Phoebe cherished that touch. Unlike what happened back at the club, they were both free to do whatever they pleased now. She had no qualms about it or returning the favor with a lingering caress of her own though it was up to Luna whether she took advantage of it. A knowing look, a playful grin, even their close proximity to one another was tempting the lovely brunette to keep it up. Yet when it came to Viryon, her emotions spiraled out of control even more.

Anticipation flowed through the woman’s veins. She extended her arms. Watching her companion race out of the water, kicking up sand in a mad rush while making her final approach, Phoebe braced for impact. A good thing, for their eager embrace may have knocked them to the ground for good otherwise.

“Oof!” She took the full brunt of their reunion without giving an inch. “A-Are you really that happy to see me, hm?” The frontal assault carried with it an expected side effect though something she hardly minded. Those beautiful scales shimmered in the light though their moisture was what soaked her outfit now, down to the bra concealing her tender globes. All that damp cloth adhered to her like a second skin. As it molded to her contours without an ounce of imperfection, there were bound to be glimpses of an all too smooth stomach and the anchor piercing on top of it, alongside cues as to how shapely those luscious hips truly were.

She didn’t care. It'll have to dry in the sun later. Viryon mattered more than anything right now, and for the moment Phoebe kept her warmth close. Arms embraced her in turn, prowling the curvature of the woman’s waist and upper back, unwilling to let go. She relished the heat of her body, how their bodies only got closer with every breath that forced their chests into prominence, her voice and enthusiasm. It was as if this chapter could finally be shut while body and mind abounded with elation, a fount of happiness undisturbed by outside influences. “Finally ..” Soothed eyes close with a quiver of her lips, holding back tears while taking it all in. If only Kurgan were already here to see her, too. “I’ve missed you, too, Viryon.”

Such intimate moments were rare between the two. It never went further than what they had now. Viryon had to be one of few usual traveling companions she never involved in anything sexual either. She had that kind of air about her, someone in need of care and protection to the point Phoebe felt responsible for her from the start. It only made her happier to know that slaver likely didn’t touch her. She shouldn’t have been experiencing that sort of thing with that kind of partner.

Likewise, it was good to see her getting along with other people. There were few breaks in the questions the girl had. Phoebe urged her to slow down and ask one thing at a time before Luna caught up to introduce her to the other agent. She’d have shaken hands if not for the one woman taking up every bit of her attention right now.

Speaking of which, the same sight made her grateful for not being blind. Attractive in a bikini, cute smile, nothing one would dare to miss out on a sunny day. Fixing her armor, huh? As easily flustered as she may be, Luna sure knew how to pick ‘em.

“It’s hard, but not impossible. Viryon’s good, but I’m better.” She grinned at that, not meaning to downplay the woman’s efforts as she brought the hand on her back to one of her cheeks, cupping it with a few gentle strokes of her thumb. Eyes flickered to Luna, then back over to Hope. “Luna’s told me all about the simulations. I was hoping we could all have another go at it later. Who knows, could be fun? I’ll spare you the highest intensity though the difficulty stays.”

They should be taking some time off every now and then. She got that much out of the first few moments among the others. It couldn’t have been that much fun for Viryon to be stuck aboard a ship the whole time. She’d have to remedy that in the future. As the young blonde was looking for a place for them to chat a little, mostly to explain everything that led up to this moment and give Viryon some well deserved answers, she couldn’t help but smile. It really was a good day.

“Kurgan’s in town, too. I’m sure he’ll be happy to know you’re doing well and making new friends.” She finally stated as the pair walked side by side, eyes drifting across the beach and water that had to be downright perfect in this climate. “We’ll likely stay on the planet for a while longer, maybe a couple of days. I hope you don’t mind.”

Eager nods of excitement answered Phoebe. “Yes! It's been a long time.” Viryon was still getting use to time. With her origins her perception of time was different. Shorter stretches of it felt longer, her lifespan had been altered severely with those experiments where she already lived far longer than the simple lizard she had been crafted from. Yet she hadn't aged much physically so far.

Now her lifespan would be measured in decades and not years. Viryon was still adjusting to these things, adapting and even planning ahead at times rather than living in the moment. Though the later was tough for her.

Her scale color in the water may have been from the temperature or an unconscious effort to blend in to her surroundings. Phoebe had never experienced her changing colors to such an extreme before now. The deep purple was what? Excitement? Joy? Happiness?

