The warning klaxons howled through the ship's steel bones, a noise Naomi had come to dread since arriving in this world.
"Osaka, what's happening?" she asked.
"Proximity alert," he drawled. "Couple ships sittin' right in our lane. Smells like an ambush to me."
"Then we'd better get back to the bridge. Check who they belong to before I get there."
Kicking off the wall, Naomi shot down the passageway and slid into the captain's chair as soon as she hit the bridge.
"Heat signatures! Seven—no, eight ships! Five destroyers, two light cruisers, and one supply!" Serena's voice cracked, sharp with alarm.
On the side console, Osaka calmly tagged the ships by type, then tossed the data onto the main display.
"Confirmed Imperial IDs. Flagship's the Guardian. Belongs to Count Marsen's defense fleet."
A voice barked over open comms, sharp as a blade:
"I am Knight Jean-Pierre of House Marsen. You are accused of destroying facilities at Luna Beta and sheltering dangerous criminals. Shut down your engines and surrender. Resistance will be met with your destruction."
Naomi blew out a breath. "So much for talking our way out. We're not about to get hauled in. Osaka, battle stations!"
"Well, reckon that was comin'," he said, with a crooked grin. "Sure, we busted up their stuff, but truth be told, what they want is the princess. All guns ready to bark."
"Good. Engines, full combat speed! Main batteries, target the cruisers. Serena, keep eyes on the destroyers and switch secondaries to auto-intercept."
The Grim Reaper's turrets growled to life, swinging toward their marks. Then the old warship lunged forward as though hungry for battle again.
On the comm, the knight sputtered. "You fool! That relic of a cruiser dares oppose the Empire's finest?!"
"Quit yer bellyachin'," Osaka shot back, sharp and amused. "This ol' Reaper's clawed through more blood and fire than y'all ever dreamed of. Time for class, boys."
He tapped the tactical system, painting their best route in glowing blue lines across the main display.
Naomi's eyes narrowed. "So this gives us a fighting chance?"
"Not perfect," he said easily, "but better'n flyin' blind. Built on real battles, so odds ain't bad."
She jerked the stick, steering them into position.
"Destroyers breakin' wide!" Serena yelped. "Missile salvos incoming!"
"Fine. Main Gun One—left twenty-two, up eleven. Main Gun Two—right eighteen, up ten!" Naomi barked.
The secondaries shrieked with laser fire, burning streaks through the missile swarm. Naomi slammed the stick over. "Let's smack 'em on the flyby!"
The Grim Reaper hurtled forward, ignoring the destroyers fanning out to either side, charging straight at the pair of cruisers anchoring the line.
"Enemy cruiser—high energy spike! Shields comin' online!" Serena shouted.
"Too late! Guns One and Two—fire!"
The ship roared. Twin particle cannons spat spears of light, ripping through the void. Enemy shields cracked like glass, and both cruisers reeled, their bows punched open by direct hits.
"Destroyers circlin' to our six!" Serena warned.
"Gun Three—rear arc suppression fire! Load anti-ship missiles. Prep the chaff!"
Osaka let out a low whistle. "Well I'll be. Didn't think ya'd pull the ol' chaff trick. Captain's got style. This is gettin' fun."
Naomi smirked. "Figured—last time I was chased, a bag of flour saved my skin. Same idea."
The hull shuddered as a missile blasted free, streaking straight toward the flagship.
"Damn," Osaka laughed. "Right at the flagship, huh? You don't mess around."
"Serena—short-range warp. Anywhere toward Perdegius."
Her fingers flew. "Coordinates locked! Three... two... one!"
The stars bent, twisted, and snapped back. Serena scanned quickly. "Warp complete. No ships nearby."
"Good. Again. Same heading."
Hop by hop they blinked across space until finally Naomi ordered a long-range jump. The Grim Reaper leapt, arrowing toward Gordia Central.
Osaka leaned back with a grin. "Gotta hand it to ya, Captain. Followed the sim close enough to keep us alive, but ya tossed in some pirate spice with that chaff an' warp-hop shuffle. They'll be sweatin' bullets tryin' to tail us now."
Naomi laughed. "Saw it in an anime once. Figured it was worth a try."
Serena blinked. "Anime? From your world?"
"Yeah. Not training—entertainment. Like a play, but drawn."
"Ah... like the hologram scrolls used to teach princesses. Songs and dances for politics and etiquette?"
"...Sure. Close enough. Though yours sound boring as hell."
Osaka's grin faded. "This time we fought locals. But if it's the Imperial Army next, they'll know their craft. You'd best start drillin'. Ain't just fun and games out there."
The plan was to run Naomi through soldier-grade combat sims, tailored for the Reaper. Not games, but brutal drills.
Naomi nodded brightly. "Sounds like a game to me. And hey—knowledge and skill beat dumb luck. I'm in."
"Good," he said with a nod. "We'll run it in that escape pod the princess was ridin'. You'll be bunkin' there tonight."
"Roger that. Serena, I'll borrow the pod."
"Of course. Best of luck."
Naomi smiled lightly at first. But after a week of Osaka's "training," her smile was gone. This wasn't a game. It was military hell—and she regretted ever saying yes.