He stepped down from the shuttle, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun. Yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.
She kept him still and held his beating heart with one gaze, feeding off of him. She was a succubus, beauti...
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From the depths of space, explosions echoed faintly, their distant rumble vibrating through the void. A distant planet emerged, cloaked in emerald hues that danced across its surface like a mesmerizing tapestry. A solitary moon, with its worn and rusted complexion, hung nearby like a forgotten sentinel.
The erratic course the attack shuttle was traveling was intentional, not the product of injury but of a desperate desire to avoid it. Long streaks of intense energy slid close past its hull, a multihued storm of destruction like a school of blazing orange remoras fighting to attach themselves to a larger, unwilling host.
One of those probing, questing beams exploded in a shock wave of debris and expanding gas, just shy of the fleeing ship's principal solar fin. Gemlike fragments of metal and plastic erupted into space from the energy-scatter. The vessel seemed to shudder.
Strained against the relentless pursuit of three Rhokai gang starfighters, the modified Omicron -class attack shuttle cut through the void. Their menacing silhouettes darted and weaved like shadowy predators, their weapons primed and ready to strike.
Hunter, his gaze fixed upon the approaching starfighters, gripped the controls of the rear turret gun with fierce determination. With practiced precision, he tracked their movements, his thumbs poised over the triggers.
"How much longer until we're in hyperspace, Tech?" he growled out over the din of the pursuit, his voice echoing through the intercom system as he returned their fire.
"That depends on when Echo plans on getting the drive back online," Tech replied easily.
He threw a pointed look at the clone kneeling by the control board on the starboard side of the cockpit, engrossed in a flurry of activity. Wires and circuitry sprawled around him like a tangled web as he meticulously worked to restore the ship's hyperspace drive.
Echo furrowed his brow in concentration. "I'm working on it," he snapped back, tossing a glare over his shoulder.
Another distant explosion shook the ship-but it certainly didn't feel distant to Talia, Omega, and Wrecker in the cargo hold. The concussion bounced them around the narrow corridors like bearings in an old motor. The squawks of a creature echoed amidst the chaos, its frantic cries adding to the cacophony of noise beyond the hull.
"I don't think Ruby likes this very much," Omega said, already locked tightly into her seat by metal arms stronger than any acceleration straps.
Wrecker and Talia swayed back and forth under the concussion produced by increasingly powerful energy bursts against the ship's deflectors. An alarm sounded, shrill and angry.
Talia braced herself against the wall, her muscles tense as she struggled to maintain her balance while Wrecker, his massive frame filling the cramped space, grunted as he shoved a cage into the seat beside Omega, securing it with the crash harness.
