As soon as Lenny, Forge, and Saito were on the ship, John immediately powered up the thrusters to escape from their pursuers.

"Hey, Connor, long time no see!" Lenny greeted John with a wide grin on his face the moment he entered the cockpit.

"Fuck off!" John was very angry at the casual Lenny.

The universe's fate was at risk, and here he was, saving a freeloader named Lenny.

John started to regret his decision of coming as soon as he saw that annoying and dumb smile on Lenny's face.

John glanced at the Navigation Console and saw the ships still on hot pursuit. It didn't seem like they were willing to give up. They started to charge their energy weapons that could easily penetrate John's spaceship's weak Forcefield and the fragile hull.

Lenny went beside John and looked with a grim expression at the images on the console.

"Those two should be comfortable now." Peri entered the cockpit and said to Lenny, "The Hylotl kid looks to have been drugged, as for the female Apex, is just some minor injuries, and a concussion. She should be awake in just a few minutes."

Immediately after landing on the spaceship, Lenny gave the two he had been carrying for Peri to put them in a comfortable room, before walking for the cockpit.

"Oh, thanks." Lenny dismissively thanked as he only threw a quick glance at Peri before returning his attention at the console.

"Wait a minute..." Lenny suddenly realized something. He glanced back and forth between John and Peri before slyly smiling and nodding in understanding, "You surely are a womanizer, John. I have been away for only a few days, and you already got yourself a lady-"

"Shut up!" Both John and Peri shouted at Lenny.

"Ouch..." Lenny made a face he been hurt before laughing and saying, "I take away what I said. She's no lady at all; she's a brute-"

*Bam*

John only saw a green blur before Lenny was sent flying away from the cockpit.

Peri's face was emotionless and cold as she lowered her arm that she just used to punch Lenny away.

[You deserved it.] John thought to himself as he took pleasure on Lenny's misfortune.

He was angry at Lenny, but the punch delivered by Peri at Lenny's chest was enough for him to forgive Lenny.

It was on that day that Lenny learned that teasing John was okay, but teasing Peri would have heavy consequences.

"Urgh..." Lenny stood up from the ground as he rubbed the place in his chest where Peri hit, "Like I said, a brute..." He made sure to whisper in a voice low enough that only him heard.

"Protector..." Lenny heard a robotic and emotionless voice through the speakers in the hallway, "The pursuers' weapon has finished charging. They are aiming the spaceship. I suggest starting evasive maneuvers."

"Alright... SAIL, give me full control over the spaceship." John went for the controls and started to type as fast as he could.

With full control over the ship, John could easily start to properly pilot the ship.

Although he had never been the best pilot in his class, he was about in the middle. For the Terrene Protectorate's standards, he was very above the average pilot outside the Protectorate.

[This is no simulation...] John thought as cold sweat dripped from his forehead, [Is a life and death situation. Let's hope my skills can take us out of this predicament.]

...

Inside the leading ship that was pursuing John, the captain looked at unfamiliar spaceship in front of him.

There were no marks, neither anything that could identify from where it comes and the model of the ship.

Just like their own used in this operation to raid the space station for the Hylotl kid.

The Apex captain squinted his eyes as his finger hovered above the button to send an energy beam towards the spaceship.

He was waiting for the perfect opportunity to damage the engines and stop the ship from working.

As he was concentrating on the screen in front of him, he suddenly heard a voice coming from his copilot beside him, "New orders from the commander!"

"What is it?" The captain asked without taking his eyes from the screen.

"The orders are to eliminate the target and everyone with it." The copilot said before he turned around to look at the captain that stopped aiming as soon as he heard the change of plans given by their commander, "We cannot allow the ISU neither the Sea Faction to find out about this operation." The copilot thoughtfully said.

"Yes." The captain nodded, "The consequences would be disastrous." He said absentmindedly before turning his head to his copilot, "Relay the new orders. Let the fleet change from energy weapon to lethal and destructive ones."

...

Just when the laser beams were about to hit John's spaceship, he twisted the joysticks on his Navigation Console and changed direction.

*Bzzzt*

The spaceship shook as the lasers just barely hit the energy field around the ship.

"Forcefield has been hit by a laser beam." SAIL's voice sounded at the cockpit, "Damage absorbed by the Forcefield. Forcefield's energy dropped to 95%."

Cold sweat dripped from John's forehead, "Luckily they aren't trying to kill us or else-"

[Or else, that single shot would almost empty 1/4 of the shield if it was a direct hit.] It was what John was about to say. Still, he didn't manage to continue before being interrupted by Lenny.

"Errrr... John..." Lenny spoke beside John as his eyes were glued at the screen showing the situation behind the spaceship, "You should take another look."

"What?" John glanced at the screen, "Why do you-"

John was about to ask something, but it got stuck on his throat as soon as he saw the fleet's next movements behind him.

"Oh...fuck..." John cursed as his lips twitched, [Why did I have to speak those words...] He thought to himself.

The fleet behind them just entered in formation, and all had unlocked their guns.

Missiles, energy beams, gattling guns...

"This is bad, isn't it?" Lenny grimly asked John.

"Worse than you think..." John answered, "This ship doesn't have a single weapon or defensive mechanism. Although Pete did some modifications, it only increased the speed and the overall look."

The fleet behind them was slowly catching up with them, they didn't have enough speed to simply shake them off, nor any guns to destroy, and neither defensive mechanisms besides the standard Forcefield to protect themselves from the barrage of projectiles and explosives they will send their way.

John's mind worked at a speed never seen before as he tried to figure out a way to get themselves out of this predicament.

He didn't have time to regret his decision of saving Lenny and neither the to blame his situation at anyone else.

In this kind of situation, John immediately tried to find a way out and not lose time with unnecessary thoughts.

[I need a way out...what do I have available...?] This was his current thoughts.