The red alert claxons blared throughout the station as people ran frantically to the escape shuttles and life-pods. A voice came over the comms [O] This is the Captain. We have been boarded by hostile forces. Evacuate. Evacuate. Evacuate. All personnel abandon station. I repeat. All personnel abandon station immediately. [C] Far below the bridge of the station, in a small passageway that led to a single emergency hatch, five figures, knelt behind exposed support girders, phase rifles aimed at the hatch. They were completely silent; save for one male figure with shoulder length hair wearing a cowboy hat, who was chewing gum. A smaller female figure, the only one without a rifle, sat staring at a portable monitor she had connected to the station’s surveillance through an small access panel next to her. “Hutchins, the Captain told you. If you are going to smack gum like that, you have to have brought enough for everyone.” Mission Specialist Jane Smith said flatly. The cowboy hat-wearing figure didn’t say a word. He simply braced the rifle against the girder, reached into a cargo pocket, and brought out a pack of chewing gum and offered it to her. Without looking away, the woman reached over and took a piece and popped it in her mouth. Corporal Clyde Hutchins then stuck his arm out behind him in silent offering. A smaller, dark-skinned man with almond shaped eyes reached out and took three pieces. Hutchins put the pack back as the Nepalese man, Staff Sergeant Bhavaroopa Tiwari took one and tossed the remaining pieces backwards without a glance.

They were caught by what could only be described as a mountain of a woman. Probably the most muscular and truly massive people on the entire station; long blonde hair was braided expertly into a ponytail that hung almost to the small of her back, Sergeant Frida Kristensen was intimidating to say the least. Pale skinned and with ice-blue eyes, she was the very embodiment of the Norse goddesses she prayed to. She took a piece and handed the remaining one across the passage to the large man next to her. MACO Captain Wulf Baumann took the piece and put it in his mouth. He made a face and said “I also said no spearmint. Wintergreen or bubble gum next time.”

Hutchins was about to make a retort when Smith said “Contact.” very softly. The four MACO troops pulled down the ocular displays on their helmets and looked at the feed from Smith’s monitor. On the other side of the hatch they faced; a large, heavily modified freighter was docked via an umbilical docking rig to the far outside hatch of the room past the hatch. The hatch was slowly opening to the umbilical was open, and figures were coming through into the evacuation assembly room. One was moving towards the hatch the MACOs faced. As they approached, Baumann whispered “Wait till they touch it.” Smith nodded, finger poised over a single button on her monitor keyboard. As the intruder reached for the handle to try and open the hatch, she jabbed the button. As the hand grasped the handle, a direct line of voltage from the emergency backup generators flowed through the handle and into the body of the suddenly and wholly catastrophically dead trespasser. They didn’t even get to scream, they simply jerked, smoked, and burst into flame while collapsing to the deck in a heap. The other figures jumped back and some screamed, and Hutchins snickered. Baumann said “Fall back to point three. That will keep them moving slowly and buy the crew time to leave. Smith, any word from Command?” “Nothing yet sir. Distress call should arrive in thirty minutes.” Baumann nodded as the MACOs moved back to their next choke point.

<to be continued>

Baumann, MACO CO