"How do you idiots even operate without a 3D printer?" V asked Peepers as she tied him up with some spare wiring. She decided to make a quick detour to the Skullship's IT department. If she was going to hack into the bridge computers, she would need an adapter for her cyberdeck. Such an adapter wouldn't exist, so she needed to make one.

"We operate just fine, thank you very much," the Commander replied, clearly annoyed. "Technology doesn't count for much when you're up against a superior tactical mind."

"Try telling that to the guy who destroyed your galaxy. Oh, wait! That was me!" V laughed.

"Doesn't change the fact that we broke on to your ship multiple times and nearly destroyed you with frostonium."

"A plan that failed due to my ship's adaptive AI systems. Also known as superior tech. Face it, Commander. Bigger gun diplomacy wins every time. This isn't Return of the Jedi." V turned away and began to strip the coating off a computer plug. With a little luck, she could combine it with her cyberdeck and jack into the Skullship's computers.

"What's a jedi?" Peepers blurted out after a long silence.

"It's nothing," V shook her head. "An old legend. Nothing more."

"Did this Jackie character tell it to you?" Peepers inquired.

"Maybe. Does it matter?"

"Just unusual. Especially for you."

"Watch it, eyeball. I can still kill you, and it will hurt."

"Even you can admit it is really weird," Peepers said. "Lord Dominator not only has a friend but claims to have lied her way on to Lord Hater's ship to save this friend. If I was a betting man, I'd go so far to say that Wander and his Zbornak are helping you."

"Her name is Sylvia," V corrected, giving the Commander a furious look.

"I rest my case."

"Is there a point to your yacking?" V griped, turning back to the wires in her hand.

"I want to know how it happened."

"I lost," V said matter-of-factly. "Hater blew up my ship. I floated around for a few days and nearly died of dehydration. Landed on an unknown world and met someone nice enough to help. Jackie turned out to be pretty cool. We teamed up and became mercenaries."

"Doesn't fully answer my question."

"I survived, you dunce," V spat. "Survival is about adapting. I changed, because I had to. I adapted to my new environment. And I'm all the stronger for it."

"HA!"

"What was that?!" V yelled, marching over to Peepers.

"What? What was what?" Peepers began to panic, his pupil shrinking at V towering over him.

"You think that's funny? You're going to laugh, because you think that I'm weaker as V?!"

"I-I-I didn't l-laugh."

"No? Then who did I hear laughing? No one else is in the room!"

"D-Dominator," Peepers stuttered. "N-no one is laughing."

"How pathetic"

"What?" V's eye went wide at the voice. "No. Nonono. Please, not now," she mumbled to herself, stepping away from the Commander. She heard another giggle as pain spiked through her head. "Ah!" V's hand flew to her forehead as a dull sting became to creep across her skin.

"Uh, Lord Dominator?" Peepers softly spoke.

"I'm running out of time," V said, her voice becoming shaky. "You shut up and be quiet," she told Peepers. "I need to focus."

After stripping the coating off part of the computer cord, V proceeded to do the same to her cyberdeck's cord. It sucked as she had grown strangely attached to the tool, but the edgerunner knew she could easily get a replacement. Once she stripped a portion of the coating, she carefully cut off the plug and went through the painstaking task of attaching the plug for the Skullship computers. It was a slow process, one that required her full concentration, but she pulled it off.

"That won't last long, but it should be enough," V said to herself. After winding up the cord and clipping the cyberdeck to her waist, the green woman picked up Commander Peppers and made her way to the bridge.

"Hater! Buddy!"

"Hu?" Lord Hater turned around just in time to see Wander getting yanked around the corner by a blue hand. An irrational anger threatened to boil up at the sight of the Star Nomad. Hater marched over and rounded the corner to find Sylvia and the Earth robot restraining Wander.

"Uh…" Sylvia went wide-eyed at the skeleton man.

"Wander. Sylvia. Robot." Hater addressed them with a surprisingly level tone, but even a blind Watchdog could see he was struggling to hold back his rage.

The Earth robot raised a large gun to him, but Hater was quick to react. Raising his hand, Hater formed a green force field around the gun and yanked it out of the robot's hands. The weapon was tossed down the hall, intimating the robot into raising its hands up.

"Hater, am I glad to see you," Wander spoke up, unfazed by Hater disarming his friend. "We could really use your help right now."

