As the crew settled back into their stations, the hum of the ship’s engines filled the air. Levi adjusted the controls, steering them back on course through the calm void of space. Twilight, still eyeing B-7T3 suspiciously, returned to his seat but remained tense, ready for anything.
Luna, leaning against the wall, broke the silence. “So, we’ve got a reset robot and a ship full of misfits. What’s our destination, Captain? Or are we just drifting?”
Levi grumbled, keeping his eyes on the stars outside. “I’m still thinking. With Emperor Rick after us and no clear place to refuel without getting noticed, it’s not like we have a ton of options.”
Glitch, still buzzing with energy, hopped over to the console. “W-w-we could head to a neutral system! No one f-f-follows the rules there, but at least we wouldn’t be h-h-hunted!”
Twilight looked uncertain. “A neutral system? Isn’t that a bit dangerous? We could run into all kinds of trouble.”
Levi shrugged, clearly frustrated. “Everywhere’s dangerous right now. At least there, no one gives a damn about who’s flying what.”
Luna folded her arms. “But what if Emperor Rick has bounty hunters out? Neutral system or not, we could still get tracked.”
B-7T3, listening to the conversation, spoke up in its usual calm tone. “I am capable of scanning for nearby bounty signals. Would you like me to initiate a scan, Captain?”
Levi shot the robot a quick glance, then nodded. “Do it. Let’s see if we’ve got any bounty hunters tailing us.”
The droid’s eyes flickered as it ran the scan, while the crew waited in uneasy silence. Moments later, B-7T3’s voice echoed through the cockpit. “No bounty hunter signals detected in this sector. The ship’s current position remains unknown to external parties.”
Twilight exhaled in relief. “Well, that’s one bit of good news.”
Levi leaned back in his seat. “Good. Let’s keep it that way. I’ll set course for the nearest neutral system, but we’re staying on high alert. Everyone keeps their eyes open.”
As the ship soared through the quiet darkness of space, the tension remained. Even though they weren’t being actively chased, there was no telling what kind of dangers lurked ahead in the unknown.
And somewhere, far off in the galaxy, Emperor Rick’s forces were no doubt continuing their relentless pursuit. But for now, the crew had a moment of peace—fleeting as it may be.
“B-7T3,” Levi said, “run another system check. I don’t want any more surprises while we’re in deep space.”
The robot’s eyes flickered again as it started its task, and the crew, while not exactly relaxed, began preparing for whatever came next.
As they approached the station, the massive structure came into view—an enormous ring-like hub floating in the darkness, illuminated by the distant glow of stars. Ships of all shapes and sizes docked at various points, while small patrol drones buzzed around like mechanical insects.
"Now when I land, I want all of you to stay put," Levi commanded.
"Why?" Glitch complained.
"Because I'm not wanted like the rest of you," said Levi.
"Correction, you are wanted on Furtopia for theft —"
"Rumors!" Levi barked.
"Plus, you are carrying three criminals aboard your ship, making you subject to treason," B-7T3 continued. “Even if you were innocent, your license is about to expire in 17 hours. And piloting a spacecraft with an expired license is illegal.”
Levi's ears flattened against his head.
"Cri-criminals? W-w-wwhere?" Glitch asked.
Levi dropped his head on the helm. “Luna…You…And apparently so is Twilight."
"I did nothing!" Twilight barked.
"Shadow Paw. You are wanted on ten planets," said B-7T3.
"What the fuck?" Twilight wheezed. “Ten planets? For what? I don’t even remember stepping foot on ten planets!”
Luna chuckled from her spot against the wall. “Sounds like someone’s been making enemies without even realizing it.”
Twilight glared at her. “I’ve done nothing that bad!”
B-7T3, ever unbothered by the emotional state of the crew, continued. “Charges include: smuggling, theft of high-value artifacts, evading arrest, and—"
“Okay, I get,” Twilight interrupted, rubbing his temples. “I’m a wanted criminal.” "Apparently..." he muttered.
Levi shook his head, feeling a migraine coming on. “Great. Just great. I’m flying a ship full of criminals, and now I’m guilty by association.”
