...You'll never be alone again...

These words echoed over and over in her mind until it was barely audible, eyes closed resting her head atop a shadowy figures chest. She clinged onto him for a while, finally relaxing her grip she opens her mouth to speak, nothing. Her eyes snap open, she tries again, still nothing. She snaps up in panic...

The alarms wrecked loudly through the cockpit, quickly raising Natsuki from her dream.

[-Proximity Alert-]

Printed large across the hug facing to the northeast. Slamming hard to the left on the control stick, the aero skirts against walls of an eminence large rock column of earth.

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiit!"

The alarms sound again, she slams the the controls inward and twists. The aero spirals downward nearly avoiding the jutted boulder.

Quick sharp beeps emit from the rear HUD, as the lights change to a deep red.


  [200m]
[Scanning]
[UNKNOWN!]


The words glow bright above a circular graphic, "What?!"


    [93m]
[Streaker IIV]
[Confirmed]


"Who the hell gives these people military grade rockets?!"

Waving her hand across her lap summons a holo keyboard, a few quick strokes pulls up an analysis of the area, starting a deep scan of the columns, "Come on....."

A few graphical squares appear on the hud and holomap, each slowly spinning shards of rock tear from the heat coming from the missiles booster, the sound audible to her now.

"Damnit!!!" Her fingers blaze across the holokeys, "Nooo.... Noooo!!!" Two of the reticules vanish from the screen, a third spinning faster than the others.

Opening the throttle hard as the target looms closer, she growls loudly agitated by the closing in missile.

Sharp sounds ring from the northwestern HUD, the reticule locks and confirms.

"Fuck Yeah!", she squeezes the triggers, a loud whir emits from both wings as the gats begin to rotate.

Pulling the the controls to the left and out she breaks out from the column face, immediately swinging the aero back nose first twisting around in a barrel roll, spitting bullets into the earth making it collapses revealing a hollow cavern.

She Breaks inside at full speed, the rocket follows wide slinging into the walls of the cavern.


["Heat source found"]


She grins in the darkness, "Gotcha!"

A large explosion wrecks the column, sending the enemy ship sprawling toward the ground, struggling to recover from stalling out.

Slamming her fists onto two large buttons, twenty missile safeguard cases pop open.

Her grin grows manic, an evil look crosses her face as she spreads her arms like a bird in flight activating every single switch. "Fly!"

A barrage of countless missiles begin spiraling toward their target, obliterating it into a large cloud of nothing.

-----------------------------------------
Male voice: "150,000"

Natsuki: "WHAT?!"

She grabs the short near-bald man by the collar, "I took out those guys harassing you, i thought i was getting it all covered!"

Laughing, his nervous eyes hiding behind dark purple spectacles.

Man: "Would... have covered everything"

She releases him off balance falling back into his seat, "This better be good."

Clearing his throat as he fixes his tie, "Yes, The cost is mainly due to the repairs you've forced upon us."

She raises an eyebrow.

Man: "You were a bit reckless with the experimental payload, your model was..." He pauses with a grimace, remembering what the missile bays looked like upon return he sighs "...Unprepared for a full alpha"


Natsuki: "I couldn't help myself the way i set up the activation" She grins wide and her eyes close reliving the excitement, "Its just so badass!" She laughs loud and hard.

Man: "Quite"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*SKRKRKRTCHCHHH*
A cloud of projectile rounds skim past the stingray leaving a series of etched in streaks across the glass.

Her eyes remain focused, unfazed by the close encounter.

Diving, the aero begins a direct course toward its mechanized assailant, releasing its payload. The well placed rockets strike and sever both arms leaving the unit neutered.

She laughs quickly releasing the strap on her helm, "Easy" sinking deep into her seat.

Barely had a moment past, the cabin suddenly drenched with red, the loud wailing of an alarm dominating her hearing.

Brightly on the Southern HUD reads


[WARNING - THREAT]
[HEATSOURCE DETECTED]


Jumping to the controls, she slams to the left.

A burst of super-powered energy beams across the belly of the stingray sending scrap and metal scattering across the sky.

Man: "One last thing"

The bald man slips nat a small data disk, "A small favor, complete this and we'll be square. Went ahead and gave you the complete model, think of it as a gift."

A smirk crosses her face, "Always something" closing the hatch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inserting the data file a rather strange blueprint appears.

She slams her fist against the monitor, "Fraggin oldtech."

Grumbling she types away at the holokeys, opening a channel.

Male Voice: "So you're taking the job?"

[Audio Only] reads across the small box on the HUD.

Natsuki: "You are going to explain exactly what it is I'm looking at first are you not?"

The voice replies without hesitation, "A weapon"

Mocking him, "A weapon, great so what?"

Male Voice: "An important company is developing a new prototype that..."

Natsuki: "That is super duper and fabulous, get to the point! You want it? When, where, whom?"

He Chuckles, "Always in a rush."

In a Stern and serious voice she replies, "Time is money"

Man: "Indeed."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Natsuki: "For fucks sake, what the hell was that?"

A billow of smoke betrays the position of the stingray as it barrels around a sharp corner ducking between buildings. The cabin illuminated with warning alerts agitates her. She slams her fist on the rear left monitor, only worsening the glitches.

Natsuki: "Piecing of junk, one hit and we're this bad off?"

A few quick strokes on the holokeys opens a com channel, "We have any eagles covering the situation?"

A masked pilot appears on screen, "Some newtype they've been working on, that's our target command just confirmed."

Rolling her eyes, "No shit?"

Natsuki: "You'd figure on a seek and destroy op, the thing firing the crazy bullshit we've never seen before was our target"

Sighing loudly he removes his mask, "You do sleep in briefing"

Natsuki: "Shutup"

He smirks, "Well since i like you I'll spare you the boring and get straight to it"

Natsuki: "You're already jabbering now"

He laughs, "Okay okay, appears the unit has two of those nasty cannons, fortunately its not terribly accurate unless it locks."

Natsuki: "So quick strikes?"

Pilot: "Normally yes, but all of its armor seems focused to the front of the unit like a tank, but the back is virtually butter, we need to at least cripple it in one go."

Natsuki: "Now if you think I'm playing bait I'm gonna kick your.."

"Naturally," He laughs again, "Kidding your aero is in no condition for this reguardless."

The window minimizes into an audio only channel, "Lets move."

Thrusters echo throughout the city, an identical aero roars above Natsuki's.

Pilot: "Contact, sending you the coordinates now"

The overhead view zooms closer pinpointing the unit, providing a large array of information.