"I'm busy," Hater said. He was debating if he wanted to take the time to obliterate his mortal enemy but decided against it. He had more pressing matters. "Take your robot and get off my ship."

"Aw, come on Hatey. No need to be so stand-offish with friends."

"WE ARE NOT FRIENDS!" Hater screamed. "I will never help you! Besides, I need to clean up the mess you helped cause."

"Mess?" Wander frowned.

"I think he means V," Sylvia said. "Hater, we're sorry about Dominator. Let us help you. We can calm her down and then we'll get out of your hair."

"No! I am going to destroy her for lying to me."

"You can't do that," Wander cried. "There is good inside her, just like you."

"Ewwww! Stop trying to make me a good guy!" Hater's hands began to spark, but he stopped. An insidious idea came to him. He could use this as an opportunity to destroy Wander! And even if that didn't work, he could at least take his enemy down a few pegs. "If I let you help, do you promise to get off my ship afterwards?"

"Promise!" Wander cheered.

"Yea, promise," Sylvia said. "Just don't try anything."

"Then follow me to the bridge," Hater said.

Wander spoke to the robot in some language Hater didn't understand, then all three started following Hater through the Skullship. Along the way, the group passed a few massacred Watchdog squads. Lord Hater made a point to slow down a little in these areas. Doing so served two purposes. It filled Hater with rage at seeing what Dominator did to his legions, prepping him to finally finish off the woman. But it also served to remind Wander that his actions had unintended consequences.

"Take a good look, Wander," Hater broke the silence as they went through a blood splattered corridor. "You brought that maniac onto my ship. This is your fault."

"I- I didn't mean…," Wander whispered.

"Can it, jerk!" Sylvia yelled. "We didn't know she was capable of this. And you don't have room to talk given how many planets you've laid siege to."

"I'm just pointing out the obvious," Hater smirked. "We're almost to the bridge. We'll wait for Dominator there."

With his back turned, Lord Hater didn't see the robot hand an electronic device to Wander. Nor did he see the Star Nomad began to read the screen intently before typing a response.

"uuuuugh…" V wiped the cold sweat off her face as she moaned.

"All those blaster shots finally catching up to you?" Peepers asked in a mocking tone.

"Grob me," V mumbled. "The drugs are wearing off. I'm crashing. Hard."

"Drugs? You mean this entire thing was just a drug fueled rampage?" Peepers was struggling to contain his anger, but he forced a level head. He was still at her mercy.

"Shut up. I only took them because your soldiers started shooting me." V turned the corner, trying to ignore the stinging plasma scars and the stabbing pain in her left shoulder. At the end of the eerily quiet hall was the entrance to the Skullship's bridge. "Almost there. Just need to takeout everyone, then hack the controls. Make a jump at full speed and I'll be home in no time."

"The ship is on lockdown," Peepers pointed out. "You won't be able to get in."

"That why I've been hauling your sorry butt around, Commander. You are going to open the door for me." V poked the Watchdog in his stomach to emphasize her point.

"And let you murder more of my troops? Never," the Commander defied. "You might as well kill me right now. I will never help you."

V help him up so she could gaze straight into Peeper's single eye with her own. "Open. The. Door."

"No."

"Oh, come on," V groaned in frustration. "I'll make you a deal. I won't kill anyone right away. I'll give everyone on the bridge a chance to comply. So long as they do, I won't hurt anyone."

"What? NO!" Peepers shouted, finally losing his temper. "You must have murdered close to a hundred Watchdogs in your insanity. And now you just expect me to trust that you won't hurt anyone out of the goodness of your heart? YOU'RE LORD DOMINATOR! You destroy planets for fun! Why would I ever make a deal with you."

"Commander, I'm a lot of things. But a liar isn't one of them. When I say I'm going to do something, you can trust that I'm going to do my best to follow through."

"Up yours, Dominator!"

"Fine," V frowned. She dropped Commander Peepers unceremoniously, causing him to let out a pained huff on landing. "Your funeral. Looks like a standard retina scanner. I'll just chop off your head." She pulled out her machete and placed her foot on Peepers to hold him still. "Oh. And I don't go by Dominator anymore. The name's V." The edgerunner knelt down on one knee and raised her blade, but the double doors opened before she could swing.

"V! DON'T!" Vinny grabbed her arm.

"W-what?!" V stared at the man through his helmet visor, her brain struggling to make sense of his presence. "How- What are you-?"

