The cocoon was still covering the spacecraft but there was only so much that could do. To be fully ready, the Inter-Galactic GG-20 needed to activate Defense Phase 2.0. This was a sturdier metal layer of protection for the passengers, but it could not be started with one man in EVA mode.
The layers would simply be too thick for him to stay tethered to the ship. He would float away in seconds.
Logan rushed to the pilots. He himself should be strapped to his chair as well, to avoid being thrown from side to side, but there were more pressing matters at hand.
“Oyediran, what’s the ETA?”
Blessing recited the longitudes and latitudes like that was what she was waiting for the entire time. “Speak up, Bless!”
“There are five spacecrafts approaching us at the moment. They are all similar to the first one we defeated but they are way more armed. They are extremely fast too.”
Logan’s eyes flew over all the dash cameras in panic. They were fast, alright. The spacecrafts were barely fifteen minutes away now.
“We need Phase 2.0 now, Commander,” Borja told him.
“Elrod is not done assembling the TCs yet.”
“But we are at risk.”
Logan didn’t bother sparing her a look. “Begin the preliminaries,” he said to the CM Pilot.
Then again, Borja was nothing if not pigheaded. He used to admire that trait in her. Back on earth, it worked in their favor: she spearheaded their struggle with the board members. Logan never imagined he would be in their position but he did not appreciate it. He could only imagine what the executives went through.
“What good will the TCs be without an extra shield? We wouldn’t get to fire anything if we’re already dead.”
“Nobody is dying on my watch. I’ll get to it in a minute. Officers, are the other cannons in position?”
“Affirmative, sir.”
“Good.” Logan jogged back to the airlock. “Elrod?”
He pushed through the first door and shut it firmly behind him. “Elrod!” he said into his EarPods again. “You good? We need you back in here.”
“Give me a minute.”
Logan bristled. They didn’t have a minute. It was either him or their entire ship. “There’s no time. Leave it.”
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“But sir…” He hesitated. “We’ll be no match for them without it.”
“Neither will we without Defense Phase 2.0, which we can’t activate with you in that position. Return to the spacecraft right now. That’s an order.”
Borja was not the only stubborn passenger he had onboard apparently. Elrod took his minute and assembled all the TCs to his satisfaction before obeying. Logan could not even be mad.
They were doomed without the cannons anyway. “Commence Phase 2.O,” he said firmly into his second EarPods as the tethered man made his way out of the airlock.
By the time they got to the others, GIO had layered them into the second level of armored protection. Thus began the battle.
The two spacecraft, one sleek and modern, the other bulky and industrial, faced each other, weapons armed and ready to fire. The air crackled with tension as they inched closer. One of their pilots managed to connect to the Inter-Galactic GG-20′s comms, causing interference for a moment. High-pitched static crackled directly into Logan’s eardrums but he stood firm and focused on the rogue ship.
“We have you surrounded, Commander,” somebody said into his ears when the static finally cleared. “I implore you to surrender.”
“Who sent you?”
“I advise you to surrender,” the man said again. If Logan didn’t know better, he might have thought the voice was pre-recorded. “I repeat surrender right now. You will be shot down.”
Without warning, their bulky spacecraft fired a barrage of lasers towards them. Logan, his pilots, and the defense officers returned the favor without missing a beat. The Inter-Galactic GG-20 wobbled on impact as a few shots collided with their protective cocoon.
They retaliated with a flurry of rockets. Logan turned the joysticks every which way, swerving, deflecting, shooting, veering, maneuvering, and skidding. A handful of missile fire managed to get through, nonetheless. Explosions rocked both ships, and the pilots struggled to keep their vessels stable amidst the chaos.
Logan swooped their own spacecraft low, trying his best to avoid the other five. They were more likely to make it if they weren’t at their center.
The rogue ships kept up their pace and attacked with everything they had. And they had a lot. Their TCs looked even more complex than that of theirs. The noses of their ship were manning five different cannons each.
Logan had to trust his gut at that moment. His fingers flew across the buttons on the panel before grabbing the control stick and he pulled it for all he was worth. A massive rocket burst from atop their ship and went flying straight forward. Two of the enemy ships were not too far apart so the rocket collided into them all at once.
Donald found his reflex on time this time around. He screamed immediately. Like earlier, the two spacecraft burned with immediate effect. The force of that explosion propelled their third ship away and it crashed into the closest one to it.
That third one was gradually getting engulfed in its own inferno now. The rogue ships refused to relent. The remaining two responded in kind, unleashing a torrent of energy beams that illuminated the darkness of space.
The three spaceships circled each other, dodging and weaving, firing, and evading, in a deadly dance that seemed to go on forever. Blasts from the ships’ weaponry scorched the metal of the other, and alarms blared as systems failed under the stress of the battle. The Inter-Galactic GG-20 was gradually losing its protective layer.
As the altercation wore on, the enemy pilots’ taunts turned into grunts of effort and pain, because, thanks to Logan’s efforts, their ships were battered and scarred, and their resources dwindled. Another missile later and they were down to one final spaceship.
The Inter-Galactic GG-20 fired one last time, and the opposing ship, unable to evade, exploded in a bright burst of light.
Logan’s crew hovered for a moment, watching the debris of its vanquished opponent drift away into the void. Then, with a final burst of engines, it turned and vanished into the darkness, leaving only the echoes of the battle behind.