Twilight crossed his arms, still fuming. “I’m telling you, they’ve got the wrong wolf! I’ve never smuggled anything in my life.”
Luna smirked, amused by the whole ordeal. “Whether you did or didn’t, we’ve got to be careful. If anyone recognizes any of us, we’re toast.”
Levi tapped his fingers on the controls, his mind racing. “The neutral system should give us a bit of breathing room, but we can’t let our guard down. B-7T3, keep a low profile when we dock.”
B-7T3’s eyes glowed softly in acknowledgment. “Understood, Captain. I will refrain from engaging with any local authorities unless directly ordered.”
Twilight was still muttering to himself, clearly agitated. “Shadow Paw… smuggling… theft… I’m innocent!”
Glitch, as always, seemed more fascinated than worried. “I wo-wonder what the real Sh-shadow Paw is like. Maybe th-they’re even more in-in-intimidating than y-y-you, Twilight!”
“Not helping, Glitch,” Twilight grumbled.
As they approached the docking port of the massive station, Levi slowed the ship’s descent, his eyes darting between the controls and the towering structure outside. “Alright, we’re almost there. Everyone stay quiet and don’t draw attention.”
Luna’s eyes glimmered with mischief. “No promises.”
Twilight leaned back in his seat, arms crossed. “Let’s just hope they don’t scan the ship. Last thing we need is them finding out who’s on board.”
Levi sighed. “Yeah, let’s hope.”
The ship settled gently into its assigned dock with a soft hiss. Levi shut off the engines and stood up, pointing at the others. “Stay. Here. I’ll be back after I get the supplies.”
As Levi made his way to the hatch, B-7T3 spoke up again. “Captain, shall I assist you in the retrieval of supplies?”
Levi shook his head. “No. I need you to keep an eye on these three. Don’t let them out of your sight.”
B-7T3 blinked in acknowledgment. “Understood, Captain. I will monitor the crew.”
The hatch slid open with a hiss, and Levi stepped out into the bustling dock. As he walked away, the rest of the crew sat in silence for a moment, tension thick in the air.
Glitch, unable to sit still for too long, glanced around. “S-so… what do we d-d-do now?”
Twilight sighed, leaning back. “We wait. And hope Levi doesn’t get into trouble.”
Luna, still leaning casually against the wall, smirked. “Knowing Levi? Trouble’s probably already found him.”
Outside the ship, Levi stood by the vending machine, tapping his foot, impatiently waiting on his fourth burrito. Levi looked at his watch, then back at the vending machine. Levi growled and kicked the machine.
The vending machine made a sputtering noise, its screen flickering slightly before it finally spit out the burrito with a clunk. Levi snatched it up, grumbling under his breath. "Four damn burritos... this better be worth it."
As he unwrapped the burrito and took a bite, his eyes scanned the bustling station. Furrys of all kinds moved through the crowded docks: traders, smugglers, and the occasional pirate. Levi’s ears twitched, picking up bits of conversation, but nothing out of the ordinary.
"Nothing suspicious so far," he muttered, taking another bite. "Just another day in this backwater station."
But just as he was about to relax, Levi spotted a group of heavily armored figures near one of the docking gates. His stomach twisted. Bounty hunters. Their armor was scratched and worn from countless hunts, and they carried weapons like they were itching for a fight.
Levi quickly turned away, and ran back to his ship.
But as he started back toward his docking bay, a voice from behind called out, “Hey! You there, with the burritos!”
Levi quickly made his way back to the ship without looking back, cursing under his breath. "I’m going to kill Glitch for jinxing this."
"Stop right there!" The voice demanded. But Levi ignored them, boarding his ship and closing the doors.
Levi tossed a burrito to Twilight, Luna, and Glitch. "Aw! S-s-so the c-captain does ca-ca-care about-bout us-s-s!" Glitch purred.
"I don't care about you," Levi grumbled, starting the engines, "I just don't wanna hear all of you moaning to me about how hungry you are!"
"We could always eat Twilight," Luna joked.
"What?!" Twilight yelped.
"Cannibalism is strictly prohibited on my ship," Levi barked.
