“This way,” Blake said, turning down another corridor. He hoped the diplomat was in her quarters.

He opened the door to find the alien pacing back and forth. Her eyes widened. “Stay away from me!” She put her hands up in a strange posture.

Was that a martial art?

“It’s okay,” Blake said. “We’re here to help get you out.”

Kolivar sniffed. “You’re Rork’s man.”

“I’m not,” Dan said. “And neither is this man.” He gestured behind him toward Marcus who made himself known.

Her eyes widened. “You’re...” she pointed. “You’re the captain of the Kerris, Yes?”

Marcus nodded. “Captain Marcus West, Ma’am. These men are telling you the truth. The alliance military is outside right now trying to—“

“Attention,” a loud and artificial sounding feminine voice said over the intercoms. “Evacuation alert. Missiles set to detonate in T-minus, ten minutes.”

Dan glanced around the ceiling as if looking for the voice. “What the hell?”

A ball of fear formed in Blake’s stomach, tried to make its way up into his chest. “Oh, no!”

“Please tell me that wasn’t what I think it is,” Marcus said.

Rork knew the base was lost, so he’d probably programmed the twenty-two surface to orbit missiles to detonate inside of the base. He was trying to kill everyone!

Blake rubbed his forehead, thinking. “We need to go. Now!”

Dan motioned for Kolivar to join them and she did. They left her rooms, Blake at the lead. “We need to find some Alliance soldiers to get us out of here.”

“The bottom of the shaft,” Dan said. “I told Taver that was a good entry point.”

Blake nodded and unholstered his pistol. He lead the way.

They were nearly there when they came up on the backs of fifteen or so Iron Kin clan members, huddling behind crates and walls, occasionally firing out at the Alliance soldiers in the pit.

Blake put his back to the wall when bullets came through the corridor. “Take cover!”

Dan was next to Blake, Marcus and Kolivar were huddled across the corridor. Safe. For now.

“We can’t get to the pit from here,” Blake said. “Too many clan members. Unless you think you can take them out, Dan?”

Dan moved in front of Blake, peeked out. He came back and shook his head. “Not when there’s over ten! I’m a commando, not a miracle worker. Besides, I’d probably be hit with friendly fire.”

The voice on the base wide intercoms came on again. “Warning. Evacuation alert. Missiles set to detonate in T-minus, seven minutes.”

“What do we do?” Marcus yelled. “How do we get out of here?”

“There’s another way,” Blake said.

Dan peeked out again. “What is it?”

“Rork has a working ship in the shuttle bay. We can use it to get out of here.”

“But...?”

“But,” Blake said. “Rork is probably already on his way. I can’t see him getting buried in this tomb, can you?”

Dan scoffed. “Then we better beat him there! Lead the way.”

Blake nodded and headed for the shuttle bay.

If they missed that shuttle because Rork got there before them, then there was no way they would survive. There wouldn’t be enough time to find some Alliance soldiers to rescue them. They had this one shot.

* * *

Blake chose a small access corridor to the hangar since the main doors were probably locked. Rork was too smart to let the Alliance cut off his only escape route.

His heart was hammering inside of his chest. They would probably have to kill Rork to get out.

Blake opened the door at the end of the corridor and they entered the hangar. It was a very large open space with catwalks and gantries. The hangar was designed to support up to four cargo haulers.

“Warning. Evacuation alert. Missiles set to detonate in T-minus, five minutes.”

This was cutting it really close, Blake thought. By now the Alliance military was probably pulling out.

It had been nearly a year since the last time Blake entered the shuttle bay. Rork kept the area locked down, just in case some of his less loyal clan members decided to make off in his ship.

The hangar was empty, but Blake looked up to a second level, about a hundred feet off the ground. The ship was there. Leading to it was a system of rusty metal catwalks.

Blake’s eyes widened and he pointed. It was Rork, making for the shuttle. “There!”

Dan and Marcus sprinted after him as he made his way up the catwalk. Kolivar followed with Blake at the rear. They had to catch the warlord before he could get inside the ship. Once he was in and the boarding ramp was closed, he would lock them outside.

Blake used the hand rails to haul himself up, trying to increase his speed. “Faster! Don’t let him get inside—“

Somebody grabbed the back of his neck with a surprising steel grip, right before something was thrust into his back. He screamed.

Blake’s vision swayed and he fell to the catwalk without even seeing who had stabbed him. He clutched the area where the pain was coming. He looked down. Blood was gushing from his back between his fingers.

Oh—oh shit!

Sounds started to muffle as his vision blurred. He thought he heard shouting and fighting up ahead, but he couldn’t be sure. Too dizzy.

His vision started fading. He was going to die. He knew it. He smiled. That was okay. At least he was going to die trying to do something right.

Something right...

“Warning,” the voice said over the intercoms. Blake could barely make out the words. “Evacuation alert. Missiles set to detonate...”

