[*]He was not having a good day.

  “I want an estimated repair time as soon as there is one!”

  Not only could they still have pursuers after them, they now couldn’t move due to an unlucky combination of an unreguted jump and a stray shot that hit the drive. If they had completely lost the ability to get back to an occupied system, they would have to send out a distress call. One that could be tracked by the people that put them into this predicament in the first pce. It would be completely random who would show up first. Which meant it was the st thing he wanted.

  Of course, if they took too long to repair the drives they could be caught anyways. Their pursuers would need to check a great many pces or spend days analyzing the drive trail, but they would find this pce eventually. The only reason it wouldn’t be sooner was the same reason they couldn’t just leave as soon as the drives reset. A blessing and a curse all rolled into one.

  “Sir! Engineering needs your input. They say they can make emergency repairs in an hour or so, but we would only get one more jump and would completely lose them. If we want more than that they would need to tear the drives apart and it could be days before we could move again.”

  Curses. That was a terrible decision to make. How much time could he spare until he was pushing his luck. If only he had a better time..-

  “Sir! Ship on radar!”

  ‘What? How had they been found so fast?’

  “How long until they are in range? Navigation I want jump options, now!”

  If he was only to get one jump, so be it. It would just have to be a very good one. He hoped he had the time at least.

  “Uh, sir? None.”

  “What?!?”

  “The ship is right on top of us sir. We are almost certainly in range.”

  “Why was I not informed of an approaching vessel?! Comms, tell engineering to start the emergency repairs!”

  “I’m sorry sir, there was no approach! They just appeared on top of us. The only reason we even know they are there is the alignment ping on their docking umbilical. Sensors found nothing and the ship is far too close for opticals. It’s almost as if we nded right on top of them!”

  What? What was even happening right now? A ship that didn’t show up on sensors was unheard of. Not to mention that anything in the immediate area of their nding would have been vaporized by the drive wake. That was the whole reason to regute jumps in the first pce! It was possible the other ship had ridden the wake out of the harmful area, but only an A.I. or an insane pilot would even attempt something like that. They had been here long enough to be approached, but that didn’t expin how they hadn’t spotted anything!

  ‘Wait, did he say docking ping?’

  “Prepare for boarders! Someone fetch me my weapons. Sensors, which docking cmp are they attempting. Comms, report anything on any external frequency.”

  “Comms, sir! We are being jammed. Nothing in or out.”

  “Sir! Readings indicate they are near external airlock RN-6 and closing! They aren’t even trying for a docking cmp!”

  ‘Insane. These people were insane! No one attempts a boarding action on an air lock!’

  He shuddered. Whatever was happening was not something he wanted to be a part of.

  “Navigation, find us a way out and jump as soon as engineering gives the ok. I want a defensive position at that air lock now! Anyone that isn’t vitally important grab a weapon and follow me. I want updates if something happens!”

  A chorus of ‘Yes, sir’s' followed. He made his way out to the designated air lock and was pleased to see there was at least some attempt to fortify the area.

  “Report!”

  “Sir! There were two loud thumps and –”

  The words were cut off as two thuds hit the air lock door, so strong that they rattled the pting. As if someone was trying to break in with brute force alone.

  “Like that sir!”

  He got behind an improvised empcement and aimed his weapon at the door. Hopefully it would give them most of the time they needed to get the drives repaired. His hopes didn’t st long though as the air lock gave a happy beep and slid open.

  He didn’t bme his men. He really couldn’t. The scent of fear and anxiety that had lingered in the area started to mix with the distinct scent of wet bottom wear. It was only as the screaming was fading into the distance that he realized he had lowered his weapon.

  What was the point? Nothing he did would matter.

  “You. Send help. Many things. Speak slow.”

  Confusion joined the mix of despair and helplessness as the figure filling the air lock door growled out the words.

  ‘Were they being captured? More valuable that way maybe?’

  “fetc….*cough* Fetch one of the younger ones”

  Two of those that had frozen up like him happily scurried off to fulfill the order. There might be a way out of this. If he could take his time sending people, they might still have enough crew left when the drives were back online.

  After what seemed like an eternity being stared down, but was far too short a time in reality, the first sacrifice walked into sight of the air lock and froze. He could understand the sentiment.

  He pointed and barked a quick order, “Go, do what it says.”

  The younger girl looked back at him with utter terror, but a push from one of the men that had fetched her sent her stumbling towards the air lock.

  And her fate.

  He did not expect the girl to faint as soon as the growling started. He expected it even less when a shadow moved and the girl was hauled into the air and disappeared past the air lock. He liked it not at all when the figure gave him a strange look he didn’t understand and then turned and disappeared as well.

