Made it!

You're almost to the jump lane, now. Kalis inputs the commands and lets loose another round of weapons fire into the remaining frigate, this time the Mass Accelerator ripping a hole in what appears to be either the ammo dump or the fuel storage, judging by the resultant explosion. Only the Red Empress is left to pursue you.

A low-pitched beeping emits from Kalis's console as she calmly states, "Missiles are locked on to us. Missiles have been fired."

You get a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. You're all out of decoys.

"Prepare for impact."

Watching the viewscreen in horror, you can see the barrage of missiles approaching at rapid speed; there are too many to count. Grabbing hold of the nearest hand rail, you grit your teeth and wait.

Suddenly, the swarm of missiles seems to freeze in place. A split second later, they appear to be getting farther and farther away, as if they were flying backwards away from you. As the distant stars in the surrounding space begin to blur into lines, you realize that you've made it through the lane gate. A moment later you see the missiles slam into the gate itself, the resulting explosion certain to disable if not destroy the gate. The Red Empress has inadvertently nullified its only means of pursuit.

You release your hold on the railing and you wipe your clammy hands on your pants. Your heart is still pounding, but you know that you are safe. For the moment.

Looking over at Osha, you see a shaking Holton crumpled on the floor at her feet, hugging her legs tightly. She looks as serene as ever as she leans down to gently pat his head. She looks back up at you and smiles.

You lean back in your seat and sigh.

"Okay, Vel, where are we headed?"