"I'll explain everything," V spoke with a level voice. "But I need you to be present. Take a deep breath and stand down."

"Are- Are you r-real?" V was almost too scared to ask.

"Don't worry. I'm real. We'll get through this weirdness together."

V nodded. Her arm went slack in the Earthling's hand, and he knew she no longer intended to kill the Commander. Vinny let go, letting V slide the machete back into its sheath. With his help, the green woman stood up and stepped onto the bridge. Vinny was right behind her, holding the tied-up Commander.

"Lord Dominator," Hater announced. He stood from his thrown in the middle of the room and stepped into sight. He was holding his pet arachnomorph in his arms, stroking the eight-legged monstrosity. "I must say, I am quite disappointed in you."

"Hater!" V screamed. "I shot you! In the head! You should be dead!"

"Oh, silly Dee," Hater laughed. "It will take far more that a pebble launcher to destroy me. Watchdogs!" At his command, the handful of tiny soldiers on the bridge pulled out their blasters and aimed at V and Vinny.

In response, Vinny stepped forward and pulled out his pistol. He held up Commander Peepers and pressed the gun to the side of the Watchdog's giant, eyeball head.

"AH! Please, no!" Peepers cried at feeling the cold barrel against his skin.

"Vinny!" Wander shouted. "What are you doing?"

"Negotiating," the Earthling responded. "V, listen close. Commander Peepers is Hater's only friend. They would do anything to save each other. Use that to get us home."

"Right," V nodded. "Alright, all of you listen up," she said in Galactic Common. "If you wish to save your little friend, you will stand down and take us to Earth."

"You wouldn't dare," Hater seethed.

"I already took out a hundred of your men. What's one more?" V mocked. "Take us to Earth, and there will be no more bloodshed."

"Men," Hater said. "Aim at Wander and Sylvia."

"No! Hatey, please!" Wander frowned as several blasters were turned towards him and his best friend.

"You backstabbing, royal jerk," Sylvia spat. "When I get my hands on you, I'm going to pulverize you to dust!"

"What's it going to be, Dominator?" Hater asked. "You let C-Peeps go, or I eliminate your new pals."

"You can't win"

"They are going to die"

"Just give up"

V closed her eye as the voices began to drown out her surroundings. She desperately tried to push them away, but there were too many. She was losing it all over again.

"Stay with me, V," Vinny said softly. "Deep breaths. Eyes forward."

V nodded and took a few deep breaths. She opened her eye and looked right at Hater.

"Never play chicken with a crazy person," she smiled. "Cock the hammer, Vinny." Vinny did as he was told. The pistol let out a grinding click that echoed through the otherwise silent room. "You try anything Hater; anything at all! My man pulls the trigger and blows your friend's brains across the floor."

No one dared to move or even breathe. The anticipation was palpable in the air. Everyone was waiting to see which of the villains would blink first. V and Hater maintained furious eye contact, each daring the other to make a move. Their battle of wills seemed to never end, but the tension was released after less than a minute.

Lord Hater bowed his head. "Watchdogs, stand down."

"Smart move," V said as the soldiers all lowered their blasters. "Now take us to Earth. Then we'll leave peacefully."

Hater didn't move. He kept his head down, eyes closed in shame.

"Hey! You hear me? Order your men to set course for Earth."

Hater still didn't respond. He gently placed his pet on the floor and stood back up, his head remaining low.

"For crop sakes, Hater," V sighed. "Just accept the loss so we can move on with our lives."

"GRAAAH!" Hater suddenly let out an animalist growl as he raised his hand and formed a force field around Vinny's pistol. The gun began to glow green as Hater tried to pull it from the Earthling.

"I can't hold on!" Vinny yelled.

V pulled out her own pistol and opened fire on Hater. Three shots went in his direction, one hitting the skeleton in the shoulder. Hater recoiled, losing his force grip on Vinny's gun. The sudden loss of tension caused Vinny to lose balance, and his finger slipped on the trigger. There was a fourth gunshot.

"AHHHH!" Commander Peepers wailed in pain as his tiny food was blown off by the bullet.

"C-PEEPS!" Hater had a brief moment of shock at seeing his second in command being dropped to the floor with such a critical wound. "KILL THEM!" He let out a blast of green lightning, forcing V and Vinny to dive in opposite directions.

