Captured by the Yandere Space Pirates

Ila let go of Syn's leg and woke up, charging the nearest masked figure, tackling them to the ground, their gun skidding across the floor, out of reach.

Her strength was monstrous, her hands pinning the figure's arms, her teal eyes blazing with fury.

The second figure raised their pistol, aiming for Ila, but she was clever, twisting to use the pinned figure as a shield, their space suit a barrier, the shot impossible without risking their ally.

"Pako, go! Take Syn. I got her!" the pinned figure shouted, their voice muffled but fierce, their body struggling under Ila's relentless grasp.

They surged, their legs hooking around Ila's, pushing her toward the metro wall, creating a gap for the second figure—Pako—to move.

Pako darted through the gap, her space suit glinting, her boots silent on the blood-slicked floor.

She reached Syn, his body slumped, his breathing shallow, his hazel eyes half-open, barely conscious.

She knelt, her gloved hands quick, fitting an oxygen mask over Syn's face, its seal hissing as it secured, the faint hum of oxygen a lifeline.

Syn's hand twitched, his finger pointing feebly toward a crumpled form across the car—Mia, her white hair matted with blue blood, her pale eyes flickering, her body riddled with wounds.

"Mia," Syn rasped, his voice barely audible, his strength gone, his heart aching for her sacrifice, her shapeshifter nature now undeniable, her blue blood a stark truth.

"I'll get her," Pako said, her voice steady, her hands gentle as she rested Syn's head on the floor, propping him against the metro wall.

She moved to Mia, her eyes widening behind her mask at the blue blood pooling beneath her, the unmistakable mark of a shapeshifter.

But Mia was alive, her chest rising faintly, her pale eyes shifting toward Pako, recognition flickering.

"Syn~" Mia whispered, her voice feeble, her body trembling.

"He's safe," Pako said, her tone firm, reassuring, as she fitted an oxygen mask over Mia's face, its seal hissing,

Mia's breathing stabilized, though her wounds were severe, her blue blood seeping through her torn uniform.

Meanwhile, Ila and the first masked figure—Aster—were locked in brutal hand-to-hand combat, their bodies a whirlwind of violence in the cramped metro car.

Ila struck first, her fist slamming into Aster's chest, the space suit absorbing the blow, but the force sent Aster staggering, her back hitting the metro wall, the metal rattling.

Aster recovered, her agility matching Ila's, her fist rocketing toward Ila's jaw, connecting with a crack, blood spraying from Ila's lip, her head snapping to the side.

Ila snarled, her teal eyes blazing, and countered, her knee aiming for Aster's midsection, but Aster twisted, catching Ila's leg, yanking her off balance, sending her crashing to the floor.

Ila rolled, her reflexes inhuman, springing to her feet, her hands grabbing Aster's arm, twisting it, nearly snapping the bone, Aster's grunt muffled by her mask.

Aster broke free, her elbow crashing into Ila's nose, the cartilage crunching, blood gushing, Ila's snarl a feral sound.

The fight was even, their skills matched, each blow precise, lethal, the metro car a cage for their fury.

But Aster's resolve hardened, her movements growing sharper, more brutal.

She ducked Ila's wild swing, her foot sweeping low, catching Ila's ankle, toppling her. Aster pounced, her knees pinning Ila's chest, her fists raining down—one to Ila's cheek, splitting the skin, another to her jaw, Ila's head snapping back, blood pooling beneath her.

Ila fought back, her hands clawing at Aster's suit, her nails scraping the reinforced fabric, her strength unrelenting.

But Aster was merciless, her training surpassing Ila's raw power.

She grabbed Ila's arm, twisting it behind her back, the joint popping, Ila's scream raw, guttural.

Aster didn't stop, her knee slamming into Ila's thigh, fracturing the bone, Ila's body buckling, her teal eyes wide with pain and shock.

Aster seized Ila's other arm, wrenching it, the snap of bone echoing, Ila's scream piercing the car, her body trembling, her strength fading.

Finally, Aster kicked Ila's knee, shattering it, leaving her immobile, her body crumpled, her breaths ragged, her teal eyes dimming, blood dripping from her mouth.

"Don't take Syn," Ila begged, her voice weak, desperate, her teal eyes pleading with the masked figure looming over her. "Please, whoever you are."

Aster reached up, her gloved hand lifting the glass visor of her space suit, revealing her face—sharp features, blonde flowing hair, teal eyes burning with resolve.

"Aster…" Ila gasped, her eyes widening, surprise mingling with her pain, her voice trembling. "Leave that man to me, Aster. I'll pay you with whatever you want."

"You look so pitiful, Ila," Aster said, her voice cold, her teal eyes unyielding, her hand retrieving her pistol from the floor, the metal glinting in the flickering lights.

bang

Without hesitation, she fired, the shot ringing out, a bullet tearing through Ila's face, blood spraying, her body collapsing, her teal eyes lifeless, her immortality questioned once more.

"Let's go!" Aster yelled, her voice sharp, her gaze snapping to Pako, who nodded, her arms already lifting Syn, his body limp, his oxygen mask fogging with shallow breaths.

