A/N: Hello again. I know the last chapter was pretty short, but this and the next one will be definite must reads, so hang in there.

Basia Orci: I did know she was a fair bit older than him, but I also hoped no-one would notice. I was going to mention a change in her age in an earlier author's note, but I didn't. Not sure why, but it's been brought up now, so I might as well. So, to help relatability between Maya and Fletcher throughout the story, let's say she's 17, maybe 18, because I can. :D

There's some navy talk later on, so to help you remember which side is which, left is port, right is starboard. When you look at a boat, there is a red light on the port side, and green on the starboard. There's a little saying I know that always helps me and that's 'There's no red port left on the boat.'

Read on.

Mordecai, Angel and I arrived at the nearest quick travel station in a few hours, and teleported to the station in the flying city. As we arrived and shook off the disorientation, Brick walked up to us from where he had waited near the quick travel.

"Good you guys are back. I hope you got a good night's sleep, because this is going to be one badass mission." He motioned for us to follow him, and we made our way out to the shuttle that had docked, clamping straight onto the side of Sanctuary. It was a vessel made for a battle zone, having been built to withstand and deal massive damage to any ground or air hostiles. It was covered in auto-turrets, had thick reinforced armour plating all around, and the rear boosters would be able to give the powerful vessel impressive manoeuvrability in combat. The ships name, written in customary Hyperion lettering, was clearly visible on the bow; however red spray paint had been written in front of its old name, and I thought it fitted rather well.

The new addition to the Crimson Raider arsenal had been dubbed the Firehawk.

Gaige was on Deathtrap's shoulders as they hovered over the extremely long drop, and was working on the auto-turrets that were placed strategically all around the vessel. I watched as the young engineering prodigy pulled at the metal panels, and rewired and added to the electronics she revealed. Immediately, Angel ran over and called up to her, asking what she could do to help, and when Gaige replied, I felt Angels power move throughout the ship, refining and improving on the Hyperion hardware.

Maya walked up to me from where she had been talking with Axton, and said, "Glad you made it back in one piece."

I motioned toward the ship, and asked, "What do you guys think of our choice of transport?"

Maya smiled, "Well, it's no Lamborghini," She said, "but it's damn good enough. C'mon, I'll show you guys around the newly named Firehawk."

She walked off toward the ship, and Mordecai and I followed. As I walked past Angel, who had finished her modifications and was watching Gaige work, I tapped her shoulder, and she followed me into the ship.

The corridors were barely tall enough for me to stand up in and I knew Zero, but especially Brick would have trouble moving among the compartments quickly. I followed Mordecai as we made our way toward the back of the ship. We arrived in the engine room, and I looked the two massive engine drives over. I had no idea what their statistics were, but the low humming noise that filled the room was an earthy rumble that I loved. They were connected to drivetrains that ran across into a compartment that rotated two massive turbines, which powered the massive pulse drives of the ship. The drivetrains were rotating relatively slowly, and I guessed they were only powering the vertical engines.

Maya walked over to a control desk and checked the readouts, before turning back to us and saying, "Well, from what Gaige told me when she made her way around the ship, the Firehawk has some serious speed. And now, with the modifications that you just made, Angel, it should be even quicker. It's able to accelerate quicker than any other ship of its size, and has as much manoeuvrability as its smaller cousins. The engines are quite fuel-efficient, and luckily we have more than enough to reach the Moonbase. Even with the expected aerial combat, it should only be about fifteen to twenty minutes there.

I pointed to the control desk and asked, "How much extra power has Gaige been able to give us?"

Maya rechecked the number before replying, "About twenty-six per cent, and including Angels Phaseshift modifications almost forty. We will be as quick as the JET-Loaders that Hyperion will be sure to send our way."

I hadn't had much experience against JET-Loaders, except during the fight against BN3KR, but they had a pretty high top speed when they were let loose. It was an impressive feat to get a ship almost 30 times larger to the same speeds.

Maya walked out through a door next to the control desk, and we followed her along the winding corridors. As we made our way, she spoke over her shoulder, "Luckily, we won't have to walk around this much during the actual assault, as each of us will be stationed in a particular place on the ship during the flight."

We walked into a room that I assumed was the bridge, because we could see reinforced, bullet proof glass at the front of the ship, and there were multiple stations around the room where the navigator, Captain, pilot and other support crew would sit during a flight.

Maya pointed toward the raised, padded seat that was in the middle of the room, "Angel, seeing as you'll be piloting and controlling the majority of the ships actions, you get the Captain's chair. An interesting coincidence in having a Siren flying the Firehawk, don't you think? I will be sitting at the comms station, keeping up contact with Brick and his buzzards and relaying information to everyone. Mordecai, you will be on the weapons monitoring station, Gaige will be in the engine room, keeping everything at peak performance, while Axton, Zero and Salvador man the three larger canons that cover the ships vulnerable points."

