Pearl
Third Ring

We got to Third Ring without incident, luckily. But a station director had me and the crew dock in a main hangar while Free Station docked onto the outer part of the ring. Guards led us up to the Ring Bridge, pushing past the river of people rushing to various battle stations as the alarms blared.

And Rat was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Rat?" I asked. Silence for a moment.

"He's leading the Freebird, his flagship, against the Corporate Destoyers." one of them said hesitantly.

"He's starting a fight!?" B protested.

"No. He's winning a fight." Another responded, a tinge of cockiness in her voice.

"Tell me he at least brought backup." B said. She raised an eyebrow.

"Why would he need it?"

"I dunno, probably because he's flying straight for two WRAITH DESTROYERS!? Those things are build to kill entire FLEETS! He's gonna get himself killed!" B roared. Ivan put a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"If anyone can beat those odds, it's Rat. Trust me. I've seen him under fire. Been under fire with him. No one I would trust to have my back more. Besides Xisuma." he rumbled.

We all turned our attention to the window, where a third cruiser was sailing up to the two Wraiths. The third, which I was assuming was the Freebird, was barely even the size of one of the Wraiths.

"And he's flying a Ghost. Great." B muttered. I shushed him, watching with rapt attention.

"Freebird. Stand down or we WILL open fire. The criminals you are harboring are a threat to galactic security. Hand them over and we can forget this ever happened." The voice of the corporate admiral came through.

"Make me." was Rat's only response. The Gigacorp admiral didn't respond.

The two Wraiths broke formation, slipping into a position that would end up with the Freebird inevitably being pinned between them. I leaned against the consol, a cold feeling of dread creeping up my spine.

"Alright, we warned you. Fire at will." the Admiral said as the Freebird slowly drifted between the Wraiths. The two massive destroyers immediately open fired.

Freebird quickly started turning, pointing the front and back ends of herself towards the Wraiths and firing with her own cannons and missile systems.

Well, shit. Rat may just be a genius after all.

Freebird's shields ignited a moment too late, allowing a few corporate missiles in and sustaining minor damage to her hull. But it was too late at that point. Freebird had unleashed a full-scale barrage onto the two Wraiths, who had been so cocky as to completely neglected to raise their own shields.

Fire blossomed silently from the Gigacorp ships. Panicked voices echoed through the bridge, transmissions from the Wraiths;

"We've sustained critical damage to engines 1 through five! FTL is knocked out!"

"Life support and gravity are failing!"

"Ozymandias, Deploy fighters, NOW!"

"Hangars are down, too! Fighters are a no-go!"

And the whole time, Freebird had done nothing but sit still and hold the trigger down and let the Wraiths destroy themselves with their momentum.

"Leviathan, get out of here! You've sustained too much damage." the Admiral barked.

"Our Life Support, Grav, and FTL engines are all down, buddy. Fight together, die together. It's been an honor. GCS Leviathan, out." the other one said, and a moment later the entire rear end of the left-side ship blew apart. I suddenly felt nauseous, fingers tightened around the edge of the consol.

The remaining destroyer, the Ozymandias, split off, alarms whining over the coms as she limped away. Smoke and tongues of fire trailed behind as she ignited her shields, FTL Engine charging up red.

"Oh, no. You're not getting away that easily." Rat taunted.

"You just killed my best friend. There will never be a place in this Galaxy that I won't find you, I promise that much. I'll be back for you, Freebird." the Admiral growled. Freebird started turning, aiming for the Ozymandias again.

But the FTL engines kicked in, and with a distorting effect of spacetime, the Ozymandias slipped away.

"I'll be damned..." B muttered, slightly awestruck. The cocky guard shot him a wink.

"Told ya. Rat's the best there is." she said confidently. I turned to her, already annoyed.

"And who are you again?" I pressed.

"His sister, Lux. Chief of Security." she said simply.

Ah.

"You're Void Bringer's kid, right?" she asked curiously. My fists clenched even tighter around the edge of the console.

"Adopted, yes." I said as calmly as I could. She let out a low whistle.

"How intense was THAT? He seemed like kind of a hardass to me." she said.

"Not at all. Let me tell you this much: there is no one in this Galaxy, dead or alive, that I respect more than Xisuma Evander Void. So, kindly, shut your mouth." I growled, jabbing a finger. She raised her hands in defense.

"Just tryna be friendly, chicky."

Ivan put his hand on my shoulder, holding me back before I even realized I was stepping forwards.

"Drop it. Now." he growled at both of us. Her cocky demeanor seemed to crack for the first time as she stepped back, even muttering an apology.

"I'll send someone to show you to your quarters. Rat'll be a while, so you may as well get some sleep. Been a crazy few days, I'm guessing." she said.

"We'll just stay on... the ship, thanks." I said, trying to keep as calm as possible. Lux raised an eyebrow.

"You haven't named it yet?" she asked, slightly amused. Ivan quickly steered me around by the shoulder.

"You need to work on your anger issues, Volchitsa." he muttered. I shrugged him off.

A sudden weariness overtook me. I let out a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose and closing my eyes.

"I know." I whispered. He was silent for a moment as we slowly walked down the now empty hall, dirty fluorescent lights humming softly.