"I'll carry Mia," Aster said, moving to Mia's crumpled form, her eyes widening at the blue blood, a muttered "What the fuck?" escaping her lips.

But time was short, the Kingdom ships closing in outside, their cannons glinting.

Aster lifted Mia, her body light but fragile, her blue blood staining Aster's suit, her pale eyes flickering with faint consciousness.

Pako moved to the metro wall, her gloved hand slamming a breaching charge against the metal, the device beeping, then detonating with a muffled blast, a new window shattering, the vacuum of space sucking at the car's air.

The warning message blared again: "Warning: Hull breach detected."

Pako and Aster didn't hesitate, their space suits sealed, their oxygen masks secure.

Pako jumped first, Syn cradled in her arms, the stars a dizzying expanse around her, the Kingdom ships looming, their lights flashing.

Aster followed, Mia in her grasp, the two women floating into the void, leaving the metro behind, its flickering lights and bloodied corpses a fading nightmare.

A Kingdom ship waited ahead, its sleek hull glinting, its insignia gleaming under the starlight, but its movements were too precise, too evasive for a loyalist vessel.

It was a pirate-controlled ship, disguised as Kingdom property to avoid detection, its docking bay yawning open, a beacon of salvation.

Aster and Pako propelled themselves toward it, their thrusters flaring, their suits humming in the vacuum.

They breached the bay, the airlock hissing as it sealed behind them, gravity reasserting itself, their boots hitting the deck with a thud.

"Hurry!" Aster barked, her voice sharp through her suit's comms, her teal eyes scanning the bay, her scar taut with urgency.

She carried Mia to a chair and brought out the emergency safety aid kit.

Pako followed, Syn cradled in her arms, her movements gentle but swift, laying him on another chair beside.

Their hands worked quick with bandages and injectors, stabilizing their wounds and stopping the blood flow, something to manage until they arrived at the base.

The ship's engines roared, the deck vibrating as it accelerated, pulling away from the metro's wreckage.

Outside, three other Kingdom ships—identical in design, their insignias flawless—maneuvered into formation, their movements synchronized, a protective screen.

These, too, were pirate-controlled, remotely piloted by Vera from the pirate base, decoys to confuse the Kingdom's pursuing fleet.

The cockpit crew, relayed data to Vera's command, their screens flashing with trajectories and sensor pings, the four ships weaving through space, their hulls glinting like blades in the starlight.

The Kingdom's fleet was closing in, a dozen ships, their cannons charging, their sensors sweeping, their pilots baffled by the empty metro's random attack, unaware of the pirate deception.

Alerts blared through the pirate ship's cockpit, a female voice—Vera's—crackling over the comms, calm but commanding: "Decoys, execute pattern Delta. Draw their fire. Main ship, maintain course for base. We've got incoming."

The lead Kingdom ship fired, plasma bolts lancing through the void, grazing one decoy, its hull sparking but holding, its remote systems unfazed.

The other two decoys executed sharp turns, broadcasting false signals, mimicking the main ship's signature, sowing confusion in the Kingdom's ranks.

Vera's voice crackled again, her tone sharp: "Crew, tighten formation. Decoy Two, take the hit if you have to. Main ship, full thrust, now!"

The cockpit crew obeyed, their hands flying over controls, the main ship's engines roaring, the deck shuddering as it surged toward the pirate base, a cloaked asteroid station hidden in a nebula's haze, its coordinates a closely guarded secret.

The decoys danced, one taking a direct hit, its hull breaching, debris scattering, but its sacrifice pulled half the Kingdom fleet away, their sensors locked on the false target.

A small trail of Kingdom ships—three sleek interceptors—clung to the main ship's tail, their cannons charging, their pursuit relentless.

Aster gripped the viewport's edge, her knuckles white, her teal eyes narrowing.

"Vera, we've got stragglers," she said into her comm, her voice steady but urgent.

"On it," Vera replied, her voice calm, a hint of glee creeping in.

The pirate base loomed ahead, its cloaking field shimmering, revealing a massive, fortified structure carved into the asteroid, its turrets swiveling, their barrels glowing with charged plasma.

The interceptors closed in, their sensors piercing the nebula's haze, but they were too late.

Vera's turrets fired, a barrage of plasma bolts tearing through the void, obliterating the Kingdom ships in a cascade of fire and debris, their hulls disintegrating, their pursuit ended.

The main ship breached the base's docking bay, its hull scraping the magnetic field, the bay doors sealing behind it with a resounding clang.

The deck steadied, the engines powering down, the hum of the base's systems replacing the chaos of space.

Medics rushed Syn and Mia to the infirmary, their stretchers gliding through the bay, monitors beeping, their conditions critical but stable.

Aster and Pako followed, their boots echoing on the metal floor, their faces grim but relieved.

Vera's eyes flicked to the infirmary where Syn's stretcher had disappeared, her tone carrying a weight of relief and unspoken gratitude. "Welcome back, Syn"