Slipping past the patrols, I moved silently from one vehicle to the next, planting small red beacons in hidden spots beneath each bike and car. One by one, they were marked and primed for detonation.
[Pilot, remember: The hostages are in the building next to the vehicles. We cannot enact the plan until they are at a safe distance.] Andromeda reminded me.
I heard footsteps. Immediately dropping low, I pressed against the nearest vehicle just as a pirate walked past. Quick as a breath, I grabbed him, drove my knife into his back, and rolled his body under a car.
"I'm aware, Andy," I murmured, scanning the area to make sure I hadn't been spotted. Then, moving on, I whispered, "We still need a distraction. The pirates are everywhere, and civilians aren't exactly the stealthiest."
Exiting the storage area, I crept along the refinery's back wall until I reached a ladder. Climbing up, I found myself on an elevated bridge connecting the refinery to what looked like a demolition zone.
One pirate stood guard. Back turned.
I hoisted myself onto the metal platform, but as soon as my boot touched down, the bridge let out a sharp creak. The pirate spun—about to shout as he saw me. Then my knife flew, embedding itself between his eyes before he could react. His body sagged, and I caught it, dragging him to the edge. Yanking the blade free from his forehead, I let the corpse drop into the secluded area below.
No one would find him.
Gripping my knife, I moved into the refinery through the raised bridge's door.
Inside, massive tubes—large enough to fit a man—snaked across the room in organized paths, linking to dormant conveyor belts. At the far end, inactive dispensers loomed like mechanical sentinels, waiting to process the mined product. And there—huddled together, bound and terrified—were the hostages.
From my vantage point on the upper pathways, I counted five pirates standing watch over nearly fifty captives. Too many to take head-on, not without ensuring an escape route first.
Retracing my steps, I scouted an alternative exit—not out of the mine, but to a shielded area free of pirates. It was safer. The only problem? They had to cross the deactivated demolition zone. If there were still live explosives beneath those rocks... it could be a risk. Before I could move to free them, a door below hissed open.
A burly man strode in, flanked by a towering combat automaton. He walked with an air of annoyance, throwing a woman into the hostage pile with a scoff before spitting on one of them.
"Jeez. These damn money-grabbers," he muttered, rubbing his temples. "Why can't they see this takeover is a win-win? Huh? Do I look like an idiot to you?"
"N-no!" a captive whimpered.
My HUD flickered. A wanted poster appeared in the corner of my visor, Andromeda confirming the identification. [Decjard Lonk: Leader of the One-Horn Pirates. Target confirmed. Capture or eliminate.]
The automaton was a problem. Even with my skills, taking it down without Andy's assistance would be difficult. Unless i take it by surprise and remove the main processor that should be in its head.
Lonk kicked the sleek refinery floor, sighing. "Those bastards are stalling the ransom. Automaton, pick one to kill and send a message to the negotiators. Let them know we'll execute three a day until we get paid."
[Acknowledged.] The towering machine stomped forward, grabbed a weeping man by the hair, and dragged him toward the back of the factory—out of sight.
"Please! Please don't!" The man begged with teary eyes while the hostages wept.
I didn't wait.
"Andy, armament mode!"
The mechanical card on my belt glowed, transforming into dual emerald-hued swords. I sprinted along the rafters, then leaped. Both blades plunged into the automaton's neck as I landed atop it, driving the searing metal deep into its core.
[DANGER! DANGER! INTRUDER INSIDE THE BASE!] The automaton fired wildly, its arm-mounted gun blazing into the air, but with a swift pull, I severed its head from its body. The metallic skull skidding across the floor before its body deactivated. [Dan...ger...]
"Get to cover!" I shouted to the hostage the machine had taken, then turned back to the pirates.
Darting towards the prisoners to use them as shields the pirate were quick, but not quick enough.
Luging my arms forward my swords spun through the air—one buried itself in a pirate's neck; the other slammed into another's arm. Before they could get further, I drew my pistol, firing seven rapid shots. Four pirates dropped.
