Happy late 4th of July, yes that's when I started writing this one. Hopefully a new chapter will help brighten your day. Now, I have a small announcement, but first I'm happy to tell you that we're going to be heading into the second act within the next few chapters! Finally, I know lol. That being said and taking into account how long this story already is, I've decided to split it into another part to avoid burnout for you guys. Your opinions and comments are always welcome, so don't hesitate if you have them!
"Damn it."
"Maybe it isn't for us," Dib said, only to shout and duck down as a laser whizzed passed him.
Tak scrambled up and into the cockpit, barely giving the shield time to close before taking off. She flew passed several incoming ships and debris, veering wildly through the traffic in an attempt to shake their pursuers. She jabbed at the dash panel, charging up the engine when a well-aimed shot from security jostled them.
"How hard is it to miss the color yellow," Tak growled, "Mimi! Defensive Mode. Now."
Said robot gave no reply, trotting briskly to the underside of the control deck and popping open the hatch. She fiddled around the bundles of wires before finding her target, wasting no time ripping them out of their ports and reconnecting them inside her head. Binary code raced across her optics just before the ship's plasma cannons engaged and began firing return rounds at a pace slightly too meticulous to be automatic.
"Is it wise to be shooting back at them?" Dib asked warily.
"Well, when the alternative is getting blown up and having our mangled, frozen corpses become a part of the decor, it doesn't seem so bad!"
At that, she threw the ship into a spin, turning hard off to the side and into another stream oncoming vehicles. Dib clung tightly to his seat as they leveled out, clasping the buckle around himself uncomfortably tight. Heart racing, he willed himself not to vomit.
"Can you fly?" Tak asked, steering roughly.
"I'm a little out of practice," Dib said, voice jumping as they suddenly lurched harshly, tufts of smoke pluming up from underneath them.
"Mimi...?" Tak called, barely taking her eyes away from traffic.
Various clicking sounds could be heard from the interior mechanism of the ship, power rushing to no destination as evident by Mimi unmounting herself from the panel, large exclamation points flashing over her eyes. She beeped in warning.
"I think we just lost our guns," Dib said nervously.
"Wonderful," Tak groaned, peering over to see multiple enemy ships making steady gain from each side of them, "and just in time for reinforcements. Still not enough power to make a jump..."
"Don't you have any other weapons on this thing?"
"Combat, hand-to-hand...all things useful when we aren't flying through space!"
"Come on, there has to be something, we're gonna-!," Dib stopped abruptly, "do you have an airlock in here?"
"To your right...but it hasn't been used in ages, I don't even know if it's still pressurized."
At this point, Dib was only half listening, more focused on dismantling the mask he'd been using. Pulling out his pocket knife, he snipped the wires inside and began rummaging through their supplies. He teetered along with Tak's evasive piloting, eventually setting his eyes on the prize; a tiny bag of glittering, purple powder.
"Hey, we need that!" Tak bawked at him as he hastily tore open the packaging.
"I know, I won't use all of it. In fact," he drawled, sprinkling in an infinitesimal amount, "all I need is a gram. I read up on this stuff a while ago, when I was still planning on exploring the universe...never really got the opportunity to get my hands on it 'til now."
"We're losing klicks here," Tak cut in, eyes glued to their ever-narrowing escape route.
Without replying, Dib scanned the room for a moment until he strode over to the passenger seat, sliced open the leather, and snapped the thin headrest off of its stays. The Irken gawked at him in complete disbelief.
"What are you doing?! We're taking enough damage on the outside, thank you!" she exclaimed.
"I'm buying us time. Maybe also saving our lives, but I'm trying to stay humble," he shrugged, grunting as he worked to join the pieces together.
The bounty hunter grit her teeth, gaze flitting anxiously through the high of her frustration before she finally said, "Bombs don't work in space."
"Traditionally no, but I don't think anyone's ever had the opportunity to use gun powder's less friendly cousin before. Star dust contains iron and magnesium- both abundant and crazy combustible in powder form...you said earlier that this thing makes fake oxygen-"
"Crudely speaking..."
His mouth quirked upward, holding up the patchwork device, "let's hope it's close enough."
They regarded each other a moment, right before a another blast rocked the ship. Alarms blared and the cabin began shaking violently as the runner struggled under the damage.
"Whatever you're going to do, do it!" Tak ordered, gripping the flight stick harder to try and steady them.
