XSS Mordrakka
Bridge
“They’ve fired, loosing turrets on armors on your order,” the blood-splattered NMX bridge officer next to Erika said. Her eyes darted to the white-haired woman next to her, then back to her station.
Whatever preparations Aiko had called for to evade and avoid the gunships were astutely tendered. The XSS Yggfristall peppered the Mordrakka's shields with warning shots of light anti-starship turret fire as it made a quick approach. Weapons fired from her console on the Mordrakka, loosing their own stock torpedoes.
“Sensors on Yggfristall have been hit, Captain,” weapons offered with a tremble in her voice. She blinked oddly, trying to stop the sweat falling down her temple from falling into her eye and burning. “Aether beam cannon is yours, helm.”
At this, the XSS Yggfristall hung back, close enough to the patrol ship to attack but far enough away to stay out of the dogfight for a brief period while flying blind.
The XSS Braxxrrsil, instead, came in with torpedoes locked on the Mordrakka and their own turrets blazing.
The data links were severed. Whatever weapons exchange that had transpired on the armor team had stopped the gunships from seeing the patrol-class as friendly. The life support systems were slowly deteriorating, though, even if William had no way of knowing as much.
Cargo Bay
As Isuke arrived, carrying an overlarge fur coat and NMX fatigues, the crew looked at her confusedly. What Isuke was carrying gave them pause, but they did ask, "New orders? Or carry on?"
Descending Toward Kokoro
Hoshi was quiet in Molli's ear as she watched the fight escalate. There was a pained feeling as she realized that her people were in front of her, getting shot at and risking their lives, only to rescue her. The scene laid before her, whether she was loyal to Star Army or possessed still by a fanaticism for the Mishhuvurthyar, was unsettling enough to invite a growing uneasiness at her place in the battle. The Mishhuvurthyar curse in her swarmed at the guilt as if it were an infection that had found a wound.
“Our orders outrank yours, Elite,” the brain-slave pilot responded in a text packet. He shot into Leepa as he tried to overtake her again with an aether lance and was about to shoot onto Asuka with the same aether shot that was now meant to kill. Before he could, he was blown out of the sky and into the water below by the Tivurnthinth-class’ anti-starship turrets.
Molli’s prophetic words had held true and whatever objects of retaliation that Asuka was searching for came into short supply when the NMX armor team was bore into by starship weaponry. Mercifully, the Mordrakka’s weapons had started firing into the Rippers on Aiko’s orders when they continued their assault on the Mordrakka’s armor team.
“We can’t keep doing this,” Leepa groaned into comms, bemoaning the hostilities between NMX kin she believed herself to be entrenched in. At Sif’s query the NMX said, “My armor can’t take too many more hits.”
There were three Rippers, though, that were positioned so that there was no clear shot and they remained so. Quickly, they busied themselves with taking over what their lead armor had begun and shot into the undercover armor team without prejudice.
Any umbral whispers in Hoshi's mind were quieted as she thought about the Nepleslian's answer to her heartfelt query. Conjuring the memory as Molli had, she swallowed as if salivating—but also swallowed her guilt and fear and all of the thoughts the Mishhu had instilled in her months ago.
Hoshi asked Molli, "What do you need me to do?"