"You little—!" The last pirate opened fire, shooting right above the frightened hostages heads, forcing me to dive behind a heavy machine for cover. Bullets clanged against the metal with sharp, ringing impacts, each shot reverberating through the refinery.
I exhaled, steadying myself. Sliding my handgun into its holster, and pulling out the rifle I'd taken from a pirate earlier. Chambering a round, I listened to the alarm blaring through the base—so much for staying under the radar. But even with the situation spiraling, things were still in control.
The instant the gunfire ceased, I broke from cover. My rifle spat rounds, tearing through the pirate before he could finish reloading. His body crumpled, and I scanned the room with my weapon.
Decjard Lonk was gone. Damn it.
Shoving the thought aside, I turned to the hostages—fifty of them, bound and terrified. With a flick of my wrist, the two swords I had thrown earlier flew back to their holster on my belt, reforming into Andromeda's beetle shape on the buckle.
I addressed the prisoners with a firm but steady voice. "I am Pilot Firefly of the Nymphas military. Do as I say, and you will all make it out of here alive." They hesitated, eyes flickering with fear, but none resisted as I cut one man free and handed him my knife. "Cut everyone loose," I instructed. "Then head to the back of the building. There's a ladder—climb it and move toward the small valley on the right once you reach the top. Stay there until it's safe."
Reloading my rifle, I turned toward the exit.
"W-where are you going?!" A man's voice wavered behind me.
"To keep them busy," I said, yanking open the door. "Move fast—this building is right next to explosive material."
Without waiting for a response, I stormed outside, firing immediately upon several pirates charging in my direction.
The salt mine erupted in chaos. Pirates, caught off guard, scrambled for cover as I unleashed a relentless barrage, diving behind crates and machinery to avoid the return fire. Bullets zipped past, cutting through the air in deadly streaks. Explosions thundered as grenades detonated, sending waves of heat and debris through the battlefield.
Ducking low, I sprinted toward a stunned gunman. He fumbled with his weapon, too slow. I drove my rifle into his gut and pulled the trigger before he could react. His body hit the ground and I slid behind a pile of metal pipes, narrowly dodging another hail of bullets.
A sharp sting at my leg—I glanced down. A graze. Nothing serious.
"Andromeda, have the hostages cleared the refinery?" I asked through comms.
[Sensor scan complete. No remaining civilians detected. You are clear to detonate, Pilot.]
Looking over my cover slightly i could see the mass of the pirates rushing to the vehicles getting ready to flee. Without hesitation, I pulled out a cylindrical detonator, flipped the cap, and pressed the red button.
A second later, the spaceships and the inactive refinery exploded.
A towering pillar of fire roared into the sky, swallowing the structure whole. The shockwave sent heat pulsing through the mine, the force of the blast rattling the ground beneath my feet. Debris rained down as flames devoured the remnants, setting parts of the mine ablaze.
Screams erupted through the chaos.
"Ah! Get it off! Get it off!"
"Fire! Somebody get a water pipe!"
"The ships are gone! Fuck!"
Panic swept through the salt mine as flames consumed the wreckage. Pirates scrambled—some trying to douse the fire, others barking orders in a desperate attempt to regain control. But it was too late for that. The chaos was absolute.
[Engaging combat mode.]
The pirate bases alert system blared as Andromeda surged into his full, towering might from my belt, a cascade of blue-white energy illuminating the battlefield. In an instant, I was pulled into the cockpit, sensors linking with my own neural pathways as the war machine synced to my commands as tubes inserted themselves into my arms and nape.
[Life-sign scans indicate fifty-three hostiles remaining. The leader is still active.]
Andromeda strode forward, firelight reflecting off his dark grey armour as bullets hammered against him in vain. Raising his left arm, he magnetized the incoming rounds, reversing their trajectory in a lethal burst—four pirates dropping where they stood. With the battlefield shifting in my favour, I pressed the attack.
A deep, mechanical whirr filled the air.
Duuuu—
The massive mining excavator in the centre of the mine roared to life. Its enormous arm, tipped with a rotating wheel of jagged teeth, began to spin with lethal intent. Inside the cockpit, Decjard Lonk, burned and seething with rage, glared at me
"You ruined fucking everything! Die, you bitch!" He slammed the lever forward, sending the monstrous machine lurching toward me, its grinding maw seeking to tear Andromeda apart.
