The sound of the hatch unlocking jolted Akiko from her meditation. She opened one eye, foxfire flickering faintly in her palm before she let it fade. Across the room, Raya looked up from her datapad.

The hatch hissed open, and Kara stepped through.

Her presence filled the medbay like a drop in pressure. Arms crossed. Eyes sharp. She swept her gaze across the room, pausing on Akiko's slouched form before shifting to Raya's hands.

"Quarantine's over," she said. "We're lifting off soon. Get your things. Be ready."

Akiko stood slowly, brushing imaginary dust from her suit. Buying time.

Kara's posture was rigid, voice controlled. But there was something in her eyes. Strain. Fatigue. The past two weeks hadn't been kind to her either.

"Is everything alright?" Raya asked, calm but with an edge of concern.

Kara's lips thinned before she sighed and dropped her arms. "Let's just say it hasn't been a relaxing two weeks. Kess has been breathing down my neck, Ashara's leadership is a mess. We've had to shift ports three times just to stay ahead of him."

Akiko's ears twitched. Guilt coiled in her chest. "Kess?" she asked, though she already knew.

Kara shot her a look. "He's asking questions. Too many. About the Driftknight. About the crew. He doesn't buy our story. And after the mess at the facility, Ashara's clamped down hard on dockside traffic."

Her gaze narrowed. "You don't need me to spell out why that's a problem."

Akiko winced, tail flicking behind her. "I didn't mean for things to get this complicated."

"Intentions don't matter when the fallout lands on all of us," Kara snapped. Then, more quietly, "But what's done is done. We're leaving before this spirals further. Tarek's people can clean up the Karn situation."

"What about the crew?" Raya asked, folding her datapad under one arm.

Kara's stance eased a fraction. "They're tired. Frustrated. But they'll do their jobs."

Akiko hesitated. "And you?"

Kara smirked, bitter. "I'm still standing. Let's leave it at that."

The silence that followed hung thick. Kara didn't linger in it. She gestured toward the door.

"Get moving. We're wheels up in an hour, and I don't want excuses for why you're not strapped in."

Raya nodded and moved to pack, efficient as ever.

Akiko followed slower, hesitating as Kara turned to go.

"Captain," she said softly. "There's something I didn't get the chance to tell you before."

Kara looked back. Her expression unreadable. "This about the facility?"

Akiko nodded, stepping forward. "It wasn't just an abandoned research site. Karn was using it to create monsters. He'd warped the staff, and the things we fought down there weren't just experiments. They were people, twisted and repurposed."

Kara turned fully, expression guarded.

"There was a dungeon core embedded in the lower levels," Akiko continued. "We collapsed the chamber around it before we left, but if someone retrieves it..."

"Whatever this... core is, that's Tarek's problem to deal with," Kara cut in. "He can handle that however he wants, but we're out."

Akiko met her gaze. "And there was something else. A… person. Or something that looked like one. In one of the security recordings. It didn't move right, like it didn't fully belong in our reality."

Kara's expression darkened. "You're just now telling me this?"

"I didn't get the chance," Akiko said, voice quiet. "Things were..."

"Hot. I remember." Kara let out a slow breath. "Anything else?"

Akiko hesitated. "Just that Karn's relocating. Into the belt, somewhere. No idea where. But if he's setting up another site like that…"

"We're not chasing him," Kara said flatly.

Akiko nodded. "I know. I just… figured you should hear it."

For a moment, there was silence.

"Good," Kara said. "Now get strapped in."

By the time they reached the bridge, Akiko had slipped back behind her mask of stillness. The damage was done. But so was the decision.

One mission at a time.

The bridge hummed with quiet activity as Akiko slipped into her usual seat in the auxiliary acceleration chair. The harness felt tighter than she remembered. Maybe it was, or maybe it was just her nerves.

She secured herself quickly, eyes on her lap, while the rest of the crew settled into position.

Outside the viewport, Helios Terminal stretched away in a sprawl of metal and cranes, its surface etched with industrial scars. Beyond that, the city's protective dome filtered Ashara's harsh light into a sickly twilight.

The ship vibrated faintly as the engines powered up.

Kara stood at the central console, posture sharp, voice clipped as she spoke into comms. "Driftknight, requesting clearance for departure. All systems green."

At the main console, Quinn worked in silence. No quips, no complaints, just smooth, mechanical precision. Normally he had something to say about the system's bureaucracy or the ship's creaky systems.

Not today.

"Copy that, Driftknight," came the reply. "Proceed to vector Alpha-Seven. Maintain thrust within tolerances until clear of the dome."

Kara nodded. "Quinn?"

"Engines hot. Thrust nominal. Course locked to Alpha-Seven."

She turned. "Joran?"

"Green on security," he said, but the words were tight. He glanced briefly at Akiko, then looked away.