“She's loads better.” Viryon stated to Hope. Many simple concepts were new to Viryon. Math was an alien concept for her. She learned what was necessary to pilot and navigate. Kurgan assisting her too. Viryon was a blank slate in many cases, naive to much. It took a lot of work to get her away from acting solely upon instinct.

Hope gazed between Phoebe and Luna. “Tell me you're not that soft. Luna was the only one to complain about the intensity. Pampered in not having any real field work.”

Viryon was nodding, not knowing about the field work of the ADD agents but having dealt with Luna and the intensity settings.

As the quartet moved away and talk turned to Kurgan Viryon drank that in. She smiled, nodded then took a jab at Luna which was devoid f malice. It didn't seem as if that was part of her make up. “I bet Kurgan wouldn't mind the higher setting too.

“Being a doctor there would be more to fix.” Whether the Voren runt would prefer it or not was another matter. “Oh? We're staying? Good! There's lot's here! Can we go to the amusement park?”

“Yeah yeah. I don't like those settings. Being burned to a crisp isn't my idea of fun. Give me a tech manual or some sort of problem I can get lost in. Or ...” She trailed off as she looked at Phoebe having to glance away as she colored a bit. Viryon was oblivious.

“Anyway … you three knock yourselves out. Remember Phoebe you have to clear it.”

“No problem there right? Can I be your co-pilot?”

“Which scenario are you doing?” Hope asked.

“You bet! We’ve got to do what we can while we’re still here.” The amusement parks were on her list ever since it became obvious those existed on the planet. She was happy to know Viryon wanted to head over there as well, but all in due time. Such enthusiasm certainly would’ve had her ruffle the girl’s hair though the lack of it just turned it into a loving caress that cascaded down the back of her companion’s head. “You’ll just have to try one of the rollercoasters. They’re loads of fun, you’ll see.”

“And yeah, co-pilot sounds good. You’ve done great the last time we were flying together.” Those scales were still a mystery. She figured it had to be some degree of excitement or happiness as they had only just reunited. Whatever the case, they were doing alright now. Phoebe played it by eye and ear regardless. From what she could gather, Viryon loved it here and was happy to see her again. If there was something else, perhaps it’d show in time. They still had to meet up with Kurgan later. If those colors faded by then, maybe they’d be just as extreme then and the Voren could provide some input on these matters. He knew her better than anyone, probably.

Would he enjoy playing that kind of game though? Surely his kind would prefer a hunt over boarding ships and winding up in the thick of it. Tending to the wounded might be more his thing since the only one he treated personally outside of his recently concluded captivity had problems of an entirely different nature.

She caught that flustered glance off to the side but dismissed it for now as the blonde looked to Hope for a moment. “Which scenario? Um .. Some kind of boarding action?” Another glance over to the brainiac among them had her smirk with a faint chuckle. “Yeeaah .. Luna’s been none too happy about the ship blowing up before you got even close to the enemy. You remember that one? Let’s do that. Since she’s out, we can try running the highest intensity at least once. Just wanna make sure I know what I’m up against, you know.”

Settling down someplace dry brought her attention over to Luna again, relinquishing the embrace of the thrilled woman already in her arms. The bag off to the other side, Phoebe was already starting to search for Viryon’s present. “Tell you what .. I don’t want you feeling left out. So, once the whole field work thing’s done, you can sign me up for some Luna-time and all sorts of Luna-oriented activities. I’ve got to thank my hero somehow, might as well take the time to do just that while we’re both on vacation.” She winked playfully at that. “You can still pick a reward for when I lose the challenge.”

“Now, before I forget .. this is for you.” What she ended up presenting to Viryon turned out to be a black, ordinary looking case which, with the flick of a small button, popped open the lid to reveal the bracelet she’d picked up in one of the stores earlier. She wasn’t sure whether the girl knew how to put it on, but it was hers and hers alone. Jewelry was such a rare thing inside the ship, one of the more prominent objects had to be Phoebe’s own piercing, but that was about it. Well, until now. “I haven’t really had the chance to get you something nice before we got separated, so .. you know. I thought it’d look good on you.”

“Great!” Viryon was enthused about that. She embraced the attention she was receiving, her scales staying this purple coloration even when they moved on.

It was Hope that explained the scenario before they all got started on their way. “There are a few options to that scenario. The one we were doing -” she caught a look by Luna which she caught. Not knowing about the wager she thought that something about getting too big into details would ruin the experience. “Well we had options before hand. A rescue mission, stopping slavers, even playing the role of pirates and boarding a merchant vessel. There were little tweaks we could do to change the goals but the end result was to dock with a ship and board it.

