his spot behind Gaz.
“They’re ready to blow.” He held up the detonator, his thumb hovering over the button.
Gaz nodded, and Toren hit the button.
A great metallic bang and a puff of smoke resulted as the charges detonated. An instant later, Gaz brought his grenade launcher around the corner and fired a couple rounds without aiming. Both grenades detonated with loud pops.
Dom was the first to round the corner. As soon as she did, a blast came from the other side, and multiple flechettes tore through her body, leaving long bloody streaks as she dropped to the deck.
Gaz fired more grenades around the corner and then yelled, “ MOVE, FUCKERS !”
Victor swallowed and rounded the corner and went through the breached airlock. He yelped with surprise as gravity disappeared the moment he crossed the threshold into the pirate vessel. Their artificial gravity was out. Victor’s uncontrolled free fall carried him right into the body of a pirate killed by Gaz’s grenades.
Two more pirates came around the corner, leveling their weapons. With no other cover, Victor grabbed the dead pirate and used him as a shield, face-to-face.
A burst of fire crashed into the back of the pirate’s body, pushing Victor into the bulkhead near the outer airlock. Gaz, clearly expecting the gravity to be out, smoothly transitioning from 1 to 0 g and fired his grenade launcher. The rounds detonated in the air right between the two pirates, shredding them.
“You can play with your new friend later, fucker. Take point,” Gaz said.
Victor pushed aside the dead pirate and floated to the open inner airlock, his shotgun held before him. He looked around the corner and immediately pulled his head back into cover when a staccato of gunfire erupted from farther down the corridor.
He fired his shotgun blindly around the corner, hoping the flechettes would hit something, and then pumped it to chamber a fresh round. The spent casing floated away.
Toren took a position above Victor and aimed his drum-fed assault rifle through the airlock, firing a long burst down the corridor.
Gaz pointed through the hatch. “ MOVE !”
Well, here goes . Victor kicked himself from the airlock toward a corner, his shotgun held before him.
A pirate leaned around the corner to Victor’s left. Victor fired, hitting the pirate, and sending himself tumbling.
He slammed into a bulkhead and let go of his shotgun while scrambling to find an anchor, desperate to keep from bouncing into the line of fire.
The chatter of Toren’s assault rifle and the thumb-bang of Gaz’s grenade launcher reverberated through the corridor. Victor didn’t hear any return fire from the pirates.
Victor grabbed the strap holding his shotgun to his suit and was about to pull it but decided against it and detached it instead. The weapon needed two hands to operate, making it a liability in 0 g. He wished someone had explained that to him beforehand.
He drew the big revolver from his hip.
Gaz floated up to the corner opposite Victor. He had traded his grenade launcher for a pistol of his own. Toren remained in the airlock, covering the corridor with his assault rifle.
“Follow me, new guy,” Gaz said as he rounded the corridor, pushing himself along with one hand while holding his pistol before him.
Victor did the same, covering the right side of the corridor while Gaz covered the left.
The pirate vessel was not what Victor would call inspection-ready. The walls were bare plastic stained a thousand shades of brown. The closest thing to fresh paint was the blood splatter. Apparently pirates didn't believe in keeping their ships clean.
A part of Victor was offended someone would take such poor care of their ship.
Gaz and Victor came upon a T-section where the bodies of five pirates floated in a cloud of blood. Victor had to wipe his visor when a globule struck it, leaving a red smear.
Turning the corner, Victor saw the pirate he had killed floating in front of him, his chest a pin
“They’re ready to blow.” He held up the detonator, his thumb hovering over the button.
Gaz nodded, and Toren hit the button.
A great metallic bang and a puff of smoke resulted as the charges detonated. An instant later, Gaz brought his grenade launcher around the corner and fired a couple rounds without aiming. Both grenades detonated with loud pops.
Dom was the first to round the corner. As soon as she did, a blast came from the other side, and multiple flechettes tore through her body, leaving long bloody streaks as she dropped to the deck.
Gaz fired more grenades around the corner and then yelled, “ MOVE, FUCKERS !”
Victor swallowed and rounded the corner and went through the breached airlock. He yelped with surprise as gravity disappeared the moment he crossed the threshold into the pirate vessel. Their artificial gravity was out. Victor’s uncontrolled free fall carried him right into the body of a pirate killed by Gaz’s grenades.
Two more pirates came around the corner, leveling their weapons. With no other cover, Victor grabbed the dead pirate and used him as a shield, face-to-face.
A burst of fire crashed into the back of the pirate’s body, pushing Victor into the bulkhead near the outer airlock. Gaz, clearly expecting the gravity to be out, smoothly transitioning from 1 to 0 g and fired his grenade launcher. The rounds detonated in the air right between the two pirates, shredding them.
“You can play with your new friend later, fucker. Take point,” Gaz said.
Victor pushed aside the dead pirate and floated to the open inner airlock, his shotgun held before him. He looked around the corner and immediately pulled his head back into cover when a staccato of gunfire erupted from farther down the corridor.
He fired his shotgun blindly around the corner, hoping the flechettes would hit something, and then pumped it to chamber a fresh round. The spent casing floated away.
Toren took a position above Victor and aimed his drum-fed assault rifle through the airlock, firing a long burst down the corridor.
Gaz pointed through the hatch. “ MOVE !”
Well, here goes . Victor kicked himself from the airlock toward a corner, his shotgun held before him.
A pirate leaned around the corner to Victor’s left. Victor fired, hitting the pirate, and sending himself tumbling.
He slammed into a bulkhead and let go of his shotgun while scrambling to find an anchor, desperate to keep from bouncing into the line of fire.
The chatter of Toren’s assault rifle and the thumb-bang of Gaz’s grenade launcher reverberated through the corridor. Victor didn’t hear any return fire from the pirates.
Victor grabbed the strap holding his shotgun to his suit and was about to pull it but decided against it and detached it instead. The weapon needed two hands to operate, making it a liability in 0 g. He wished someone had explained that to him beforehand.
He drew the big revolver from his hip.
Gaz floated up to the corner opposite Victor. He had traded his grenade launcher for a pistol of his own. Toren remained in the airlock, covering the corridor with his assault rifle.
“Follow me, new guy,” Gaz said as he rounded the corridor, pushing himself along with one hand while holding his pistol before him.
Victor did the same, covering the right side of the corridor while Gaz covered the left.
The pirate vessel was not what Victor would call inspection-ready. The walls were bare plastic stained a thousand shades of brown. The closest thing to fresh paint was the blood splatter. Apparently pirates didn't believe in keeping their ships clean.
A part of Victor was offended someone would take such poor care of their ship.
Gaz and Victor came upon a T-section where the bodies of five pirates floated in a cloud of blood. Victor had to wipe his visor when a globule struck it, leaving a red smear.
Turning the corner, Victor saw the pirate he had killed floating in front of him, his chest a pin
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