Downfall, Part 7
13 Jun 2017User4296
Apex Unlimited AnacondaUnknown System
June 3302
It became immediately apparent within the first few moments of the engagement that this was not going to go as quickly, or cleanly, as either Takamura or Maxwell had wanted. The dogfight was intense, and the Asian had come out surprisingly poorly in several of the exchanges as the Courier and Viper IV clashed and spun around each other. It occurred to me that I had never asked what Talia's profession had been before she went looking for her sister, and between our meeting and this, it was apparent she had been trained. Military, maybe.
For his part, Maxwell scowled at the holo-screen focused on the two combatants, while lights flashed out in the distance beyond the glass of the bridge. Finally, he shook his head.
"Damn his honor. Bring us within range," he ordered. The helmsman complied, and the ship turned in space before slowly making its way toward the battle. Moments passed as the flashes grew larger and more pronounced, and it didn't take long before the holo-screen disappeared - the combat was close enough to see with our own eyes now.
For all his pride, Takamura was also pragmatic, and the two combatants surely saw the Anaconda's approach. As a result, Takamura had begun attempting to keep Talia between himself and the ship. Granted, he had paid for it in losing even more of the exchanges between the two, but had succeeded in that Talia had stayed relatively stationary.
"The worst kind of hope," Maxwell said, turning to look back at me, "is the kind allowed to take hold. Fire," he said next, directed toward the gunner.
He was answered with a barrage from the Anaconda's weapons. Most of them missed, as the Courier was a difficult target to hit, but the ones that had struck home had been effective. Against Takamura alone, Talia would have won - against both ships, however, her fortune had quickly changed.
And mine, right along with it.
She’s given you an opportunity, I thought. Don’t waste it.
Both guards had inched forward ever so slightly as they watched the fight. The guard to my left was closer - and easier, since his pistol was on my side - and my hands were shackled together, but they had made the mistake of shacking them in front of me. I had unclasped the holster and was pulling the weapon free before he had a chance to react, and the barrel had scarcely cleared the holster when I pulled the trigger. The weapon flared, and fired an almost comedic red laser burst into his side and tore a part of him open.
The noise and the guard's yell caused everyone in the room to jump. The second guard was upon me almost instantly, and we wrestled the laser pistol between us. Shouts of confusion filled the bridge, and I was vaguely aware of a door opening somewhere.
The guard's leg crashed into mine, and it buckled, sending us both to the floor, him on top. The pistol was pointed between us, and whatever energy reserves I had regained were fading quickly. His face was murderous, and we both had hands braced on either side of the barrel and fingers around the trigger -
I bucked and he compensated late, causing him to begin to pitch forward and his face to pass in front of the weapon for just an instant –
That was all I needed. I squeezed the trigger, mashing the metal against the part of his pinky that had wandered its way in to try and prevent the very thing I was doing. I just needed it to give just enough to –
The weapon roared, and I squeezed my eyes shut against the bright flash that filled my vision. The scream, followed by the sudden stillness, had told me all I needed to know, but I chanced opening my eyes anyway. The blast had sheared off the upper section of his face, and had immediately cauterized the wound.
I pushed the body off me. The helmsman was on his feet and moving towards me, but stopped short when I leveled the pistol at him and fired. The shot went wide, but he recoiled backwards.
I looked around. Maxwell was nowhere to be seen - he must have fled the bridge, true to form. The other officer was seated in his chair and looking back at me, dumbfounded, though he was still operating the ship’s weapon systems, seemingly firing blindly.
"Unless you want your friend here to die," I shouted, "Stop firing!"
The ship's weapons ceased, which probably confused Takamura. Without the support of the Anaconda's guns, the Courier slowly began to regain the upper hand.
"How many of you bastards are there?" I asked the helmsman, keeping the laser pistol trained on him. I took a step back and knelt, patting the guard's vest.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"On the ship. How many of you are there?" I asked again, having found what I was looking for. I pulled the manacle key free of the vest, and turned it around, pressing it against the lock on one of my wrists, and the hand holding the gun came free.
"Twenty-two, but most of them are just civilians - scientists. Hell, the two of us aren't even military - we just fly the ship."
"Last time I believed that, it came back to fuck me - so you'll forgive me if I don't believe you." My other wrist came free, and I threw the manacles to the floor, then moved over to the door and slapped the "lock" button on the keypad, sealing the three of us on the bridge.
At about that moment, the fight outside had taken a turn for the worse. While the Courier was in a better position now, whatever damage the Anaconda done had been enough - its shields buckled, and Takamura had scored a lucky hit as something on the craft exploded.
"What do you want?" the pilot asked, as I took the several steps over to the gunner position, shoving the pistol against the side of the gunner's face.
"Shut up and sit down," I barked. "You," I said to the gunner next, "Fire between the two ships. Don't hit the Courier."
"But-"
"DO IT!" I shouted, as the rage at earlier ordeal finally bubbled to the surface.
"Okay! Okay!" the gunner replied, and made a few adjustments. He fired, and the barrage passed between the two fighting ships, forcing Takamura to swerve away.
The Courier hung in space for a split second, and I could sense Talia hesitate.
"Go, god damn it," I breathed.
As if on cue, something else sputtered on the Courier. At last, she broke off, and the ship streaked away from the Anaconda, using its superior speed to open the distance between it and the now recovered Viper. Takamura had managed a few half-hearted volleys before the Courier emitted a flash of light as it jumped out.
There was a bang on the bridge door, and the console beeped. We all watched the Viper turn around and race back toward the Anaconda.
"He's hailing us," the pilot said, having returned to his seat. “Should I..."
"Sure," I said. “But lock on to him first.”
Takamura's visage appeared on the screen. "What's going on over there?! First you deny me an honorable kill, and then you allow -" His face changed when his eyes focused on me.
Wordlessly, I reached over and depressed the fire button on the control console. The Anaconda's weapons tore into the weakened Viper IV, quickly collapsing its shields. Its hull followed a moment later, and the small ship exploded into a fireball.
"Hope you packed a second Remlok, asshole," I muttered.
"That was cold," The pilot observed.