Sylvia took this as her cue to start punching. The Zbornak charged forward, plowing through the Watchdogs before they could open fire. She made quick work of the soldiers, as there were only about ten present. Sylvia had experience fighting larger groups than this. So long as she swung first, Watchdogs were no match for her.

While Sylvia was fighting the soldiers, V and Vinny were busy trying to take down an incredibly furious, undead, lightning generating, skeleton dictator. Vinny was able to stay one step ahead of Hater, as his cyber enhanced reflexes allowed him to see the bolts coming right before Hater tried to blast him. Every time Hater went to shoot, Vinny dashed out of the way.

V wasn't doing as well. Without her armor or any enhancements, the edgerunner had to rely on her own skills. Usually, she would be able to hold her own, but she was severely wounded and coming off a drug educed high. She tried to shoot back at Hater to throw off his aim, but the villain would always generate a green force field between them when she aimed her pistol. It wasn't long before her body slowed down and Hater electrocuted her.

V could feel her heart momentarily stop as a million volts were forced through her flesh. A strange yet agonizing tingling rushed through her body as her nervous system was set ablaze and all her muscles seized up. Although the sensation only lasted a second, it seemed like a painful eternity. V flopped to the floor, barely conscious. She went into shock as the past hour of punishment caught up to her. Her pulse began to race as her mouth became dry and her body twitched. All she could do was watch.

Vinny was starting to wear down. Synaptic accelerators were designed to be used in burst, not in one long stretch. If he kept it up, he would risk burning out. Shooting at Hater was proving useless, as the freak kept shielding himself with his weird, electrical powers. Watching V go down damn near made him lose his cool. He could tell the green woman was still alive and awake, but she didn't look like she would last long without help. He needed a new approach. Vinny needed to get in close.

When Hater took aim again, Vinny dashed at an angle to close the distance. After dodging two more times, Vinny was right on top of Hater and swung. The Earthling's fist made contact with bone, causing Hater to stumble back. A second swing to the face made the villain's head spin. Before Vinny could get in a third punch, Hater spoke a command.

The weird spider thing that was Hater's pet leaped at Vinny. The sudden weight of the creature grabbing onto his jacket caused the man to fall to the floor. The monster's razor appendages began to tear into Vinny's armor jacket, leaving bits of his flesh exposed to be lacerated. He tried to fight off the creature, but he struggled to make sense of the wild flailing of deadly legs.

CAPTAIN TIM HATES CATNIP

The message flashed across Vinny's optics. The only one who could have sent it was Wander, as Vinny had given him an old phone to communicate with. Wrapping his exposed hands around… Captain Tim's? … legs, the Earthling tossed the creature away. Reaching his now bloody hand into his pocket, Vinny pulled out the bag of catnip right as Captain Tim was leaping for another attack. One of its appendages went through the helmet visor, stopping just millimeters away from Vinny's eyes. The corpo took the change to rip open the bag with said razor appendage, causing catnip to explode over him and the creature.

The spider-thing began coughing from its massive, tooth lined mouth. Letting out a horrid screech, it started to run in circles before blindly smacking into the wall and knocking itself out.

Vinny ripped the motorcycle helmet off and began to stand up; trying to ignore the numerous cuts that now littered his torso. Before he made it to his feet, Hater struck him with lightning. A rush of agony engulfed his body as his muscles seized up and his cyberware began to fritz out. His audio implants began to ring and his optics glitched as his entire system was overloaded. He tried to reorient himself once his cyberware began to reset but was once again caught off guard as Hater began to kick the Earthling in the stomach.

The pain ceased when he heard a warlike scream. Opening his barely functioning eyes, Vinny watched Sylvia fist fight Lord Hater. She delivered multiple strong strikes to the skeleton man, but Hater retaliated with a burst of lightning. Then he picked her up with a force field and tossed the Zbornak across the room like a ragdoll.

"So, this is how I die," Vinny thought to himself. "Lost in space, electrocuted by a laughing, zombie-lich dictator until everything gives out." He had to admit it was an interesting way to go out, even if it was incredibly painful. He was just wished everyone back home could see. It would be a story for the ages.

A gunshot rang out through the room, interrupting Hater's laughing and what Vinny assumed was a villainous monolog. At the far end of the command bridge, Wander was holding V's gun, his entire body shaking too much to aim. Everyone stared at the pacifist in shock. Wander dropped the pistol and began to back away. He was mumbling, terrified at his own actions.

