know, not bothering to introduce himself, which didn’t surprise Step.
Before the last of the trio could leave the docking tunnel the power fluxed. In an instant the lights dimmed, artificial gravity momentarily went off and the door slid closed. The second of the three thugs was hit by the door as it slid closed, and with the lightened gravity he was knocked forward into his companion, as a scream came from behind them. The sudden flux in the gravity, combined with the dimming of the lights and the scream from their friend, distracted the two thugs. Step wasn’t distracted however, the scream was unexpected, but he had been waiting for the sudden drop in power and was ready for it.
Before the leader of the trio could recover, Step produced a metal bar and swung it. He brought it down on the man’s arm with all of his strength, the blow landing as gravity returned. His cry of pain, and the clatter his laser pistol made when it fell from his hand, went unheard, drowned by the scream from his companion.
Without pause Step brought the bar away from the thug’s arm in a backhanded blow that struck him across the jaw and smashed his cheekbone. Dollier’s man fell backwards into his friend and there was the flash of a discharge from his laser pistol. Where the shot went Step didn’t know, but he wasn’t endangered by it so he gave it no thought as he raised the bar to strike at the second thug.
When he saw the man before him lift his arm in a desperate attempt to block the coming blow Step altered his aim. Instead of bringing the bar down on the man’s arm, he drove it into his stomach, smashing several ribs as the man folded over. He followed that blow with a swift chop to the man’s exposed neck with the edge of his empty hand, rendering him unconscious.
The entire attack lasted less than a minute, and Step had both thugs unconscious before Jay could get there from the engine room. “I guess you don’t need my help,” he remarked, coming to a quick stop when he saw the two men on the floor in front of the access door. He ran an eye over the unconscious forms and nodded approval for the swift and effective way Step had dealt with them. “Was it only the two?”
“No, there’s a third, but I think he got caught when the door shut,” Step told him. Bending down he dragged the two bodies away from the door and then activated it. He was relieved the third thug had stopped screaming, but realised the silence probably meant they were going to find something unpleasant.
The door started to open, but stopped moving almost immediately, which made Step worry it had been damaged by whatever had happened. He let out a small sigh of relief when the door began moving again, sliding open fully without further hesitation. Unfortunately in doing so it revealed the third thug.
“HERSCHLA!” Jay couldn’t help uttering when he saw the figure in the docking tunnel.
The door was designed to seal itself in the event of an internal power failure to prevent decompression of the ship, and once it started closing, nothing short of a solid foot of steel or plascrete could stop it. It was a feature that hadn’t been considered by either Step or Jay when they planned the faked power failure to distract the thugs, and give Step a chance against them.
The third of Dollier’s thugs had just started through the doorway when it activated and closed itself. Since he was holding his weapon out in front of him, ready to use it, both his hands and the laser pistol had been crushed by the inexorable progress of the door. His leading foot had suffered a similar fate as well, and his spacesuit had been torn open.
It was several moments before either of them felt able to move. When they could Step moved into the docking tunnel, being careful of his footing. Squatting, he reached out with trembling fingers to check for a pulse, though he knew it was an exercise in futility. The floor of the tunnel was covered in what he guessed to be all the
Before the last of the trio could leave the docking tunnel the power fluxed. In an instant the lights dimmed, artificial gravity momentarily went off and the door slid closed. The second of the three thugs was hit by the door as it slid closed, and with the lightened gravity he was knocked forward into his companion, as a scream came from behind them. The sudden flux in the gravity, combined with the dimming of the lights and the scream from their friend, distracted the two thugs. Step wasn’t distracted however, the scream was unexpected, but he had been waiting for the sudden drop in power and was ready for it.
Before the leader of the trio could recover, Step produced a metal bar and swung it. He brought it down on the man’s arm with all of his strength, the blow landing as gravity returned. His cry of pain, and the clatter his laser pistol made when it fell from his hand, went unheard, drowned by the scream from his companion.
Without pause Step brought the bar away from the thug’s arm in a backhanded blow that struck him across the jaw and smashed his cheekbone. Dollier’s man fell backwards into his friend and there was the flash of a discharge from his laser pistol. Where the shot went Step didn’t know, but he wasn’t endangered by it so he gave it no thought as he raised the bar to strike at the second thug.
When he saw the man before him lift his arm in a desperate attempt to block the coming blow Step altered his aim. Instead of bringing the bar down on the man’s arm, he drove it into his stomach, smashing several ribs as the man folded over. He followed that blow with a swift chop to the man’s exposed neck with the edge of his empty hand, rendering him unconscious.
The entire attack lasted less than a minute, and Step had both thugs unconscious before Jay could get there from the engine room. “I guess you don’t need my help,” he remarked, coming to a quick stop when he saw the two men on the floor in front of the access door. He ran an eye over the unconscious forms and nodded approval for the swift and effective way Step had dealt with them. “Was it only the two?”
“No, there’s a third, but I think he got caught when the door shut,” Step told him. Bending down he dragged the two bodies away from the door and then activated it. He was relieved the third thug had stopped screaming, but realised the silence probably meant they were going to find something unpleasant.
The door started to open, but stopped moving almost immediately, which made Step worry it had been damaged by whatever had happened. He let out a small sigh of relief when the door began moving again, sliding open fully without further hesitation. Unfortunately in doing so it revealed the third thug.
“HERSCHLA!” Jay couldn’t help uttering when he saw the figure in the docking tunnel.
The door was designed to seal itself in the event of an internal power failure to prevent decompression of the ship, and once it started closing, nothing short of a solid foot of steel or plascrete could stop it. It was a feature that hadn’t been considered by either Step or Jay when they planned the faked power failure to distract the thugs, and give Step a chance against them.
The third of Dollier’s thugs had just started through the doorway when it activated and closed itself. Since he was holding his weapon out in front of him, ready to use it, both his hands and the laser pistol had been crushed by the inexorable progress of the door. His leading foot had suffered a similar fate as well, and his spacesuit had been torn open.
It was several moments before either of them felt able to move. When they could Step moved into the docking tunnel, being careful of his footing. Squatting, he reached out with trembling fingers to check for a pulse, though he knew it was an exercise in futility. The floor of the tunnel was covered in what he guessed to be all the
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