Decay in Five Stages (The Company 0.50) by Julie E. Czerneda

Author:Julie E. Czerneda [Palmatier, David B. Coe & Joshua]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: SF&F Anthology
Publisher: Zombies Need Brains LLC
Published: 2021-04-21T04:00:00+00:00

*

At the chosen time, near the end of second shift and Thromberg’s official night, Samuel Leland showed up at the Mate’s airlock in coveralls, bringing his daughter and young granddaughter. Behind them came a somber group of four, two wearing aprons and clutching small packages Raner later learned contained kitchen knives. On Logan’s insistence, none brought luggage. The station, in his words, felt ready to explode.

None were immigrants. These were people Leland had brought to Thromberg to work in his businesses.

They wouldn’t be crowded. The Pardells had been more numerous once and the Mate had three vacant cabins—vacant once Raner and his new crewmate, Angie Fesson, on loan from the Haida, cleared them, putting the pitiful miscellany of personal effects old and newer into the Mate’s holds.

Leland hugged each of the four, pressing envelopes into their hands. Raner stood by as Leland’s daughter argued with her father, urgent and low, urging him to come.

Leland shook his head and stepped back, waving to Raner to close the airlock.

“Wait. You there. Wait, please.” As if the quiet words were a signal, figures began to emerge from night-dim corners along the curve of the docking ring. Dozens. Hundreds. Clutching children. Carrying bags. Moving towards every airlock in sight.

Several headed for the Mate. “Go!” Leland ordered, seeing them. “Now!”

Raner didn’t move. Thromberg was home to stationers and even spacers. It wasn’t in any sense to these people. “We can take some.” He beckoned to the nearest family.

“The hell you will.”

Raner shoved the man out of his way. “Go through the next hatch,” he told the grateful parents as they went by him, hustling a trio of young children. An older couple hurried up and he let them board. “That’s all we can hold,” he told the next to approach, stepping inside the airlock. “Try the Haida V. Ask for Captain Nix. Three locks that way.” He pointed.

They listened. The ones coming behind didn’t hear or didn’t care, seeing only a closing airlock and the end of hope. Raner caught a glimpse of Leland being grabbed and tossed aside.

Then the door clicked home. Numb, he keyed the lock.

They were in it now. He hit the emergency undock warning with a closed fist, the alarm shrieking through the door plate. It would give Thromberg time to disconnect—if any stationers could get through what was now a mob.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.