The shattered edge

[arvg]

Pasha didn't give a crap that the life support wasn't working, he was having a cigarette.

He sat in the cockpit of the Social Credit offering up his usual choice string of Russian swear words that described, quite accurately, how he felt about alien drones, the fact that the Skipper, Jayce Brooks wasn't there, and the usual incompetence of Engineering Specialist Invanov to actually get anything done.

The weapons console was open infront of him as he rapidly swapped control circuits out.

"Screw the shields!" he yelled back at the crewman who was opening the wrong panel. "Guns, fix the guns... our shields are going to do us no good once those drones decide to attack..."

"I can get you power," Ivanov called through the length of the tightly packed starship, "but it's engines or weapons..."

"Liquid-fueled thrusters," Byk yelled back. "Give me the damn guns! Where's the XO gone?"

Ivanov shook his head, "The illustrious Sub-Lieutenant is crying in the ships head, again. Useless like lady bits on bull..."

"Da?" Pasha commented subbing his cigarette out on the top of the console, slamming home the last modular replacement circuit board. "Tell our fearless leader to get off the can, and get up here, before I use my knife to gut him! I never thought I'd say this, but I wish the Skipper were here..."

Ivanov through a series of circuit breakers, the jerry rigged panel lighting up like a Christmas tree as power was fed to the rapid firing Red Hessian Rote Flammes turrets.

The targeting scopes lit up on the panel in front of Byk, and the grumpy Pole grinned to himself. "That's it, we got guns... jack all else, but we can shoot these buggers."

A crewman rushed forward with a shortwave TAC-link, used by field marines. Byk nodded as he slipped it on. "This is Master Chief Byk on the Social Credit, we've got guns!"

He patted the console of the Social Credit lovingly, the old girl wasn't about to give up that easily, alien threats or not... and worse case scenario, they could always stuff the useless XO out the airlock and do everyone a favour.

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