Just space and all it brings – pt2

The next 18 minutes passed by in a breeze. Alexia kept nagging him with the distance of the enemy ships from him and he had to keep focusing her on navigating.
He knows they're on his ass. Their missles are hard to ignore.
"First guided missle on your ass. impact in 3,2-" at the last second Nexton makes a sharp right turn. Swift enough keep him on his track but fast enough
so the missle doesn't explode in his face.

"Nice dodge."
"Keep following those shitheads. We got this." The accurate target missles were easier to avoide then Alexia has inticipated. Weren't as easy as regular,
simple rockets. But more than enough to dodge dozen of them at once.

"Where is Nix? He was two minutes behind me?" Isaac barge into the control room. He arrived at the dock five minutes ago and wanted to wait for Nexton. But his
gut told him something was off. Looking how all the operators are focused on Alexia's screen, he knows his feeling was correct.
"Alexia?"
"Kuta?"
"Alexia!"

"He took a lot of damage to one of his engines. He's headed to the comet field now." Kuta explains to Isaac.
"WHAT? Why haven't you told me?! I would have circled back from him!"
"You couldn't. You both would have died if you did. And he specificlly requested not to let you, or any of the pilots know." So now he's just supposed
to let Nexton die on his own? No way! No matter what he asked for. He needs to help him!
"And why are you listening to him? And WHY is she leading him to the comet field?! It's a suicide mission!" Isaac knows how good Nexton is on obstacle courses.
But with only one engine, there is no way he can keep himself stable through all of them.
"He requested me, Isaac! I'm trusting him! This is the only thing WE can do for him right now." Trust? If Nexton would have trusted him, he would have told him
he was in trouble. No, Nexton WANTS to do this on his own. Trying to be the hero who did everything on his own. In the cost of his own life. Why does he always has to
be so bravely selfish?!
"Tell them to fuel my craft. I'm going there to help him."

"No." The squad captain, walks into the control room, blocking Isaac's way. Johnathan tipped him off on what was going on. Somebody had to.
"What do you mean 'No.'? We have to help him!" How can he take no for an answer? And how this is even a legitimate answer? one of your pilots' life is on the
line. He should use every resource to help Nexton right now. Not leave him alone like he's a useless metal can.
"Nexton is on his own right now. He knows that. I can't risk any of you, or this entire ship for one pilot. As Alexia said, you have to trust him."

"12 of them. At all your 360'." Isaac is drawn back to Alexia's screen. 12 guided missles ready to close on Nexton. No direction he can dodge to.
"Right engine to 55% in 2…1…" that extra speed gives just enough space to break up and backwards. Making a pefect 360 reverse loop and seeing the missles
explode infront of him.

"Amazing work, Nix!"
"I told you we got this, Alex. How far?" He can see the first row of comets right infront of him. First stage of the plan is almost over.
"20 seconds. But they're on your tail. You're in their heat-guided missles range now. You can't dodge those."
"That's fine' because it's time to speed up. Right engine to 80%." He doesn't need to avoid the missle if he can put a comet right between him and the missle.

"You can't pass that field in that speed!" Again with the doubt. It's not the time for lectures. It is time for action.
"Yes, WE can. We did it in 75% we can do 80."

"A little faith, Alexia."
"There are 3 heat-guided missles on his ass, Alexia." Kuta follows what's happening from his own screen. "Do as he says. Impact in 4,3,2-" The immediate boost of
speed makes Nexton almost crush into that first comet. But just planned, he leaves the comet for the missles, resulting in a cloud of dust as they meet face to face.

"That's what I'm talking about!"
"8 ships stopped movment, they're down to 7." They are also very calculated. They can see through Nexton's plan. They don't attend to risk too much of their own
pilots in the chase of one meaningless craft.
"Sweet. They're scared."

Somehow, Nexton was able to keep his stability. Even Alexia watched him in shock. Sure, dodging both the comets and the missles was hard. But with a few simple flight
tricks, he did not only avoided them, but also got rid of a few ships as well. Less ships means less missles.

"How much fuel I got left?"
"Less than quarter tank. 10 minutes of oxygen as well."
"Make that 11 I still have oxygen in the personal tank. And how far am I?"
"in a straight airline, 10 minutes…" That's not good. But that'll have to do. He can't stop now to calculate the odds. He has to keep moving forward. That's the
only way to get out of this.

"For how long can he hold his breath and function?" Johnthan asks. Of course it can't buy Nexton a whole lot of time. But every second counts in this situation.
"45 seconds." Isaac answered. Nexton hated those practices and always avoided them. If he only have listen to him when he told him how life saving those practices
can be, maybe it would have bought him a few more seconds today.

"he's going to make it."
"I don't know." Alexia says. This is truely risky. But this entire plan is, they've got no other choice.
"He has to."

"You're down to 3 ships on your back."
"Nice. Alright, reverse my chamber. I need you to be my eyes for a minute. And turn on the back shooters." Alexia freezes. He wants to go blind? Is he stupid? She
can't navigate him on her own. Those distances are too short, she can't alarm him on time. There's no way she can do this.

"Don't tell me you can't navigate me in such field, cause you motherafing did that before." Not under this amount of stress, not with so much on the line.
But how can she disappoint him now?

"Don't do this! Are you crazy? He'd crush in seconds!" Isaac almost throws her off the control board. She is going to get Nexton killed.

"I'm reversing my view to your back eyes. Getting rid of the map, and making a share point to your right contact lens. You're going to have both views." She took a
deep breath before saying this. This is mad. But she finally understand why Nexton is doing this. If he won't get rid of the remaining 3 ships by the end of the
comet field he won't be able to shake them off at all.
"And I can only navigate you out of this field, not towards the ship."
"So let's hope it'll be the right direction." They take a deep breath together. This is the moment of truth. Their team matchability is on the test as well. This
is what they trained for. Not the easy missions.
"Chamber rotation in 5 seconds. Take them down, Nix."