[03] Space Battles!

[Victoria]

It wasn’t that she wanted to harm them, because she didn’t. It was all a matter of playing the game and making it through to the end. All Victoria wanted to do was win, if that meant anything. She knew how villains worked; they promised you salvation with their fingers crossed. She could snuff out her competition, shoot down the threats around her, but her conscience always held her back. She cursed her insatiable need for friendship and understanding; it would have been so much easier to have been a loner.

Victoria’s craft swerved and she did a barrel roll before zipping through the battlefield. Ander remained close, following her lead and firing at the nearest threats. She fired off her weapons, shooting down the enemy ships and attempting to get closer to the Kill Cluster. “This is all they got?” She asked with a grin. Her quick reflexes enabled her to get out of unfortunate situations, and her team covered any attacks from behind.

“You’re going down, there’s no way I’m letting you guys win!” a voice crackled over the intercom. It wasn’t Ander; it was one of their would-be rivals. A laser beam nearly clipped her X-Wing and she turned abruptly. Their formation cut, she watched frantically as her companion dodged the coming forces of the opposing team. Victoria couldn’t stop; she had someone on her tail. He shot at her relentlessly, making her zigzag and zoom in various directions.

“Iceman, come in.” She spoke, doing a hard turn and grunting against the pressure of the straps on her chest. “Iceman, Iron maiden needs you!” she called out, gritting her teeth as a hard shot nailed her shields. “My shields are down to 80%.” She directed her ship downwards and quickly did a loop, coming up behind the enemy. Just in the nick of time, Iceman shot between the two ships and nailed the enemy with a barrage of blasts.

“You guys ok? I can’t shake these guys.” Ander’s voice came over the communications. A female voice cut in through the static.

“You’re going down, motherfuckers!” A laugh followed, and Victoria shot towards the warring group.

“What’s going on? Where are you?” She couldn’t locate her team mate; the void of space was filled with many ships shooting at each other. She moved through the dangerous combat zone and watched her scanner for a sign of Ander.

“Argh, starship…battle.” Ander’s voice came in.

“Use your missiles, target their weapons.” She replied and fired off her own lasers, causing an enemy ship to explode.

“No use, they’re too…fast.” He was having a hard time; she could hear it in his voice. “Can’t lock on…ugh, starship battle!”

“Do a loop, cut around and get them from behind, Ander!” She shouted, and looked frantically around for his ship.

He replied, but the communications cut in and out suddenly. “Lololololo!” A voice came through and grated her nerves.

“What the hell?” Victoria fiddled with the knob.

“Ololol!” The annoying interloper continued, as if he were amusing. Victoira’s ship vibrated as a shot shook her ship.

“Someone must have gotten onto our frequency.” Ander’s voice came in; he was calm now and no longer in danger. “Thanks for the tip, I got them.” He zipped past her, did another loop and came up just beside her ship. He fired off an onslaught as a few enemy ships came after them.

“Good, he stopped,” she joined in the attack and flew forth to continue their mission. “This way, looks like there’s an opening.” She turned and took off towards the Kill Cluster. “Iceman, you there?” Victoria asked.

“Just killing some enemy scum, Iron Maiden.” His voice replied.

“We’re pushing forward, north, north east.” She said and made sure Ander was still following her.

“Not if we have something to say about it!” A male replied and shot at Victoria from above. She turned abruptly and nearly hit her team mate. “Forgot we were on the same channel didn’t you?” She pursued her, making her change course away from the Kill Cluster and Ander.

“You’re persistent.” She replied and used defensive maneuvers to get behind him. He did a barrel roll and avoided her attack. “Nice moves, but how about this?” She pushed on the handles and dove down, her enemy chased her. She twirled and dodged his blasts, and started to climb back up and closer to their target. He kept on her tail, attempting to break down her shield and deliver the killing blow. The Kill Cluster loomed before them, closer and closer, she headed straight for it.

