The neon pink Valkyrie dispatched the last Vulture in a violent display of skill and turned towards the station. The overdrive on the engine was engaged and the seven tonne fighter tore towards the station at 225 m/s.
"Ms. Fluffy, now would be a good time to maybe not boost as much."
Azumi grinned, this was the fun part. She had trashed four docking bays so far and the technician had almost dumped her but the big round eyes and innocent smile won him over for another round each time. Men are such suckers she thought as she made an internal wager to see how many centimetres of deck armour she could drive the Valkyrie through this time. She was now at 200 metres from the station and closing fast, the technician wincing at the oncoming trashing of yet another docking bay when the alarm in her watch buzzed twice. Time for movement. She waited until 50 metres from the station, turned the booster off along with the flight assist, flipped the craft over and re-engaged the booster. The ship barely made a sound as it landed in the cradle, the timing perfect. Azumi looked up at the technician who was standing with his mouth open in awe.
"I like boosting."
He slowly closed his mouth and looked through his forms for the admission to the test pilot programme. When he looked up she was halfway out of the door, the lollipop once more secure behind red lips.
"Oh, ehm Ms Fluffy, I need your signature and bioscan here for graduating."
"Nah, I don't think Ms Fluffy wants that hun. Besides, I already passed once. Thanks for letting me pass time."
His jaw once more tried to find some peace on his chest and he stood with open mouth while Azumi skipped out of the training facility.
She was halfway to the launch bay when the alarm sounded. Cursing she started running instead of skipping and activated her internal radio.
"Sensei, I am moving to the bay as we speak."
"Good Azumi. Slight problem, the guards have launched so it will be a hot exit. They know we have Retractile."
Azumi smiled, at least they had what they came for.
"No problem Sensei, the Rent-a-Cop isn't born yet that I cannot outrun in a Warthog II."
"I know Azumi, but I am not sure if Retractile can take the violent turns and thrusts. I need you to make a diversion."
Azumi stopped dead in her tracks. A diversion, but that would undoubtedly destroy her high standing with the Itani people. She almost hit herself, she would be doing it for Retractile after all he gave his life for her. She started running again towards the launch bay.
"I am on it Sensei, in two minutes."
She found one of the Valkyrie X-1's she had purchased when she graduated from the Itani test pilot programme under her own name, checked the weapons load-out and smiled. Triple positrons, she loved herself sometimes! She launched and scanned space; sure enough a whole SF was outside of the station waiting for Retractile and yoda. Further out was an Itani trade convoy moving at a sedate pace towards the jump point. She cursed at what she was about to do and boosted towards the traders. She intercepted them easily and started flaying the rearmost behemoth with positron death. The retaliation was swift, he SF was dispatched towards her and the turrets on the behemoths started criss-crossing space around her ship with plasma streaks. Choosing not to boom the moth, she switched target and started tearing armour off the next ship. The SF arrived and she turned to kill the bots that always accompanied the human pilots. Three shots and they were debris. She moved further away from the station and called yoda.
"SF is occupied. You are clear to the wormhole."
"Roger Azumi. Thanks, I know how much your standing in Itani space meant to you."
Not replying, she instead boosted just a tad slower than the SF, promising them to catch her but making sure it would never happen. When the Warthog cleared the wormhole, she stopped playing and boosted for it as well. A last message from the station popped into her screen as she jumped out.
"Azumi, your pilot's license in Itani space has been revoked. You are no longer allowed to transit Itani space nor dock at Itani stations."
She looked down at her faction standing, the arbitrary diplomatic system that allowed the different nations and factions to decide if they liked a person or not and winced. Itani -898, hated. She wished her mother would never find out.
###
The TGFT bar looked deserted, no lights or music came from within. A dark piece of cloth was placed in front of the door, and the insides of the bar was a gloomy velvet draped display of soft shapes and deep secrets. Large black candlesticks flickered in the corners with white markings on the floor; some kind of five pointed star. A low chant emanated from the back of the room and as the initiates entered they could see that a group of at least twenty persons were standing in the back all covered by black robes with hoods over their faces. A large chair was in the middle of the five pointed star, a piece of black cloth covering what was underneath. A single person was standing in front of the star waiting for the initiates, his robes red with intricate patterns in white along its hem. In his hands he held a large leather-backed book with brass bindings. A voice came from within the covered features of the man in front.
"So, you wish to be initiated into TGFT and learn the secrets that make us succeed where others fail? Have you the courage, Have you the will? Are you willing to make the sacrifice?"
With that he moved aside and two of the persons from the choir walked over to just outside the five pointed star and grabbed each side of the cloth covering the throne.
