Free HostileIntent by Chandra Ryan

get out of this damn room. Picking up a
flashlight, he ran it over the crates in the room. There were a couple weapons
that still used explosives instead of electric charge. If he could find one, he
might be able to cut, or even blow, through the door.
    It only took him a minute to find a gun that resembled a
blowtorch and dig a lighter out of his flak jacket but time was short and that
minute felt like forever.
    “Cutting my way out of here, Captain.”
    “Make it quick, Sans.”
    But already he could hear the sound of feet running past the
armory toward the bridge. He was never going to make it. That didn’t mean he
should stop trying though. He aimed the torch at the hinges of the door and
kept the fire burning against the metal until first one gave and then the
other. He was free. But he was going to need a miracle to save the captain.
    Another blast rocked the ship as he raced toward the bridge.
They were already crippled. Why would the Coalition fire on them? He decided it
didn’t really matter. The only thing he cared about was finding and protecting
the captain.
    Unfortunately in order to do that, he’d have to shoot his
way through a throng of Coalition soldiers who were currently between him and
the door. These men were his friends. They fought together. It wasn’t supposed
to go like this. He raised his weapon and took aim at the first man. It was
just a matter of squeezing the trigger.
    The ship shifted again as it was hit by another volley of
weapons fire and he was knocked off balance before he could get the shot off.
The man he’d been aiming at gave a quick arm gesture before shouting, “Mission’s
been compromised. Retreat.”
    Adam shook his head to try to figure out what was going on.
There was no way the man had been talking about Adam. He couldn’t have known he’d
been in the crosshairs just seconds before. And if he did, he would’ve fired on
Adam. He wouldn’t have issued a retreat order. So what made the Coalition
retreat when they were winning? He stepped back into the shadows of the
corridor and watched as the men ran past him. They were obviously not going to
give him any answers.
    He waited until he was alone to advance on the hatch. “Captain,
I’m on the other side of the door. Release the lock.”
    “Are you alone?”
    “I am. They gave the order to retreat, sir.”
    The door sprung open with a hiss. “That’s what I was afraid
of.” The captain’s voice echoed as he heard it from her and through his comm
just a second later. “Sorry about that.” She turned off the comm and smiled
weakly.
    He stepped past her to look at the bridge view screen and
his breath whooshed out of him. “There are five ships now.”
    “Three are Coalition. They’re marked.” She zoomed in on the
Coalition insignia emblazoned on the vessels. “But two are an unknown faction.”
    He watched as the ships attacked each other for a few
minutes before one of them remembered to fire on the Hawk . “I guess it’s
helping us that they’re fighting each other as well.”
    “The Coalition ships are withdrawing, though. As soon as
they’re gone, we’re going to have their undivided attention.” She grabbed her
head as she spoke.
    “Are you okay?” He moved to go to her but stopped at a shake
of her head.
    “Just got bumped around a bit in the attack. Trust me, I’m
better than my ship.”
    “I’m pretty good with tech. Let’s see if I can get some of
these systems back online while the Coalition is still providing some cover.”
    “Sounds like a good idea.”
    He pulled out his reader and went to the wall console to
check the systems.
    “Weapons and engines would be helpful.”
    “Yes sir.”
    “I’ll be working on shields.” She moved to the console next
to his and started taking readings.
    Adam shook his head with frustration when the systems didn’t
come online. “The systems should’ve reset from the EMP by now. There has to be
something else keeping them off-line.”
    She