Twilight nearly choked on his burrito, glaring at Luna. "I’m not on the menu, thank you very much."
Luna chuckled. "Relax, I’m kidding… mostly."
Levi shot them both a look as he powered up the engines. "Everyone buckle up. We’ve got company."
Glitch looked up from her burrito, blinking. “Wh-who’s coming?”
“Bounty hunters,” Levi said flatly. “Spotted them near the docks. I’m not sticking around to find out if they’re here for us or not.”
Twilight groaned, tossing his half-eaten burrito aside. “Of course they’re here for us. We can’t catch a break.”
B-7T3’s eyes flickered as it scanned the ship’s surroundings. “Captain, the docking bay’s security systems have detected the bounty hunters moving toward our location. They are armed and approaching quickly.”
Levi cursed under his breath and threw the ship into gear. “Yeah, no shit. Hold on everyone. This is going to be a rough takeoff.”
The engines roared to life, and the ship lurched upward, speeding out of the docking bay and into the open void of space. Levi’s fingers danced across the controls as he maneuvered through the station’s patrol drones and ships, weaving in and out of the traffic.
The bounty hunters’ ship was close behind, giving chase.
“B-7T3,” Levi snapped, “get us a reading on that ship. How many are we dealing with?”
The droid’s eyes flickered again. “One vessel. Crew of five. Their weapons systems are armed, and they are locking onto us.”
Twilight gripped the arms of his chair. “Great. What now, Captain?”
Levi’s eyes narrowed as he adjusted the thrusters. “Now we outrun them. I’m not in the mood for a firefight.”
But just as the ship shot forward, a warning alarm blared throughout the cockpit.
“Uh, Cap?” Luna said, leaning forward in her seat. “I think they’re about to fire.”
Levi growled, slamming his hand on the controls. “Everyone brace yourselves. B-7T3, deploy countermeasures!”
The ship shuddered as the bounty hunters fired, their weapons lighting up the darkness behind them. But B-7T3 quickly deployed a barrage of flares and chaff, disrupting the incoming missiles and lasers.
Levi grit his teeth, pushing the engines to their limits. “Come on, we just need to make it out of their range.”
The ship shot forward, streaking through the stars, but the bounty hunters’ ship wasn’t giving up easily. Another alarm blared, signaling more incoming fire.
“Twilight,” Levi barked, “get to the turret and start shooting back. We need to keep them off us long enough to make the jump.”
Twilight scrambled out of his seat and hurried to the turret. “On it! Let’s see how they like a little heat.”
The ship rocked again as the bounty hunters continued their assault, but Twilight quickly retaliated, firing back at their pursuers. Bolts of energy flew through space, striking the enemy ship’s shields.
“Direct hit!” Twilight shouted. “But their shields are holding. I’ll keep them busy as long as I can.”
Levi kept his focus on the controls, weaving through the chaos. “That’s all we need. Just a few more seconds…”
Glitch, still holding onto her seat, muttered, “J-jump now, Cap-tain! W-we’re g-g-gonna get hit!”
Luna gripped the arms of her chair, her eyes locked on the growing distance between them and the bounty hunters. “Levi, we can’t keep this up forever. We need to jump, now!”
With a final push, Levi hit the jump button, and the ship surged forward into hyperspace. The stars around them blurred into streaks of light, and the alarms finally went silent as they left their pursuers far behind.
Levi leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. “We made it. Barely.”
Twilight returned from the turret, looking exhausted. “Barely? Try ‘almost didn’t.’ Next time, maybe give me a heads-up before we’re getting shot at?”
Levi shot him a smirk. “You want to be warned every time bounty hunters chase us? You’d never get any rest.”
Twilight rolled his eyes, plopping down in his seat. “Yeah, well… just glad we’re still in one piece.”
Luna relaxed in her seat too. “What now, Captain? We can’t outrun them forever.”
Levi glanced at the star map on the screen. “Now, we find a place to lay low. Somewhere off the grid where Rick’s bounty hunters won’t think to look.”
The ship sailed quietly through the void of space, leaving behind the dangers of the station and the bounty hunters, at least for now.
ns 15.158.61.53da2
