spears of Uu'kata (CLEAN(ish) Version)

Chapter 54 - Dust in Space

"Everyone hold on! We're gonna pull some G's!" Charlotte said through the comm as she burned hard, away from the Warthog and the incoming rockets. The force of the maneuver felt like a mountain had landed on her chest.

She kept close to the Warthog, purposely staying where the ship's defense cannons were useless.

The entire ship jerked several times in quick succession and a sound like a massive gong being hit rang through the hull as Ben, Davidson, and Anerudo went on the defense with the transport's guns.

"Got 'em!" Ben yelled.

"Got one of the Warthog cannons!" Anerudo said.

She remembered seeing him go down and was glad he was still alive.

"Don't hit the rings!" Vasquez shouted.

"I wasn't born yesterday!" Davidson shouted back. His voice sounded strained.

Charlotte looked around, scanning her displays. The radar was still picking up the ships in pursuit as she circled the Warthog, but they weren't firing because she was too close to the rings and they knew it. Not that her proximity would hold them off for long. It was only a matter of time before they locked in a firing solution based on her pattern.

Gritting her teeth, she hit the starboard thrusters and the transport went sideways, sliding between the rings. Everyone grunted at the sudden change in thrust gravity and she could hear someone vomiting.

"Vas," she said, "We need to get the Uu'k'asht connected to the stabilizers or the shit I'm about to pull will kill them!"

"I'm on it!"

Charlotte shook her head. She should have thought of that.

She spun carefully around the central column, staying just ahead of the pursuing fighters, but one of them punched it and was going the other way, moving to cut her off.

"Vas, hurry!"

"I'm on it! Emi, no. You're wounded, sit down!"

"Oh, do you have over a thousand hours of practice finding veins, Xochitle?"

"Is this thing on?" Annie drunkenly asked.

"Pilot," a voice came to her through a private channel, "Dock the transport and prepare to be boarded. If you do not comply, you will be destroyed."

"Oh, hi!" Charlotte piped up. "How are you today?"

"This isn't a joke or a game. Surrender, now!"

"No thanks. Being destroyed is better than what the general gave that insane scientist permission to do to me. So, take your best shot. But take it knowing there are three innocents on this ship," Charlotte said.

"Final warning. Surrender," the voice said.

"Final answer, shove it up your ass," Charlotte said before switching off the channel and saying, "Vas, please tell me you're done."

"Got it, got it! Punch it, Char!" he said.

Charlotte hit the port side thrusters and the ship shot to starboard, sliding between the massive rings close enough to bump one.

"Oops," she said with a cringe as an awful scraping sound grated through the hull.

Anerudo immediately started shooting at the Warthog's cannons.

A loud squealing alarm went off, telling her she'd been targeted and a moment later, her radar lit up with incoming ordinance.

Ben or Davidson blew the rockets out of the sky but more rockets were already on their way.