"The hangar is just ahead," the commander urged, her hand tight on her sidearm. "We’ve prepped the stealth-coated shuttle. It won’t hide us forever, but it’ll give us the window we need to reach the Neutral Zone where the Overlords are spectating."
Fiona didn’t speak. Her mind was lost in thoughts. She was thinking about the faces of those Overlords, n who had dined at her father’s table and praised her brilliance.
Surely, they wouldn’t let a ’nouveau riche’ banker like Leo Vanderlen execute a daughter of the Lionel Dynasty in cold blood.
After all, there was rarely anyone who didn’t know how skilled she was at making money. If she survived, she could build the family again and pay them back. But if she died, they wouldn’t get anything back.
As they reached the heavy blast doors of the secondary hangar, the commander punched in the override code. Unfortunately, once again, the code proved to be wrong.
This ti, the soldiers literally fired at the door, blowing it open, revealing a sleek needle-shaped craft.
"Get in, My Lady! Move!"
Fiona scrambled into the pilot seat, her fingers trembling as she toggled the manual ignition. For the first ti in hours, Fiona felt a spark of hope. The ship roared to life.
"Aren’t you coming?" Fiona called out, looking at the woman and the other guards outside.
The commander stood at the base of the ramp, looking back at the corridor they had just exited.
"I’ll stay to manually blow the hangar clamps. If I don’t, the Alpha Corp virus will lock you in. Go, Lady Fiona. Save what’s left of your family’s na."
"You..." Fiona mumbled, realising that the woman was lying. If it was simply about that, then any guard could’ve done that.
It was clear that she was staying behind as a distraction for the enemies that would co looking for her.
It was also likely that she had already realized that a few uninvited guests had entered the ship, and were coming this way. She was the distraction here!
Fiona grabbed the manual control tightly. She wanted to say sothing, but no words ca out.
After all, it was also a necessity. She pretended not to know, as if she had fallen for that lie.
"Don’t worry. After I’m safe, I’ll get the Overlords’ help to save you!" Fiona closed the ship, and didn’t look back twice.
The commander blew open the exit door, and the escape ship departed right before her eyes.
Fiona didn’t look back. She slamd the thrusters, and the shuttle shot out of the flagship like a bullet, banking sharply toward the cluster of massive, golden-hulled ships belonging to the Intergalactic Observers.
In the void of space, the Observer fleet sat like ancient, indifferent gods. These were the Warlords and Masters of neighboring sectors, n whose power dwarfed even the Lionel Family at its peak.
Fiona’s shuttle rushed across the vacuum, broadcasting a wide-spectrum distress signal.
The ship’s stealth managed to last for quite a few minutes, at least until she was able to get past the Alpha Corp’s ships.
It was unclear if the ships actually couldn’t detect her escape pod, or if they were focused on other things. Or did they simply let her pass for reasons unknown?
"This is Fiona Lionel! I am requesting a sanctuary under the Intergalactic Code of Neutrality! I surrender my vessel and myself to the protection of the Spectators!"
She held her breath, watching the distance close. Just a few more kiloters... just a few more seconds...
Unfortunately, just then, she saw sothing that made her expressions darken.
There were ships that appeared to be blocking her escape route. Moreover, the ships didn’t belong to the Alpha Corp. The ships had earth’s symbol, and belonged to the Hero Tower.
"Dear guest, weren’t you planning to visit earth? Is there a need to leave in such a hurry?"
A voice ca on the sa frequency that Fiona’s ship was using. It was a ssage from the interceptor ships.
It was the voice of Blaze, who was sitting in one of those ships.
Now that Fiona’s escape ship’s stealth had run out, it beca even more difficult for her to get past those ships without the risk of being blown apart.
"Don’t go too far. You should know when to take a step back," Fiona replied. "Let pass through, and I will compensate earth for my mistakes in the future. Don’t make unnecessary enemies for a mont of satisfaction..."
"When did we say we want you as an enemy? Didn’t you co to earth for answers. We are simply inviting you to co with us, so we can properly answer all your questions," a voice ca, this ti belonging to Lancer who was more political than Blaze.
"We are simply inviting you as a friend. Or is it that you don’t want to have the Hero Tower as a friend?" he added, his words being as clear as a day.
The choice was clear. She had to follow them, unless she wanted to be treated like an enemy. In any case, earth did have legal reasoning since it was attacked, not the other way around.
Even the Galactic Union couldn’t question them. The only reason they didn’t simply blow up her escape pod was because Leo didn’t want her to die.
Fiona looked at the Hero Tower’s ships, and then she looked at the place where the observer’s ships were. There were only a few light years of distance between the two, but it felt much longer.
It was almost impossible for her to get to that place, especially since she didn’t have anyone to provide her with a cover fire.
At this rate, was this truly the end of her escape attempt? She wondered
Just then, the comms ca to life, and at another frequency, a ssage arrived.
"Sanctuary Request has been approved." A ssage had arrived from the observers, their massive ships finally moving into the battlefield.
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