Explode: Team Supernova (The Great Space Race) by Teresa Noelle Roberts

Author:Teresa Noelle Roberts [Roberts, Teresa Noelle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: Teresa Noelle Roberts
Published: 2017-10-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

THE LASERPACK HADN’T seemed heavy on her back, but when she transferred it into her arms, the weight threw her off balance. Sarr’ma’s first shot went wild. A towering tree behind the creature lost a huge branch, which made the ground shake as it crashed down—unfortunately not on top of whatever the marling stars that thing was. The animal jumped into the air, less like it was frightened than like it wanted to attack the sound.

Then it hit the ground and sprang forward toward them. She backpedaled, trying to aim and stay on her feet at the same time, her usual agility hampered by the weight of her weapon and by needing focus on the enemy rather than on where she was going.

The thing was wounded—Tripp must be responsible for the gash on its left flank. Not enough to slow it down much. Tripp’s second shot left its right middle leg dragging. If she could get off a good shot with her more powerful weapon, she might be able to finish it.

Big if. It wasn’t her first time using something similar to this laserpack, but there was a big difference between destroying targets for play at the university’s testing range and trying to shoot something so it wouldn’t eat you and then move on to your friend. Not to mention the portable lasercannons she’d used at home were prototypes for a local manufacturer, so they were scaled for Mrrwr’wrn—smaller, with a different center of gravity, and more toys than serious weapons.

She planted her feet, took aim, shot again. Laser weapons didn’t have recoil like old-fashioned bolt guns, but she knew the weight was affecting her balance and tried to compensate.

The thing’s tail vaporized into a fine greenish mist that made her cough. Somewhere to her left, Tripp was also hacking. Great, the barb had must have been venom-laced—hopefully it wouldn’t do much damage to their lungs.

She was still breathing, so she’d worry about venom later. Tripp had shot twice while she fired that last messy shot, blowing an ear off one time, missing the next because Sarr’ma’s shot hit and the beast had staggered. As she aimed, he shot two more times. Supposedly you couldn’t see a blaster shot coming, but this animal managed to dodge the narrow, focused beams.

But he was close. Closer than she was. Sure, blowing off the tail was spectacular and probably painful, but she’d been aiming for the marling thing’s head, the one area that was bound to be fatal no matter how the beast was put together. Not that she’d ever admit that to Tripp—but it was why she got into a low crouch, darted over to him, and tugged on his coat. “Trade guns,” she said. “I’m going to go tend the ’bot.” Which sounded better than “I can’t manage this thing” and besides, someone did need to guide the ’bot if possible. The sooner they finished, the sooner they could go.

He glanced away from his target, opened his mouth to say

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