I raised an eyebrow, "What about me?" I asked, wondering why I hadn't been specified a position.

Maya smiled and spoke to Mordecai and Angel, "You two can familiarise yourselves with your stations and the Firehawk. Fletcher, follow me."

We made our way back out to Sanctuary, passing the others as they made their way to their given locations. I stepped out the door onto land, and followed Maya along the portside hull of the ship. There had been a ladder welded into the side, and Maya began climbing. I followed her up, until the ladder turned into a non-slip surface that had been recently lain down. We walked out across the top of the ship, till we reached a portion that had been modified with a few contraptions I had never seen before.

"Gaige is very proud of what she has been able to do here. Those digistruct looking contraptions," Maya said, "are actually electro locks, and will be what hold you on the ship."

I turned to her in surprise. I would be riding on the outside of the ship, up through space, all the way to the Moonbase? I would die within a few minutes from exposure, without mentioning being riddled by bullets.

Maya saw my expression and laughed, "Don't worry, we thought of everything. Look," she said, and stepped over to a panel, activating a holostation that had several controls on it, "hop up onto the platform."

I walked over, and as I crossed the ring around the platform, a small shield like the one that had protected Sanctuary activated around me.

Maya walked over and knocked on the shield, saying, "Completely bullet proof, and as long as the engines are running, it won't ever be deactivated or pierced. Try Phasepulsing through it."

I charged a pulse and launched it out into the sky. It passed through the shield without a single flicker, and I recognised the technology as a more advanced version of an ION Loader.

"Well, this is all fine and dandy, but how am I supposed to stay on?" I asked.

Maya reached down and activated to blue streams of energy that locked around my ankles. I realised they were what she had called electro locks.

"Those will allow you to turn and move as you need, but will stop you from moving a certain distance from the ship. Also, the shield is airtight, and there will be a constant supply of air, so you won't have to worry about anything when we leave the atmosphere."

I nodded. They really had thought of everything.

Maya pressed a few more buttons and I heard a hiss as the air pumps activated. "You'll be able to hear anything we say over the ECHO, so pay attention." She said, and smiled at me fondly, "Don't get killed okay?"

I nodded again and smiled back, "Okay." I said, with my heart in turmoil. Maya climbed back down the ladder, blowing me a kiss as she dropped below my line of sight, and I readied myself to fight.

I heard Bricks voice over the radio, "Alright slabs, let's get this on!" From below the ship, dozens of buzzards appeared, and I felt the Firehawk rumble into life beneath me. It was going to be one hell of a ride.

Gaige's voice came over the ECHO, "Alright guys, everything is in order. Angel, you have complete control, so you know, don't kill us all." Her voice cut out for a second, before coming back in embarrassment, "Oh, and Fletcher, I'm about to activate the artificial gravity for your platform, so, you know, don't think you can float away and stuff."

I didn't notice anything change beneath me, and I realised I shouldn't, so I took Gaige's word for it. She hadn't been wrong yet.

We were speeding up now, and the rumble of the engines behind me was impressive. Angel was keeping us at an equal pace with the buzzards, which were arranged before our bow in a cone formation. I was a little surprised at the Bandit pilot's discipline, before I remembered who their boss was.

Maya connected to me over the ECHO, "You alright up there Fletch?"

"Yeah, just warn me before any sudden movements." I said, chuckling at the image of myself falling over in the middle of a barrel roll.

"Don't worry, I will." Angel said, as she increased our speed. "I'm also keeping our ECHO comms from being intercepted by Jack, so we can talk freely."

Right on cue, though I doubt he knew it, Jack's voice connected to our ECHO's, "Well, look at this. The rebellion has decided to actually rebel, for once. Just tell me though, who the hell came up with this one?" He said, laughing, "Because, it's really, really stupid. But, hey I won't complain, it's a real nice opportunity to kill some pesky Bandits."

His voice changed, and he threatened, "But you Vault Hunters, oh, you can make your way up to the Moonbase as fast or slow as you want. It just brings you straight to me."

I wondered at this. Why would Jack confirm his position so readily to us? It wasn't sound strategy, and he was either insane, or leading us on. I gloomily guessed it was probably both.

Maya spoke over the ECHO, "Here come the Jet Loaders! Everyone get ready!"

Mordecai's voice followed hers; and he yelled out, "Bring it on you Hyperion assholes! For Bloodwing, for Lilith, for Roland and for PANDORA!"

