They had been stupid and disobeyed her orders, but theywere still members of her squad, and she had a duty to get them off, just like everyone else.
Everyone fucked up from time to time. It didn’t mean they deserved to get left behind.
Poor deceased Harris was another matter, but he’d stood on the tail of the tiger, and Arin couldn’t rescue people from their own arrogance.
“I know where they are,” she told the navigator. “I’m going to have to go and get them. How many more retrievals until everyone’s off?”
“After this one, three more.”
The cargo hold wasn’t too far from here. Arin could run across, unlock the cage, and bring her men back without too much fuss and plenty of time to spare. She should probably bring some backup, just in case Xargek were swarming down there, but if they encountered any mature ones, she’d be fucked either way.
Part of her wished Rykal was around. Death was most reassuring when he walked by your side.
Arin was contemplating who she should round up for this little mission when the emergency lights of the airlock flashed red. She nodded in its general direction. “What’s going on?”
“I-I don’t know.” The navigator inclined his head, pressing a finger to his comm as he received a communication from the bridge. He started to back away. “We have to get out of here.”
“Explain what you just heard.”
“They’re being attacked by something with enough power to breach the transport’s hull. They’re losing cabin pressure.”
Xargek. They were everywhere, and they tended to show up at the most inconvenient times.
Some very dirty swear words ran through Arin’s mind, but she held her tongue.
A greatboomshook the dock, causing both of them to stumble and grab the railings as people below screamed. It was the sound of a pulse weapon discharging fire.
“Are they fucking crazy?” Arin gasped. They couldn’tshootat them, even if they were trying to kill Xargek.
Someone must have panicked.
The navigator was still receiving information through his comm. “There’s a monster tearing through their hull. The pulse gun didn’t do anything. Didn’t even touch it. How the hell are they surviving in space, anyway?”
“Beats me.” Arin thought hard and fast. For this kind of situation, they needed a Kordolian warrior. The lethal silver aliens had turned into unlikely superheroes, but aside from Rykal, she wasn’t sure the others cared enough about humans to come to their aid.
They’d all disappeared into the shadows without explanation, and Arin and the rest of the crew had no way of locating them or contacting them. Perhaps they were watching her people from the darkness as they evacuated, but they certainly hadn’t done anything to harm them.
Surely the Kordolians had eyes on the docking bay right now. They wouldn’t let humans land on this freighter without checking them out. That would go against any soldier’s instincts.
Arin began to run, her boots clanging on the metal walkway as she sprinted towards a ladder that led down to the floor of the docking bay. The navigator called after her, but she ignored him. She jumped off the ladder with several rungs to go and hit the ground running, heading towards the assembly area, where the remaining Fortuna Tau workers had been waiting patiently to board the transport.
They weren’t waiting patiently anymore. That pulse blast had caused panic and chaos, disrupting the neatly formed queues. Some people headed for the exit, some crowded around the airlock, and others just ducked, waiting for the next blast.
Arin hoped that whoever was manning the artillery on theMarciawasn’t stupid or callous enough to fire at them again.
She ran to the nearest peacekeeper, a guy belonging to Brosa’s squad. “Hey, we need to get them out of here!”
“What?” He had to shout to be heard above the chaos.
“Evacuate the dock, now!”
“We can’t just?—”
“You saw what just happened, soldier. We’ve got incoming. I’m ordering you to help me clear the dock,Private.”
He knew who she was. They all did. Even when everything had gone to shit, humans understood the chain of command, and if he was the plankton, that made her the prawn. The peacekeeper saluted and ran off to herd people out of the dock. Arin found a few other peacekeepers and gave them the same orders.
Eventually, the crowds dispersed.
