Adventure of Ség U'llr 1

Warning strobes wash the bay in red as the clamps finish disengaging. The airlock shudders again under the corridor rams, but the ship no longer sticks to the dock.

A hard lock-on tone chirps from the external console. The Navigator snaps his head up, dread turning to urgency. "They have us in the sights. Launch now, before they bracket the hull."

Ség's four hands fly across the primary console, keying the launch cycle. The deck hum deepens, and vapor thins in streaks across the floor as power feeds into the thrusters.

A second impact booms through the corridor. The bay doors flex, then hold. On the external feed, a hostile ship slides into range, its targeting lights skimming the refugee hull.

The launch lights flip from amber to white. The ship is one decision away from breaking free, and the pursuers are one volley away from sealing the escape.

The Navigator glances at the console, his hands trembling as he watches the hostile ship's weapon arrays cycle to full power.

Ség U'llr twists the vector, and the launch engines answer through the ship's spine instead of the bay floor. The structural struts catch the force and rake it sideways, turning the first incoming line of fire into a bright, useless spray across the docking frame.

The console shudders under the new load. The tactical overlay steadies, then snaps into a clean outbound lane as the ship leans into it, as if the hull has found a hidden track.

The Navigator flinches at the sensor flash, then stares as the hostile targeting reticle drifts off center and starts losing lock.

The bay doors grind wider, but only the empty edge of space remains beyond them now. The ship surges forward under a controlled burn, dragging free of the docking frame before the next volley can land.