The look on the Skirmat Eagle’s face was one of surprise that quickly became anger. He pointed his weapon at Pickyrd’s chest and pulled the trigger. He snarled as nothing happened.
‘Take them,’ he ordered, stepping back and glowering at his laser pistol.
Before the soldiers could move, an explosion rocked the station. Ed felt the artificial gravity waver for a second and a couple of ceiling panels over in the control room dropped, crashing onto the operators below. More alarms began to wail and the floor vibrated with a secondary detonation.
Pickyrd swung his weapon up and fired twice. Two of the soldiers dropped, while the other two looked confused at why their rifles wouldn’t work before bundling the Skirmat Eagle back out the door and disappearing up the corridor.
Ed regained his balance after the gravity fluctuation, pulled his rifle off his shoulder and attempted to follow, but ran straight into the door. It had closed after the soldiers had left and was now seemingly locked.
Pickyrd shouted at the reception girl peeking out from behind the desk and swung his weapon round towards her. Ed saw her eyes go wide, before she ducked away, but the threat had been enough as the door swished open again.
They left the pandemonium of the control centre and, after checking it was safe, turned right out of the door in pursuit of the corrupt Skirmat. The noxious smell of burning plastics hit Ed’s nostrils as they reached the elevators and he felt himself go light again as the gravity fluctuated.
The elevator call panel was flashing red so Pickyrd pointed at the emergency stairwell. They both stumbled on their way down as the station moved suddenly.
‘Probably trying to re-establish a stable orbit,’ said Pickyrd.
They both ducked as a loud bang came from below.
‘It was a door slamming,’ said Ed, continuing the descent.
‘He better not’ve locked it this time,’ said Pickyrd, puffing hard as they neared the hangar level. ‘I’m not climbing all the fucking way back up.’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Ed, holding up his rifle. ‘I have the master key.’
When they reached the level they wanted, Ed put his hand up for them to stop. The door was in fact open, so he cracked it an inch and had a quick peek. He ducked back as movement in the airlock doorway to the hangar caught his eye. Only just in time too, as a laser bolt smacked into the door frame right where his head had been. It hissed and crackled for a second, leaving a six-inch smoking hole.
‘They’re not using a bloody stun setting are they?’ said Pickyrd. ‘Cover me.’
Ed nodded, pulled the door open, stuck his rifle out and began a constant stream of fire in the rough direction of the airlock. Pickyrd dived across the corridor and lay flat on the floor, his rifle out in front, pointing at head height. Sure enough, as soon as Ed’s fire ceased, the soldier stepped out again, but before he could unleash another deadly bolt, Pickyrd had him in his sights, his head snapped back and he crumpled to the floor.
The inner airlock door was open as they vigilantly crept up and made sure the prone soldier was the only surprise this side of the doors. Bending down, Pickyrd felt for a pulse on the downed soldier. He nodded to Ed when he found one. Even a stun shot could be deadly if hit in the face or head.
Ed again took a fleeting glance, this time through the porthole glass window in the outer door. No laser bolt followed this time, so he had a longer look. No movement caught his attention and he couldn’t hear anything above the constant barking of the alarm sirens.
‘Anything?’ asked Pickyrd.
‘No movement at all.’
‘Are all the ships still there?’
‘Looks like…’
A sudden incredibly loud dull clang emanated from inside the hangar. Ed instinctively dived out of sight. It had sounded like someone hitting a cracked church bell with a sledgehammer. The airlock door pulsed and the seal squeaked in its frame. They both felt the shock wave through their boots.
‘What the fuck was that?’ Ed asked, shaking his head, his ears ringing.
‘That’s the sound of a ship jumping,’ said Pickyrd, picking himself up and peering into the hangar. ‘You wouldn’t normally hear that in the vacuum of space. Loud, isn’t it?’
‘Nearly burst my bloody eardrums.’
‘You don’t hear it on the ship because you’re gone before the sound wave is even created.’
‘You learn something new every day,’ said Ed, as Pickyrd hit the airlock cycle icon.
Ed thought the hangar had the aroma of burnt barbecue sauce as the outer door motored away into its housing.
‘Smells like an Australian backyard in here,’ he mumbled, as they jinked left and right, checking the Skirmat hadn’t left them any more surprises.
‘A what?’ asked Pickyrd, approaching and entering the airlock code to their ship.
‘I’ll explain another – oh – what’s that?’ asked Ed. He’d scurried around the rear of the ship and was pointing to something in one of the drive cones.
Pickyrd swore when he saw what Ed had spotted.
‘It’s a fragmentation grenade. It would have probably blown the back off the ship when we engaged the Alma drive.’
‘Next time I’ll just shoot the bastard.’
Pickyrd reached in, grabbed the grenade and dropped it in a pocket.
‘My ship’s saying they have no trace on his jump.’
‘Bloody hell, he’s a paragon of paranoia isn’t he?’ said Ed, rolling his eyes and leaning on the airlock frame. ‘Having a ship with an embedded jump on permanent standby. Such confidence in those around him.’
‘Then again,’ said Pickyrd, ‘judging how forgiving his employers have been with other members of the group who’ve had slight setbacks, his days are probably numbered.’
‘I’d still like to shoot the bastard myself though,’ muttered Ed, climbing up into the cockpit.
Pickyrd stood outside and chatted away to his ship for a few moments before appearing himself.
‘I’ve ordered in a troop of marines to commandeer the station and question the crew,’ he said.
‘I don’t imagine they’ll know anything,’ said Ed. ‘That cladding would’ve been swapped over quietly during a night period I expect. The engineers and fitters wouldn’t have had a clue it was different and installed it quite innocently.’
‘Maybe,’ said Pickyrd. ‘But if there’s just one person on this station that had prior knowledge of the potential destruction of my ship and murder of my crew, then I want them and I want them to pay.’