Akiko locked the final seat restraint into position and peered outside the cockpit one final time, ensuring nobody was in the hanger bay. Her fingers hovered over the master control panel with anticipation, beads of sweat peppered her forehead underneath her neatly trimmed pink bangs.
"Primary fuel intake... release. Standard pre-engine ignition... activated...", she flipped a couple of switches.
The small fighter ship came to life with a quiet hum, as power surged through the control surfaces. Lights began glowing, illuminating various bits of information.
"Life support subsystem... engaged. Atmospheric pressure, standard. Primary offensive status, standing by. Primary defensive status, operational: Full power. Deflector shields: 100%. Navigational computer, ready for input.... entering first jump coordinates... Seven-Alpha, Niner-Tango, Four-Delta..."
Akiko took a deep breath. Her pre-flight checks were complete. All that was left to do was power up the propulsion system. It indicated it was ready, displaying a green button.
"Here goes....", she pushed the button, and the craft whirred to life with a blast of jetted air and the roar of the plasma-ion engines, it hovered a meter over the docking pad. She entered the command codes into the communications terminal to unlock the hangar entrance port, giving her coach's credentials.
Outside alarms rang as the atmosphere was decreased inside the massive bay. The doors opened, and an emergency force-field sprang to life, illuminating the opening in a soft violet glow. Moments later, the room illuminated in red lights, a buzzing alarm blared.
"Attention pilot of craft Delta-Four. Deactivate your unauthorized departure and stand down immediately!" The sound of a male's voice blared from the console.
"Lieutenant Gavner's on duty tonight. Sucks to be him." Akiko muttered to nobody and grasped the throttle control, pushing it gently toward is forward position.
The fighter began inching ahead slowly, and then quickly accelerated toward the exit window. A yellow array of lights lined the flight path along the floor just underneath the fighter, ensuring that no accidents could occur from poor visibility.
"Delta-Four! This is your last warning. Power down immediately, or you will be fired upon!"
Akiko trained her eyesight straight ahead of her, toward the stars that twinkled before her. Moments from now, she'll be relieved of her duties aboard the ASS Horizon forever. She'll start a new life, and she'll never have to worry about the consequences of the Final Examination ever again. Someday soon, if she's plotted her trajectory correctly, she'll visit home, forever. She passed through the protective force-field barrier, and continued to accelerate away from her captivity. In under one minute, she'll reach the minimum safe distance to engage her hyper-drive engines.
"Delta Four. Make peace with your defaults.", Gavner said, then turned his head, his voice not as loud, "Master Gunnery, open fire. Destroy that Star Fighter!"
"Acknowledged. Acquiring firing solution, stand by...", a robotic feminine voice replied in the background.
'Just nineteen seconds longer....', Akiko thought to herself.
"Three solutions have been identified." The voice came over the communications console.
"Fire at w--", Gavner commanded.
"HOLD!"
'That's Coach!', Akiko mentally shouted and began panicking. 'Just ten seconds left!', A countdown timer began
"Stand by for hyper-jump in ten seconds... nine....eight....seven....", the ship's computer announced.
"Akiko. I know that's you.", Lieutenant Commander Kenji Sato's rough, deep voice boomed and filled Akiko's cockpit. "Look. I don't know what the hell you're doing, or where the fuck you think you're going, but I guarantee that you're not prepared for what's out there. Come back and we'--"
"...Two...one....zero."
The transmission was cut short by the starfield being stretched into a rainbow of streaks, and then pitch black.
"Primary fuel intake... release. Standard pre-engine ignition... activated...", she flipped a couple of switches.
The small fighter ship came to life with a quiet hum, as power surged through the control surfaces. Lights began glowing, illuminating various bits of information.
"Life support subsystem... engaged. Atmospheric pressure, standard. Primary offensive status, standing by. Primary defensive status, operational: Full power. Deflector shields: 100%. Navigational computer, ready for input.... entering first jump coordinates... Seven-Alpha, Niner-Tango, Four-Delta..."
Akiko took a deep breath. Her pre-flight checks were complete. All that was left to do was power up the propulsion system. It indicated it was ready, displaying a green button.
"Here goes....", she pushed the button, and the craft whirred to life with a blast of jetted air and the roar of the plasma-ion engines, it hovered a meter over the docking pad. She entered the command codes into the communications terminal to unlock the hangar entrance port, giving her coach's credentials.
Outside alarms rang as the atmosphere was decreased inside the massive bay. The doors opened, and an emergency force-field sprang to life, illuminating the opening in a soft violet glow. Moments later, the room illuminated in red lights, a buzzing alarm blared.
"Attention pilot of craft Delta-Four. Deactivate your unauthorized departure and stand down immediately!" The sound of a male's voice blared from the console.
"Lieutenant Gavner's on duty tonight. Sucks to be him." Akiko muttered to nobody and grasped the throttle control, pushing it gently toward is forward position.
The fighter began inching ahead slowly, and then quickly accelerated toward the exit window. A yellow array of lights lined the flight path along the floor just underneath the fighter, ensuring that no accidents could occur from poor visibility.
"Delta-Four! This is your last warning. Power down immediately, or you will be fired upon!"
Akiko trained her eyesight straight ahead of her, toward the stars that twinkled before her. Moments from now, she'll be relieved of her duties aboard the ASS Horizon forever. She'll start a new life, and she'll never have to worry about the consequences of the Final Examination ever again. Someday soon, if she's plotted her trajectory correctly, she'll visit home, forever. She passed through the protective force-field barrier, and continued to accelerate away from her captivity. In under one minute, she'll reach the minimum safe distance to engage her hyper-drive engines.
"Delta Four. Make peace with your defaults.", Gavner said, then turned his head, his voice not as loud, "Master Gunnery, open fire. Destroy that Star Fighter!"
"Acknowledged. Acquiring firing solution, stand by...", a robotic feminine voice replied in the background.
'Just nineteen seconds longer....', Akiko thought to herself.
"Three solutions have been identified." The voice came over the communications console.
"Fire at w--", Gavner commanded.
"HOLD!"
'That's Coach!', Akiko mentally shouted and began panicking. 'Just ten seconds left!', A countdown timer began
"Stand by for hyper-jump in ten seconds... nine....eight....seven....", the ship's computer announced.
"Akiko. I know that's you.", Lieutenant Commander Kenji Sato's rough, deep voice boomed and filled Akiko's cockpit. "Look. I don't know what the hell you're doing, or where the fuck you think you're going, but I guarantee that you're not prepared for what's out there. Come back and we'--"
"...Two...one....zero."
The transmission was cut short by the starfield being stretched into a rainbow of streaks, and then pitch black.