She shrank back against the seat, her tail curling close. No jokes. No excuses.

The comms crackled. "Driftknight, disengage docking clamps. Proceed to vector."

"Disengage and initiate," Kara ordered.

Quinn's hands moved. The ship gave a soft shudder as the clamps released. The hum of the engines deepened.

"Clamps disengaged. Lifting."

The platform dropped away beneath them. The dome loomed ahead, dim light giving way to Ashara's raw twilight. Akiko kept her eyes on the viewport, ears twitching at the rhythmic vibration of hull and thrusters.

"Approaching perimeter," Kara said into comms. "Requesting clearance for full burn."

"Cleared. Safe travels, Driftknight."

"Quinn, prepare for transition."

"Roger that. Ten seconds."

The dome edge slid past. Light shifted. Gravity thinned.

"Five. Four. Three. Two. One—burn."

The engines roared.

Akiko was pressed back into her seat, heart catching in her throat as the ship surged skyward. Outside, the dome fell away in a blur of metal and light.

"Burn is steady," Quinn reported, voice steady over the rising hum. "Course holding."

"Good," Kara said. "Keep us on vector until we clear atmospheric drag. Then get us away from this rock."

Akiko bit her lip, ears twitching at the faint edge in Kara's voice. The captain hadn't spoken to her directly since the medbay, not beyond orders, but the distance hung heavy in every unspoken beat.

Even Quinn and Joran seemed more subdued than usual. No banter. No sidelong comments. Just grim focus, eyes forward.

The Driftknight angled upward, and the weight shifted in her seat, pressing her back into the harness. She closed her eyes, trying to anchor herself in the rhythm of the ship. The hum of the engines, the faint hiss of comms, the metal whisper of movement beneath her.

For now, all she could do was stay quiet, keep her head down, and hope the next move didn't make everything worse.

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The Driftknight cruised through the dark, its engines purring steady as the crew settled back into the familiar rhythms of travel.

Akiko lingered near the threshold of the bridge, half-shadowed in the low light. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop, exactly, but the tone in Kara's voice kept her rooted.

"Driftknight to Outer Shipbreaking Yard," Kara said, voice clipped. "Captain Ellan transmitting mission updates…"

Akiko didn't need to hear the whole message. She could feel the tension coil between words, tight, professional and brittle.

Kara tapped the transmission key, then leaned back with a sigh. "Fifteen minutes," she muttered. "Plenty of time for them to figure out how to say they're disappointed."

Quinn didn't look up. "You're assuming Tarek has a setting above 'irritated.'"

Kara huffed. "Fair."

"Keeping us on vector," he added. "No anomalies."

"Good. Let me know the second he answers."

The screen's soft glow reflected in Kara's eyes as she leaned back in the chair, motionless for a beat too long. Akiko turned away before anyone noticed her watching.

She returned to her quarters, sat heavily on her bunk. Or, at least as heavily as she could in the light gravity of the Driftknight's thrust. The silence pressed heavier than the gravity.

Her fingers traced the edge of the sapphire at the center of her mana necklace. The soft pulse of magic in the gem felt steady now. Like a heartbeat. Reassuring.

But her own thoughts were scattered. Tangled.

"Hey," she said aloud, breaking the quiet. "You there?"

Takuto's response echoed in her mind, calm and clipped. "Present."

She leaned back, knees tucked close, tail curling loosely around her. "So... I've been thinking. This whole time-delay thing. It's weird, right? Light taking time to get from place to place. Makes everything feel... slow."

"This phenomenon is fundamental to this universe's structure," Takuto replied. "The speed of light dictates information transfer across distance. Your perception of delay is a subjective reaction to physical constants."

"Yeah, I know," Akiko said. "I just never thought about it before. Where I'm from, we didn't have to. Magic didn't care about light. Spells just... happened."

There was a pause. Rare, in Takuto's usual cadence.

"Your world's magic bypassed universal constraints. In contrast, this universe requires integration. Your awareness of the boundary indicates adaptation."

Akiko tilted her head, watching the sapphire's faint glow.

"The first time I noticed it," she said slowly, "was that frigate. It moved faster than it should've. The one with the entity. That wasn't supposed to be possible here, was it?"

"No," Takuto replied. "That event defied this universe's physical norms. An anomaly. Possibly the result of external interference."

"You think Karn could be behind something like that?"

"Unlikely. Karn's research appears focused on mana infusion and biological manipulation. The anomaly suggests a distinct, unknown mechanism."

Akiko fell quiet, her thumb brushing the gem again.

The entity's frigate. Karn's infection. The limit of light. The limit of her.

All of it felt like threads in a larger weave she still couldn't see. But she could feel it tightening around her.

She didn't know how long she sat there, thoughts circling, breath tight in her chest.