[Dodge, pilot.]
I yanked the controls, and Andromeda launched out the way with a burst of his thrusters, narrowly avoiding the devastating sweep. The gnashing metal carved through the earth, sending a plume of salt and rock into the air.
[Equipping Hyperthermic Railgun.]
Andromeda's left shoulder split open, revealing a sleek, single-barrelled rifle. The chamber spun as I held the trigger, energy crackling as the round superheated to lethal temperatures.
The excavator swung again, cutting deep furrows into the ground. Andromeda skimmed across the battlefield, thrusters kicking up a dust storm as I tracked the mining beast's movements.
[Railgun shell charged to two percent. Take the shot, pilot.]
I locked onto the excavator's cockpit and with impeccable precision fired. A single, molten beam shot through the machine's control cabin with a deafening crack, the shockwave scattering debris across the mine. The cockpit melted in an instant, vaporizing Decjard Lonk before he could even scream.
The excavator sputtered, its limbs jerking violently before finally going still again. The once-menacing machine slumped into the earth, smoke pouring from the molten hole where its pilot had once been.
[Target extinguished. Mission accomplished.]
I exhaled slowly, then tapped the buttons within Andromeda's cockpit to enable planetary comms. "This is Second Lieutenant Firefly to Orbital Support. Mining site secured. Pirates neutralized. Requesting medical and evacuation shuttles at designated coordinates. How copy?"
The reply came swiftly. "This is Orbital Support. Good copy, pilot. Coordinates received. Combat footage logged. Shuttles inbound. ETA five minutes."
Satisfied with the response, I guided Andromeda toward the main building, his heavy strides cutting through fire and debris. The acrid scent of burning machinery mixed with the salt in the air as we ascended a jagged cliff, the mechanical titanous knight climbing effortlessly.
At the summit, I found the woman from earlier standing alongside the captured black-market dealer. Both stared down at the hellscape I had left behind—flames licking at wreckage, black smoke curling into the sky. Their expressions were a mixture of awe and horror, their eyes reflecting the carnage.
[Evacuation is enroute,] Andromeda announced through his external speakers, his voice steady and unwavering. He extended a massive, metallic hand. [Please come with us to reconvene with the others.]
The woman hesitated for only a moment before stepping onto his palm, settling in cautiously. The dealer, however, was not given a choice—I grabbed her with Andromeda's other hand, ensuring her capture was secure. With one passenger cradled carefully and the other held with far less regard, I maneuverered Andromeda along the mine's outskirts, his colossal knightly form casting long shadows over the smouldering wreckage.
Above, the sky rippled with descending imperial ships, their metal hulls glowing red-hot as they cut through the smoke-choked atmosphere. One veered off, heading toward Mister Yarker's last known position, while the other two set down ahead, their ramps already lowering as troops disembarked to check on the hostages awaiting rescue.
As I approached, a ranking officer stepped forward, his gaze sharp and appraising. "Good work, pilot," he said, his voice carrying over the dying embers of battle. "Once we've completed a final sweep and secured all personnel, we'll move you to your next assignment."
Andromeda's chest opened and the tubes connecting us detached before I ejected from Andromeda's cockpit, landing lightly on the ground before offering a crisp salute. "Thank you for trusting me with this mission, sir."
The captain gave me an approving nod before clapping a hand on my shoulder, his expression one of satisfaction. "Load them up!" He barked to his men. "Make sure every civilian is taken care of—otherwise, none of you get to introduce yourselves to this pretty young lady here!"
"Sir, yes sir!" the soldiers called back with enthusiastic vigour.
His words caught me off guard. My cheeks warmed, and I instinctively tugged the scarf around my jacket's collar, hiding the small, embarrassed smile creeping onto my face.
I glanced back at the kneeling Andromeda, the silent sentinel towering behind me. His knightly form stood firm, unmoving, but when I met his visor's gaze, he offered me a single nod—reassuring, steady.
And just like that, I felt myself relax.