Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me.
Facing the Black
Everyone in Mal's rax was understandably silent. Mal, having been a captain, was the first to find his voice. "Only way they're gonna be stopped is ifn we stop 'em," he observed.
"You're right," Paul answered sadly.
"Hmph," said Killer.
Aria's eyes still burned green. Wordlessly, she took out her weapon and began to inspect it.
It was late. Even Mal was sleepy. This, despite the fact that his bunk was next to Killer's. In addition to being mean, the man snored. It didn't matter. He was almost asleep.
The first bump was almost unnoticeable. Mal didn't stir, much less the deeper sleepers. The second, on the other hand, threw him across the room.
"oooooff!" Mal found himself on something soft, and scrambled desperately to his feet and away. In a distant corridor, missiles were fired. "We're under attack," Mal observed grimly.
"Really." Whump! "What makes you say that?"
Zoe staggered to her feet, holding her ribs. "So, what now?"
"Stick to the plan," Mal grimaced, "and help the Alliance!"
Real gravity was taking hold as the five soldiers spilled into the hallway. Killer shouldered past Mal roughly. An alert siren blared. "Hull breach," Aria grunted.
An old memory surfaced. Mal swore under his breath. "Getting scared, browncoat?" Killer sneered.
"Nope," Mal said affably, "just remembering what happened the last time we got ourselves boarded."
"Boarded?" Paul froze in mid-step.
"Fact is, a missile impact would rip an entire section of the ship away," Mal said flatly, "you can feel for yourselves that that didn't happen." He moved his weapon to be ready at a moment's notice.
Paul did the same. So did Aria and Zoe. Reluctantly, Killer complied.
Less than two minutes later, an alarm sounded. A panicked, tinny voice announced that the ship had been extensively boarded. All personnel were to be ready to fight for their lives. Each statement was wrapped in what the Alliance considered a bare minimum of bureaucratese. Mal scorned every word. But his gun was ready.
Up ahead, a soldier in a black spacesuit holding a laser pistol turned in their direction. Everyone but Zoe got a shot off- the enemy soldier fell dead. They moved on.
A woman lay on the floor. Her gray uniform was perfectly straight. She might have been standing at attention... on the floor... with her eyes staring at nothing.
Aria and Paul were the only ones to slow down, mourning the loss of someone they'd never met.
Three more enemy soldiers. Zoe dropped two before anyone else, friend or foe, could react. Hair-triggers sent random bullets skipping down the hallway. One took the top off of Killer's shoe and kept going. The last soldier went down in a hail of hasty shots.
Heavy firing could be heard up ahead. Mal peeked around the corner, expecting to find a gun-battle between Alliance and Autodemarch troops.
Instead, he found a man wearing blue gloves hovering in mid-air.