Savage Stars by Randolph Lalonde

Author:Randolph Lalonde [Lalonde, Randolph]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-988175-17-1
Publisher: Randolph Lalonde

Twenty-Nine

Labyrinth Nine was one of the most frustrating and thrilling training simulations Spin had seen. It took place in an old star cruiser that was being pulled into a white star sideways at a rapidly increasing speed. Its artificial gravity had failed, so they were running on the walls, and those walls weren't made to take footfalls, so some of the panels failed underfoot.

The suit's sensors were still reliable, so they used them to find safe paths through the halls as they chased their objective - Dori - who had surpassed them in every way over the past three days. What made it much worse was that she was allowed to fire through walls and sabotage supports, while the pursuers were docked for any damage they did to the ship.

"Aw, c'mon, you can make it through this stupid Escher painting made real! I'm just around the next corner!" Dori taunted through their proximity radio.

"God dammit, how did she get so good so fast?" Frost asked as he leapt across a hallway crossing. It was a feat that would be difficult at one gravitational unit, but at five it strained the muscle augmentation in the simulated heavy armour. He was about to touch down on the other side when the airlock below opened suddenly, and he had to fire all his barrier thrusters to make it across. He lit up like a white-yellow beacon, all his shield emitters momentarily converting to high thrust force drivers. Normally, that wouldn't cost him his shields, but his suit was fighting to finish that leap against high gravity and sudden depressurization.

The thin plating along the walls melted, revealing the sturdier frame of the ship below, and he was about to catch it when Dori peeked around the corner and blasted him mercilessly. "Would have been easier to let yourself get sucked out of the ship, Chief!" she laughed as her high explosive rounds tore through his unshielded banded suit after the first two bursts.

Spin shot past Frost, her rifle - made to tear machines and something called framework soldiers apart - rattling against her shoulder as Boro and Nigel both joined in. They scored enough hits to burn through Dori's shields, but she ducked and let herself fall down a hallway far ahead before they could make the kill.

What was left of Frost and his armour drifted down, making its way through the airlock. "I'm out, that was a bloody smart trap," Frost admitted over the general simulation channel. "Good luck, that's not the last, knowing her."

"If the bots have control of the ship we're headed on, we can expect traps," Mirra said over the shared channel. She was the first to get blasted out of the simulation. Automated cannons raked her from behind, but it was a distraction. A succession of three grenades took her out from above as she was trying to get to cover. It was an early reminder to think in three dimensions, something Hal was helping Dori do using a direct channel.

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