A Greater Interest: Samair in Argos: Book 4 by Michael Kotcher Page B

second, things were holding together, if dire, the next the bridge was in shambles and in flames. 
    “Abandon ship!” Nazan rasped.  “We need to get the crew… off…”  And he slumped into the chair.
    “Captain!” Alys Flynn cried, releasing her restraints.  She slammed her hand down on the abandon ship button on the bulkhead and a klaxon started wailing.  A klaxon she’d never hoped to hear.  Then she rushed over to Nazan and then gasped in dismay.
    He was clutching weakly at his stomach and blood was seeping through his fingers, staining his uniform.  He was still conscious, but only barely.  “Get the crew… off… Alys…” Nazan ground out through gritted teeth.  He was obviously in great pain.
    “Get over here!” she shouted to one of the bridge officers.  “Help me with the Captain.  We need to get him to the escape pod.”  He was bleeding out and there was nothing she could do to stop it.  She put her hand over his, trying to apply more pressure to the wound.
    “What about the rest of the ship?” the man demanded.
    “We can’t help them now.”  Alys released his restraining harness and started to pull him out of the command seat.  “We need to evacuate before the ship comes apart.”  As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the Cavalier bucked from another hit, her frame and hull groaning with the sound of tortured metal.  “Help me!”  The comms officer rushed over and helped her drag the man out of his seat. 
    The three other bridge watch hustled over to help, one of them pressing the control on the bulkhead to open the bridge door.  There was an escape pod in the corridor just outside the bridge and that’s where they were heading.  Alys and the comms officer dragged the now unconscious captain into the pod and the others piled in just behind. 
    Another terrifying groan of metal and flames ignited down the corridor as a plasma conduit burst.  “Let’s go!” Alys said, putting her arms around the captain and holding his back against her, holding him tight with one hand over his gut wound.  There was no time to play with restraining harnesses.
    The comms officer palmed the lock closed and the door hissed shut.  “Hang on!” he called and the pod jerked as the rockets fired, sending the pod away from the Cavalier .
     
    “Yes!” Bek said, clenching one fist.  “One of the corvettes is breaking apart.  They’re launching escape pods.  I’m showing four pods accelerating away from that ship.”
    “And the other?”
    “Dead in space,” Bek replied.  “They’re adrift.”
    Typhon nodded.  “Bring us around.  Helm, set a course back to the assault transport.  We’re going to render what assistance we can.”
    “Aye, sir,” the wolf at the helm replied, changing the ship’s course.
    As Illuyanka slewed around, her main propulsion units fired, slowing the cruiser.  Typhon checked the sensors and saw that the cargo ships were on approach.  Another half hour and they would be alongside with the very nice and tasty tank farm that was in geosync orbit over their gas mining station.  There were a pair of defensive turrets nearby to the He3 tanks, but Illuyanka was now too far away to properly engage them. 
    The general settled himself back in his command seat.  “Comms, open a channel to the Ganges , tell them we’re moving to assist HT-626.  They need to clear the way for the cargo ships.”
    “Aye, sir.”  The wolf started speaking into the mic, sending the message to the other light cruiser.
    Typhon scowled.  At least we managed the two kills.  Even the thought of his assault transport and his wolves in trouble wasn’t enough to dampen his spirits. 
     
    “Is he all right?” Alys Flynn demanded, grabbing the other officer by the sleeve.
    They were aboard the escape pod, floating free and on a course away from the gas giant.  There were six of them, all bridge officers and none of them were free of injury.  Alys had a long cut