Ari gunned the engine away, hearing the sudden declaration to clear the firing line. She angled the X-50s and dove away at top speed. She was still in awe from the first shot she saw from the Wave Motion Gun, and was less than eager to be caught in the blast from one. She quickly achieved top speed, the X-50s still running optimally thankfully. She watched then as the blast arced out, a blast of pure devastation given physical form. She watched, in awe, as it blew through part of a cruiser that the other team had just blown up, through the enemy shields, and then still through the enemy vessel. Truly, the Lincoln carried terrifying firepower for being a carrier, and it made one wonder after the capabilities of the true battleships that the UEE fielded. The coalition may have the edge in small craft, as they had vastly superior numbers of MAS suits for obvious reasons, but it seemed UEE naval dominance held true just as it always seemed to whenever it was called into question by another Coalition attack.
Shaken from her reverie by the Captain's order, she began to panic a bit again. She was driving a damaged suit and needed to get back for a hot exfil, in 10 minutes? There was no way! She's a rookie pilot, no way she can swing it! Again, though, the steely confidence in her belly reminded her that yes, yes she could. She was a great pilot and she'd even kept the pace with the 7th thus far, surely she could manage to make her way back, right? Besides, if nothing else, even if she missed the evac she was still in UEE territory, it wasn't like she was deep in Coalition terf. With a sigh of relief, she decided to do her utmost to reach the Lincoln. However, a few zigzagging shots said something different.
With a glance, she noted that an enemy Ferir was flying forwards, gunning towards her. Another glance confirmed that her targeting AI was back online, and she resolved that she had the time to dance. She began to fly up, her weapons locking on quickly. She did NOT have the time for this shit, and she'd learned her lesson. She adjusted the solution manually, and let loose, watching with a grin as the blasts raced out. She grinned as the blasts made contact, watching the Ferir go spiraling into the endless dark. Ariana had the first of many lessons of MAS combat, and it was time to prove that she'd learned it well. With that, she turned towards the Lincoln and got to work, firing her thrusters and hurtling away.
Ari watched as the Lincoln grew closer and closer, while her MAS narrowly dodged round after round. She had no idea if she was going to make it, which round would be the lucky one that took her down. In a way, it was almost intoxicating, that feeling of adrenaline filling her. It made her feel so...alive, like every part of her body was hyper aware. She grinned as she flew, as if she could feel every ounce of speed the Astelion was gaining while hurtling through space. She was calm, collected, completely in control of her MAS and her surroundings, she knew she could do this. Adrenaline and confidence in equal measure kept her flying, elegantly dancing around projectiles
When she arrived to the Lincoln, she watched the Hangars open, and threw up all her brakes and reverse thrusters for a rapid deceleration. Speed rapidly ticked away from her MAS as she closed in, and she even angled the X-50s to try and provide a brake. It worked to some extent, and she was able to draw to a slow glide by the time she floated into the hangar. Various machines began to kick into place, grabbing the Astelion in a few key places to help guide it into the bay. As she was guided to her proper place for the Astelion, she sighed a gentle sigh of relief at this however, as she was at least safe now. Of course, that also meant that she had to wait for her team mates. With a gentle prayer, she wished them nothing but safety, and hoping that they would return alive. She'd already begun to grow incredibly attached to them, especially Maki and Alice, who'd been so nice to her. So, her sincerest prayers went with them, and she folded her hands and lowered her head in her cockpit, fervently praying for them.
