As the ship's velocity increased, Orimi felt herself pressed to the back of her seat. She gripped the armrests with a subtle gulp.

“W-what are you doing? Can’t we just maneuver around them or shoot off their ship’s weapon?”

“Despite the upgrade, our ship’s repeaters are nothing compared to that of a fighter’s. And even then, if we were to shoot with their defenses down, he’d have the chance for a relapse of kinetic energy to change weapon variants.”

As the stars outside the ship's rear windows elongated into white streaks, a low hum reverberated through the vessel's walls. Miya reacted by quickly thrusting her hands forward, which produced a series of glowing, translucent halos that encircled her arms and hands. She then deftly maneuvered her hands in a way that caused the ship’s pincers to mimic her movements, crisscrossing over each other with precision.

“And then there’s the fact that we don’t know how long this electromagnetic surge has been settled. We let him live, and he’ll have the chance to notify whoever’s on that ship.” Miya concluded.

The two laser repeaters on the opposing fighter's lower side inched up and fired several sets of long blue streaks of energy. The blasts collided with the ship’s front shields, causing the entire ship to shake as the blue gleam dimmed on the shield interface.

Orimi squeezed her eyes shut as the turbulence rocked her back and forth. Miya arched back her arms, the ship’s pincers giving way to a small opening as the opposing cockpit’s opaque black glass came into view.

Miya jabbed her hands forward, causing the pincers to dig into the cockpit’s window headfirst, then ripped it open, causing the fighter’s metallic insides to spew and explode altogether. The Encroacher glided through the debris like a knife cutting into a tender object. The turbulence rocked the ship until it was at the backside of the fighter, ripping its back thrusters in two and releasing itself like a cocooned specimen.

Metal roping, alloy plates, and the inner makings of the fighter vessel brushed past the sides of the Encroacher’s pincers. A few remnants sat on the sharp talons as if sporting a trophy of its devastating assault.

Orimi peeked open one eye, then two. The tears in the sides of her eyes curved down her cheek as the ship continued its brazen assault as if looking for a new opponent.

The supercarrier’s glossy exterior then came into view. Its outer walls sparked with white lines of electromagnetic energy particles. Its rear drone garages, a set of white hexagonal pathways, were glued shut with a thick-red cohesive that hardened around the edges.

Miya's hands collided with a resounding clap, triggering the ship's pincers to interlock and transform into a sleek spinning drill. Its worm-like appendages wriggled within the encircling crevices. With forceful determination, the drill bore into the surface of the supercarrier, sending reverberations throughout the Encroacher as it breached several metallic layers. The invasive, sinuous limbs from the ship delved through the fractured inner walls, until, with a powerful thrust, the Encroacher burrowed itself into the supercarrier's wall with an explosive crash, shattering the silence with an ear-shattering noise.

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Air began seeping through the supercarrier's broken sides; However, the Encroacher’s exterior shell oozed out like an adhesive gel and bore itself into the cracks. Miya and Orimi’s backsides were both glued to the seat by the same black gel, that loosened itself a few moments afterward.

“That actually wasn’t half bad!” Miya squealed with a smile. ”I’ve got to try that again!”

“What… The glosnark… Is wrong with you…?” Orimi murmured.

Miya squinted one eye while raising an eyebrow. “Huh?”

“I’ve read the Federation code and regulations on hostile forces while in aerospace! T-that was in direct violation of article Nine-Dash-C!”

Miya chuckled while standing from her seat, then walking to the cockpit’s window. “You’re crazy if you think I’m going to try and apprehend him while he’s already shooting at us. And I told you my reasoning for destroying him and his fighter, so your divisional statement is invalid.

“Not only that, but you’re in the Patroller regiment. Officer ruling doesn’t apply to us. We’ve been given complete authority in situations that constitute aggressive tactics and immediate action. You really thought I was going to arrest those three back when you got apprehended on my last mission?”

Orimi shrieked before covering her eyes. Miya turned around, whipping her Xacto from her hip. She then sighed while slipping her pistol back into her holster.

Vyok’um’s severed upper torso sat skewered through the Encroacher’s left pincer like a retched kabob. Most of his black feathers were missing, exposing the whitish-pink meat scarred with black scorch marks from entering the supercarrier’s electrified exterior. While his noggin was blown to bits, with only a few strands of glistening blue silky-tissue left, his beak was pushed inward, causing his cheeks to bloat while oozing a few mushy blue globs spewing from his face’s scars like popped pimples.

“You’re seriously not ready for this position.” Miya sighed.

“J-just get rid of it! I don’t want to see it!” Orimi shouted while turning to the side in her seat.

Miya grinned. “Naw, I don’t think I-“

Orimi shuttered while continuing to shield her face.

“Finee.” Miya groaned. “Only if you promise to stay in the ship, gruterra.”

“Gruterra! Gruterra! Yes, I’ll stay!”

Miya touched the cockpit’s window, causing a gleam to ripple across its edges. She then inched a few fingers out the now gel-like and then jumped through.

The dimly lit corridor was empty, with a faint waxy scent wafting the air. Its green-alloy walls sparked along its gray railings circling atop the ceiling lights.

Miya took her pistol from her hip. The body elongated into a flat disc while the grip formed into a handle with two-fingered triggers — The Sonveroder. She then shot a sonic wave across the Encroacher’s left pincer, causing the Vyok’s body to fly across the air and splatter onto the ground with an unnerving squelch.

No drones dispatched, condensed fluids, or any spore reactants. Those crickers must’ve come aboard and disabled all the defensive mechanisms. I’ll find a zone terminal and get a full ship layout, then figure out who’s behind all of this.