***
"Boss! Boss!!"
One of my men came barrelling across the hangar, his frantic footsteps pounding against the metal floor. Another violent tremor rocked the space station, shaking loose debris from the ceiling. I paused, the sweet snack in my hand just inches from my mouth, and sighed.
"Bad news!"
"I figured," I muttered, rolling my eyes as I tossed the sandwich to the floor. My shoulders slumped in exaggerated disappointment. "What the hell did you guys mess up this time?"
"A Knight!" The Freiheit grunt practically shrieked. "I—I don't know how, but they just appeared on the 50th floor! They're tearing through our guys like it's nothing—and they've got a Knight of their own! Weird green swords, too!"
That made me pause.
"The target's also picked up speed—ETA, about seven minutes!"
The glass bottle in my other hand cracked, shards biting into my palm. Blood beaded along my skin, but I barely noticed. A wicked grin curled across my face. "Well, well, rat runner," I mused, licking my lips. "*That's* a surprise. Thought you'd scurried off for good. But you sure know how to build suspense, huh?"
The grunt, however, was nowhere near as amused as I was. He was practically shaking. "Wh-what do we do, Boss?! They *know* it's an ambush but are *still* coming straight for us!"
"Shut up." I exhaled, long and slow, before leaning back and stretching. Another tremor rattled the station, but I barely flinched. "Your panic is grating on my ears."
The silence that followed made him shrink back.
"The plan stays the same," I continued, cracking my neck. "Get a few of the guys prepping the ship—just in case this goes sober on us." I flashed a sharp grin. "They're confident, yeah. But confidence doesn't mean shit when the game ain't over."
"R-right! Got it, Boss!" The panicked bastard sprinted off, disappearing down the corridor.
I sighed again, hands on my hips. "Tch. Damn shame. The thrill of this gamble had my blood running hot. Looks like I'll have to let this score go, partner," I muttered, turning my gaze toward the depths of the hangar. "Can't take on two Constellation Knight who are already locked and loaded for us. Really wanted to see what a mutated KnightMare looked like up close. The money we could've made selling it back to the Empire?" I whistled. "Would've made those rebel dogs snap their heads real fast. Hah!"
[Hardly matters.] the voice slithered through my comms, deep and slick with malice. [So long as Freiheit takes the fall for this, our business stays clean. We've already bled this place dry—more than enough to cover the losses. The kid's ransom? Just a cherry on top.]
I chuckled. "True, true, true." Then my grin sharpened. "But before we skip town..." I tilted my head, eyes glinting. "Why don't we welcome the little rat responsible for all this, yeah?"
***
Breaking through the blockade, Andromeda slashed through the knights in our path, dismembering them with the molten heat of his sword.
"Clear back-blast!" a man shouted, hoisting an RPG over his shoulder before firing it straight at me.
Erecting the magnetic shield, Andromeda caught the rocket mid-air, crushing it between his platinum fingers to contain the explosion before stomping forward through the battle droids scrambling to slow him down.
"Run! To the hangar!" another insurgent yelled.
"We're no match for that thing! Lead it to the boss!"
Treading after the fleeing insurgents, I piloted Andromeda carefully, maintaining distance in the narrow corridor. The knights and regular infantrymen knew they stood no chance, but fighting in a confined space was still dangerous—even for me.
Approaching a low-hanging doorway, Andromeda crouched and stepped through, emerging onto an upper platform in Hangar-6, perched between several landed spacecraft.
"Welcome, rat runner!" A voice rang out from five floors below. A man stood in the centre of the hangar, arms wide as if presenting himself. "Come on down so I can give you your prize!" he taunted, waving me over.
I studied the rough-looking man and immediately knew this was a trap.
[I do not recommend doing as he says, Pilot,] Andromeda chimed in. [There are anti-Knight turrets and rocket sentries set up across the hangar floor.]
I spotted the devices Andromeda had detected and exhaled sharply. "You know I'm not stupid enough to fall for that, Andy."
[Data has been inconclusive thus far.]
I let the irritation slip away, assuming it was a joke at my expense.
