Summon the Thunder

“I need to access the hardware directly,” Qui

“Then why not go out in an envirosuit?” Pe

“That’s actually an excellent idea,” said Sakud Armnoj from where he sat on a fold-down jump seat situated just aft of the Rocinante’s cramped cockpit, “because you know he’s just going to miss again.”

Oddly, and despite the sadistic fun he himself had been having at Qui

Maybe we should have brought his snotty beast with us just to shut him up.Thankfully, they had not. After regaining consciousness following his encounter with Qui

Pe

“Stifle your hole before I weld it shut!” Qui

“As amazing as this sounds,” Pe

Grunting something unintelligible, the pilot regarded him with a wan smile. “Well, hell, maybe I’ll just stuff you both in the cargo hold for the next week, seeing as how you’re so agreeable and all.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively before returning to the business at hand. “We’re in range,” he said, indicating a status gauge on the helm console which had begun flashing green. “Lock on target.”

“Even if he manages to hit it,” Armnoj said, “the take-up reel will just jam like it did last time, when he missed!”

“Shut up!” Qui

Maneuvering the grappling hook’s targeting controls with his right hand, Pe

“Hurry, dammit, before we drift too close!” Qui

“Almost got it,” Pe

He uttered the exclamation at the precise instant a pair of maneuvering thrusters on the drone’s hull fired. Pe

“Oh, for crying out!” Qui

“He missed again,” Armnoj said with no small amount of superior satisfaction. “I knew it.”

Muttering what Pe

“Sorry, Qui

“Du

It took only moments for the Rocinante’s autopiloting system to maneuver the dilapidated Mancharan starhopper into position. Pe

“Nice shooting,” Pe

Ignoring the compliment, Qui

Pe

“Sure,” Qui

“ What?”came the shocked reply from just outside the cockpit, evoking a satisfied smile from the pilot.

After locking Armnoj inside the one part of the ship where he was likely to cause the least trouble—the shower stall—Qui

“Don’t worry,” Qui

“If it didn’t send one during our first three tries to nab the bloody thing,” Pe

“According to T’Pry

“What is it?” Pe

Qui

“Fancy that,” Pe