“Emitter one four seven, to four nine one are overheated and down. Five double O through to six double O are on the verge of overheating.”

“It’s never fucking simple is it.” The redhead muttered loud enough for the android to hear.

Isobel had been very quiet since the battle had started and she had just sat huddled against her legs the entire time. She felt useless, something bringing her a severe uneasiness. On one had, she wanted to be as useful as possible to her creator, despite her creator's insistence to the contrary. On the other hand, she abhorred such violence.

When the diplomats had arrived, she had let her anger get the better of her, sure, but she had only been ‘alive’ for no more than a few hours at that point. Isobel had experienced much since.

The ship vibrated again. Constant fire from all directions. After being alive for no more than a few months, she didn’t want to die here. There was so much to see, so much to do, so many people to meet. There was such beauty in organic life, its raw chaos, unpredictability, kindness in the most unlikely places.

Isobel looked over at the scientist, who was studying her holo console intently. Her gaze flicked over at Isobel for a barely perceptible moment before returning back to the console.

“Unknown cruiser-class ship on micro-pulse. Similar camouflage to the destroyers. Q-comms are actively sending signals between hostiles.” Addison announced.

“See if you can bait them into accepting a connection. If you can’t, turn the Stellar Banshee towards it.” Ordered the redhead.

With the bridge retracted and hidden, there wasn’t much to see outside, greeted only with a silvery metal view immediately outside the windows. With Aurelia occupied, Isobel could only sit there, taking a deep breath every few dozen seconds when she forgot to breathe. She could feel the mechanical heart pumping her nano blood pounding in her chest rapidly and violently.

She was thrown to the floor when the ship was shunted violently from underneath her, sending her loudly to the floor with a dulled clang. Her forearms had each torn, silvery blood oozing from the years, and pain shooting through her body. Isobel bit back silver tears welling in her violet eyes, and looked up at Aurelia who had been torn from her chair and was struggling to get herself up.

“Drive shaft three, eight, twelve, thirteen, fourteen and eighteen are down. Contamination in surrounding rooms.” Silence hung in the air for a while before the intercom sparked back to life. “Contaminated areas have been sealed off. Wormhole generator has been cut off from the reactor.”

Isobel watched as Aurelia dragged herself back onto the opulent throne, ignoring the trickle of blood streaming from her crown.

“Status of the fold drive?” Asked the scientist.

“Eleven minutes until initialization.”

“Fuck! I don’t know if we can last that long.” She replied, removing her glasses and wiping away some blood from her one organic eye.

“Interdiction field has been deployed by the stealth cruiser. I don’t think we are leaving without getting past it, or through it.” Chirped the assistant.

“I’d ask if things could get worse but—”

“Micro pulse has detected two stealth cruisers deployed near the system wormhole generator.” Interrupted Addison.

“—But I don’t want to tempt fate.” Aurelia continued with a flat monotone. She sucked in air from her teeth and looked over to the android kneeling on the floor holding her forearms.

“I am so sorry, Izzy. I didn’t want this to be your… your…” She trailed off, her mismatched eyes welling with regret.

Isobel didn’t blame her. She didn’t know much about her creator, as she didn’t like to talk about herself, nothing personal at least. She removed her silver covered hands from her forearms, the bleeding had stopped, but there was now a mess all over her clothes. She took in a deep, slow breath and shook her head, putting on a weak, terrified smile.

“It-it can’t be helped. Are we… going to die?” She almost choked out those last words, struggling to ignore the pain burning in her arms. Aurelia’s eyes steeled, she straightened her back and let out an exasperated sigh.

“This old dog still has some tricks up her sleeve. Addison, time to try out the Hypervoid drive.” Aurelia would have sounded sanguine if not for the next shaking of the ship making her nearly fall to the floor again. Isobel let off a weak giggle before terror wrote itself upon her features.

“Well this will go terribly.” Addison said with her usual cheer. “Three minutes until Hypervoid dive. Then we shall see if the untested, very experimental faster than light traversal won’t kill us all.”

Isobel shot the scientist a worried look,  the scientist just waving her off.

“Should be fine.” She reassured. “I did, in fact, do some testing. It will definitely work. Probably. Time isn’t on our side and it’s the only thing that will ignore an interdiction field.”

Aurelia looked over to the dishevelled android and offered a sympathetic look.

“Izzy honey, I know you are scared and in pain, but do you think you could carry me through the facility? I need to get somewhere twenty minutes ago and preferably in one piece.”

Isobel nodded with a grimace, and heaved herself up. It didn’t actually take much effort, as she only had superficial damage, but the pain sensors were very insistent on reminding her they worked very well. She made her way up to the throne and with effortless grace, hoisted up the lithe woman. So effortless in fact, that she nearly threw her into the air.

“Sorry! You are just so light.” She said, panicking. Aurelia let out a mad cackle and wrapped her long arms around the neck of the young woman.

“You are just that strong. Now, I need you to run as fast as you can, because I need to be there to get the drive working, and stop it from possibly trapping us in an endless realm of pure energy for the rest of our lives. Now go! I will direct you.” The redhead urged.

As they left, the intercom sparked to life once again. “Prow side destroyer has been hit directly to the reactor. I get to watch some fireworks while you two get to sit nice and snug in me.”

“Please don’t phrase it like that.” Begged the scientist with thinned lips.