Stepping to the edge of the platform, Andromeda stared down at Filch Alsier—the leader of the Freiheit insurgency, the man responsible for hijacking Helios Station. I attempted to scan him, but something in his clothing disrupted Andromeda's imaging.
Five minutes. That's all the time left before Faraway in Winter arrived at the station. Filch's plan was already in shambles just from my presence alone—so why was he still here?
"What are you after, Filch Alsier?" I projected my voice through Andromeda's speakers, making sure it carried. "If you wish to surrender, go down on your knees and place your hands atop your head."
"While that certainly does sound safe, I don't think it would do me much good," Filch replied smoothly. "Especially in the way of business with future clientele—like yourself." He nodded to himself, his confidence in escaping undeterred.
An alert flared. Without hesitation, I activated Andromeda's magnetic shield, catching seven rockets fired from the left while dodging five more from the right. As the shield dissipated, I released the caught projectiles, sending them spiralling back into the insurgents who had attempted the ambush. The resulting explosion tore apart a section of the wall—along with them.
Attaching the sword to Andromeda's magnetic back, I pulled the hypothermic railgun from its right shoulder.
[Rapid-fire mode activated.]
With a click of the controls I opened fire. A hailstorm of freezing bullets tore through the insurgents on the far side of the hangar, scattering them as they scrambled for cover, retreating deeper into the station.
Down below, a burst of light drew my attention—Filch Alsier had activated his Knight. The energy readings and data signature confirmed it: another Constellation Knight. The realization sent a chill through me. A terrorist—wielding the same class of mech as Andromeda.
His machine, a peacock-inspired Knight, spread its arms as three floating metal tails hovered behind it, each adorned with three glowing eyes. Filch's voice crackled through the comms, smug and unbothered. "Shame we had to meet like this, Rat Runner. Fate allowed, I bet we could've been great partners. You've got the skill to be a decent mercenary."
I sneered. "You're attacking the Empire and its citizens. I doubt you're right in the head saying something like that."
Filch scoffed, spreading his Knight's arms in mock defence. "I'm a businessman, little lady! If a few people get scrapes and bruises while my group profits—so what?"
He was stalling. I wasn't about to indulge him. "What CK is that, Andy?"
[CK-33, Pavo,] Andromeda reported. [It has the ability to mimic the traits of other Knights. Be careful, pilot.]
"How the hell can it mimic another Knight's technology?"
Pavo remained stationary, lurking within the traps they'd set. [The most viable explanation is the specific type of KnightMare used in its construction. However, unless you activate the Constellation Drive, Pavo won't be able to copy my heat control.]
"So I'm limited to the swords, railgun, and flight system... and we're stuck in a standoff. I can't get close because of the turrets, and the moment he tries to leave, I'll be on him. If one of us moves, the other loses."
Stowing the railgun, I split the sword into two. "Let's see how patient this peacock is."
Pavo made the first move. Filch opened his mech's metal fingers, revealing an orb. He tossed it to the ground—a smokescreen exploded outward, engulfing the hangar in thick, blinding fog.
I moved instantly. Andromeda's thrusters roared as we dived, charging toward the hangar intersection where Pavo sprinted, dragging his three metal tails behind him.
We gained ground fast. Sword drawn, Andromeda barrelled toward Pavo, ready to cleave the peacock-mech in two— but Pavo twisted on a dime. Grabbing one of his tails, he sharpened it into a spear and blocked the burning sword's edge. "Now you're a fiery lady! I like that!"
Shoving Andromeda back, Pavo's body flickered with an electric mesh as a light scanned over me.
The moment it finished, Pavo jumped— then crashed. Landing hard, his peacock inspired knight body scraping across the floor, his body twitching as if something had misfired.
"What happened, Pavo?! Why aren't we flying like they can?!" Filch barked, somersaulting his knight out of the way as I hurled one of Andromeda's swords, embedding it deep into the ground where he had just stood.