“Can't say what other challenges would come up for our pilots afterward. We didn't get too far. I guess ship problems would come up that they would have to handle during the boarding action.” She shrugged.

Luna colored again when things proceeded onward. With the lack of field work unless she was called into a sight to examine something that couldn't easily be transported. Hope looked between the two women simply smiling but saying nothing.

“Sure thing,” the scientist squeaked out. Darkening at the attention she was receiving. Viryon was the only one oblivious to things though attention shifted back to her.

“Oh?” She expressed a blank look when the box was revealed to her. First she attempted to figure out what it was, unimpressed she felt as if she was missing something. Only to find that it wasn't the box but what was in in. Her eyes shifting from confusion to surprise.

Tilting her head this way and that she removed the bracelet. Bringing it up to her eye she studied it. Then attempted to put it on … by pressing it to her chest. It was much bigger than the anchor though she surmised her scales were stronger than skin. It fell and would have landed at her feet had not Hope caught it. She was quick with remarkable reflexes. Handing it to Phoebe.

“I think you should show her how to put it on.” Hope nor Luna could make the association that Viryon made.

“Please do.”

Were it not for that impressive display of agility, the bracelet would’ve landed in the sand. She definitely would’ve missed it herself though in the end Phoebe couldn’t help but smile a little. “Should’ve known. Some kind of game or toy might’ve been better for her ..” The realization came too late, but it came regardless. Viryon wasn’t the brightest or quickest due to no fault of her own. No one explained to her what that flexible, shimmering leather band with gems on top was nor how to put it on. It probably wouldn’t have much of a use for her in the first place. Still, it was a gift, as well as one of the few items which now truly belonged to the scaled woman herself and no one else.

“Alright then. It's not too difficult. Just watch closely.” She took it up to show how to fasten it first. A simple mechanism, sure, but Viryon had to see and understand it first before they moved on to a demonstration on one of her arms. She chose right, purely because that’s what Phoebe had been used to. Was her friend right or left handed? Maybe ambidextrous? She never really checked.

A few moments later and the bracelet ended up looping around the woman’s wrist. Fumbling with the link finally secured it in place. At least she got the size right although trimming it down wouldn’t have been much of a problem. Once done, Phoebe flashed another smile at her comrade. “And .. that’s it. It shouldn’t be falling off on its own from now on.”

“It’s called a bracelet. This one’s just supposed to look pretty although they can have any number of uses depending on what they’re made for.” They could outfit the whole thing with sensors for vitals or a beacon to keep track of her if they were ever separated, but that was for another time. For the time being, all it had to do was embellish the lovely scalie’s appearance. “Hmm, well .. I .. I hope you like it. It does look good on you though, but that’s a given so no big surprise there.”

“Oooh ...” Viryon watched, rapt with how the clasp worked. Due to her nature she was slow in many regards. Often stubborn in doing things one way if it were working or until shown an easier way. But Viryon was good at focusing on tasks she was shown. True she might not be too inventive. Sometimes she had insights that others overlooked, life was simpler for her. Often she had to be shown ways to do things if they were alien (to her) or complex.

But she was more than capable of learning as shown by her piloting skills. If she had to be graded Viryon was better than average. Her reflexes and hand-eye coordination were excellent. Hope beat her to it as far as catching the bracelet only because Hope was aware that it was going to fall and Viryon didn't. Which in a way told Phoebe that Hope's reactions were quick too. Still they had to be slower than her friend's if all things were equal.

Viryon had a different set of reactions. Often she reacted at something that others wouldn't. Being a chimera there were things that still triggered a danger response in her.

“Now that that's out of the way shall we set up a scenario?”

“Well I'll be at the resort. I can contact Kurgan and let him know where you're at. Getting a message to him is a sync and he can join in the scenario even after it has started. He'll be able to locate you easily enough. The Keltorians make connecting and finding people pretty easy.”

With the empty box back in the bag, Phoebe had to venture a guess as to how much Viryon liked her gift. The clasp seemed fascinating enough. There weren’t any signs of discomfort and, to be quite honest, it did contrast nicely with the current color of her scales. She looked good, more endearing than usual. So, not too bad, right?