Hater began to laugh harder as she strolled over to Wander. While his back was turned, Vinny tried to stand up once more. It was a struggle, but a firm hand grabbed him and hoisted him up. Sylvia smiled at him, and he nodded in thanks. Then the Earthling held a finger up to his lips and walked up behind Hater.

Before Lord Hater could react, Vinny wrapped his arms around the skeleton and tossed him to the ground. The Earthling and the Zbornak began to wail on the villain, trying to do as much damage in as little time as possible. After a minute of nonstop beating, the pair had managed to break most of Hater's bones and left him unconscious. They quickly swept the bones out of the room along with all the badly beaten Watchdogs. Sylvia pressed a few buttons on the door control panel, sealing them in and their opponents out.

"Wander? Wander!" Vinny shouted, trying to snap the Star Nomad out of his stupor.

"Hu?" Wander blinked.

"Help me with V. We need to stabilize her."

"Oh, uh. Right." Wander rushed to V and Vinny's side and pulled the first-aid kit from his hat.

"I got you," Vinny cooed, cradling V's head in his lap. "You're going to be alright." He grabbed a Bounce Back hypo form the kit and pressed it against V's chest. He squeezed the button and a shot of meds rushed into the woman's system. V took in a gasp of air as her vitals slowly stabilized.

"T-th-thanks," she smiled up at him. "Y-you guys… d-d-did it." Her voice was barely a whisper as she choked out the words.

"Don't talk too much," Vinny said. "Wander, I need some water." The nomad handed him a bottle, which he held to V's lips.

"I n-need to hac-k-k the com- computer," V stuttered after taking a few sips of water.

"You need to rest."

"P-p-please," V practically begged. "I need t-to get home… n-need to… save Jackie."

"Alright. I'll have Sylvia help you."

Vinny made sure he had the Zbornak's attention before pointing to V and then over to the computers. Sylvia asked something to V, to which the green woman choked out a response Vinny didn't understand. He stood back and watched as Sylvia picked up V and carried her over to the computers. V plugged her modified cyberdeck and began to type away.

It was a slow process, as V had to constantly stop and have Sylvia help with something. Normally such an arrangement wouldn't be an issue, but it was obvious that the blue alien wasn't proficient with tech. All Vinny could do was watch. His eyes began to wander and soon landed on a fuzzy, orange alien. The Star Nomad was standing off to the side, slumped against the wall.

"You alright there, Wander?" Vinny asked.

"I'm alright," Wander perked up, but Vinny could tell he was faking.

"What's wrong?" The Earthling strolled over and sat down next to Wander. "Was it the fight with Hater?"

"I'm used to witnessing fights," Wander denied. "It's unavoidable when you deal with villains as much as I do."

"Uh-hu," Vinny said. He scratched his head before asking his next question. "You've never fired a weapon before, have you?"

"I have!" Wander countered, "but… it has been a really long time."

"I see," Vinny nodded. "You're a pacifist. Everything about you screams friendship and peace. Using a gun isn't in your nature." There was a long pause between them. Vinny let the words linger as he tried to think of the proper way to say the next part. "You did what you had to. You didn't hurt anyone, and your distraction is what let me and Sylvia take down Hater. I'm alive, because you took that shot."

"It shouldn't have come to that," Wander whispered.

"There was no other feasible outcome."

"Yes, there was," Wander said. He turned to look at Vinny with his determined, watery eyes. "Sylvia and I have faced Hater and his Watchdogs loads of times. And sometimes Sylvia has to fight them off, but no one ever died. We never had to massacre a hundred people to survive."

"Wander, I get it. But this is different-"

"No, it's not!" Wander continued to argue. "I should have never gone along with your plan. I shouldn't have helped V onto the ship."

"Wander," Vinny sighed. It was so weird seeing the otherwise happy-go-lucky fuzz ball in such a distraught state. "There was no other way. Maybe by some miracle, you could have commandeered the ship, or tricked Hater into taking us home. But this was the best plan we had. We knew it was risky given V's state, but it was our best shot. All the killing? That's on me and V. You don't have to take responsibility for that."

"I still feel responsible. And I still think there was a better way."

"There really wasn't. Part of my job is knowing what risks are acceptable and which are not. If you screw up, your people get killed. Any other plan would have introduced too many unnecessary risks, and we were already taking too many chances as is."

