Page 1 of Sawoots Story

1

Sawoot

Sweat drips down the back of my neck. My sticky sweater clings to my body but I keep my face set. As first mate on theWayward Scythe, I must set an example for the five souls under our command. If I crack, we crumble.

Not that it will matter if Tasha can’t dodge the next barrage. If I die screaming or die stoic, I’m still dust. Every blast of las-fire shot by the Toad attack ships feels like Russian roulette, and the one thing I know about luck is that eventually, it runs out.

My brain tells me to punch the metal walls of the ship I hope won’t be my coffin and scream out in a terrified shriek that my primordial instincts designed to warn the rest of the tribe. There’s no running from an enemy that’s faster than you. I hold the terror at bay.

These instincts have no place in theWayward Scythe, the mid-sized mining and transport ship we call home.

Fear and vulnerability have no place on a spaceship fighting for your life. Fear and vulnerability have no place in my mind, period.

The three putrid green attack ships swarm like flies, blasting out las-fire. We were getting distance, but the heads-up display shows them closing, fast.

“They’re gaining on us!” I yell out, knowing Tasha is focused entirely on dodging the blast and won’t know they’re gaining ground. Tasha jams the thruster forward at maximum boost.

Blinding lights bathe the cockpit as the barrage impacts. My head throbs painfully and my heart stops. One last flash of light before the Gods take me.

The ship creaks and groans as my heart pounds like a rabbit. Our shields held. Barely. Each blast could be the one that leaves us stranded in the dark of endless space surrounded by the rubble of our ship. Would I feel the cold, before I’m snuffed out? Or would I be obliterated before I know it? My body is tense. Each second is eternity.

Our shields flicker in and out.

“Divert thirty percent power from shields to engines!” Tasha screams through gritted teeth. Her knuckles are white on the thruster. Our flickering shields are the only thing that keeps those las-cannons from ripping through the metal hull plating and bathing us in instant death. Tasha knows what she’s doing. She’s gotten me through more life-or-death situations than I can count…

But I feel like the walls of our little ship are buckling in on me, the great pressure of space always waiting to take us.

“Divert power from the shields? Are you crazy? We’ll be shredded by the next barrage.” Our novice technician, Theme, has naked fear in his voice. A boy with too much intelligence and good sense. He hesitates, his hand shaking in front of his console.

A bead of sweat drips down Tasha’s forehead. “I told you to divert thirty percent power to engines,” she growls, “so just fucking do it!”

I clench my fist. If Theme doesn’t listen to her, I’ll go over there and slap some sense in him. He’s close to freezing up. We all are. There’s a thin edge of terror under Tasha’s words, but she’s keeping her head.

Barely.

The power bars of the engines rise, and the shields plummet. Now there’s nothing between us and the Toad las-cannons. They’ll shred through our hull like paper. The seven of us will float in space for eternity.

Tasha looks like she’s about to throw up. Her face is pale. I put my hands on her shoulders, rubbing them gently. I’m terrified inside but I have to keep her calm.

“You’ve got this, baby,” I say, my voice coming out smooth and reassuring, and the edge of her tension releases as she gets into the zone.

“You fuckingknowI’ve got this,” she says, smiling in a grin that looks half insane.

Lights flare on the three attack ships as they fire in unison. Tasha veers hard right.

Whether she predicted their fire or just took a gamble, the result is the same. The bright flashes dissipate harmlessly, not even caressing our little ship. The Toads didn’t expect the added maneuverability.

Chris whoops from the back of the ship. “Nice one, cap!”

He’s a hard bastard, that one. Head of the mining crew since he joined the outfit three years ago. He’s a wizard with the mining beam and never backs down from a fight. He’s a right asshole, but you have to be hard to survive in the depths of Wild Space.

A massive green planet wells up in our vision, lush, bountiful lands, and I shake off the feeling that I’ll never feel grass again as I rub Tasha’s back to keep her calm and centered. The huge moon is silver and uncaring. If we had a little more engine power, we could get to safety.

I know the look on her face. She’s planning something. “We’ve just gotta get around that moon…”

The Toads give us no time to think. They switch to missile fire, blasting out heat-seeking missiles that lock in on our little ship. They’re not trying to shred us with las-fire and salvage our ship.

They’re trying to obliterate us.

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