Pavo's robotic voice hummed with frustration. [That is a Constellation Knight. The only trait I can mimic is their Constellation Drive. Their flight is likely a by-product that does not require full activation of their CD, meaning I cannot copy it.]
"Damn! That's cheating!" Filch Alsier bellowed.
Andromeda wrenched his sword free from the floor, thrusters flaring as he rocketed forward, closing the gap in an instant. "You probably still have a few tricks up your sleeve—like that one earlier." With both swords swinging in a deadly arc, I aimed to sever Pavo's head from his shoulders.
Pavo kicked off Andromeda's chest, narrowly dodging the strike, and slammed into a pillar. "Oh, I am beginning to *not* like you, lady. But let's dance!"
He charged. His spear lashed out. I caught it with both blades, pushing his weapon aside to counter—but before I could, his two peacock tails whipped over his shoulders and struck Andromeda's neck.
I grunted, dropping the sword in Andromeda's right hand to seize the tails before I could be shoved away. With a firm grip, I yanked Pavo up—lifting him by his ass—and slammed him into the ground with a brutal crash.
"Agh!" Pavo's pilot groaned from the floor. "Do you not get panicked, lady?"
"I've hunted a skunk that did something similar." Without hesitation, I brought my sword down, carving into the ground where Pavo's body had been—only for it to dissolve into shattered light, leaving behind a frozen layer of ice. "Where did—?!"
"Did that skunk also do this?" The voice came from behind me.
The sword Andromeda had dropped earlier was now in Pavo's hands, slashing straight through Andromeda's shoulder. At the same time, his spear drove into Andromeda's left leg, forcing him onto one knee.
[Damage taken.] Andromeda's system reported.
Pavo lunged again, swinging my own sword at me—but I boosted out of range, barely avoiding the strike.
"Damn nimble, aren't you?" Filch muttered.
"Enough of this." I shot forward with a burst from my thrusters, Andromeda's fist crashing into Pavo's neck. Seizing the plating along his arm, I ripped the limb clean off, reclaiming my sword in the process.
"That arm was expensive!" Filch howled.
Before I could strike again, Pavo's spear shaft slammed into Andromeda's visor, sending the knight staggering back. The emerald sword tumbled from his grasp, clattering to the ground.
My patience snapped.
Andromeda lunged, seizing the Constellation Knight and hurling him into a decommissioned fighter jet. Without missing a beat, I tore a crate loose from its moorings and smashed it down on top of him. But the moment my sword cut through the wreckage—he was gone.
"He disappeared again..." I hissed.
A flicker in my peripheral vision. Instinct kicked in. Andromeda boosted up, narrowly dodging a sneak attack. The fairy knight ascended, hovering just beyond the range of Pavo's spear.
"How does he keep disappearing like that?" I muttered. Then I noticed it—the glow of the eye on Pavo's spear. Unlike his tails, it pulsed with something different. "...Is it hard-light holograms?"
Diving with a burst of speed, I tackled Pavo mid-motion—only for his body to shatter, dissolving into fragments of digital glass.
"Haha! You're a clever little missy!" His voice echoed from the walls. "If you'd kept your thoughts to yourself, you *might've* caught me just then!"
A faint clatter against Andromeda's foot.
The dropped sword.
I extended Andromeda's free hand and activated the magnetization system, pulling the blade into my grip. I clenched it tightly. If this was another fake, it should have shattered— It didn't.
"Outside of mimicking the traits of other Knights," Filch's voice continued, smug and teasing, "Pavo can also create illusions using hard-light beacons hidden in his three tails. So now you gotta ask yourself..."
A shimmer. A pulse. In an instant, ten identical replicas of Pavo materialized around me.
"...Which of us is the real one?" They attacked as one.
I poured spirit energy into my blades, heat and frost colliding in the air. I cleaved through the first illusion, watching it disintegrate into scattered light. Another struck my back—I stumbled forward, but when I retaliated, that one vanished, too.
"He's swapping between the fakes!" I raised a sword to block—only for the illusion's spear to dissolve on impact, while the real one struck Andromeda's ribs.
