The Bounty

Episode 5: Escape

Vaughn looked up at the frigates, his fear hidden behind the helmet. What could he do with a few frigates up and in the air searching for him? Vaughn's thoughts left him stranded, constantly thinking about ways to get him and his ex-bounty out of this situation. Shoyo clearly terrified, pointed at a gap between each one. "Your going to have to fly between them.. they're canons can't aim at each other."Shoyo explained to Vaughn. The armored Hunter looked to shoyo and paused, his hidden eyes lost. As if he didn't know where to look, but quickly he looks back to the frigates. "We'll try.." Vaughn says as he tries to toughen up. He's never been in this type of danger with his ship before, nor has he been in any sort of situation. His judgement on the way out was little, though he always judged a plan when it came from other people. Vaughn hopped into the pilot seat, turning on the engines of the ship and getting everything ready for the possibilities he had thought of. Getting shot down, getting blown in the sky, getting crushed between the two frigates, anything he thought of he'd prepare for. The ship lightly began to hover up, its engines rumbling. "I got one surprise for these guys.." Vaughn says flipping switches here and pressing buttons there. Shoyo looked at Vaughn with curiosity, wondering what he meant "what do you mean?" Vaughn looked back to shoyo for a split second then back forward. The engines began to rev high, the ship beginning to rattle, and his ships systems beginning to spark. "Hold onto something!" Vaughn yelled, the ship blasted forward and began to groan from the wind hitting against it. The frigates appeared closer and closer as the ship ripped through the air. Soon blasts of laser beams would whiz past his ship, loud and big. Vaughn would hit the warp speed, making the ship enter warp space while also getting hit in an engine. "Shit!-" Shoyo yelled as she grabbed onto a seat, almost being thrown around the cockpit. Vaughn grabbing ahold of the controls while he watched as the ship would spin and exit warp space in an instant.

Soon it was dark and silent in space, the ship floating in the dead of space and power being low. Both Shoyo and Vaughn being passed out from the spinning and the constant bashings. Shoyo would begin to wake up, blinking slowly till her eyes were open. All she saw was a star infront of the ship, it was beautiful and bright, it was also warming up the ship. Shoyo began to make her way to the front of the cockpit. She'd grab Vaughn's shoulder and shake it "Wake up, demon wake up." She said softly trying to get Vaughn awake. "Mm-" Vaughn mumbled as he lifted his head up and looked at the star infront of them. "Oh ho-" Vaughn sounded to himself as he saw the Star, amazed how they are not dead yet. He looked over to shoyo, her skin brightened from the light of the Star, and her eyes gazing. "What happened?" He questioned. Shoyo shrugged and shook her head "I don't know." She said as she looked at the Star again. Vaughn would stand up and looked back to the door of the cockpit. He walked over hitting the button on the panel. Nothing, not even a sound of electrical motors. "Dammit.." Vaughn said as he then grabbed the crease of the door, pulling as hard as he could. It would barely open, Atleast just enough for him to get through. Shoyo followed him as he walked to the back of the ship. There were rattles and groans coming from different parts of the ship, Vaughn was surprised on his the ship even took such a jump, let alone even in atmosphere. Shoyo would just walk her way to a wall, seeing as there were marks from the sparks. She drew her finger around the marks and looked at her finger tip, seeing nothing but dust from the burn.

Vaughn had approached a metal door with a song on its right and a panel to its left with a series of different buttons and a lever, it even had a screen. Vaughn set his hand onto the screen then pushed down on it. All was heard was a crack and a loud metal sound coming from inside the walls near the door. It sounded like a release to the door. Vaughn put his hands against the door and pushed until it had slammed down onto the floor. Yet again, more groaning and rattles from the ship. This time louder. Vaughn looked up and around "Shit.." Vaughn rushed inside the corridor and found the main power core. He seen it was fried, and the components were heated enough to heat the room, maybe even the ship. He reached his arm to the fried area and grabbed a small handle, it was hot but luckily his glove took most of the heat. Vaughn then ripped out a small core for the counter, seeing as the middle was blown, and goo was everywhere inside of it. "That's not good.." Vaughn says looking at the core. Shoyo looked at it with eyes of ear tears her thoughts clearly yelling at her as Vaughn somehow heard them. "Kid- We'll be fine, just have to rebuild it.. or find a new one around here somewhere." The Hunter said patting her back. Vaughn was surprised he let out some sort of softness. He corrected himself and pulled his hand back to the bottom of the core. He turned and began walking to a nearby table and seat. Vaughn sat the core onto the table and stood near the seat. 'Gotta find out a way to get this thing repaired.. don't think I Have any more cores..' Vaughn thought to himself. The armored Hunter looked up at shoyo and seen her with some tears. He sighed and signaled her to come closer. She did so slowly making her way over, just saddened. Again Vaughn could hear her thoughts, her memories, even could feel her own emotion. "K-Kid.. I know your scared, we can make it through this.." Vaughn said looking at her. Shoyo looking at Vaughn then giving him a hug. This was something Vaughn never had in a long while..