“Sure. I’m up for it.” Nothing like some action packed adventures to start off her own vacation. She did ask for it, but perhaps it was for the better. All the excitement she got from setting foot down on this paradise planet had to be burned somewhere, and those sims sounded realistic enough to really get her heart pumping. Shooting a glance from Viryon to Hope and back again, the young blonde was already starting to stand with the lovely woman still close to her. Raising an eyebrow, but smiling, she couldn’t help but notice they were still in their swimwear. “Not that I’m complaining, but .. You’re gonna go change before we head out, right?”

For all she knew they didn’t have to head out to an arcade though Luna mentioning she’d stay at the resort got her thinking otherwise. Personally, she hated not getting her involved after everything they went through though it was only her first day here. They’d have ample opportunity to enjoy a couple meals around the area or go to the amusement park, on top of what’s waiting for her should they beat the challenge. Well, it wasn’t really a matter of if, but a matter of when.

Somewhat less enthusiastic, but still in high spirits, she bid her former sister in arms goodbye with a smile. “Alright, well, see you later, Luna. Tell Kurgan I haven’t booked a room yet though this place comes highly recommended .. I’ll give you another call once we’ve beaten the challenge.” The last part came with a playful wink, and a glint in her eyes promising she’d do her best to win her prize.

Hope twirled about. “It's not necessary but if it distracts you too much ...”

“I can get a room rented for you,” Luna mentioned. One less thing for her to manage though it was simple enough the scientist had the experience with being on world a bit longer.

Viryon opened her mouth to say something but shut it soon thereafter. The group soon made it's way back to the resort where Luna bid them off after Hope and Viryon got into more casual attire.

Their destination wasn't far. The area consisting of numerous stores and restaurants. Not long after their stroll they would come to an area that had more than a few buildings that at first glance didn't seem to have a purpose. Phoebe glimpsed one of those communication droids from time to time along with a few of the natives that were trying to stay out of the way.

When at last they came to an arena, several people coming and going with no set schedule. The place was large enough to hold concerts. The structure being circular though they did not go into a general area. Rather there was a series of numbered rooms. There was a booth too reminding her of a salesperson selling tickets. Behind where this person sat was a board with information. Scenarios were listed along with room numbers.

“This way!”” Hope led them along. A series of doors where closed. The ones that were opened were devoid of people but possessed a series of tanks and other equipment. Leading them inside a vacant room Hope closed the door behind them then scanned an ID that probably paid for the session.

From deeper in the room something approached forming into a native.

Greetings. Set your perimeters there, with a sweeping gesture towards a terminal. It contained several choices. Scenario, difficulty and even her avatar if she desired to make any changes. There were several options for height, weight, hair color, age and even species.

In the game settings there was a Hellacious setting listed after hard mode.

Oh, I know what you are thinking. I recommend against that option your first time around. If she did select it there were a series of warnings making sure she wanted to proceed along with a bunch of fine print. The Keltorian could assist her with any sort of clarification she needed and what the risks, if any, entailed.

Having a room arranged in advance certainly helped. Having Luna handle everything didn’t sit right with her though Phoebe took her up on the offer regardless. She’d have to make it up to her later for handling that. At the same time, there was no clarification on whether the former agent and her Voren companion shared a room or not, as well as the implications made with that sentiment in mind. She did regret not being around for that conversation between the two.

Hope took the lead when they parted ways. Though walking side by side, Viryon didn’t have her arm around her waist anymore unless she chose to hug her close. She thought it was better that way, as well as give an opportunity to see if those scales stayed the same or changed at one point or another.

Many parts of town were still an unknown to the young woman. This was one of them. The layout was rather unique compared to everything else. How everything worked, Phoebe had no idea. It was her first day here, after all, and when they got to a vacant room she concluded it had to be their destination as it appeared the other human paid for their stay. Looking at the equipment, she couldn’t help but wonder just what went where when they eventually got started.

One of the natives welcomed them here. Did it speak, or was it all telepathy? Neither would be that unusual to the likes of her, having dealt with many an alien species in her life as an agent and slave alike. It’s not as if these people weren’t in her head already. Phoebe headed for the nearby terminal given that gesture, scanning through the options to get some hands on experience with setting up the simulations. She cracked a smirk at the hardest setting despite what Luna told her about it. A damn shame it didn’t read ‘hellalicious’ instead, but that was probably the point. Nothing about it would be -licious of any kind if they messed up. She guessed as much, at least.