Gritting my teeth, Andromeda swung wildly at my control, cutting down any that got close. But for every one I destroyed, more flickered into existence. My defences buckled, damage accumulating from attacks I couldn't anticipate.
I needed the Constellation Drive. One activation, and I could burn every illusion away. But if I did— Pavo would gain Andromeda's heat control ability. And if that happened, this entire space station could go up in flames.
Gunfire rang out from Hangar-6. Both Pavo's pilot and I turned toward the sound. The Faraway in Winter had arrived.
"Oh, damn," Pavo's reflections muttered in unison.
I seized the moment. Flaring my thrusters, I launched out of the encirclement, landing a distance away, exhausted but standing.
Pavo clicked his tongue. "Well, shame—but looks like I'll have to depart now, rat-runner. Make sure to stay healthy for our next meeting, capisce?"
The illusions rushed toward me. I clenched my jaw. Which one was *real*? Did I guess? Did I risk the Constellation Drive?
Then— A metal footstep. Weight. The first illusion to run past me— it's too heavy.
All of Andromeda's body moved on instinct. I lunged him, tackling the real Pavo, sending us both crashing into the wall.
"Ah! How'd you—?!" He swung his spear, bashing its shaft against Andromeda's head in an attempt to break free. The rest of his illusions flickered and vanished.
"You got impatient." I slammed Pavo's metal frame back into the concrete, pinning him in place. Andromeda's foot came down, trapping his two tails, while I crushed his remaining arm against the wall. "You're not going anywhere," I promised.
Filch Alsier groaned theatrically. "Listen, I like pressing girls against the wall. Not so much when I'm the one getting pressed by a girl, though."
Even now, he wasn't the least bit concerned. And that set my teeth on edge.
"Firefly!!!" Brigadier Verwin's voice cut through the chaos. She came gliding in from down the hall, energy blades crackling around her legs.
No! My chest seized with panic—her Constellation Drive was active!
"Brigadier, don't—!"
Too late. Pavo's systems scanned Lepus in an instant. The electric mesh surged over his frame, crackling with stolen power. With a single devastating kick, he launched Andromeda backward. I barely had time to process the motion before we crashed against a massive storage device overhead—one carrying multiple heavy military tanks.
The structure cracked. Then—a deafening crash.
The military tanks collapsed from the platforms, slamming down onto Andromeda one after another, pinning him beneath their sheer weight. "Urgh! No!" I struggled, pushing up under the weight with the only arm Andromeda could still move, but it wasn't enough.
Pavo loomed over me now, his legs bearing the unmistakable energy of Lepus. Faster. More agile. He strolled up to Andromeda's trapped frame keeping just out of reach from Andromeda's available arm. "You did good, hero," he said, his voice infuriatingly smug. "Consider this your consolation prize." From Pavo's hand the peacock knight dropped a plastic card with the emblem of a lion and snake hybrid.
Then, in a flash, he was gone. Vanished into the station, heading for another hangar.
"Firefly! Are you alright?!" Verwin sprinted toward me, concern evident in her voice.
With a frustrated roar, I forced Andromeda's remaining arm downward, repeatedly punching the floor. Cracks splintered across the metal and concrete.
"Andy!" I shouted, pouring spirit energy into Andromeda's arm. It surged with power, fists tightening—then with a final, devastating punch, the floor beneath us caved just enough for me to break free. Andromeda shot out from under the tanks and rocketed forward, chasing after Pavo.
"Firefly, wait!" Verwin followed, her voice urgent. "Leave him! We need you to tell us where the VIP is! This is an order, Lieutenant!"
A sharp spike of pain shot through my skull at her command, like an electric current burning through my nerves. But I ignored it.
I wouldn't let Filch Alsier escape. Reaching the hangar just in time to see the ship holding Filch and his crew roaring to life. The thrusters burned bright, the vessel cutting through the station's electric shield before vanishing into the depths of space.
"Damn it!" Andromeda's fist slammed into the ground, crushing a metal crate into twisted halves. Frustration burned through me, tightening around my throat like a vice. "I'm so useless!"