The chaos in Horizon Port's lower district was temporarily suppressed by the forceful intervention of the Port Authority's Iron Curtain patrols. Yet the tension and hostility in the air felt almost tangible, making it hard to breathe. Hive's soldiers and members of the Void Exiles guild eyed one another within their respective territories, while minor clashes and skirmishes continued in the shadows. The shrill alarms had fallen silent, but the guns on the port's defense platforms remained coldly trained on the Hive Fleet outside. Both sides were locked in a fragile standoff that could erupt at any moment.
Inside abandoned Dock Thirty-Seven, emergency repairs on the Benatar were proceeding at a frantic pace. With scarce parts delivered through the Void Exiles guild's secret channels and Rocket Raccoon's near-manic repair efforts, the damaged conduits in the ship's aft main engine had finally been replaced, and several crucial shield-generator nodes had been reactivated. The ship was still far from fully combat-ready, but at least it could perform short-range jumps and maintain basic defenses.
"Engine ignition test! Three, two, one!" Rocket roared at the console.
Humm-!!!
Steady streams of blue flame shot from the Benatar's stern. Though weaker than they had been at full power, they were no longer accompanied by black smoke or abnormal noise.
"It worked! Fuck! I'm a goddamn genius!" Rocket waved his paws excitedly.
"Shield power is back to 15%! The cloaking system is still dead, and the weapons don't have enough power, but at least we can move!" Gamora reported as she watched the readings, her tense expression easing slightly.
"Thank God! We finally don't have to sit around waiting to die in this hellhole!" Star-Lord exhaled in relief and wiped away his sweat.
Lin Ye, however, stood by the viewport with a slight frown, feeling no relief