“If you know what I think, you know what I’m here for .. and you already know I’m not going to take your advice.” The smirk certainly hadn’t vanished as she went over the details. As far as the scenario went, having it as close to the one Viryon and the others failed made the most sense. Some kind of boarding action, marines waiting to be put to use, the usual. Turning her head to the Keltorian for a moment, she did have a few matters that needed answers. “Anything I should know about? I know it’s supposed to be realistic, so there’s going to be pain .. death .. but only in the game, right? When I’m out, I’m out, as far as I understand it.”

“I’m just wondering if you can exit the game at any point? Assuming we actually make it this time ..” The thought of burning to a crisp made her flinch, but it wasn’t going to be the end of the world. Unfortunately, not an entirely foreign sensation either, like that time those Saurians nearly killed her with their limitless libido. She had to shake her head to clear it from that nightmare. “So .. I’m not just going to be forced to lie there and writhe in agony or bleed out or anything when I’m hit, right? Or is that actually a thing?”

She looked over the avatar section again. Just how sophisticated were these sims? They were heading into combat, but different species had different senses with varying intensities, as well as pain and pleasure. “Guess it can’t hurt to try something different”, she thought while looking through the available options. Lympha sounded rather exotic. A bit more endowed, too. Useless here, maybe, but it could help not to be quite as short for this particular scenario, perhaps.

The native took her hand cupping the back of it with the other. His or was it her? Eyes closed for a moment. Her hand tingled though there was no other effect. Perhaps the Keltorian was getting a better read of her? When her hand was released the native spoke again, this time it was clear that it was in her mind, in all their minds it seemed as if it were actually speaking aloud. Hope was looking over at her as was Viryon both making their selections quickly.

You cannot die. Normally you could exit the scenario by speaking a password you input during the avatar set up sequence. In hellacious mode that option is eliminated. Clearing the scenario will end it, as well as a game over result. There are points in the scenario you can leave from. Any computer terminal in game will have an exit file on it.

“Pain will be felt but it is not real. You'll only believe it while the scenario is in play and any lasting effects cease once the scenario ends. I am here as a precaution only in the extremely rare cases where someone has a heart condition or adverse reaction I pull them from the scenario. This ceases whatever reaction to terminate at once. Our science is rather advanced so I'm breaking it down to basics on par with what you would be familiar with

The Keltorian explained. By now both Hope and Viryon were in tanks that laid flat on tables. In each tank there was a computer that did some scans of the occupant once they sealed. Tubes allowed a gas to fill these tanks inducing a state not much unlike unconsciousness that linked them up to a shared experience.

Your companions are eager … it appears they only selected their avatars leaving the scenario and setting to be determined by you. It glanced toward the tanks reading something in the pattern of lights on them and the walls.

They have been here before and have selected past avatars. Take your time. Since I am unable to change your mind on the setting I will give you the option of tweaking the settings of your companions so they can leave the scenario. The intensity level cannot be changed. So things will feel very real.

As a side note there is another option in the hellacious setting that makes you forget it is even a game. No exit from it until it is cleared, you perish in the scenario or your rented time for this room expires. Time is a bit different there. Think of it as a dream, several days can pass in mere moments of real time but rest assured that a scenario has an end. Last, of some note not everyone or thing will be artificial. Other players may or may not be part of the scenario too placing you in direct competition with others. Depending on the setting denotes the skill level of the opposition.

Keep in mind that your opponents may have selected an easier scenario for whatever reason. There are all sorts of perks but to keep it simple expert players could be in the scenario, you never having played before, I assume, would rank novice for them. This will be later adjusted depending on your performance.

Certain items and abilities are unlocked. There are bounties on specific things to entice these players despite there being a great many choices there are a few that cannot be selected like the Belzar for instance. Nor are these choices played by an AI. Needless to say these species, items and what have you are sort of status symbols to those long time players.

So, other players could be part of the game, too? That aspect was new. Not that it mattered much, given how simple the rather sophisticated game turned out to be. Everything revolved around clearing the scenario, presumably through killing all opposing avatars in a giant team deathmatch or achieving some kind of objective. Phoebe gathered the gist of it.

You could be stuck in the scenario for a good while though time worked differently in the game. An escape from the game could be found on all computer terminals, assuming they’re functional. Pain would certainly feel real. Death was another way out. There may or may not be other players in the game. Optional tasks offered rewards upon completion. Whatever that Belzar unlock was, it had to be something special. She’s never heard of it herself, but going in blind was half the fun. Veteran players seemed keen on obtaining it among others, however, so it might not be wise to go after similarly exotic items in the first place.

