"I've sent a distress beacon to the Andromeda via the drift's communication Network, I estimate it should take about 36 hours for them to receive the signal and come and pick us up"
"Any signs of our attackers?"
"No, We lost them. You nearly killed us, but you lost them."
"Don't mention it."
"Oh, and Beka?"
"Yeah?"
"Please don't do that ever again."
"No one lives forever Rhade."
"Perhaps, but I'd like to try."
"No one lives forever Rhade…what does she know, Dylan's managed pretty well so far. I'd settle for even…"
"Rhade, if you haven't got something constructive to say shut up and hold still" Rommie snapped as she popped Rhade's dislocated arm back into it's socket. As his scream simmered down into an angry growl, she surveyed the destruction around them.
Rhade took a deep breath as the pain in his shoulder settled into a bearable throb and also looked around at what once, supposedly, was a bar. A smile danced across his lips as he tried to count the number of bars he had helped demolish since joining the crew.
"Rhade!" Rommie called urgently. She was knelt by something in the debris.
"Beka! You found her!" The smile was lost as relief flooded his features. He hauled himself off the floor and staggered to where Rommie was knelt. As he got closer he saw a
slick of blood running down the wall to a pool at the androids feet. It was already dry.
"Is it Beka's…" he let the question hang already knowing the answer.
"Yes, they must have taken her."
"Then she's still alive."
Rommie didn't answer, she bent to pick something up. A small pin, with the emblem of a tree on it.
"Gen knights"
The entrance door flew off its hinges as a well aimed thrust kick, followed by a well armed captain came blazing through.
Dylan, closely followed by Trance and Doyle, looked around sheepishly before replacing his force lance into its holster.
"Guess my timing was a little off today." he said grinning, but stopped when he saw the look on the faces of the other two officers. He looked from them to the back wall and then to the blood on the floor. An icy hand gripped his stomach.
"Where's Beka?"