Romy’s mouth dried in disbelief as she looked back at the wreckage back in K4. Fragments littered the battleground. Not only had they destroyed the colossal battleship, but the resulting explosion seemed to have eradicated a fair number of the Critamal’s smaller crafts as well.

There was a goliath hole in the poachers’ defence!

“Do you see that?” she whispered.

Knot 27 watched from relative safety, listening as new orders fired through the orbitos’ communication system. A third of their force was ordered to launch an attack on the breeched defences of the Critamal. Out to her left, Romy could see the forces from Orbito Eight streaking through space to help them.

“Did we just do that?” Deimos broke the silence.

Phobos replied in the same awe-filled voice, “We must have.”

The tell-tale high whining filled their helmets. “Knot 27, this is Commander Cronus. Excellent job, soldiers. Return to battle docks immediately.”

“Roger that, sir,” Thrym whispered, clicking off communication.

“We did it,” he said into the silence.

A lump formed in Romy’s throat at the yearning in his voice. This was what he’d been waiting for. This was what Thrym deserved. Knot 27 would be promoted for sure.

“We’re going up, guys and gals,” Thrym shouted. He leaned over Elara and gave a single strong burst of the thrusters towards the landing docks.

Cheering filled the cockpit and Romy leaned back in her seat, laughing until tears streamed down her cheeks, fogging up her helmet. Part of her knew it was a reaction from the shock and adrenaline of battle, but part of it was real.

Maybe a promotion wouldn’t be so bad!

Phobos was dancing in his seat, arms raised overhead.

He lowered them as a beeping noise cut through the craft.

“Turn that racket off,” joked Deimos.

Elara was pushing at the flashing dashboard. “If I knew what it was, I would,” she replied.

Romy’s chest tightened. “You don’t know what it is?” That was a first. She gripped the gun without thinking.

Elara threw a glare at her while reaching for a switch. “What did I just—”

“Thruster failure. Thruster failure. Thruster failure.” The computer’s clinical tones blared in their ears.

Romy caught Elara’s alarmed look as she turned to face forwards again, flicking switches in a frenzy. A second beeping noise added to the first. Then a third, and a fourth. There was a high whining in their helmets, telling Romy that Command was attempting to communicate, but she couldn’t understand the disjointed message from their station.

Elara and Thrym were desperately working at the controls, while Romy and the others could only watch their frantic movements in horror with one eye and the Orbito One station with the other.

They approached the station with no control, no thrusters. Battlers were returning from battle, docking on the white stretched cylinder of the orbito.

It was the only home she’d ever known.