“Sounds simple enough.” She nodded at that. It’d have to be the same scenario as before, boarding a ship with some form of insurgents, or pirates, or another. She did pass on forgetting about the nature of things with a shake of her head, smiling faintly. “I’d like to be aware it’s just a game, at least on my first run. That’ll make things easier to handle ..”

Eyes wandered to Viryon. Whether she chose a different avatar than her true self or not, watching or hearing her die would’ve been devastating with that setting turned on. It’d still deal a crushing blow when having it turned off, but it’d be far more manageable. “As for tweaking the settings, well .. I don’t want to cheat these two out of what we agreed on beforehand, so no changes there.”

They knew the risks though Phoebe had to wonder if they still thought the same if they got past the boarding stage, or rather approach on the ship without dying. She was playing for high stakes on this venture herself. It seemed only fair the same rules applied to every member of the trio.

With that done, however, the young woman felt as though there was nothing else that needed clarification. If anything else came up, they’d just have to tackle the issue head on. Surely it wouldn’t be impossible to grasp further down the line. Setting everything up, Phoebe gave a subtle bow of appreciation. “Well, thanks for the help. I think I’m good to go.”

Very well. The native smiled at her. Across the room one of the computers inputted something as if there were someone there doing the work. Either speech pick up on the commands or it was telekinetic. Once all that had been seen too the Keltdorian gestured toward one of the empty tanks.

After it sealed her inside a mist pumped into the chamber. She was conscious to realize that she was scanned for some reason. Then there was a brief moment of darkness. Her avatar selections must have been made during this time. Though her skill set remained the same. Perhaps she would have been able to allocate skill points on an easier level. Being the hardest setting the simulation must have determined that she had the minimum skills necessary to clear the objective.

All the story background had been imprinted as if she had been briefed on matters. An invasion occurred on her world. Out in space a fleet battle was going on between the invasion force and the defenders. During the chaos a high ranking scientist was kidnapped and ferreted up to one of the capital ships, the attack a diversion by the enemy to reclaim their captured scientist who was on the cusp of creating a “world changing weapon” though the details were rather vague. It had to be something on a planetary scale at least a la Death Star.

But the device had not been complete. The scientist had a vital component necessary. Maybe her government was interrogating him about weaknesses and location of said weapon hoping to destroy it before it was complete. Right now she was given the bare minimum for the scenario. Which was to recapture the scientist.

All this detail was given to her though as her eyes opened it was to numerous flashing lights. She was in the pilot's seat. Masers fired all around. Fighters exploded in this back and forth. Her vessel rocking as she barely had time to react turning a direct hit into a grazing shot of the point defense weapons of the capital ship they were flying towards.

That shot took out 80% of the shields. Some minor damage to a few systems and massive damage to those that she didn't need like the FTL drive. It was completely ruined. Next to her Viryon flipped switches calling out damaged systems. If the situation wasn't so dire her avatar would have been distracting. It was her. Her with longer hair but the reptilian was human. Hope was herself. She was in the back of the drop ship with the rest of the marines.




“There!” Viryon highlighted one of the hangers of the capital ship, Pyro just as a pair of fighters disengaged from combat and headed straight towards them despite the point defense weapons blanking the area. It clicked that the fighters were drones rather than organic pilots with the way they weaved in and out of firing solutions privy to what they would be. The drones were in sync with the weapons of the ship they were released from.

A graze would be the end of them at this stage. Weapons going off all around them. Two immediate choices were at hand, engaging those ships or attempting to get to the Pyro. If she did take them on there was no telling what support, if any, she'd get. Likewise getting to the ship wouldn't stop the fighters from firing into the hanger if there was nothing important in there. Odds were that they wouldn't attack in such a reckless fashion when it came to their own vessel but there was a chance that an organic might order it if there would be little collateral damage.

The chamber sealed around her. She breathed deeply when the mist entered, not out of excitement, but anxiety. Spending days in a game, provided they lived that long, had to be quite taxing. Not to mention, her being the pilot meant the others relied on her abilities. She didn’t want them to experience burning to a crisp a second time. It’s been quite some time since she’s had to perform in a combat situation as well. Yet those thoughts faded in time. Like riding a bycicle, some things you just don’t forget. It could be fun, and the challenge might actually get her blood pumping outside the bedroom for once. Then there was that promised dinner with Luna she didn’t want to miss out on ..