“Are you crazy?” The man asked, and kept on chasing her. From what he could tell she was about to crash into the giant sphere.

Victoria’s ship changed course suddenly, going straight up. The man had to correct his own craft, nearly slamming into the wall of the Kill Cluster. He went off in another direction and she used the opportunity to continue along the monstrous long wall and towards what could only be the top.

She halted her ship and watched in utter shock as the black void of space suddenly filled with massive ships. They were circular, very much like the Kill Cluster, but green and ominous. She read her screen for any data but nothing appeared. Her communications began to crackle, and an overbearing voice filled the small cabin.

“We are you Borg, you will be assimilated.” The voice didn’t sound singular, to Victoria it sounded as if many were speaking as one. A chill crept down her spine and she didn’t know what Borg was, but she did know what assimilated meant.

“You want to absorb me, like, eat me? Because I don’t think I’d like that.” She replied. She looked for a way around the massive ships but the only way out would be to go backwards.

“Lower your shields and surrender your ship. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us.” The voice replied, making her shudder visibly. Typically Victoria didn’t get the creeps, but something about the noise dug deep into her and made her skin crawl.

“You wouldn’t want me, I’m not very cultured. I’m not even human!” Victoria laughed nervously and maneuvered her ship around; she didn’t want to mess with the likes of them, not today.

“Resistance is futile!” The Borg replied, and a bright green beam locked onto her X-Wing. Her ship jolted and began to move in reverse, making her panic.

She had to think quickly, especially considering her shields were down to almost 30%. She could tell by the way the beam pulled on her ship that it was a sort of gravity device. Victoria flipped a switch on the dashboard. She suddenly heard a sound, a beep and a bloop that reminded her of the robot seated above her cockpit. Forgot about him. She mused and pushed the button her finger had been hovering over. He must agree with me, I hope. The button released the last of her missiles, and just as she thought, they sailed right up the gravity beam and into the Borg ship. An explosion occurred at the base of the ship, breaking off their hold and allowing Vic to fly downwards toward the Kill Cluster.

“Let’s not do that again,” she said. The ordeal had made her sweat, uncomfortably so. Her robotic companion whirred in reply and she smiled lightly. “Hey, guys, Iron Maiden here. Avoid the top of the Kill Cluster, there’s some baddies up there that will make you shit bricks.” She sent the message over the communication device to warn her comrades.

“Kill Cluster defenses?” A reply came.

“Not sure, they call themselves the Borg. Either this Kill Cluster has some nasty allies, or Gamer got things mixed up. Either way, I suggest we get this over with before those bastards come down here. They want to assimilate us.” She replied, a tinge of urgency in her voice.

“Roger that, Iron Maiden, make the maneuver and drop the bomb.” Ander’s reply came. As she shot down into the battlefield once again she found him shooting down enemy dirt bags. She looked over at him and he shot her a thumb up. “Got the way clear for you and everything, unless those guys on the other side decide to take action.” He looked ahead and swooped in to align behind her to cover her back.

“Iceman, come in,” she spoke and headed towards the Kill Cluster.

“Iceman here, we’re a go?” He replied and crossed their path in a fancy display of tactics. He shot down an enemy ship coming close, and aligned himself next to Victoria’s X-Wing.

“We’re a go, if I don’t make it, you’re up.” She replied and altered her course slightly. Soon it would all be over. Both teams were beginning to thin, but only one side could win.

“Roger dodger, I spotted a weakness in their defenses,” he responded and pushed ahead of her slightly. His ship curved to the west, and she followed suit.

“Lead the way, Iceman, take out the opposition ahead and Hotshot, cover any pursuit.” Victoria ordered and shot a glance over at the shining red button that would release the bomb she still held in her ship. It was their last effort, but she knew better than to count all of her blessings. Given the enemies she had recently run into, and the smart players running the show on the enemy side, things were about to get very interesting.