As per his protocol, Four-Seven quickly hustles me out of the observation box. I’m glad to be out too, it’s perhaps the most vulnerable part of the entire facility.

Well, except the asteroid itself.

Oh no, the priso-workers!

“Four-Seven! The workers, they don’t know what’s out there, they don’t know what’s coming!”

I don’t know what’s coming either but still, if I’m in danger, they’re in danger too.

“I will address their safety shortly after yours has been established.” He spits out hurriedly.

His eyes keep shifting, the blue light within them glowing and dimming with each second. This is not a normal for Four-Seven…

“What’s out there, Four-Seven? What are we running from?”

“We are not running, Madam, we are simply retreating as I have requested tactical and strategic back-up from the surface.”

That settles it! We’re being attacked!

But how many fools are out there desperate enough to risk an attack on us? I’m guarded by a Saeon for goodness sake!

“Madam, I think it’s best I carry you now, my drones have been defeated.”

“What do you me-”

I nearly bite my tongue off as the base trembles and reels from a blast from outside. Spilling onto the catwalk of the facility I resign myself to understanding that I may be kidnapped and the workers below are almost certainly all dead.

The lights all around blink in protest and the metallic walls groan with exhaustion. There’s another blast and a terrible screech of sound follows the automated voice on the speakers announcing that a part of the facilities hull has been breached.

“Madam!” Four-Seven screams for me.

Looking around I find he’s been knocked off his feet as well, straight off the catwalk and down to the depths below, but is now using…his arm as a grappling hook to reel himself over to me.

“Hang on, Madam, I will retrieve you shortly.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not leaving for anywhere soon!” I pant over blaring alarms and the red lights that wash over the entire facility.

There really isn’t anywhere else to be. Four-Seven gets to shine as my protector now, but he’s drones have been defeated which means this little pirate band must have at least sacrificed several of their knock-off Corvettes to make it this far.

But what do they want? They’re obviously not very intelligent seeing as they didn’t retreat as soon as they saw Four-Seven’s drones, and now they’re blasting the hell out of the facility.

I don’t think they know its worth, chances are, they’re simply here for the bounty of metals the facility has excavated and stored.

With a thump, Four-Seven makes it to me and I swear there’s a look of relief over his normal monotone face.

“Madam, quickly, into my arms.”

“At least wait for until a few dates, Four-Seven you charmer.” I nervously mutter, letting myself fall into the Androids ridged arms.

Once I’m settled in, Four-Seven begins to sprint, ahead there are some broken platforms thanks to the little bombarding so he quickly scales them while I hang onto him filled with apprehension.

The bombing from outside has stopped. I don’t know why but it doesn’t feel very reassuring.

“Madam, we’re approaching the pods, please make an immediate escape.”

“What?” I blink at this, “What are you saying? Where are you going to go?”

“I have to hold them off, Madam.”

“The pirates? Just let them have the minerals.” I scoff, desperate.

“These aren’t pirates, Madam, this is the Feine Empire.”

Hearing those words, I feel my heart drop into my stomach. The Feine Empire? Here? Why? To steal mining technology?

I know my Neutrino Drill is pretty cool but it’s not worth going to war for!

There’s got to be some other reason. They could easily win the blueprints, math and science behind my drill if they just get into diplomacy with the government but why war?

“As you must have realized, the Sildor Alignment is at war with the Feine Empire. It will be once the reports of this attack have been confirmed.”

Swallowing the lump in my throat I shake my head as I begin to lose myself, “It doesn’t matter! They, they’ll destroy Rim!”

Grimly, Four-Seven confirms my worst fears, “Yes, they will. But perhaps not before evacuations are complete. This is just a pre-emptive strike, their main fleet is several light years away from the borders of Sildor, and so are we.”

“So then, why are we being attacked?”

Four-Seven doesn’t seem to have an assuring answer for me. There’s no reason we’d be attacked if as he says, there are several military outposts monitoring the systems between us and them.

A report will have been made on one of them if they saw Feine crafts trying to cross in.