Information came flooding in, mostly memories related to her virtual life and purpose within the game. The primary goal was to recapture a scientist. Simple enough, were it not for the imminent danger Phoebe opened her eyes to, and the distractions all around that shaved off just enough of her response time for the enemy to be able to deal a massive blow right off the bat.

“Nngh!” She jolted in her seat, heart thumping against her chest, hands wrapped tight around the steering, baring teeth in frustration at the mere mention of damaged systems. “Come on, baby! Don’t leave me hanging!” She messed up. The vessel yawed off to one side. Pressed into her seat, the vessel was rolling clockwise, taking a short dip then soaring back up until it had aligned itself with the capital ship once again to try and evade the remainder of that lethal salvo. Every second required responding to current events while also thinking ahead. Point defense didn’t give them an inch. The constant flashes of destroyed ships and enemy fire delivered a near constant stream of adrenaline for the young pilot’s body and mind to soak in.

It felt strangely natural to be here, all things considered. She couldn’t help but marvel at how authentic everything was. The drop ship seemed neither unfamiliar nor was it hard to get used to its overall handling. She couldn't have flown it worse than her own, as though she'd always piloted this particular ship. In spite of the damage they’d already suffered, they might still be able to achieve their goal.

The drones were a bit of an unknown. How fast were they? How agile? What armaments were they carrying? It didn’t help they had two on their tail now, but at least with the hangar Phoebe had a clear destination in mind.

“Divert power from all non-essential systems to the shields!” Lights, destroyed systems, anything they could get their hands on without disrupting life support. Phoebe attempted to get to the Pyro directly rather than waste time and lives out here. A grazing shot took out most of their shields thus her main concern were those drones rushing toward them. She thought a direct engagement would be unwise despite her growing enthusiasm. No need to chance it. The drones were in sync with the capital ship’s weapons. She wouldn’t have that luxury and rather than risk disintegrating thanks to some PDC scoring a lucky hit funneled energy to the shields, primarily to the stern where those drones were likely to approach from. If they had turrets that weren’t destroyed in the blast, now would be a good time to activate them. It was either outrun them or keep them at bay. With any luck, they could delay their attacker’s advances long enough to get to the Pyro. If that failed, they’d have no choice but to try and outmaneuver them on the final stretch. Likewise, the point defense weapons could potentially be less effective at extremely close ranges.

There was one thing she learned fighting machines in the past. Depending on their programming, drones only operated within certain parameters. Unlike a human or other conscious entity, they might not be inclined to push past these limitations. Some loved their cars to the last bolt, knew how they handled, what worked when and for how long even as the dials cross over into the red without anything going wrong. She had the pleasure of feeling this ship as though it were an extension of her own self, gauging just what could be done with it before it might give out. At that moment, it still assured her everything was going to be just fine.

Getting into the hangar was a different matter. If they could reach it, there’d be no time to relax. Whatever security they had in place would expect the marines, which meant more maneuvering in tight spaces to get them out of the ship safely before they, or the drones, blew it to hell.

There was training and then there was experience. Viryon had been thoroughly trained but not in these conditions. Still she had about a week's worth of combat experience from these simulators and learned things that worked best. No sooner had Phoebe told her to divert power it was done from all those nonessential systems or those that had been knocked off line.

Fingers danced over the console as she took the initiative to enact something. “Done and done.”

Near hits rocked the vessel this way and that as the drones closed in. They fired at extreme range until she managed to line back up with the Pyro. Not wishing to hit the ship despite their weapons with little risk of damaging the vessel unless making a lucky shot the pair branched out making a loop towards each flank instead.

That way they only risked hitting each other. Viryon raised a brow at this. She wasn't as intuitive as following droid programming. “Well I wassn't expecting that,” she let out a frustrated hiss. Prepared to launch anti missile chaff she doubted that the fighters were going to launch missiles now. Missiles that risked taking out the other fighter as well. “Oh ...”

She was equally surprised that they did just that. Someone really didn't want them getting to that ship. She deployed counters just as the turret came to life. Probably Hope, regardless the shots didn't land at this range. It became a race as Phoebe dodged the point defense weapons and incoming missiles.

