Page 28 of Black Star

Both men fired at the gaping hole in the side of theBlack Star. They scored direct hits on the two men, but the energy bolts were absorbed by some kind of force field. Damon didn’t think it surrounded them. The energy the shield couldn’t absorb was bouncing off, sometimes behind the second guy where his shield couldn’t reach. The odds were, they were frontal shield only. Those would be less difficult to maintain.

“What do we do?” Juanas looked at him like Damon remembered looking at his commanding officer when he was Juanas’s age. “They’ve made our numbers. Any attempt to rush them from the flank would be instantly recognized.”

“I know.” Damon looked around him, desperately needing something to give them an edge.

Viktor laid a hand on his shoulder. The look in his eyes said he was ready to sacrifice himself. The thought chilled Damon to the bone.

A female voice with a strange accent commed in. “Lay me some cover fire.” It wasn’t one he recognized. “I can make it behind them through that blow hatch.” Damon looked around to see the one woman he hadn’t accounted for. She had indeed managed to get her suit on and she moved with the grace and efficiency of someone who had worn a suit just like it many times.

“I take it you’ve fought in deep space before?”

“A time or two. The name’s Diamond. Cover me, and I’ll see what I can do to help.”

“That’s suicide,” Viktor hissed. “If they catch you, you’ll be a sitting duck.”

She turned to Viktor. “You have a better idea, vampire?”

Damon saw the tiny tic in Viktor’s cheek. Most likely, it wasn’t that she’d called him “vampire” like he was a bug she’d like to squash, but the fact that hedidn’thave a better plan.

The woman nodded her head smartly. “Good. Just keep them focused on you. I’ll do the rest.”

Damon wasn’t sure Viktor didn’t have the right of it, but he didn’t have a better idea, either. Damon threw everything he had into their defense. Three enemy soldiers dropped almost instantly -- another followed a few seconds later. Still, they kept coming.

“Viktor, we need to know how many people they have. Can theBlack Stargive you any idea of their troop strength?”

“She estimates eighty to one hundred, but there’s another carrier on the edge of sensor range that’s capable of carrying at least a thousand more.”

“If they’re looking for us, that’s a bit of overkill, don’t you think? A thousand men to take one ship?”

“If that ship is looking for us, my guess is their intention is to capture theBlack Star. The carrier is designed to transport ships as well as troops. It’s empty.”

Damon winced. “How close?”

“If they follow their present course, they’ll be here in forty-seven standard minutes.”

“Damn.” Damon thought for a second, trying to figure out the best way to help the woman currently saving their asses. “Everyone. Concentrate your fire at the top of the bulkhead. If we can get it hot enough, the laser fire should melt the titanium alloy and give them something else to worry about.”

It didn’t take long for bits of hot metal to start falling on top of the two underneath it. One of them jumped back with a yelp, but another took his place. The new man extended his shield to cover his head, but it left his feet and ankles exposed. Damon fired several shots at the guy’s boots, causing him to jump, but otherwise did little damage.

“Damon.” Viktor gripped his arm. “Have you noticed the firing isn’t as thick from their end?”

“Now that you mention it, yes.”

“Something’s happening outside.” Viktor shook his head slightly. “Black Starsays there’s more than one female outside. The second one’s Phoebe.”

Ranier snorted. “Figures.”

Damon gave the young man a sharp look. “I doubt she knows how to put on a suit, much less walk outside a space vessel.”

“Are you really sure about that, my friend?” Viktor said quietly. “Do you really know anything about her at all? I’ve learned to trustBlack Star. If her sensors tell her it’s Phoebe, then it is.”

Damon couldn’t respond. Hedidn’tknow Phoebe. Not like he should have before falling in love. Of course, in matters of the heart, one couldn’t always help the little things. None of it could be helped. At the moment, the only thing he could do was try to protect her as much as he could.

He was about to tell Viktor it didn’t matter -- all that mattered was getting out of this mess and back to Asalian space -- when the ship was rocked by a nearby explosion. Grabbing an open panel door, Damon reached for Ranier but missed. The man would sail straight to the gaping hole in the ship if someone didn’t catch him. Either way -- into enemy hands, or into open space -- would be a death sentence. Damon craned his neck to find Viktor. The vampire had used his cybernetic enhancements to drive his hand into the inner bulkhead and hold on tight as he snagged Ranier before he sailed by.

Once they all regained their equilibrium, the firing continued until one of the men behind the shield, under the bulkhead breach, was yanked off his feet. His tether apparently cut or otherwise disengaged from its anchor, he floated through space, flailing his arms and legs. The second simply slumped over and bumped into the shield from the back. It wasn’t long before he, too, floated off into space.

Damon called a cease-fire and waited. “What’s happening, Viktor? The women? The rest of the attackers?”

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