Free Star Traders (Corporate Marines Book 3) by Tom Germann

Snyrl look at each other. Snyrl gulps and nods and both boys take off at a run toward the security centre.
    The canned announcement comes on again. “Eight minutes to shield overload. Please evacuate the ship and make for the nearest habitat and wait for Corporate assistance. Eight minutes to overload.” Then the message clicks off again.
    Two and Eight find the dead security team, missing their weapons, right where the boys had indicated they would be. There were no other indications of trouble aside from the dead crewmen. They carried on toward Engineering. At the entrance to Engineering they find a dead engineer with his head caved in.
    The door is sealed and the security lock is engaged. There is no way in and the canned announcement comes on again. “Six minutes to shield overload. Please evacuate the ship now. Six minutes to shield overload.”
    Eight looks at Two. “We don’t have the tools or the skills to get through that door, and we would need major explosives to blow it open, which would completely wreck the equipment and cause failure anyway. We are screwed.”
    There is the sound of boots on the metal plating and then the security chief shows up with the other security team and the two boys. All are heavily armed with laser pistols, rifles and some nasty explosive and gas charges.
    Patroe nods at the Marines while the security team spreads out and covers both ends of the passage.
    Two starts speaking. “How is the rest of the ship, and do you know some way to get into Engineering as the door is locked down?”
    The security chief grimaces. “The rest of the ship is locked down and most of the crew should be out in a few minutes. Barely enough time to make it to the escape shuttles. The overloading reactor is the poorly located one that is used to power ship systems, so when its shields fail, most of the ship will be irradiated. Just, not Engineering.”
    Two and Eight frown. Patroe continues on quickly. “Positive side for us is something not advertised to outsiders and not on any of the blueprints. Every primary door on the ship can be security locked. However, there are triggers that, if you hit them in the correct sequence, will pop the door open in case someone snaps or if there were to be boarders. From the footage I was watching, the engineering section was on minimum watch as most of the engineers are on the shuttle or were helping prep the other one and standing by when two of the new crewmen we took on with you entered and killed the engineer on duty with a crowbar. Then they smashed the cameras.”
    Eight asks the next question. “What about the third crewman that came on board with them?”
    Patroe shrugs. “Unknown. She is not with the rest of the crew, or at least not those I checked on before I came. We have no time – we need to get in there and get Terry to shut down the reactor. It will only take her maybe a minute, but we are almost out of time.” Patroe takes some small metal balls out of the bag at his hip and gives them to Derek and Snyrl. “You know what to do with these, boys. I’ll trigger the door. Two, you or Eight need to take the shots and the boys will throw in the dazzlers. We need to kill them fast and move on. Laser pistols only; the rifles will damage the equipment.”
    Both of the boys are already on either side of the door holding the small balls, pressed up against the walls. Patroe is kneeling to the side with one of the many access hatches open and he is sorting through a jumble of wiring that is every color of the rainbow. Two stares at the mess and has to ask, “How do your electrical engineers figure out what is what?”
    Patroe chuckles. “They are the ones who have rewired the ship over and over again. They just know.”
    He leans over the wiring and continues working. Eight stands, weapon loosely held at the ready, waiting for the door to open.
    Two walks to the first T-junction and rolls a sensor ball down it a few feet and then goes to the other