"How much longer until we can jump?" he asked, grappling with the rusted, underused door latch.
"About 30 seco-" she was cut off by another hit, this time taking out one of the engines.
Dib made a nervous sound as the ship sputtered. Just a little bit longer, he thought. Clicking on the mask, he gave it a few shakes before shoving into the airlock and sending it into the vacuum of space. The exposed wiring in the mask's mechanism arced, tendrils of electricity rippling through the confined space and catching on the particles floating around. The explosion happened in a near instant, the glass of the apparatus shattering under the increased pressure and releasing a burst of fire. The shimmering blaze latched hungrily onto the surrounding fuel as it was simultaneously fed and starved.
The ships chasing them thought nothing of the smoke, flying straight through, not noticing the superheated dust cling and subsequently begin eating through the glass and metal like embers into cloth. It was still for a moment and Dib began wondering if he'd overestimated the ratio when, without warning, the ships erupted. Dib's awe-struck expression morphed into shock and he jumped back from the glass at the ferocity. Behind him, the console dinged.
"That's it!" Tak laughed, tapping at the controls and throwing the runner into a jump, disappearing between the lines of reality.
The air around them became eerily quiet as they rode snug between sound and light. Dib felt burning in his bones; his atoms panicking under the intense, unfamiliar weight and his stomach churned. The only reason he wasn't in a full frenzy just yet was due to how unconcerned Tak seemed to be in her chair, as if they were on some kind of road trip instead of rushing through the expanse of space at ~149,901,761.9165 m/s. Instinct prodded at him regardless and he leveraged himself against the wall, taking out his communicator and pressing the button.
*Chssh* "Hey, Gaz, closing in now. There was a..a pequeño malentendido and I'm not really sure of the ship's condition, so it might be good just to keep the street clear. Over."
"We're jumping," Tak chided, "it's basically a dead zone until we're out...and if you really want to know, our condition is bad."
The teen gave a tight lipped smile, moving to sit on the floor as he took off his smudged glasses, "Sorry..."
She dropped her head, twirling around to face him as she settled, "It doesn't matter, with all this fuss we won't be able to use the ship again anytime soon. You lot truly do have a way with ruining other peoples livelihoods, you know that? "
"Hey, if it wasn't for me, we would have been blown to bits back there."
"If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have had to worry about being blown to bits. Don't act proud because you successfully ran away from your own mess. Perhaps I should have left you to face the consequences of your carelessness?"
Dib huffed and looked away, "I doubt that would work to keep you in everyone's good graces."
"Ooooh, what a loss that would be," Tak feigned a pout, "the scorn of dregs would surely work to crush me."
"Glad to see the years haven't made you any less shallow," he sneered.
She shrugged, "It's not that, you just seem to be misunderstanding our relationship. I'm not here to make friends. We share a common enemy and you should be grateful that I consider the king's downfall more beneficial than sparing any of your lives," she paused, fixing him with a hard look, "but I promise you, if things go wrong...I won't hesitate to throw all of you into the maw."
He studied her, taking in the deadly seriousness on her face. There was an almost manic gleam in her eye as she sized him up and for the first time since reuniting, he didn't feel that pang of familiarity between them. He knew back from her invasion that her intentions had never been innocent, that he'd been nothing but a tool for her to use and pass the time with as she plotted. Maybe it was his thirst for social validation, but despite her betrayal, he still saw her as somewhat of an acquaintance. Maybe it was just the human in him...maybe he just expected too much humanity in her. They were working together in this, but they were also very much still at the mercy of her patience. Their stand-off was interrupted when the ship pitched and came to a stop, Earth's ethereal glow illuminating the cockpit. Tak turned her attention away from the human toward the controls.
"We're reentering," she spoke over her shoulder, "get in your seat and put your belt on."
Dib chose not to speak as he did as he was told, scooping up Mimi in the process and holding her firmly in his lap. In her passive state, she reminded him strongly of Gir, though he'd never admit out loud how comforting it was hugging the small android. Mental fatigue pulled at him and he truly couldn't wait to be in the company of the his real family, bad moods be damned.
"Now might be a good time to send that warning," Tak piped up.
Without replying, Dib dug through his jacket, lazily dragging out his comm and pressing the button.
Happy Late New Year, everyone! Also Happy Valentine's Day, just to cover my ass in case there's no update before then.