Eventually, she rose. The corridor outside was quiet, gravity light, but her steps felt heavier than they should.

She made her way back to the bridge, not sure what she was hoping to hear. Only that she needed to be there when the next piece fell into place.

The comms crackled to life as Akiko stepped through the hatch.

Kara was already halfway out of her seat when Tarek Solan's voice came through, low and clipped.

"Driftknight, this is Solan. Message received. Situation's worse than expected. We need to neutralize Karn before this spreads, but Ashara's unstable. No direct move. I'm transmitting alternate rendezvous coordinates. Regroup there. We'll plan the next step. Solan out."

Kara leaned over the console as the new data streamed in, eyes narrowing.

"Quinn," she said, "adjust course. Let's move."

"Coordinates locked."

Akiko stood at the edge of the bridge, silent. The hum of the engines echoed under her boots. The weight of Tarek's words settled heavy across her shoulders.

The pieces were shifting again.

And as much as she wanted to believe the worst was behind her, some part of her knew—

She was still tangled deep in the middle of it.

Time passed on the Driftknight in quiet rhythms. Flickering status lights, hiss of air recyclers, slow recalibrations of tension.

Akiko crouched beside an open access panel in one of the cramped maintenance corridors. Wires spilled from the panel like metallic vines, and her hands moved quickly, guided by Tanya's sharp, patient voice.

"No, not that one," Tanya said, leaning over with a wrench. "The green conduit. Unless you want to reroute power to the coffee maker instead of the comms."

Akiko smirked, ears flicking. "Hey, I thought coffee was the highest priority on this ship."

"Only to me," Tanya said dryly. "Now focus. The comms are still glitching from whatever brilliant idea Quinn had when we were docked at Ashara, and I'm not explaining to Kara why we can't talk to engineering."

Akiko nodded, adjusting the conduit. "There. That should do it, right?"

Tanya leaned closer, brow furrowed as she inspected the work. "Not bad," she said at last. "For someone who used to make a living breaking things."

Akiko grinned, tail flicking. "Hey, I'm trying to make myself useful. Can't have you all thinking I'm just here to cause trouble."

"Trust me, you're doing enough of that without trying." But Tanya handed her a diagnostic tool with a smirk. "Check the signal integrity. If it's clean, we're done."

Akiko took the tool, but before she could activate it, Kara's voice crackled through the ship's intercom.

"Akiko, report to the bridge. Immediately."

A pause. Then: "Repeat: Akiko to the bridge."

Akiko stiffened, ears perking. Tanya raised an eyebrow, leaning against the bulkhead.

"Looks like the captain's got plans for you."

Akiko sighed, setting the tool aside. "Yeah. Probably another chance to 'prove my worth.'"

"Always," Tanya said, smiling faintly. "And try not to set anything on fire this time."

Akiko rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help the flicker of a smile. She turned and made her way toward the bridge, pace brisk.

The tension hit the moment she stepped through the hatch.

Kara stood at the central console, arms crossed, eyes locked on the tactical display. Joran was rigid at the security station. Quinn's fingers moved fast, his usual commentary gone.

Akiko hesitated just inside. "You called, Captain?"

Kara turned. "We've got company."

She gestured to the display.

Three ships. A medium frigate, flanked by two smaller, fast-moving craft. The Driftknight's icon was a lonely blue speck in comparison.

Akiko's ears flattened. "Pirates? Out here?"

"Nowhere's where pirates thrive," Quinn muttered, eyes on his console. "No laws, no rescue."

"Someone tipped them off that we're carrying something worth stealing." Kara added, voice tight, "Could be our new friend Karn, or any number of groups on the prowl. You weren't exactly subtle on Ashara."

Akiko's stomach twisted. "So what's the plan?"

Kara looked at her. Cool. Calculating.

"You're the plan."

Akiko blinked. "Me?"

"You're not a fleet," Kara said. "But you're fast, small, and unpredictable. You've got your necklace charged. You'll make it work."

Akiko's heart pounded. The idea of going up against ships, real weapons, real firepower, was more than reckless. It was terrifying.

"What if I can't do it?" she asked quietly.

Kara's voice softened, but only a fraction. "Then we're all dead anyway."

She stepped closer, lowering her voice.

"But I've seen what you can do, Akiko. You can make magic happen. This is your chance to make things right."

Akiko swallowed hard. Her fingers brushed the gem at her throat. She didn't feel ready. Not even close. But maybe Kara's belief was enough.

"Alright," she said. Her voice was steadier than her nerves. "Let's make some magic."

She slipped off the bridge, moving with purpose through the Driftknight's narrow corridors. The hum of the engines pulsed through the deck, a steady reminder of the fight she was hurtling toward.

She rounded a corner, and nearly ran straight into Raya.