His vision faded and all went soundless and black.

* * *

Dan turned at the sound of Blake’s scream, realized Shane was there, standing over him, a bloody knife in his hand and a sickening smile on his face.

He snarled and ran past Kolivar, put his hands up, but didn’t ball his fists. He would have to wrest that knife from Shane’s grip.

“Warning,” Evacuation alert. Missiles set to detonate in T-minus, three minutes.”

Threscher smirked. “Running out of time, Dan.”

Dan glanced down at Blake. His eyes were looking up at the ceiling, unmoving. “You piece of shit!”

Shane shrugged. “You’d have done the same.”

Then he lunged.

Dan jumped back and to the side, dodging the knife blow.

* * *

Marcus kicked his legs as hard as he could. Rork was a big man, but he was more lumbering than fast. Marcus caught up with him. “Stop!”

Before he turned around, Rork reached for the pistol behind his belt and pointed it directly in Marcus’ face.

A knot formed in his throat as Kolivar gasped from behind him.

“It’s over,” Rork said. “Now back off.”

Marcus didn’t move. He just stared at the warlord, heart hammering.

Finally Rork snarled and pointed his pistol at Kolivar.

Marcus saw his finger move, pressing against the trigger, so he decided to move. He lunged at Rork’s hand, slamming his arm against the back of the shuttle, the pistol discharging as it fell from his hand, then Marcus punched Rork in the face with a right hook, went in with his left.

Rork blocked his second punch and came at him with an uppercut to the stomach. All the air left Marcus as he doubled down to his knees, gasping for air.

Rork bent down casually and picked up his pistol, then kicked Marcus in the chest. The next thing Marcus knew, a hand was on his neck. He couldn’t breathe. He punched Rork in the ribs, over and over, but it didn’t seem to faze the big man.

He was starting to black out.

* * *

Dan ripped the knife from Shane’s grip, went in for a killing blow, but the bastard backed off, out of reach.

Putting both hands on the rail, Dan lifted his body and kicked Shane in the chest. The man grunted and fell onto his back.

Dan turned around, saw Marcus getting the life choked out of him and ran up the catwalk to level ground where the shuttle was.

Kolivar looked like she wanted to pounce on Rork, but not while he had a pistol in his hand.

Marcus continued to squirm under the warlord’s grip as Dan ran toward them. He kept his path directly behind Kolivar, hoping to obscure himself from Rork’s view.

It worked.

Why he didn’t just shoot Marcus was an odd.

At the last possible second, Dan dodged Kolivar who turned around in shock with her hands up in a strange martial art posture, and lunged at Rork.

Rork saw Dan at the last instant and fired his pistol.

Red hot pain blossomed in Dan’s side as he toppled into Rork, his knife entering the warlord’s chest.

Rork grunted and the next thing Dan knew, they were wrestling on the ground over the pistol.

Kolivar moved up and began to kick Rork in the side, but it was a feeble attempt. Rork grabbed the alien by the ankle and tripped her up. Then he focused solely on Dan.

They rolled, punching, kicking, trying to get an advantage over the other. And then Rork was on top of Dan, chocking him like he had Marcus as his head lolled off the edge of the catwalk.

The view from so high and from upside down was dizzying to Dan. With his right arm engaged with Rork’s left, fighting over the pistol, Dan only had his left arm to keep Rork from strangling him.

The Warlord was too strong.

Dan was starting to feel the blood pool in his face—his skin felt tight. The dizzying became worse and he started to see black spots.

And then Rork grunted loudly and his grip subsided. Dan rolled to the left, away from the catwalk, clutching his throat and coughing hoarsely.

He gasped for air, getting back to his feet.

Rork’s pistol was gone, evidentially fallen over the edge. Rork and Marcus were fighting now, but Rork, despite having a knife sticking out of his chest, had a huge advantage in strength and fighting experience.

Marcus was taking blows by Rork one after the other when Dan rushed in from behind, ripped the knife out of Rork’s chest and then dragged the sharp blade across the warlord’s neck.

He fell face-first to the floor with a loud metal thump.

“Well,” Dan said, breathing heavily through the words. “That’s over with.”

Marcus groaned.

“Warning. Evacuation alert. Missiles set to detonate in T-minus, two minutes.”

“That’s our queue, Marcus,” Dan said hoarsely, still clutching at his throat. He extended a hand to the captain and helped the man up. “It’s time to go.”

Marcus nodded vehemently, still shocked at what had just happened. “Where’s—Hhmk!—Where’s Blake?”

Dan shook his head, feeling a sense of dissappontment.

“Damn.”

* * *

Marcus’ face felt like somebody had used it for a punching bag. In fact, Rork had done just that. Every square inch of his upper face throbbed. He was probably already black and blue with bruises.

Dan motioned for Kolivar to move ahead of him as Marcus limped to the ship. He pushed the button that would extend the boarding ramp. He was rewarded with a soft pneumatic hiss and whine of servos as the ramp extended.

