Summon the Thunder

The first shot went wide to his right and the second sailed too far to the left, but his third attempt found its mark, striking the man in the left thigh. He fell to the deck, dropping his disruptor in order to clutch his wounded leg. Pe

“Get Armnoj!” Qui

Ignoring the firefight unfolding on the other side of the cargo hold, Pe

“Come on!” the reporter shouted, reaching beneath the table and grabbing the accountant’s collar to pull him from his hiding place. Armnoj stumbled to his feet, still clasping his ubiquitous briefcase to his body.

“Get me out of here!” he whined, struggling for breath in the oxygen-depleted air of the cargo hold and grasping Pe

Pe

Another disruptor bolt hit the wall in front of him and Pe

“Move, damn you!” he shouted, his lungs aching as he shoved Armnoj in the direction of the door. To his right he saw Broon sticking his head up from behind one of the storage drums, realizing too late as he stared at the barrel of the brigand’s disruptor pistol that the bastard now had him dead to rights. The son of a bitch even was smiling.

Then Pe

Thank God. Pe

“Don’t get comfortable,” Qui

“What are we supposed to do now?” Armnoj asked, his eyes wide with fear. He appeared even to be trembling, still gripped by the intensity of the past few minutes.

Qui

“Won’t Broon’s men have something to say about that?” Pe

“Probably.” Reaching into one of the lockers, Qui

The reporter shook his head. “Lead the way, mate.”

Broon employed at least two more men, both of whom were waiting as Qui

The first shot came as Qui

“Up high!” Pe

From where he knelt near a tool locker, Qui

The decrepit starhopper never had looked as good to Pe

Reaching the bottom of the ramp, Pe

Then the shadow fell across the ramp and Pe

Pe

“Get inside!” Pe

“What are you doing?” Pe

Qui

“Time to go,” the pilot said between ragged breaths as he scrambled up the ramp, grunting with the exertion. “I started the depressurization sequence and keyed the hatch. It should be open in a minute or so.”

For the first time since their escape had begun, Pe

“Are you all right?” Pe

“I’ll live,” Qui