It was a toss-up.
"Come on, come on," she said, her stomach doing flip-flops. This was why she preferred to remain on solid ground. Underground, even. Non-tumbling ground.
"Ugh," she moaned.
Lights flashed, and alarms blared. The noises made her head swim. She slammed the controls, trying to stop all the warnings from screaming at her. Between that and the attack outside, everything felt topsy-turvy.
The attack continued between the two factions as though she, or any other pods, were not there. No other escape pods could be seen, and she worried that the crew had not made it off the ravaged ship, with holes in the hull and zero external lighting.
What was once a beautiful ship was now a chunk of dead metal in space.
The fighting headed right for her and the others. Terran ships fought a squad of the Rhimodians.
While it was only a small squad, the Rhimodians weren’t losing. The Rhimodian ships shifted and flipped faster than the Terrans could hit them as they moved closer to the escape pods.
Moved closer…
They’re coming for us!
"Come on, everyone, scatter!" Her cry to the cluster of escape pods only echoed in hers because she didn't broadcast it through comms.
At least, she didn't think she did.
But they had to get out of the line of the battle, away from it. Find some safety.
Like a delayed reaction, the pods shifted and separated, each one heading in a different direction away from the battle.
It took a few more minutes, but Freya managed to stabilize the ship at last. "Where am I? Where's the nearest settlement?"
More blaster fire exploded all around her.
The pod lurched.
Warnings sounded again.
She’d just gotten them turned off! Now what?
Her scanners.
She'd been hit.
They had hither! Those damn Rhimodians! What was she going to do?
“Hailing the Imperial Party. Respond. Situation report,” a female voice crackled through the comms.
“Veta?” Freya cried out. “My pod! They hit me!”
“Can you maneuver?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Get to the surface.”
“Which one?”
“Pick one. Just get out of the stars. We can find you on the ground easier.”
Veta’s voice popped. “--Land. Get out of the stars. You can live on the ground, and I’ll find you.”
