Scene 1: The Controlled Fall
The Aether Wind bucked under Silas Vane 's hack , heading at breakneck speed toward the unstable heart of the Great Static Field . Jax hammered at the dashboard. "This isn't a flight anymore, it's a forced diversion! He wants to blow us up on the Oathwreck ! " Pyxis clung to Jax's headband, her small flames crackling nervously, helpless against a purely electronic threat.
Anya Bolt, without panicking, pulled her Modular Wrench from her belt. "The Solus Corporation leaves nothing to chance. Vane must have inserted a matrix lock on our navigation systems. " She turned to Jax. "I need to go to the engine room. I need 20 seconds to disconnect the central node. Just try to keep the ship... vertical. "
Kaelen Rion, her eyes narrowed, pointed to a patch of purple turbulence on the holographic screen. "Silas Vane knows you're the only one who can fix it, young engineer. This twenty seconds could well be the longest of your life. "
Scene 2: The Engine Room
Anya rushed to the engine room, the hot, steam-saturated air bearing down on her. The copper gears and pistons of the Steam-Ion Engine thrashed, red with overheating. Circuits hovered beside her, its glowing antennae fluttering wildly, indicating a critical overload on the main steam line. "Cable B-12, Circuits, faster! " Anya ordered, unscrewing the access panel with astonishing speed.
"Vane has locked the safety valves! I can't release the pressure without him detecting it. " Anya swore. The Aether Wind lurched so hard she had to grab onto a pipe.
"Beep! Beep! " Circuits emitted a high-pitched sound, pointing at the rudder control interface Anya had just dismantled. The Astramau had just had an idea: use the Astramau's energy for a pulse. "Good call, genius! A targeted Electromagnetic Pulse ! "
Scene 3: The Counter-Piracy
On the bridge, Jax dodged precision fire from Solus's drone by skidding the ship. Pyxis projected a brief halo of light. “Careful, Captain! Incoming shots! »
Suddenly, all the indicators on the command deck went dark, plunging the crew into darkness and silence. Vane, on his interceptor, smiled coldly.
But in the engine room, Anya had forced Circuits to release a powerful, but brief, pulse of Luminescent Aether energy directly into the hacking node. Vane's screen jumped. The matrix lock canceled.
“I’m free! ” Jax shouted. The Aether Wind finally obeyed, sharply veering just above the shredded remains of an ancient satellite.
Scene 4: Vane's Warning
“You only delayed the inevitable, pirate, ” Vane said, his voice back on the speakers, without any anger. “That impulse was... archaic, but effective. My Ghost has already identified your power source, engineer.” This won't be the last time I'll be interested in your Astramaux. "
Kaelen Rion murmured, "The Technocrat is impressed. That's the greatest danger of all. "
The Solus ship moved away. Jax breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression grew grave. "He's no longer interested in the Remnant… He's interested in you two, Circuits and Anya .
--- Continued Next Time: The Mysterious Discovery ---
