Free Hard Vacuum 1 by Simon Cantan Page A

began moving crates and connecting cables.
    Kyra pulled up a map of the station on her ReadyNet and located the barracks — a short walk from the port. WeaverCorp probably didn't want soldiers traipsing around the station, getting in the way of the support personnel.
    Kyra walked across the docking port, ignoring the shouting workers. One of them drove straight for her in a pallet-loader, a large crate blocking his view. Kyra activated the servos of her suit legs through her ReadyNet and sprang forward, vaulting four metres and clearing the crate. She glared back at the man as he sped by, oblivious.
    Reaching the edge of the dock, Kyra turned down the corridor towards the barracks. On the right side, a dozen gaudy shops blinked and waved on her ReadyNet. She keyed them off. They still had old-fashioned lights and screens, but those were easier to ignore.
    She opened the barracks door and walked inside. Row after row of bunks filled the space, all empty.
    "Hello?" Kyra called. Her voice echoed around the giant room. "Where the fuck is everyone?"
    Her ReadyNet brain implant showed the icon for an incoming video message in the corner of her eye. She focused on it to click it open.
    A short, smiling Indian man waved at her. "Hello, Sergeant Sarin. I'm Manik Dada, your liaison Earthside for your reintegration back to Earth. I'm here to help with the transition to civilian life. I'm sorry I can't be there, but all non-emergency shuttles were confined to the hubs for the past week. Your shuttle has now launched and will arrive in twenty-four hours' time, after it resupplies Kingman station. In the meantime, we've credited your account with two hundred Weaver dollars. You can spend it at any of the station shops. If there's anything else I can do for you, please don't hesitate to contact me."
    Manik grinned and the video froze, holding on his wide grin and half-open eyes.
    Kyra closed the video, throwing her bag on the nearest bunk and sighed. Typical WeaverCorp bullshit. They couldn't organise a wet dick in a whorehouse. She walked to a bunk and lay down, helmet and armour on because she was too used to it to sleep any other way. Closing her eyes, Kyra set a timer for twenty-four hours ahead. She deactivated her ReadyNet and fell asleep in an instant.

Chapter 2
    INFILTRATION
     
    K yra's eyes snapped open, and she looked around. Something had woken her. The bunk was shaking. Sitting up, Kyra scanned the room. The shaking stopped. For a moment, she wasn't sure if she'd dreamt it.
    She switched on her ReadyNet and checked for station alarms, but there was nothing active. Kyra called up her shuttle timer - twenty-two hours, fifteen minutes. Grumbling, she lay back down and closed her eyes. Something had probably just fallen over in the dock.
    ***
    Her eyes flicked open again, this time to the unmistakable whisper of flak fire.
    Kyra rolled to her feet and rushed to her bag, searching for her gun. It took her a long second to remember it wasn't there. It had been taken before she'd boarded the troop transport home - needed for the war effort. It had felt like losing a limb when they'd taken it.
    Kyra dropped her bag and darted to the door. She opened it a crack and looked outside.
    Men with guns were out in the corridor, rounding up the station crew. One of the gunmen moved from shop to shop, searching for anyone hiding in the racks.
    Kyra sprinted to the rear of the barracks where she knew she'd find an airlock. The exit was standard on every WeaverCorp barracks in the solar system. It had saved her life more times than she could count. She bolted into it, checked her suit seals and pulled the door closed. As the airlock cycled, she stared through the window in the inner door.
    A gunman strode into the barracks, his gun held ready. He walked to her bag and poked at it. Seeing there were no weapons inside, the man moved on to search under each bunk.
    The airlock finished cycling and pinged. Kyra shoved the outer door open and clambered