Homestar Saga

Chapter 148: Pursuit

With a prayer on her lips, Yvian changed direction again. The best and shortest way out would be to make for the derelict she'd passed on the way in. It was also the first place the humans would look. Yvian angled for an undamaged cruiser four ships above and two ships to the right of it. Her armor was black, as was most of her tuxedo. The light of her jetpack was blocked by the Peacekeeper suit. If she could get just a little distance without anyone looking her way...

"You see, Mark," Commandant Barillas lectured, "this Op was doomed from the start. You think we're here to stop you from rescuing the Xill. We're not. We don't give a shit about the Consensus."

Yvian resisted the urge to look at the humans as she streaked away from the cruiser. Mims had told her he could sense when she was watching. He never explained why or how, but he'd proven over and over that it was true. If the other humans could do the same...

"We've had the Hub locked down for weeks," the pirate continued. "We got everything we needed before you even knew there was a problem."

So far so good. Just a little further. Yvian's blood pounded in her ears. She'd thought years of training with Mims had lessened her terror of humans. She was wrong. The deadliest species in the galaxy was hunting her. She couldn't hide. Couldn't fight. Her only chance was to run, and hope nobody saw. If someone did...

Yvian's armor was based on human tech. Their AIMASSIST was probably better than hers. If the humans saw her, the only warning she would get was when they riddled her with holes.

Commandant Barillas gave an annoyed grunt over the radio. "Still nothing to say, Mark?"

"Oh, here's a little something," Barillas was back to being smug. Yvian would pay real money if that bitch would shut up. "Someone just snuck aboard one of our ships. Yvian? Is that you?"

Someone broke into Reba's cruiser? Who would... "Oh, Bright Lady," Yvian breathed. A cadet. One of her pilots. Yvian reached for the button on her helmet. She had to warn them, had to get them off the ship...

No. Yvian's finger froze over the button. A warning might or might not save her pilot. It would definitely kill Yvian. She couldn't afford to give herself away.

"Trying to commandeer Reba's ship?" Barillas chided. "Did you really think that would work?"

Blue light washed over one of the ships in Yvian's view. The Gate Effect rippled over the cruiser. A single, brighter flash, and the ship was gone.

"All that training, and she still can't make good decisions." The pirate tsked. "But I guess that's good news for you, Mark. Your little friend's alive, after all."

Yvian gritted her teeth, activating SHIELDBREACH. She passed the battlecruiser and veered, putting it between herself and the humans. One more layer of ships. One more layer, and she'd be in open space.

"Stop ignoring me." Barillas was annoyed again.

Yvian dared a glance behind her. Was that... "Zoom in," she commanded. "Five times magnification." A window appeared in her visor. It showed the worst case scenario.

She'd been seen. The humans were coming.

Twenty humans in white armor streaked through the void. Starlight glinted off gold visors. They weren't gaining on her. Not yet. Yvian had been accelerating longer than they had. Her lead wouldn't last. The humans weren't hampered by sixty kilograms of Peacekeeper formal wear. They probably also had faster jetpacks.

Yvian veered down, putting a battlecruiser between herself and the humans. Once line of sight had been broken, she changed vectors again, heading for the Gate. She didn't want to cross into the next sector. For all she knew, there were more agents waiting on the other side. Or a ship waiting to blast the telltale blip of radiation when she exited. Or something worse she hadn't thought of yet. But while entering the Gate wouldn't be smart, getting close would make her harder to see. Yvian would take any edge she could get.