  They needed to leave.

  ‘What kind of madman tries to board a ship with more than one of those nightmares!?’

  [C]She didn’t know how it had happened, that she was the only one to be allowed to clean the delicate electronics while the others around her were scrubbing the walls and floors. She might have been the only one indifferent enough to endure the old sve’s teachings, but surely he wasn’t the only one that knew how right? The lessons weren’t even that bad once she had stopped making mistakes. She could be thankful in the future, when she wouldn’t have to hurt her knees on the hard floor in her old age. It only meant cold eyes and whispered envy now though.

  If they were allowed to talk at all.

  She preferred it when they couldn’t. She had never known anything else and conversation was difficult for her. She could handle orders or give a short report, if she had to, but she preferred to keep her mouth shut. It meant fewer painful nights, even if she caught stray punishments from others nearby for opening theirs. A quick sh or beating could be ignored if it happened nearby. The colr though, it never cared if she had been the one to open her mouth, it only mattered if she was in range of the button when it got pressed and it was the easiest way to punish a group for talking. It was always pressed when she was in the middle of cleaning as well, since she did her best not to get involved when others got caught or reprimanded.

  That always led to more punishment for everyone as she inevitably hit a switch or other sensitive part on the electronics she was cleaning. She didn’t know why they all bmed her for it though, she hadn’t been the one to get in trouble in the first pce. If only most things could be like the bridge, where she could quickly and quietly undo whatever she had hit. So long as nothing needed cleaning when everyone was awake, it was the only pce she rarely got a second punishment.

  She was gd no crew were around this time. When the ship had moved beneath her as she was cleaning, she had hit something. It had to be something sensitive as well, since the arms started bring soon after. Quickly undoing it hadn’t changed the arms much and the worried whispers from the others around her were sure to lead to a punishment. She may even be called out by the others in a vain attempt to avoid something worse.

  She moved a little bit away from where she had hit whatever it was and got back to cleaning. Maybe the people in charge would think it wasn’t her fault if she kept working. A vain hope, but she had never caused an arm before. The ship rocked a second time, also something that had never happened before, but she wasn’t near anything she could hit accidentally this time. She kept her head down and kept cleaning. If they found out it was her fault, she was sure they would never turn the colr off again.

  She wasn’t sure how she would keep cleaning if it was always shocking her.

  Thoughts of endless punishment kept her head down when she heard the crew walking toward her.

  “You, come with us.”

  It took a rough hand on her shoulder to realize they had meant her. A quick look found out why. She was alone now, the others had disappeared. At least she hadn’t been shocked yet. She started to listen again, just in case. There was no reason they wouldn’t if she ignored them again.

  “…but why the air lock? Those monsters could take out anything.”

  “Why not an air lock? Protocol says they can’t be locked. If both sides are equalized the outer door must open. Why waste time on an armored cmp door when they could just hit a button. Just our bad luck they picked one that had a broken inner door.”

  “I guess that and we’re helpless. Could just move and suck those things into space otherwise.”

  “Maybe? Rumors say space can’t kill them either.”

  She didn’t know what was going on, but she didn’t want to be near an air lock. They were the worst pces to clean. Most of them were broken in some way and she had heard that another sve had been sucked out when they bumped into the control panel. She always made sure not to linger near them, doing her work quickly and leaving as soon as it was done.

  When she got to the air lock and saw the mess on the floor, she cursed the others in her head. It was just body waste, they didn’t need her to do the cleaning. If the others hadn’t run away, she could still be working elsewhere.

  At least that was what she had thought, until she got her order.

  “Go, do what it says.”

  She looked up and saw with horror that it was the captain that was looking at her and pointing towards the air lock. The man frightened her to no end. So much so that she was shaking by the time she got to the opening.

  And saw the monster.

  She froze. The captain might haunt her mind, but this… all her instincts screamed to run from this.

  She would take any punishment, but she wouldn’t get closer.

  She hated the push she felt from behind. But the man that did it was big enough to force her to move. Right into the air lock and within reach of the monster. Which started a low growl that sent terror down her spine. Her ears folded back and she felt her tail curl between her legs. She could feel it as it grew wet and a strange thought about the mess flitted through her mind.

  When the deepest growl she had ever heard outside an engine room fell from above her she looked up. And up. As her head craned back as far as it could go, she felt a strange sensation. Like she was falling. The world was also being covered in shadows. It took her a moment to recognize the feeling of the floor.

  ‘Why can I feel the floor.’

  Her mind really wasn’t working right. Maybe she wasn’t awake.

  Best to just close her eyes then.