Two shrieking whines filled the cell, and then the only sound was footsteps until Harper remembered to breathe. "That was some nice shootin', partner," he remarked in a slow drawl. Still twisted around in his chair, he couldn't see the person he addressed for several more seconds. Then his face broke out into a huge, relieved smile. "Hey, boss, great to see ya! Trust the only guy who hates Nietzscheans more than me to come break me outta here."
The captain wasn't smiling when he shot the two other men, but now he returned Harper's grin. "It's good to see you, too. I think Andromeda's been turning my shower down a degree every day that you've been gone. Said you were supposed to make some repair on her." Few people outside the Andromeda saw this casual, easy side of Gaheris Rhade. He examined the cuffs that anchored Harper. "Lean forward as far as you can."
Harper complied, straining his spine to threshold of discomfort. "Whaddya say were make like a tree and leaf? Like a banana and split? Like--"
"Shut up, Harper." He tossed the younger man a gauss pistol and dashed out the door. Nietzscheans might be good shots, but Harper and Rhade were erratically moving targets, armed, and wearing High Guard ECM generators. Rhade had thoughtfully brought one along for his human crewmate, and the Nietzscheans would explain shame-facedly the next day that they had been /sure/ that they had hit the kludge and the Commonwealth relic--but somehow the energy bolts went astray at the last nanosecond.
Those ECM generators--almost more than the forcelances--made escape a relatively simple matter, as long as no Nietzscheans managed to sneak up on them. None did. Harper hoped fervently that his captain knew where they were headed because the only times he had left his cell, he had been blindfolded. This whole place looked copy-and-pasted from a single hallway design. He thought he heard shots being exchanged several corridors away and wished Beka luck under his breath.
The captain wasn't smiling when he shot the two other men, but now he returned Harper's grin. "It's good to see you, too. I think Andromeda's been turning my shower down a degree every day that you've been gone. Said you were supposed to make some repair on her." Few people outside the Andromeda saw this casual, easy side of Gaheris Rhade. He examined the cuffs that anchored Harper. "Lean forward as far as you can."
Harper complied, straining his spine to threshold of discomfort. "Whaddya say were make like a tree and leaf? Like a banana and split? Like--"
"Shut up, Harper." He tossed the younger man a gauss pistol and dashed out the door. Nietzscheans might be good shots, but Harper and Rhade were erratically moving targets, armed, and wearing High Guard ECM generators. Rhade had thoughtfully brought one along for his human crewmate, and the Nietzscheans would explain shame-facedly the next day that they had been /sure/ that they had hit the kludge and the Commonwealth relic--but somehow the energy bolts went astray at the last nanosecond.
Those ECM generators--almost more than the forcelances--made escape a relatively simple matter, as long as no Nietzscheans managed to sneak up on them. None did. Harper hoped fervently that his captain knew where they were headed because the only times he had left his cell, he had been blindfolded. This whole place looked copy-and-pasted from a single hallway design. He thought he heard shots being exchanged several corridors away and wished Beka luck under his breath.