The Round Table (Space Lore Book 3) by Chris Dietzel Page B

the raiders than to live and have to explain all of this to Mowbray.
    Le Savage had a suspicion that they wouldn’t do something as foolhardy as blowing up the explosives depot, though. People didn’t break into the galaxy’s most notorious prison to attempt a rescue because they welcomed death. They broke into it because they valued life—both their friend’s and their own.
    “What would you like us to do, sir?” the trooper asked through the open comm channel, anonymous behind his helmet and safe from the other side of the facility.
    Le Savage looked at his officers, all of them as far away from him as they could be while still remaining at their posts. When this was over, he would put in transfer orders for all of them. It was an honor to serve at the Cauldrons of Dagda. He would see how much they would like it at the remote outpost at Septive-8. There was nothing at that facility but ice. One mistake meant freezing to death. There was no communication with the outside galaxy. It would serve them right for disappointing Le Savage during this raid.
    “What I want,” he said into the microphone, “is for you to kill them. In the worst way possible. Do not take them prisoner. Do not let them out of that room. Kill them terribly and kill them now. However you have to do it.”

25

    “What do we do?” Morgan asked, but neither Pistol nor Traskk had an idea.
    She looked at Vere to see if she had a suggestion, but her friend was still trying to figure out what part of the Cauldrons they could be at.
    “Sorry,” Vere said with a shrug. “If we were in the mess hall I could help, but I’ve never been here before.”
    Morgan rolled her eyes and looked around for another option.
    A group of Vonnegan troopers was still standing outside the only doorway they had found. As far as Morgan knew, the only other way out of the room was the triangular hole she had cut in the wall. She could carve a new opening with her Meursault blade, but she was sure that troops had filled that entire hallway. She walked to the spot where she had cut through the wall, and her suspicions were confirmed when she heard a large group of troops walking back and forth, discussing how best to get at the raiders.
    None of the guards at the open doorway were shooting at her or her friends, she realized. Morgan figured that they appreciated exactly just how many explosives filled the room and the extent of the damage they could cause.
    “You have the best aim out of all of us,” Morgan said, handing Pistol one of the two blasters she had picked up. “Only shoot if you know you’ll hit your target.”
    The android held the blaster out with his good arm, then adjusted its position so his aim was reliant entirely on the one eye that still functioned. The eye began to glow as it calibrated for accuracy. When he was finished, he stood up, aimed the weapon, and shot the shoulder of one of the armored troops who was too close to the doorway. The Vonnegan fell flat on his back. Upon seeing his comrade get blasted, a second trooper, who had also been near the open door, darted backward and away from danger.
    “They’re still out there,” Morgan said to Pistol. “Any time they try and sneak in, remind them how good of a shot an android can be.”
    Pistol’s only confirmation that he had heard the order was a slight nod. Moments later, a second group of troopers appeared by the doorway as they tried to decide how to kill or capture the raiders without blowing themselves up, along with the entire facility. Pistol squeezed the trigger. A laser blast struck a Vonnegan between the chest plates of his armor and dropped him to the ground exactly like the first one. The others near him hid behind the wall, out of sight.
    “We seem to be stuck,” Morgan said. “Very stuck.”
    Traskk offered a growl of agreement.
    As they watched, the android’s advanced tactical program cycled through its progression. Tiny dots of light flashed at various places across his