The fighters still raced forth squeezing off the occasional long range shot. The drones had those firing solutions or would have if she wasn't a good pilot. As it was she had to put everything into her efforts. The missiles ere even faster than the fighters. Whether by luck or design one of them had been taken out by the point defense weapons. The missiles were not blessed in having the mind of the droids although each had a simple AI to attempt to avoid counter fire and distinguish evasive actions this AI was rather simple. The second missile self detonated before reaching her when it was clear that she would make it to the ship first.

The fighters peeled off but not before one suffered a minor hit. She learned that the vessels didn't have shields but at the ranges they were at the droid had time to react turning a crippling blow into something that only hindered the maneuverability of the ship.

The hanger had few ships in it. A few disabled fighters and a shuttle. Crews were frantically working on the fighters. For some reason they did not launch or had been recalled from the space battle as systems were knocked offline. Marines stormed out of the ship dispatching these crew. Taking prisoners would only hinder them. Yet a security team soon joined the fray. The Pyro was alerted but not everyone was in place. The team managed to hold on until a larger force had been present but in the end they too went down under the superior fire power of the armored marines.

“Never got this far before.” Hope who could be seen in the hanger said. She was the armored one with the sword directing some marines to secure the hanger and their own wounded.

“Think either of you can slice into this ship to locate our scientist?” Otherwise sh would have to consider where the scientist would be. Would they detain one of their own as they worked out if he was compromised or did this person have some clot?

It appeared that the drones had no inclination on targeting the hanger. Looking out into space from within the ship Phoebe could see the bursts of light from explosions and weapons. She would need to consult her instruments to tell exactly what was going on. It looked as if the enemy fleet was trying to get out of system so the could engage the FTL drives and the other fleet was attempting to thwart them from doing so. Most of the attention was on the Pyro trying to stop it from making a jump. Conversely most of the defenses were around that ship making it clear that their team couldn't expect help any time soon.

Solid ground rocked the ship when they touched down in the hangar. Their adversaries had been dispatched with relative ease. Artificial intelligence or players, that couldn’t have been the most pleasant experience. Getting there certainly wasn’t either. The young blonde felt numb all over. Sweat collected on her brow. She gave a weak thumbs up through one of the viewports, limbs heavier than lead. The sheer intensity of that landing exceeded expectations, filling her with the thrill of flight and anxiety alike. Her heart was pistoning like crazy though it gradually slowed with the first act towards victory concluded.

Subconsciously, the woman tapped into the comms to try and slip a message past their enemies in an effort to establish their team had boarded the Pyro. Whether that helped matters or not, she didn’t know. It’s not as if they weren’t aware of their intrusion now. On top of that, if the enemy knew they were here, they already knew what for. There was little need to be secretive. Afterwards, it couldn't hurt to check the instruments to figure out just what the hell was going on in space around the Pyro or the battle at large.

The ship itself was messed up. A diagnostics routine relayed as much. She’ll fly, but without proper maintenance they’d be one hyperdrive short. Finding an alternative seemed easier than fixing the damage. Staying here might not be an option either. Given the security aboard the capital ship compared to their limited number of marines, defending one pair of pilots getting another vessel working just didn’t sound feasible. Then there were the wounded, the objective, and Phoebe struggled to find a course of action she actually liked. Split up? Stay with the wounded? Keep everyone together regardless of health? Then what? Securing the scientist happened to be a prerequisite for getting out of here in the first place and neither she nor Viryon were prepared for the task as far as equipment had been concerned.

As far as slicing into the Pyro’s network, Phoebe shot her co-pilot a brief nod. Perhaps there were some perks she had that’d come in useful, maybe not, but as the pilots it was probably best to stick together for now. “If there’s a terminal and they haven’t locked us out yet, we’ll give it a shot.” She contacted Hope while twirling in her seat, already set on leaving the dropship for now, either to make repairs or look for some more suitable vessel. The thought of potentially requiring an FTL drive and not having one certainly encouraged her to do just that.

If they could find a terminal, doing a system sweep wouldn’t be that much of a problem. The logs might just show when their scientist came aboard and where he resided or, rather, where he was being held. Cracking a locked terminal, however, wouldn’t make things easier.

Out in the hangar, Phoebe gave a brief update on what’s happening within the hellish area of space around the Pyro they just escaped from. “Looks like the fleet’s trying to make a jump. We might be in for a bit of a trip unless we or the fleet can prevent that from happening.”

So far, their fleet was doing a good enough job. She could only hope they’d be able to complete their mission or find a way around the issue before being separated from their own ships. At that moment, however, they had more pressing matters to attend to.