“Everyone on alert. We can’t be certain what’s beyond these walls.” Luther put a hand on the bridge’s hull.
I held up the Tab. “I don’t see any red blips.”
“Can’t count on that,” Aster said. “With a hull this dense, and the liquid substance, who knows what kind of interference they’re running?”
Varn kept peering over his shoulder. We were all on edge in the dark and silent vessel.
“R11, what’s the status?” I held my PersaTab near the controls, and something clicked after several impatient minutes.
“Did that work, Captain?” R11 asked while two handles protruded from the door.
“I think so.” I tested one of the levers, and it depressed, but the entrance remained sealed tight.
“Try that again,” Luther suggested as he urged the other lever. With them both down at the same moment, the door clacked again, and we tugged on them, gaining access to the bridge.
Aster went first, barging past us with her guns raised. She spread her arms wide, aiming in either direction, and finally stepped to the side when she deemed it safe. Dim lights glowed from the ceiling as we walked onto the round bridge, powered by some unseen battery system.
I went with Luther, circling the area and getting a feel for the layout. It looked like the main command post was in the middle, where a round console station was set, with three seats each facing their own screen.
Along the outer walls were bunks cut into the bulkheads. I counted ten in total. “This is their last resort. Break apart from the rest of the Squid, leaving hundreds of people behind.”
“Officers get preferential treatment. Maybe the Velibar aren’t so different from the Corporations,” Aster muttered.
“R11, where do we search?” I asked the robot on Pilgrim.
“Captain, there should be a main module, probably the command center you passed when you entered,” R11 advised.
“I’m on it.” I walked to the computer, taking a seat. The chair was too tall, and my legs dangled, making me feel like a toddler at the adult table. “Now what?”
“Same as before. We’ll link your PersaTab and…” I could picture Jade chewing a strand of her hair, trying to access the Velibar’s top-secret files. “We have a go.”
My Tab was pulsing yellow light from the edges, notifying me that a transfer was in place.
“What did you find?” Luther asked. He was trying to power up one of the monitors, but nothing happened.
“Too early to tell.” I heard Jade’s fingers typing over her screen. “This is it… you guys did it.”
“What?” I climbed off the chair, finding the transfer had completed.
“Their locations. It’s all here. I’ll get R11 working on translating the data, but I’d say we finally have some luck.” Jade was obviously happy.
Varn was near the exit. “Uhm, guys.”
“Good work, team. Let’s return—” I stopped when I saw Varn’s frantic hand gestures. “What is it?”
“Check the radar,” Varn said, and I did. The red dots were gathered, moving in a single line from the cavernous room with the pool.
“They’re heading straight for us!” Luther shouted.
“We have to leave!” Aster left, guns up, and I checked the map system, trying to determine the best course of action.
The corridors were black, and suddenly, our flashlights seemed inadequate. I detected an emergency hatch on each floor, and it was showing only a hundred meters away. “To the hatch before the hall does a ninety,” I ordered.
“Where does it go?” Luther asked.
“Who cares? The Velibar are on this deck, and progressing quickly.” I showed him the map, and he grimaced.
“Done. We’ll access the Racers from another deck.” Luther urged them forward. “You heard the man. Get moving!”
They didn’t need much persuasion. Varn took off like a dog chasing a Pod, with Aster directly behind him. The hatch was smaller than I’d hoped, but would be big enough for a Velibar to squeeze through. We spun the release, and Luther lifted the heavy plate. The unused hinges groaned in protest, and Varn almost jumped down the ladder rungs. I went as fast as I could, and Aster followed. The sounds of pulse blasts filled the silent ship, and Luther cursed, shooting at the incoming enemy with his Widowmaker. “Go to hell, you parasites!” he shouted.
“Hurry up, Luther!” We collapsed on the deck below, and Luther leapt, landing heavily nearby. His weight dented the floor, and he fired again, hitting a Velibar. It tumbled into the hatch access, sprawling beside Varn’s boots. It was dead.
“Go!” Luther shoved me, and we ran into the corridor. I took the lead, trying to choose the proper path toward our docked ships. The red dots had dispersed, hoping to cut us off, but I couldn’t focus on that. Speed was the only thing that would save us now.
“Ahead!” Jade called in my helmet. Having her watch our feeds from the cockpit was paying off. She spotted the Velibar before I did. They weren’t wearing armor, but they carried weapons just the same. The naked alien froze ahead of me and aimed the gun. Two tentacles flashed out, glowing hot and red. The pulse shot through the hall, and I dove to avoid being struck. Varn fired at the Velibar from the ground and hit it square in the chest. It dropped with a thump.
Scrambling to my feet, I rushed, sprinting, then hurdling over the dead alien. We were getting close.
I checked the map, finding we were at the edge of the Squid, a short distance from Pilgrim and Killer. We might actually make it. Luther shot at invisible ghosts behind me, pulling the trigger at any sound emerging from the dark halls.
I grinned, thinking we were at the docking bay entrance, when I found the end of the corridor. There was no door. “We took a wrong turn.” Ten red dots were chasing after us, and they slowed around a corner from our position.
Luther slammed his glove against
