NINJAGO: Starmarked

19 - The Inevitable

Up in the control room, Quentin had taken command of the ship's movement. It rumbled heavily as it suddenly began to lean towards the side - He pulled the main levers that controlled the orientation of the ship's motion in an attempt to steer it away from Ninjago City. 

The floor shook as Quentin struggled to manoeuvre the huge aircraft. Back on the main deck, the extractor was now unfunctional; all that was left to do was to securely release the stardust back to the city. 

Lloyd, Nya, Kai and Jay arrived to support the rest of their team, wielding their partially-gold weapons. Sigma finally stood up straight again, ready for the incoming attack from the ninja. On the floor beside the capsule, Jupiter sat clutching the two artefacts; she shoved them into her pockets. Now that Sigma was distracted, she had the chance to break the container herself, gather the dust and return Ninjago City back to its former glory - all she needed was something sharp or heavy to do it. 

Soon, a ruthless battle on the deck broke out - swords and katanas being propelled at Sigma, who guarded herself with the weapons on her arms. 

"Uh, guys? In a few seconds, we're all gonna become human pancakes!" Nya exclaimed mid-battle, grasping onto a nearby railing. The ship was descending at an angle, towards the dusty outskirts of the city, rumbling and roaring like an unruly beast. 

"We have to get off this ship! Or else we'll all be obliterated!" Zane returned quickly - he shot one last golden arrow at the alien tyrant, watching it hurl through the air into her shoulder. Sigma growled in pain and fell to the floor.

Jupiter swivelled round to her friends and exclaimed; "But what about--"  

"There's no time! The capsule will be destroyed in the crash anyway! If we ever want to see tomorrow, we have to go!" Lloyd yelled back. Beside the unstable ship, Samurai X and Ronin's ship R.E.X were warily hovering by Master Wu, who had lifted the Destiny's Bounty into the air, urging the ninja to jump. 

The ninja all nodded to each other and left Sigma by the damaged machine. They made a run for the Bounty, leaping from the alien platform onto its wooden floor before the Kosmikiles' mothership crashed in a fiery detonation. 

However, there was one hesitant ninja, who turned back. 

Jupiter grabbed a broken piece of metal debris from the shaky floor and quickly ran up to the glass capsule of stardust. Her reflection stared back at her as she glared into the glowing void of cosmic matter. There was familiarity within the glass canister; the essence of her mother, her friends, the places she knew. It was all in there, and she had to get it back.

She grabbed the astralstone and Sky Jewel from her pockets and held them in one hand, while she struck the capsule repeatedly with the metal fragment with the other hand. Abruptly, the astralstone and jewel began to gleam one last time, with a radiant light that glared against the cracking glass. 

Behind her, Sigma struggled to lift herself off the floor, clambering onto the broken rails and equipment; her glossy red eyes glanced at the lilac ninja. The burns and bruises on her alien flesh stung with pain - she helplessly observed.

In the distance, the panicked cries of her friends aboard the Bounty arose as they watched the mothership plummet towards the sand. 

"Where is Jupiter? Was she not on the ship?" Master Wu asked in an alarmed tone, grasping the wheel of the Bounty. 

"She was just with us!" Jay exclaimed in return, looking around at the team. The mighty Samurai X suit abruptly landed on the Bounty's deck beside the concerned ninja. Pixal promptly jumped down and gazed at her friends. All except one. 

They all rushed to the edge of the flying pirate ship, and fearfully watched the alien mothership burst into flames as it plunged into a disastrous pile of rubble on the ground.