"You carry more burdens on your shoulders than anyone your age should, cub. You should be back on Hermitcraft with a smile on your face and joy in your heart. But the Gods sent you on this path for a reason. We just need to find it." he said wisely, voice low, "and if you need support, I'm with you. B and Karn are with you. Hell, Zara and Nafia, even."

I chuckled softly.

"You sure about those last two?" I whispered. He pondered a moment.

"Ok, maybe not Zara. But Nafia may harbor much misplaced hatred for you, but she still looks up to you." he amended with a soft, humorous laugh. I frowned at that.

"Did she tell you that?" I asked curiously. He shook his head, a sudden mischievous glint appearing in his eye.

"No. But I can read you Terrans and Thellrilians like a book," he seemed to suppress another laugh, "I also heard her tell B instead."

"Oh." I said. Then realization on what he was implying dawned on me. My grin widened as I looked over my shoulder.

Nafia and B were walking and chatting happily behind us, with Nafia giving him her undivided attention, a little smile on her lips.

"Oh," I said mischievously, turning back to Ivan. He chuckled.

Oh, boy.

"This is either going to be disastrous or extremely entertaining to watch." Ivan said. My shoulders shook with sudden laughter. Ivan shushed me.

"How long has THAT been going on?" I asked quietly.

"The entire time she's been with us." he said. I looked over my shoulder again, meeting her eyes. She frowned in confusion at me. I looked at her and B with a sly grin, giving her a knowing wink.

Her ears immediately colored as she shushed me. I gave a silent laugh, turning around.

Ivan slapped my shoulder.

"Stoke the fire much?" he asked, amused. I shrugged.

"Helped Skizz's daughter when she decided to leave Hermitcraft." I said simply.

We walked the rest of the way to the hangar in a comfortable silence.

. . .

After some hassle of trying to prove the ship was ours, the hangar crew finally let us on.

"I keep sayin it! We need a name for the ship!" B protested once we reached the main room/kitchen.

Said ship that we had lived in for the past six months had previously been a broken down, Class-S Cargo Frigate on Aviara that we had stolen in a prison break (like I said already-long story), and now it was OUR broken down, Class-S Cargo Frigate with an FTL engine that didn't work properly half the time and guns that were always getting clogged. But, as seemingly crappy as it was, it had gotten us out of quite a few pickles. The least we could do is name it.

"Fine, fine. Masha II." Ivan offered. B and I snorted at almost the same time.

"We're not naming her after your Tin Can of Death and Fun." I said sharply. Ivan scratched his chin, seeming to think about it.

"That works too."

"Freedom? To go with Free Station?" Karn suggested.

"Not naming it after something an Aviarian runs." B snapped.

"Aha! Aviarian Runs!" Ivan roared victoriously.

The whole thing immediately devolved into a massive argument.

"Everyone, shut UP!" Nafia roared after a moment, standing up. Like someone had flipped a switch, the whole room fell silent. Her ears colored again.

"Unbroken. We could call it the Unbroken." she said.

I half expected someone to protest it, but no one did. And I found myself liking it.

"I don't see anything wrong with it." B said. I suppressed another grin.

"Me neither." I shrugged.

"I have no quarrel with it." Ivan grunted. Karn and Zara both just shrugged.

"It's decided, then. the Unbroken." I said.

"I'll paint the name on tomorrow." Ivan offered. B sighed and shook his head.

"Ah, no. Your handwriting looks like a toddler tried tap dancing with crayons taped to its feet." he said. Ivan snorted.

"At least I put the letters in a straight line." he said. B shot him a dirty look.

"That was ONE TIME!" he protested.

I leaned back, tuning out the friendly bickering with a small lump in my throat. It almost reminded me of... home.

I had lost my family. My home and my people.

But maybe I had found a new one.

————————

Starship Classes:

Destroyers:

Wraiths (Earth, Gigacorp): the most advanced Destroyer in the Galaxy, Gigacorp has once again proved that humanity is far from its peak. These new Destroyers make the Thellrilian-made Centauri Class look obsolete. Equipped with more guns than a Texas Republic gun store and a massive antimatter cannon capable of destroying entire moons, Wraiths have already made a name for themselves in the galactic military forces.

Ghosts (Earth, Gigacorp, NEWUN): Ghosts were the first class of the Terran Cruisers that could leave the Orion Belt within the week. Now, six hundred years later, they've been out of commission for about three hundred years and are completely obsolete. However, the few functional ones that remain are the go-to choice for pirates.

Centauri Class (Therllyria): Centauri Class are a callback to the old Trappist-Class Terran cruisers, modernized. First developed last century, they have been the golden standard of the Tri Orion Alliance up until the Wraith was first launched. They do, however, still hold the title of fastest Destroyer in the Galaxy.

Ghoul Class (Earth, NEWUN): Ghouls are, in every sense of the phrase, speedy little shits. They can cover the distance of the 'Way in three days at top speed, are equipped with more hydrogen bombs than is necessary, and are about the size of a small city. They are the problem child of Destroyers and hold the title of fasted Terran Destroyer.

Draugers (NEWUN, Gigacorp, Therllyria): They're big, they're bad, and they can take an unholy amount of hits before showing any signs of damage. They're the hell-forged child of three different major empires and two planets, and serve as both a FTL capable city and a shield between the Tri Orion Fleet and her enemies. They are currently the only destroyer capable of taking on multiple Wraiths alone.