"I still think there was a better way," Wander mumbled. "Those Watchdogs were people. People with names and lives. And now they're gone."

"That's the nature of war, choom. You shoot them, or they shoot you. Try not to think about it too much."

Wander didn't respond. He just let out a sigh and looked down at his shoes. Not wanting to bother the alien further, Vinny laid his head back against the wall and embraced the silence. Several minutes past before he heard Sylvia and V let out a cheer. Opening his eyes, Vinny saw that the computer systems had all come to life. He stood up and strolled over to the two ladies.

"Sounds like you got everything running," Vinny said.

"Yep," V smiled. She was sitting in a chair too small for her, but it was better then having her try to stand. "Now we j-just… put in coor-coordinates. If w-w-we re… direct power... we'll be h-home in an hour."

"Then we delta, and get you to a hospital," Vinny nodded.

"Jackie first," V demanded.

"I doubt you can walk in your condition. Hell, you can barely talk. How do you expect to help him if you're half dead yourself?"

"I-I'm fine!" V griped.

"Just take us home," Vinny chuckled. "We can argue about this once our feet are on solid ground."

V nodded and directed Sylvia to enter the commands into the computer. After a few more minutes, the loud hum of the engine could be heard throughout the Skullship. There was a brief flash that obscured the viewports. The light faded to reveal stars zooming by as unfathomable speed.

"Whoa," Vinny quietly breathed.

V slid out of the child-sized chair and on to the ground. She scooted herself against the computer console so she could lean against it. The others joined her, Vinny sitting to her left and Sylvia sitting on her right. Wander dragged his feet to their spot and sat down on the other side of Sylvia. He was purposely avoiding looking at her. V knew he was probably disappointed, but she felt no shame. She did what she had to. The others seemed to get that. Why couldn't Wander?

The edgerunner decided not to worry about it. She needed to rest before trying to land the massive ship. The Skullship was the size of a skyscraper, and she would need to land it near Night City without crashing into anything. It wouldn't be such a big deal if she could just stop shivering. She didn't feel cold. Maybe Vinny was right. With a soft sigh, she rested her head against the Earthling's shoulder and drifted off to sleep.

The next thing V knew, she was being shaken awake.

"Time to get up, sleepy head," Sylvia said.

"Hu?" V blinked, trying to shake off the grogginess.

"We're almost back to Earth." Sylvia helped V to her feet, keeping a firm hold on the green woman so she wouldn't collapse.

"Right. So we… um, I need to- crop, my head," V mumbled out.

"You gonna be alright?" Sylvia asked.

"Yea, yea," V nodded. She looked over the text displayed. "We'll drop out of slip space in a few minutes. I'll pilot us to the California coast and land a couple miles outside Night City. Then you run us out of here without getting zapped by the angry skeleton," she pointed to the Zbornak. "Think you can do that?"

"Easy peasy," Sylvia smirked. "Once I get into a sprint, no one will be able to catch us."

"Good."

The edgerunner prepped the piloting controls and short-range scanners. Last thing V wanted was to crash into a space station or Net critical satellite. While she typed, she filled in Vinny on the plan. He didn't vocalize any concerns, but his frown was awfully big.

"It there a problem?"

"Just one," the Earthling said. "We're going to attract a lot of attention. I wouldn't be surprised if every military AV within a hundred miles beelines it for us once we land."

"I… didn't think about that," V cringed. "Think you can talk them down?"

"You want me to talk down who knows how many corporate soldiers with conflicting orders?" V raised his eyebrows at her.

"Uh… yes? You can do that, right?"

Vinny let out a sigh. He rubbed his eyes with his dry blood covered hands. "I don't have much of a choice. It would help if people knew we were coming. Can you pull that one off?"

"Oh! Yea, yea!" V began to furiously type away at the console, looking for the communication controls. "Let's see…. Here it is. Jack into my deck." Vinny did as he was told, pulling a cord from his arm, and plugging his personal system into V's ECM. V continued to type, causing a display to pop up on Vinny's eyes.

"V? I can't read this," Vinny said.

"You don't have to. Just be patient."

V started to sync Vinny with the Skullship's systems, connecting his holonet caller to the ship. There was a soft beep from the navigation computer, and the Skullship fell out of slip space. The stream of stars halted to revel the Earth directly in front of them. V switched to the piloting controls, and the Skullship began to close in on the planet.

