Page 59 of Lunar Bound
"I thought Galaxy Brides said this thing was fast," Dani shouted as the ship shuddered under Solar's evasive maneuvers.
"They are known to exaggerate certain performance metrics." Lunar checked the control panel.
“You mean they lie,” Dani said.
“That would be accurate,” Lunar agreed.
The pursuit crafts were gaining rapidly, their weapons systems charging as they closed the distance.
"They wouldn't really fire on us, would they?" Dani asked, knuckles white as she gripped her restraints. "I mean, Solar's practically royalty in the light zone. I’m pretty sure that’s the only reason I wasn’t put in a test tube."
"Former status is irrelevant to security protocols." Solar pushed the transport to its limits as they climbed toward the upper atmosphere.
The first warning flickered across their communication system. "Unauthorized departure detected. Return to designated coordinates immediately or face destruction."
"First warning," Lunar noted unnecessarily.
The vessel shuddered as one of the pursuit craft managed a glancing shot against their shields. Systems flickered, the power fluctuating as the transport struggled to maintain integrity.
"Shields at sixty percent," Lunar reported. "Atmospheric boundary in fifteen."
The second warning came as they breached the upper cloud layers. The darkness of Lunaris gave way to the faint luminescence of Zorveya's upper atmosphere.
"This is your final warning," the automated system announced. "Compliance is mandatory. Destruction protocols engaging in ten units."
“What happened to three warnings?” Dani shouted.
Solar's form blazed with concentration, his golden light pulsing as he channeled energy directly into the ship's systems. The transport lurched forward with sudden acceleration, throwing them against their restraints.
"Five units to orbital boundary," Lunar counted down. "Four. Three."
The defense grid appeared on their sensors. It was a network of energy weapons positioned in geosynchronous orbit around the planet. Designed to prevent unauthorized entry, the weapons were equally effective at preventing escape.
"Two. One."
The grid activated, energy beams lancing toward their position with lethal precision. Solar banked sharply, the transport groaning under stresses it was never designed to endure. One beam grazed their port side, alarms blaring as systems began to fail.
"Hold on," Solar shouted, his essence flaring as he poured his own energy into the ship's failing shields.
Lunar did the same, extending his shadow essence to absorb and redirect the incoming energy. For a moment, he and Solar achieved a perfect balance of light and shadow, working in harmony to create a protective barrier around the vessel.
The moment stretched, time seeming to slow as they passed through the grid's final targeting zone. Then, suddenly, they were beyond it, the defense systems receding behind them as they broke free of Zorveya's orbit.
"We made it," Dani breathed, her face pale but determined. "We actually made it."
"The council will send pursuit vessels," Lunar cautioned, unwilling to celebrate prematurely. "And our transport has sustained significant damage."
"Can we reach Earth?" Dani asked.
Solar and Lunar exchanged glances, a silent calculation passing between them. Neither one of them bluntly answered her question, opting instead to shield her from the full gravity of their situation.
"The dimensional drive remains functional," Solar confirmed after checking the systems. "However, calibration will be difficult without optimal energy balance."
"Translation for the human?" Dani requested. “Don’t sugarcoat it.”
"The ship is equipped to handle a long distance jump. We can attempt to implement the dimensional fold to Earth," Lunar explained, "but it’s dangerous without the coordinates to a safe landing zone. The trajectory calculation becomes imprecise. We need Eclipse to guide us to the right location."
"Imprecise," Dani repeated flatly. "As in, we might end up on the wrong planet?"