Raya stood with arms crossed and an expression that could have stopped a charging bull.

Akiko skidded to a halt, tail flicking. "Raya," she said, forcing a smile. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Clearly," Raya said, her tone sharp. "What are you doing?"

Akiko shifted her weight. "Just... doing what Kara asked. You know, proving my worth and all that."

Raya's eyes narrowed. "Proving it how, exactly? Because from the look on your face, it's something reckless."

"It's not reckless," Akiko said. Then added, less convincingly, "It's... necessary. There are pirates coming, and Kara thinks I'm the best chance we've got."

"And 'dealing with them' means what?" Raya stepped closer. "Throwing yourself into space? Taking on ships with actual weapons? Akiko, that's not reckless, that's suicidal."

"It's not suicidal if I win," Akiko snapped, frustration rising. "And what else am I supposed to do? Sit on the sidelines and let them tear us apart? I'm the only one who can do this."

"You're not a one-woman army," Raya said, voice firm. "You're not invincible. And if you go out there thinking you have to be, you're going to get yourself killed."

Akiko clenched her fists. The sapphire at her neck flared, a flicker of fire dancing across her fingertips.

"I don't have a choice," she said, softer now. "If I don't do this, the crew, everyone, they don't stand a chance."

Raya's shoulders sagged. "I get it. I do. But you don't have to keep doing everything alone. Let someone help you."

Akiko met her eyes, ears drooping. "This isn't a team mission. It's just me out there. And if I mess up, there's no one coming after me."

Silence stretched between them, taut and fragile. The hum of the ship filled the space like a countdown.

Then Raya reached out, her hand finding Akiko's arm.

"Promise me," she said softly. "Promise you'll come back."

Akiko hesitated. Her throat tightened. "I'll do my best."

Raya's grip tightened for a moment, then released. "That's not good enough," she said. "But I guess it'll have to do."

She stepped aside, leaving the path clear.

Akiko nodded once, her tail flicking behind her as she moved past. The hatch to the airlock loomed ahead. She paused, took a breath, and reached for the switch.

Her stomach churned.

No pressure. Just make some magic happen.

The airlock sealed behind her with a low thunk. She checked her suit's seals one last time. Not necessary in her adaptive suit, but habit. The chamber filled with the soft hiss of pressurization, followed by the steady hum of the cycling sequence.

She stared at the outer hatch, breath steady but shallow. The sapphire in her mana necklace pulsed in rhythm with her heart. A quiet reminder of the power she carried, and the risk ahead.

"Airlock cycle in progress," Takuto said in her mind. "Prepare for immediate egress."

Akiko smirked faintly. "Yeah, no kidding. Got any helpful advice?"

"Upon egress, immediate acceleration is required to match ship vector. Failure to achieve thrust will result in exposure to the fusion drive plume."

Her tail stiffened. "That's... not exactly a pep talk."

"Accuracy is prioritized over motivation. Current position represents an imminent hazard if thrust is insufficient."

She rolled her eyes, flexing her fingers as foxfire shimmered along her knuckles. "Right. Don't fall behind. Got it."

The outer hatch unlocked with a heavy clunk. A red light above the door blinked, then shifted green.

"Cycle complete. Outer hatch opening in three seconds."

Akiko braced herself, feet planted, hands pulsing with charged mana. She drew deep from the sapphire at her core, her foxfire flaring to life.

The hatch slid open with a hiss, and space greeted her.

A thousand stars glittered in silence, cold and infinite. Below her, the Driftknight moved in steady glide, its running lights casting long glows across its hull. Far beneath, the fusion plume flared. A lance of raw power, beautiful and lethal.

"Alright," she muttered. "Let's do this."

She launched.

Applied Spellform Initialized: Foxfire Pulse Vector (Tier I)

Subfunction recognized: Sustained Propulsion – Stabilized.

Foxfire burst behind her, a radiant arc of shimmering energy. The mana shield shimmered faintly around her head, warding against vacuum and cold, wrapping her in the familiar hum of motion and heat. Her movements were clean, precise.

The Driftknight cruised ahead at a steady burn. Keeping pace was easy enough. Akiko's mass was low, and her control was sharp. She wove alongside the ship, finding her rhythm.

"Thrust vector aligned," Takuto confirmed. "Velocity synchronized. Safe proximity maintained."

"Good," she muttered, gaze shifting toward the distant void.

They were coming.

Three blips on her HUD, tactical data scrolling across the overlay. One frigate. Two smaller gunships. Still far off, just points of light against the stars. But converging. Fast.

Akiko's tail flicked behind her, an unconscious twitch.

This was just the warm-up.

The real fight would start when she broke formation, when she left the Driftknight behind and met them in open space.

And when she did, there'd be no buffer.

Just her. Her magic. Her will.

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