"Looking for the signal…" V spoke to herself. "Got it. Vinny, you are live on all channels."

"This is Vincent Sharp of the Arasaka Corporation. We have commandeered an alien vessel and will be making an emergency landing near Night City. Requesting assistance from all available personnel." Vinny paused before turning to V. "I'm not getting a response."

"You are getting several responses, actually," V corrected. "I muted them. Trust me when I say you don't want to hear that many voices at once. Just keep going."

Vinny nodded and started to repeat his call for assistance. He was on the fourth round when the sun came into view over the horizon.

"Bringing her down," V said to no one in particular. "Trajectory looks good, and… uh oh."

"Uh oh? What do you mean uh oh?" Sylvia asked.

"Good news is we are on target," V smiled. "Bad news… I didn't put enough power into the anti-gravity stabilizers and now we're going to crash."

Iwata and Marcus sat in the armored van, eating their lunch with the radio playing in the background.

"So, you finally planning to pop the question?" Iwata hinted.

"What?" Marcus raised an eyebrow at his friend as he processed the words. "Oh, you mean with Jerold? I don't know man."

"Ah, come on. You two are practically made for each other."

"Yea, but… what if he says no?" Marcus slumped in his chair. "Maybe he's not ready. What if I'm not ready?"

"Marcus. Dude," Iwata sighed. He slapped his hand onto his friend's shoulder. "You won't know until you try. Look at me and Amanda. I asked her to marry me three times before she said yes, and we're doing great."

"I suppose. But how should I do it? I want it to be-"

"Vincent Sh… … orporation. We have … … will be making an emergency landing near Night City…"

"Was that V?" Marcus asked, having been cut off by the sudden radio interference.

"It sounded like him," Iwata answered.

"I repeat. Requ… … available Arasaka personnel."

"We should call the Lieutenant."

"Strap in!" V yelled, struggling to fit the far too small seat belt around her waist. Sylvia and Vinny were having a similar problem, but all three managed to secure themselves to chairs with enough finagling.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Wander asked.

"Nope! But it's too late to turn back now!"

The Skullship came bursting through the atmosphere, falling at a narrow angle over the Southern Pacific. Flames fell from the hull as it ignited from air friction. As the ship continued its decent, alarms started to blare throughout the ship. They were nearing land and were about to make impact. The coastline came into view, and the emergency thrusters kicked on. With a powerful jolt, the Skullship began to slow down as it approached Night City.

V had set the trajectory to not fly over the city, but she failed to account for all the small structures around Night City. Almost too fast to see, the Skullship hit the ground just south of the border wall dividing North and South California. The skyscraper-sized spaceship skipped across the ground and started to capsize forward as it went over the wall. The skull did a full forward flip before crashing again about a mile to the north. The Skullship slid across the Earth and straight through the solar fields, kicking up literal tons of dirt and metal debris.

The vessel finally came to a halt near the reservoir, resting on its side just a few hundred yards from the lake's edge. The four aliens on its bridge all let out a sigh of relief before moaning in pain.

"How the fuck are we still alive?" Vinny mumbled.

"Inertial dampeners, baby," V chuckled. She pressed a few buttons on the console with her right hand as her left arm was now completely useless and hung limp. She submitted the command, causing the Skullship to slowly lift itself upright with its anti-gravity thrusters. Once everything felt level again, V set a timer on the computer.

"We got 15 minutes before this hunk-of-junk takes off," V said. "Let's delta." She tried to stand up, but quickly collapsed under her own weight. "Little help," she moaned.

"I got you," Sylvia said. The Zbornak picked up the edgerunner with her tail before placing the green woman on her saddle. Vinny and Wander hopped on, and Sylvia took off. She sped through the ship, doing her best to ignore the mess and mayhem the landing had caused. It was slower than she could normally go, as so much stuff had fallen in the way. It took her almost ten minutes, but she was able to escape out of the Skullship's mouth.

"I never thought I would be happy to smell polluted air," V gasped in relief.

"That makes two of us," Vinny smiled. "Let's get to a hospital. I'll try to call up support, and… well, shit…" he paused when he saw AVs, helicopters, and ground transports approaching from all directions.

"Sylvia," V sighed.

"Yea?" the Zbornak said, staring out at the incoming vehicles with apprehension.

"Get ready to run like our lives depend on it."