*flash back*

"N-no! Let me go! Let- me- go!" A young Vaughn said as he was being dragged by and armored figure. "Don't take him!" A woman's voice yelled, as the woman was being held back by some other human figures. "No- No! Let go go!" The young Vaughn yelled in pain as the armored figure pressed a heated metal branding onto his arm, and being lifted by a ramp. "I'll comeback for you! I promise!" The young Vaughn yelled to the woman in pain as he began to pass out.

*flash back end*

Vaughn quickly pushed back shoyo softly. "Alright- Let's get this core working ok?". Shoyo nodded shakily, still after all this time, she is still shaking. Vaughn looked to a crate and pointed at it "there should be food in that crate, and maybe some water to get you freshened up a bit.." Vaughn said. He then looked back at the core, trying to think about what he'll need to fix it. "Don't really have a spare kit to restore it.. maybe if I make a core from other parts I have.." he said to himself as he walked to a bunch of crates and began looking through them. He'd find parts of different size, component, and meaning. Some were janky and bulky and the others were more tone down and or fragile. Vaughn grabbed a gallon of engine fluid from a different crate and nodded. "Hopefully this'll work.." he said then making his way back to the broken core, with all the things he needed, tools of all sorts, and parts he believes he needs to atleast build a somewhat stable core. He grabbed a tool from the pile he had taken, and began taking apart the destroyed core.

Shoyo was busy with wandering the ship, searching for damage and other sorts of issues. All she seen was nothing but the clean walls and floor. But the off was this constant groaning and creaking from the outside. Shoyo would quickly walk back to the main room to see Vaughn finishing up with the core, in the middle of it had glow of many stars, and the surrounding metal shell was this dirty silverish effect. The armored Hunter looked up at shoyo and nodded as he began making his way back to the back of the ship, the engine room. Vaughn slowly put the small core back into the main slot, then hitting the button next to it to try and power on the ship. Nothing. Let alone a small whirr of energy. Vaughn punched the console in frustration, turning violently to see shoyo was behind him and frightened. Vaughn sighed and eased up his tensed up self. Shoyo would slowly hug the Hunter, placing her head in his armored chest. Vaughn- Didn't know how to respond to something, something he hadn't had since his teenaged years.. before he was a warrior. "I'm not much of a hugger-" Vaughn said as he patted her shoulder softly. Shoyo moved back nodding. "You just needed one after so much trouble."

vaughn shrugged and contined past her. "Thanks, I guess." Shoyo fixed her red hair a bit from the jump, and the hug. She watched as Vaughn would remove the worn out cloak and replace it with a back attachment. A jet pack. "I didn't really need one, but thank you.." Vaughn said as he attached a tube from the jet pack to the gauntlet of his armor. He then would sync the gauntlet to the pack, then walking to the exit of the ship. The Hunter would put in a combination of button pressing then standing infront of the door. "I'm going to check the outside wiring, see if there's a broken wire.. there's a comm pad for you to keep contact if you see anything or need anything.." Vaughn explained. Shoyo nodded as she looked at a pad on the table. She then walked to it and grabbed it. "Just keep an eye out.. and we'll be fine." Vaughn said as he looked at his gauntlet then hitting a button to launch himself out of the ship. Shoyo would walk to the cockpit, then seeing Vaughn floating around the nose of the ship, hitting different parts of the nose. She watched as Vaughn slammed his fist into the nose, then pulling off a panel of the ship. "Finally, I got to the power router." Vaughn said through the comms. Shoyo would nod and watch as Vaughn would use his gauntlet to weld together wires. Suddenly the ship would begin to boot up, then preparing itself to warp again. "Uhm- Vaughn, it wants to warp again!" Shoyo yelled into the comms. "Shit- Try and stop it.. if not I'll hold on if I can." Vaughn said calmly. Shoyo would nod, looking at the panel, it being too late before the ship entered warp. Vaughn looked back and grabbed onto an edge of the ship, him screaming from pain of the heat of the warp speed space as the ship entered.

Shortly the ship would exit warp and already be in a planets space. Vaughn still yelling from the pain, would let go and fly off the ship. "Vaughn?- Vaughn!" Shoyo yelled as she watched. She couldn't believe a Hunter as strong as him could faint from pain such as that- even if he was nicknamed demon. The red haired girl would grab ahold of the ships controls and manage to turn it around and have it free fall near Vaughn, catching him with the top of the ship but then crash landing into the ground....

to be continued..