I wouldn’t be up here if they were to break through our defences at the border; there would be a process to this, I’m an asset to the Government now, I’d be one of the first to be recalled to safety!

But still, nothing is happening, nothing is changing. Only me, only us.

Four-Seven sets me on my feet as we enter a white room with several large circles in the walls. Pods.

Running over to the nearest one Four-Seven punches in the coordinates, the planet below, my home Rim.

“Please get in, Madam.” He’s polite but the urgency is plain to hear in his voice. A feature I don’t think I’ll be forgetting anytime soon.

“Come with me, let’s get out together!” I plead, holding onto his arm.

“My communications with the surface have been jammed. Reinforcements aren’t coming.”

Another sinking bit of news. “So? We can report it on the surface!”

“After my primary goal has been fulfilled and you are safe, my next goal and directive is protecting the asset.”

“Asset?”

“The Drill.”

Huh…The Drill.

I swallow and get into the pod, a spacious room with four bunks, a navi, and a little fogged bathroom in the corner.

Four-Seven nods thankfully at me, before sprinting away, his arms splitting open and pushing out the heavy cannons his body hides within.

If these were pirates, I’d be confident in his win. But this is the Feine Empire… a jungle of predators with weapons too big for their brains.

They only know war, they only lust for the extinction of life they deem ‘lesser’ and humans are top on their list despite the many wars they’ve waged and lost against us.

Now they’re trying again.

The pod beeps to life and detaches from the Facilities hull with force, expelling itself forward and away, barrelling through space to land on the lush red planet below.

Sitting at the navi I can only watch the giant, broken pieces of the asteroid float, the same manner in which most of the remains of the Hull hang next to the slick and versatile fleet of Corvettes as I suspected.

Around this, around even me as I fall through space are the bodies of the workers, the prisoners. Their suits compromised or run out of oxygen, they drift about, dead in space.

I close my eyes, can’t bear to see any more of this.

On the outside I hear a loud clacking sound and spring back to life, looking about me for the Corvette shooting at me.

There is a craft, but it isn’t shooting at me and it isn’t a Corvette. It’s a Cruiser and it’s reeling me it.

There’s a cable latched onto the hull of my pod, with it, the Cruiser reels me in. The rather large and imposing figure of a Cruiser grows larger and larger till it’s full-size casts a shadow over me.

I had a feeling I’d be kidnapped.

The hatch I’m reeled in through closes behind me and the pod is left to fall onto the floor, rattling me quite a bit.

When the shaking stops, I look about for any sort of weapon; a pipe, a pole, a gun of literally any kind or even a relatively sharp object. But all I find are pillows, duvets, food packs and buttons.

Shit!

I hear voices. Footsteps.

Oh god, I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die!

The pod door steams open, depressurizing the inside and sliding out of view.

Quickly, I stop gripping my hair desperately and throw my fists up; they’re all I have left now.

A guttural clicking sound comes from straight ahead. An organic!

Not stopping to think, I launch my fists dead ahead with as much force as I can muster. They slam into what feels like a bad idea, I hold back a scream as whatever I hit between the fog of the door steaming open topples over with several grunts and more tongue like clacking sounds.

The Sildor Counterattack begins now!

Sprinting out of the pod, making sure to jump over the stairs and landing rather gracefully thanks to my years of training my flexibility as a past time, I find that all around me is covered in dark, dim subdued colours. Mostly black and grey.

I don’t take too much time sightseeing though. In my periphery I catch several other humanoid figures standing, bewildered at what has happened and more importantly, holding long and slick objects that are undoubtedly blasters.

Despite not knowing where I’m going to, I choose the obvious route, dead ahead!

Sprinting forward like a madwoman, I make it almost all the way through to the end and past the large bay doors that introduce the space I find myself in before I feel a tug.

A tug like someone grabbing hold of your arm as you walk away but it’s violent and addressed to my entire body. I grunt, coughing at the force of whatever is holding me back, keeping me literally off my feet as it pulls me back and through the air.

Still struggling, I turn, looking back and find the humanoid I hit earlier with its three fingered hand outstretched.

Telekinesis!