'' he said.

''Thank you very much!'' MOMO said in a cheerful voice.

''Wha…? Whoa, hold on a sec, that was you?!'' He stood up and looked at the little girl with a confused look on his face. ''Well…yes…I handled the flight controls.'' Tony groaned, holding his head. ''Unbelievable…Shown up by a little girl…Kids these days…'' That said, he left the resturant. ''Heh, first it was Shane, now it was little MOMO,'' Shion said. Shane looked at the woman and leaned back against her seat.

''Hey, the guy hit on me, knowing full well that I'm underage. He could be a child predator in disguise!''

''Shane, don't talk about Tony like that, you hear?'' The milky-haired girl held up her hands in surrender.

''Sorry, captain.''

''But still, that's pretty amazing, even for a Realian.'' Shion looked at MOMO's uniform, recognizing the logo. ''Hey…that insignia…on your uniform…'' MOMO looked up at her. ''Yes?''

''Is that…are you from the Mizrahi Lab?''

''Yes. I'm a 100 – I'm an Observational Realian.''

Shion smiled at MOMO. ''It's okay, you don't have to worry. If you're concerned about government secrets, KOS-MOS is one too. So, you're a 100-Series Observational Realian from the Mizrahi Lab? A Hilbert-equipped model, right?'' she asked. The little girl Realian nodded.

''KOS-MOS is equipped with it too, you know. The Hilbert Effect. But of course, ours is a Vector original.''

''You're with Vector Industries?''

''Yup. So is Allen over there.'' The Vector employee pointed to Allen as Tony tried to wake him up. He groaned, pushing his hands away in a motion to be left alone. ''Dude, let him sleep,'' Shane said.

''By the way, where are you headed? We might be able to get you there for a small fee if it's not too far out of the way. Right, Captain?'' Captain Matthews nodded. ''Yeah, of course. After all, we are in the transport business,'' he said.

''Transport? Then, could you please take us to Second Milt… Could you please take us to the Second Miltian star system?'' Shion looked at MOMO and Ziggy. ''Second Miltia? You too?''

''What do you mean, you too?'' Ziggy asked. ''Oh, um, it's just a strange coincidence, that's all. KOS-MOS' new development is on Second Miltia, also.'' chaos smiled. ''Hey, that's great. It'll cost less if you're all going the same way, Shion. That goes for you too, Shane.''

The milky-haired girl drank the water from the glass, nodding. ''Well, I suppose that's true…'' Hammer looked at the captain. ''Captain? What about ship repairs?'' He put down his tea and stood up. ''Yeah, we gotta take care of that first. Let's stop at a nearby dock colony. That all right with you?''

''Of course,'' the blonde cyborg nodded. ''

''Thank you for taking us.'' Captain Matthews chuckled, waving his hand in front of his face. ''

''Well, relax and enjoy the trip. Hey, Ms. Vector, show'em around, would ya?''

''Hmm, he's being unusually nice,'' Shion said to Shane. ''Yeah, too damn nice...'' The captain looked at them both. ''What? I got a booger hanging out of my nose, or…?'' The Vector employee shook her head as the milky-haired girl held up her arms in response. ''Wha? Ah, n-no, nothing, nothing.'' She turned to Ziggy and MOMO. ''All right then, shall we go? MOMO? Ziggy?''

Chapter Nine: End (Whew. Frickin' long chapter, eh? I didn't think it'd be long...bet you guys thought Shane was bored? Well, yes, she was. And I got a feeling Chapter Ten'll be even longer... Please R & R.)