Deep Space
Uhlek Badlands
Thrynn Frigate Jussru

Amid the burning smoke and rolling klaxon lights, Colonel Venn’Bk saw the fine crew of his adopted warship. They were superb warriors, and thriving on the fight, but Venn’Bk knew they couldn’t trade firepower with the hulk directly ahead. So he turned to Captain Rssa and nodded. Rssa gave the order and Jussru shuddered as it launched an ingenious product of the combat labs at Hssthss. It was very small, only marginally larger than an evacuation vehicle, and very fast, in the same speed range as a low grade missile.

The genius element: it wouldn’t track on standard targeting systems unless they were calibrated ahead of time—it was too small; and it would fly right through shield nets, too large to trip the deflector mechanism. Captain Rssa let the colonel worry about the breacher. He had other concerns. “Damage report.”

Deep Space
Uhlek Badlands
The Shanghai

“Brace for impact!—whatever it is, it’s going to hit us hard,” shouted Arella, her brain still trying to classify the incoming projectile.

Far across the breath of the ship's massive bulk, the Marines' gangplank breacher crashed through the pressure hull and the inner bulkhead, tearing a tortured screech from the warship’s buckling metal skin. Grappling arms jutting from the breacher jerked it to a full halt, from five-hundred fifty kph to zero on a dime.

In the next instant, snap hydraulics pushed spanner plates out to partially fill the gap created by the impact. At the same time, a set of vents flooded the breach with a liquid silicon composite patch that froze into place, instantaneously restoring integrity to the pierced hull. Finally, air reservoirs on the breacher’s bow cut wide open and repressurized the cabin. It took just under four seconds, from impact to pressurization.

The landing ramp dropped down to the deck in a cloud of steam and the heavy duty dampener harnesses lifted off the Marines. Wearing assault armor, the team hustled down into the cabin where a lance corporal immediately went to work setting an explosive on the sealed hatch. The charge detonated and the Marines followed the blast, disappearing through the smoke into the maze of passages and chambers.

Deep Space
Uhlek Badlands
The Shanghai

Biggs was already running for the weapons trunk when the collision alarms starting blaring on temporary bridge. “What the hell was that?” shouted Mack, struggling for balance as a dull shudder rippled through the ship.

“Where do they come up with this stuff?” Biggs hollered at no one in particular. “Crazy bastards,” he continued, pulling open the lockers and reaching for a reverb rifle. He grabbed one by the foregrip, trying to slingshot the charging handle. “Damn!—Mack! Reach in the toolbox and get me some oil,” he swore. Another shudder.

“Upper decks,” reported Grix, scanning the status display. “Dorsal, just forward of the engine assembly. “There was a hull integrity breach, but it’s been sealed,” he finished, as Biggs tossed rifles to the rest of the crew. Arella pulled up a schematic of the vessel on an auxiliary console, tracing her fingers over the blue glow.

“Just under a mile if they come on the quickest route,” she said, performing a function check on her rifle. She lodged a clip in the magazine well and slid an energy cell into the stalk.

“They? Who, Thrynn? They are crazy,” said Mack, grasping the situation and smacking the motion tracker when it wouldn’t turn on.

“Hatches’ll hold ‘em for a few moments a pop,” said Boz, “and maybe they make a few wrong turns—”

“No,” said Grssn. He pulled off his cloak, revealing the polished lines of his own weapon, a medium blaster. “They will be here earlier than we’d guesss. They will sslow for nothing.” He looked at the map. Another explosion, this one closer, sent a steady vibration through the floor. “Yess,” he said, nodding with quiet decision, “these will sscertainly be Royalsss.” Yssk’s gut tightened.

“Royals?” asked Nexbo. Grssn said nothing, loading his weapon, his movements becoming more fluidly reptilian as the tension mounted.

“The Iron Dragonsss of Ghettusss Row,” answered Senator Hvhuss. “The Royal Marinesss of the Thrynn Confederate Navy.” The lights flickered briefly, then went out. Dim auxiliaries blinked on after a dark moment.

“We’ve got to get back to the Windfall,” said Biggs.

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Next: “Battle Line”

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