Free Inherit the Stars by Tony Peak Page B

another Aldaakian back into
Terredyn Narbas
. One tried to fire a rifle at Cheseia, but Kivita rammedthe Aldaakian’s shoulder with her own. The rifle’s green beam went astray, melting a lamp socket in the ceiling.
    â€œCheck your fire—we need them alive! Point Two, rush the airlock with me!” the Aldaakian with the crushed faceplate shouted.
    Two Aldaakians jumped from
Terredyn Narbas
and grabbed hold of
Frevyx
’s airlock rim. Sar peeped around the corner and fired a kinetic pistol. The shot echoed in the airlock chamber, blasting off an Aldaakian’s hand at the wrist. The Aldaakian recoiled and drifted into the space between both ships.
    â€œKiv, close the airlock!” Sar ducked back into the bridge as two beam shots melted holes into the corner where he’d taken cover.
    Kivita shoved with all her strength against the same Aldaakian, but he backhanded her. Scorching pain lit up her cheek and jaw. Scuffling, both of their polyboot sets loosened from the floor. The motion sent the Aldaakian spiraling toward Cheseia, and Kivita toward the airlock.
    â€œDammit, the airlock!” Sar called from the bridge. Another green beam struck the corner, ensuring he remained there.
    Kivita floated before the airlock, her hand near the release lever. Kicking her feet out, she managed to move herself a few painful inches.
    â€œSurrender!” The Aldaakian female with the broken faceplate swung a shortsword at Kivita. The blade grazed Kivita’s left leg as her fingers brushed the lever.
    Cheseia shoved the ruined baton into the other Aldaakian’s faceplate. Green beams fired from
Terredyn Narbas
. One sheared off the life-support cover on the female Aldaakian’s back.
    A crack, then an earsplitting pop, reverberated in the airlock chamber. The release of oxygen and cryonic gas flung the female Aldaakian against Kivita.
    Kivita bumped into the manual-release lever as a final beam fired from
Terredyn Narbas
. It singed a bulkhead, raining white-hot sparks on Kivita’s back. Each nipped her flesh like a bee sting. An Aldaakian clinging to the airlock tried to reach inside, but the sliding doors crunched on his polygauntlet.
    Gravity returned to normal on
Frevyx
. Kivita hit the floor on her right side, jarring her bones. The female Aldaakian, still loosing cryonic exhaust, landed on Kivita’s legs. The cut on Kivita’s leg flared, and she sucked in a breath.
    Cheseia, still holding the baton handle, landed on her feet. The Aldaakian she’d been fighting crashed onto the floor, dead.
    â€œClear the doors!” Sar yelled.
    Kivita glanced up. Three gauntleted fingers still wriggled in the sliding doors.
    â€œBack.” Cheseia aimed the dead Aldaakian’s beam rifle. With a short zap, she melted away the armored fingers. The airlock closed.
    Kivita lay in a stupor, the fire along her leg powering a new set of visions:
schematics on a geothermal harvester. Deep-space asteroid mining.
Technologies she’d never even heard of. She rubbed her forehead and tried to slide out from under the Aldaakian. Blurred colors swam in her vision.
    Furred hands shook her back to reality. “Kivita, we must truly leave the system. Strap yourself . . . Sar, she is certainly wounded!”
    Kivita sat up as realization stabbed her brain.
Terredyn Narbas
had been taken! With effort, she pushed the limp Aldaakian off her legs. The sword graze burned hotter. The spark burns on her back simmered.
    â€œNo! Not without my ship! Damn it, Sar, don’t you dare!” Weak legs propelled her into the bridge with a mind of their own.
    Sar keyed in coordinates with flurried strokes, using his left hand. His right held the pistol—aimed straight at her. “No choice now. Strap yourself in.”
    â€œDon’t you . . .” Kivita suppressed a whimper and had to lean against the corner. “I swear I . . .” Every word sapped energy, stole her