Rogue Huntress

[Tenacity]

<... Location: Sendai Research Facility, Okinawa System, 2145 Hours ...>

Aki sat at the desk in her quarters going over repair reports, the Bastet had been in dock at Sendai for almost twenty four hours now, and the Dragon repair teams had worked surprisingly fast. If there was one thing about Kusari individuals, it was that they valued skill, discipline, and quality of work.

The entry door to her quarters beeped, and after Aki's reply it swished open, allowing Commander Mathews into the room. He approached with a salute and stood across from her, "Bad news, Admiral..."

Aki lifted an eyebrow as she looked up at him, "Why is it never good news with this crew?"

Mathews let out a nervous chuckle before continuing, "It would seem the Dragon leadership is having a change of mind... the men leading Nova Power Generation do not believe it is a wise choice to help us, and have given an order to bar us from Dragon bases... they may even try to lock down our ship and turn us in for reward, we need to depart as soon as possible."

Aki sighed as she stood up, "Instruct all crew back to the ship, launch immediately." Mathews nodded and saluted again as he left the room, with Aki trailing him to the hallway and heading for the bridge.

---

Minutes later, the entire crew was back onboard and ready for departure. Aki stood at the center of the bridge, "Helm, release mooring clamps and move us away from Sendai."

"Aye-Aye Admiral, docking clamps released, ahead one-third." The helmsman replied promptly.

A flicker of static echoed across the bridge as the operations officer in the Sendai control tower appeared on the holoscreen, "Attention Carrier Bastet, you are not cleared for departure, re-engage mooring clamps immediately."

Aki stepped forward, "Sendai, news travels fast here... we're not going to risk being turned in by the Dragons. Thanks for the repairs, but we must be leaving now."

The ops officer's tone turned aggressive, "We cant allow that, Admiral. If you do not return to dock and surrender your ship immediately, you will be fired upon."

Aki gave the signal to Lieutenant Morris to cut the transmission, "Con, is the jump drive functional again?"

The control officer nodded, "Yes, Admiral, and we managed to get reinforced cabling from Sendai, we're good for at least ten Jumps."

As Aki turned back to the helm, the tactical officer shouted, "Admiral, Sendai has launched fighters and charged weapons!"

"All ahead flank, pull right and divert power to the rear shields. Charge the jump drive, I want to know the second we can make a jump out of here!" She stepped backwards and sat down in her chair, the Bastet shook slightly as the Dragon ships opened fire, but their weapons were not equipped to take on larger craft, and the Carrier's shields were left unharmed.

"Admiral, Jump drive is charged and ready for activation, where to?" Chimed Morris.

Aki turned to her, "We've only one refuge left in Sirius, let's hope the welcoming committee is better than this one. Set coordinates for the Orkney system, engage jump drive when ready."

Seconds later, the Dragon fighters pursuing the Bastet were left firing at nothing. In a bright flash, the Carrier vanished, leaving nothing behind but a slight ripple and tear in the fabric of space, which quickly faded as the Nebula filled in the gap.

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