Far Horizon (Juggernaut #4)

Forty Six

The crate exploded. Malachi and Nina dived in opposite directions to escape the flames.

The drone's attack came in five short, dagger-like blasts. The broad spectrum energy signature burned yellow, leaving a black after-image in the retina. In the atmosphere of the cargo bay, the weapon thudded as micro-thunderclaps formed with every shot. The air hissed as the blasts burned through the air.

Malachi slid across the deck floor and crashed into more crates. He heard the drone's angry struggle as it tried to pull free from the chains and straps holding it to the deck floor. It rose and twisted and knocked down the nearest phase inverters.

Nina rolled and thumped across the deck with as little grace as Malachi. The datapad fell from her hand and slapped onto the metal floor.

"Mal! Where are you? You okay?" Nina scrambled behind a shuttle and pressed her back against the flat, cold hull.

"Here," Malachi called back. Here peered around the crates. The drone was facing the other way. He quickly crawled from the crates to hide behind the second shuttle. "I'm fine. Are you hurt?"

"Bumps and scratches. Nothing more."

"I don't suppose you can shut this thing down with your datapad, can you?"

"I can try." Nina scanned the floor. There is was, out in the open, between the shuttles. "Um," she said.

"Problem?"

"Kinda. I dropped it."

"Where?"

"Nowhere good."

Malachi peeked around the shuttled again. The drone was still facing the other way but was turning slowly. Its thrust output had increased and the whining engines pulled the chains taught. Slackness on one side meant that as the drone pulled forward and up, it also turned. The weapon drifted across the no man's land between the shuttles, and the drone kept turning.

Nina poked her head out from her cover. Now they could see each other, but not the drone. "I could grab it when it's not looking," said Nina.

"No!" shouted Malachi. "Stay there. We don't know what kind of sensors this thing as. Maybe it can see backwards."

"What if it can hear us?" she said, dripping her voice to a sudden whisper.

Malachi shook his head. "Unlikely. It's made for vacuum."

"Look, it's still twisted up, right? Even if it sees me it can't turn quickly. It's worth a try."

"It absolutely is not! Stay there. As long as it can't see us I think we're safe."

"We still need to get out of here."

"Alright, alright. Just let me think."

Out of sight, the drone completed another lap. The engines pushed harder, and a chain link snapped. Released from tension, the rest of the chain whipped up and around the drone and crashed against the nose of Malachi's shuttle. The shuttle rocked back slightly under the blow, and a handful of red sparks danced up from the friction on the deck plate.

The drone, now able to turn more quickly, spun around. It fired at the shuttle; five quick yellow blasts. The first blast caught the corner of the vessel at structurally strong point. The energy blast flared brightly on impact and rocked the shuttle across the deck. The next four blasts scored hits along the primary hull, each one punched a hole clean through both sides of the ship and detonated on impact against cargo and the internal wall of the bay. Malachi scrambled for new cover as behind him the shuttle danced and the room exploded in yellow flame.