Starship Lost by Craig Martelle

Author:Craig Martelle [Martelle, Craig]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2023-10-08T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

Stay out of the firing line – it can be deadly.

Crip and Max inspected the spacesuits the team planned on using. The extra ballistic material had been cobbled together from their combat suits. It would have to be changed back before they conducted another land-based operation. They only had so much to work with. Each mission was tailored to its anticipated needs.

It was the best they could do, just like the landing on Farslor. With each active mission, they’d learn more and get better.

The comm buzzed.

“Captain’s calling,” Danzig said. He was leaning against a locker.

“You rang?” Crip replied. He was next to the comm unit.

“Just a quick heads-up. Bec said he’s going with you.”

“No. There’s no way.” Crip leaned close to the microphone to make sure he was clear.

“Way. I’ll let you get back to it.” Jaq signed off before he could argue.

“This is going to be miserable,” Max muttered. “That guy is impossible to work with.”

Crip stared at the comm as if the short conversation had not been real. “Sounded like we have no choice. Who would know better what’s going on with a busted-up ship than Bec Draper? Let me handle him. You keep the team focused on the broader mission.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Max replied. “Keep him out of my face, and by Septiman’s good graces, don’t let him boss us around.”

Crip smirked and prepared to leave when the call came that the ship was in the final slowdown to match the speed of the wreck. “Prepare to deploy. Move to Cargo Bay Four. We might not have to deal with Bec after all.”

Max gestured for his team to suit up, another exercise in which they were well-practiced. It took two minutes for the team to get into their suits and start moving toward the cargo bay, which was on the same level as the team room.

Max and Crip brought up the rear.

“Do you think the thruster pod plan will work?” Max asked.

“I suspect it will. As long as we put them in the right place…” Crip let the thought drift off. He knew they needed Bec. He just didn’t want the chief engineer deployed with them.

They reached the cargo bay to find Bec Draper there with two thruster units.

“Boys!” He waved at them. He didn’t have his helmet on since he was talking to two unsuited assistants. His boots were clamped to the deck. The combat team walked on the ceiling, upside-down in relation to the deck since that was where the reverse thrust put the half-gee.

The two thrusters were strapped to the deck. Mobility packs lined one bulkhead of the cargo bay. Most importantly, the combat team had attached ribbons of tools to each suit. From powered units to manual, they had everything they needed to salvage hardware from the ship.

With a final adjustment from Chrysalis’s attitude thrusters, the cruiser stopped decelerating. The two assistant engineers hurried from the bay, swimming through the air with the ease of those who’d lived half their lives in zero-gee.

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