The two fleets met, and the fighters broke formation, splitting off into numerous dogfights. The Hyperion Loaders outnumbered the buzzards by a third, with more on the way, but they lacked any major firepower. The auto cannons all over the ship lit up, and I began to let Phasepulses fly into the enemy. I was taking out the JET Loaders left and right, armour and wings shredding off like paper. I saw Salvador's cannon, which was in front of me and above the view port of the bridge, fire massive rounds towards the oncoming JET's. The heavy fire tore through the armour, sending the loaders toward the ground in flaming wrecks.

I saw a larger, more deadly looking JET Loader bank around from out left and fire two streaking missiles toward our engines. I called a warning out to Angel on the ECHO, but she was all over the problem. Just before impact, the ship jumped up in the air, causing me to collapse down to one knee with a grunt. I felt Angel's power on the missiles, and they redirected into two other JET loaders.

The missile firing JET flew over the top of the ship, the roar from the engines muffled by the shield. As it began to lift its nose upwards into a loop, I launched a Phasepulse that hit its left-wing, causing it to spiral out of control, and be cut in half by another JET smashing into the top of it. Both fell from the fight in a flaming heap, and I saw Bricks heavily armoured buzzard flying alongside the ship. As I watched, a large, bullet-proof glass covering slid up in front of his pilot's seat to protect him from the elements, and the vacuum of space.

I kept firing pulse after pulse, taking out any loader stupid enough to come into my range, and slowly noticed the sounds of any fighting die out. I assumed we had left the atmosphere, and so there was no more gas for the sound to travel through. All I could hear was the rumbling of the ship, and that was because of the vibrations through the floor.

Even as I listened, the volume increased and Angel contacted me over the ECHO, "I guess the shield is airtight then. I'm bringing us up to full speed now, so don't expect too much wild moves. It's going to be a straight speed run, all the way to the base from here."

"Don't slow down for anything Angel. Today, we take Jack's castle." I said, readying myself for another wave of loaders. "He messed with the wrong people."

We flew out toward the Moonbase, which was now at least twice as close as it had been when we left. The next wave of JET Loaders arrived, as well as a battleship like ours, only larger and slower, but with more guns, and digistruct units spawning more enemies.

More buzzards were being destroyed than Loaders now, and Brick connected to me on the ECHO, "Kid, you have to take out that ship! Hit it hard, right in the face, now!"

I smiled, charged a massive pulse, and blasted it right into the prow of the enemy ship. The Firehawk was pushed back from the recoil of the blast, and I collapsed very heavily into the hull using the Phase to stop myself from collapsing completely, while the electro locks stopped me from slipping. The enemy ship's prow had entirely caved in, and the digistruct stations died out. I decided it wasn't dead enough, and launched a second Phasepulse of the same force. Again, the Firehawk was knocked back, and this time the Phasepulse slammed straight into the battleships port side hull.

The Pulse caved in armour and the ship crumpled under the pressure. A large hole had appeared in its side, and as I watched, Brick launched a missile straight into the belly of the ship. A massive explosion tore the enemy battleship clean in half, and it began its long fall to the planet below.

"YEAH!" Brick cried over the ECHO, "YOU HYPERION IDIOTS MESSED WITH THE WRONG GUY!"

We cleaned up the rest of the JET loaders without too much hassle, and we arrived at the Moonbase. Our ship had a few bullet marks here and there, but overall was still in perfect working order.

I heard Maya talk, and felt the ship begin to spin to starboard, bringing the port side docking clamps in contact with the Moonbase's shuttle dock. I looked up and down the massive structure, and was in awe at its incredible size. You could have fit at least six city's the size of Sanctuary within its walls.

As I saw the dock's airlock hiss and connect firmly with the ship, I realised I had no way of getting off the top of the ship. "Ah, guys, how do I-" My breath caught in my throat as the floor below me opened up, and I dropped into the cargo hold of the ship. I landed on my feet and stood up among the Crimson Raiders that had been in there the whole time.

They looked to me, and I said, "We're there, so get ready to move out. Jack doesn't stand a chance."

There was a collective, 'Hooah!' and the room filled with the metallic noises of the soldiers weaponry.

I walked out the cargo hold door, and made my way up to the bridge. I walked in to see all the Vault Hunters readying their own weapons. I made my way over to them and everyone turned, grinning at the look of intense satisfaction on my face.

"Have fun, Amigo?" Salvador asked.

"You have no idea." I said, chuckling.

Axton walked up behind me and clapped me on the shoulder. "Then let's get moving, into the belly of the beast."

New personal favourite chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it, and I should have the next one up on the weekend. Thanks for reading and reviewing, and hang in there; the next one will be just as good!