Calling it a spaceport, Greggs reflected, was a bit generous. Certainly, there were space craft there, some even looked like they once flew. But as a way off the planet, it was a pretty hopeless. The attendant's hatch was boarded up and looked like it hadn't been used in years.

"Well, Cooplan we'll fix up one of these wrecks. We'll cannibalize the other ships and get one of them off the ground. "

"Yes, Sir!" said Cooplan, unenthusiastically.

They made for one of the smaller craft and carefully assessed its needs. Greggs had to admit, Cooplan's lack of positivity was not misplaced. The task ahead of them was daunting, even with his engineering expertise.

"What do you think you're doing? This is my patch," a large man forced himself through the hatch. "No one sets up in my spaceport."

The man glared at them and advanced, crackling his knuckles. Greggs was unimpressed. He'd dealt with people like this many times when he was an officer, threatened them with court martial. Of course, now the situation was somewhat different. His keen tactical mind presented a solution… Greggs punched the man hard and, satisfyingly, he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"Right. Let's make a start. First we should get exterior sensors working. I don't want any more visitors." Together they dragged the man from the ship and set to work.


Blake was sure he was being followed. Although he hadn't yet spotted anyone, something didn't feel right. He took a left turn down an alley. As he had made his way from the crash site into the city, his sense of unease had grown. He had seen many run down, tired cities but this one had an oppressive atmosphere. There were very few people out and they moved in the shadows, as if wishing to be invisible. He asked a few if they could direct him to a repair centre but it soon became apparent that visitors were not welcome.

A noise startled him and he glanced over his shoulder. As he feared, he was being pursued by a rapidly growing number of men. Quickening his pace, Blake looked for somewhere to shelter. It was then that he realized he'd walked into a dead end.

"You look like you could use a friend," called one of the men. The others laughed unpleasantly. One of the men raised a gun.

"It's dangerous to walk the streets alone. You could run into the wrong sort." His eyes glinted and Blake knew he was preparing to pull the trigger. He lifted his own gun.

"I'm not looking for friends," he said, "just a way out of this street without anyone getting hurt."

The gang closed in.


"Try it," snapped Greggs. Cooplan supressed a sigh and keyed in the start up sequence. As had happened countless times before, the ship began its pre-flight data check and then lost power. They both knew that the power feed was faulty. But, so far, their attempts to find a work around had failed. Greggs sat back, exasperated.

"You know, you'd have thought that between us, with all our experience, we would be able to find a way to get this ship off the ground," he paused. "Did you locate any more thermal insulator?"

"Not the quantity we would need, Sir. We'll have to refit the entire engine housing. I think our best chance is to head into one of the derelict buildings and see if we can recover some."

Greggs was inclined to agree. The problem being that there were an unknown number of gang members roaming about. However, without more resources they would not be going anywhere. Reluctantly, he agreed to Cooplan's suggestion.

"Right. We'll head out at first light, that seems to be when gang movement is at its quietest."


Blake knew it was the end. He probably had enough shots to take down 5 or 6 of his attackers but nowhere near enough to stop them all. While they were still a little way off Blake dived for the cover of a doorway, his movement answered by a volley of blasts which streamed over his head. He returned fire, not really aiming, just trying to slow the gang's advance. His position was precarious and made more untenable by a street light which shone directly onto his new hiding place. The gang brought their weapons to bear…