Page 270 of Commander’s Mate

“Do it.”

We reached junction five.

The security door was reinforced for mine riots.

It lasted eleven seconds against military cutters.

Inside, two guards were destroying records.

A third held a dead-man switch.

He looked at us.

I looked at his hand.

“No.”

He smiled.

The surface shook.

Dreadnought One fired.

The bunker lights died.

So did the dead-man switch.

Pyrr shot the guard before power could return.

“Tivid?”

“Remote link severed.”

“Structural purge?”

“Command interrupted.”

“Can it resume locally?”

“Yes.”

“Then we own the bunker.”

Rehor moved to the console.

“Commander.”

I looked.

The screen showed mine sectors.

Red.

Yellow.

Red.

Sector Three oxygen had fallen below normal.