“Not so fast!”

Dan screamed.

Marcus turned around, eyes wide as his heart leapt into his throat. Shane Threscher was there, punching Dan where he’d been shot.

Dan broke from the other commando’s grip, raised his fists to fight. He shook his head. “Nothing you can do,” he gasped, glancing toward Marcus. “Leave this to me. Just get Kolivar off this planet.”

Marcus was freaking out. Rork was a tough opponent, but if Dan told him to get Kolivar out of here, then Shane must have been an even more skillful foe.

Shit, he thought. I can’t leave him!

“I’m not leaving without you.”

“Just do it!” Dan croaked, dodging a fist and backing off from Shane’s attack.

“Shit!” Marcus looked at Kolivar. “Get on the ship.”

The alien diplomat obeyed without question, obviously ready to get off this hellhole of a planet. Marcus followed her, glancing back one more time at Dan and Shane where they were locked in unarmed combat.

“Warning. Evacuation alert. Missiles set to detonate in T-minus sixty seconds.”

Marcus felt like shit as the boarding ramp closed, all light from outside gone. He sprinted to the cockpit where Kolivar was waiting in the co-pilot seat.

This mission had cost so much. And all they accomplished was saving Kolivar. They couldn’t even locate the rest of Marcus’ crew.

Booting up the systems, he wondered where Korvan was—if he was even still alive.

* * *

Shane jumped back from Dan’s kick, landing in a crouch and rolling past Rork’s corpse. Before he came up to full height he snatched up the knife that Dan had used to kill the warlord.

He smiled that fucked up smile. “How’s that side feel?” He asked in that scratchy voice.

The shuttle’s engines fired up.

Come on! Dan thought. There was less than a minute to go and Marcus hadn’t even taken off yet!

Dan looked down, moved his bloody hand from the wound. “Just a flesh wound, asshole.”

Shane smirked again and moved forward. Dan arced around so Shane’s back was facing where the launch exhaust of the ship would be.

Shane lunged with the knife, but Dan parried, deflecting his arm to the left. Then he brought an elbow up and landed a blow to the side of Shane’s face.

The man stumbled backward, surprised.

“I told you,” Dan said. “Just a flesh wound.”

Shane snarled, coming back for another attack, but Dan kicked him. He stumbled back again.

The engines of the ship were roaring now. Takeoff was just a few seconds away. Dan lunged, kicked again, but Shane braced himself, grabbed Dan’s boot and twisted.

Dan grunted, landing in a heap. He rolled to his back.

“It’s over, Dan. I win.” Threscher laughed, arms outstretched.

The ships engines boosted, acquiring the last energy needed to takeoff.

Now!

As Shane moved forward to finish Dan off, Dan surprised the bastard and lifted both feet into the air. A sharp pain shot through Dan’s ankle has he kicked with all his strength.

Shane stumbled back, just as the ship started to propel forward. He was vaporized as the ship boosted out of the hangar at speed.

“Warning. Detonation in, T-minus thirty seconds.”

Time’s up!

Dan was a dead man, but he wouldn’t just give up. He rolled to his stomach, pushed himself up to his knees, then to his feet. He yelled in pain as his ankle exploded. He limped toward the light on the outside of the hangar as fast as he could.

He tripped.

“Warning. Detonation in, T-minus twenty seconds.”

Dan screamed. He wasn’t going to die here on this hellhole! He jumped back to his feet, ignoring the excruciating pain in his ankle as best he could, and ran.

* * *

They broke orbit and the Alliance military came onto the coms. “Unidentified vessel, this is Captain Sindusky of the Alliance naval vessel Brightwing. Identify yourself, or we will destroy you.”

Having just finished their assault and evidentially failing to rescue Kolivar, they probably thought Rork was on this ship. Marcus switched the rear viewport on. From space he saw a small dot of bright light on the surface of Acheron where Life City was.

He felt a pang of regret, leaving Dan behind. Losing Blake Halls.

He activated the ship’s coms, connecting the line with the Brightwing. “This is Marcus West. I’m the Captain of the VIP shuttle Kerris. I have Diplomat Kolivar onboard.” He activated the video feed.

Captain Sindusky flinched. Finally he said, “Stand by. We will escort you directly to Cerberus Station where you and the diplomat will disembark.” Sindusky shook his head, smiled. “Whatever the hell happened down there, good job, Captain.”

Marcus nodded. “Thank you.” He shut off the communication line, then turned to Kolivar. “You sure are quiet. Aren’t you happy to get off of Acheron?”

Kolivar turned to him, face grave. “Of course I am. But my suspicions of your kind, especially when dealing in political circles has been confirmed. You are a very treacherous race, yes?”

Marcus raised his eyebrows. “Hey, I’m just a captain that wants to go home to his family.”

Kolivar sniffed, evidentially not believing.