Alien Items - Drew Wagar

Janus met Tina at the exit, she had obviously decided to return before he’d pressed the fob. She
looked terrified. 'W-What’s your rating?' she stuttered, no sign of that sultry purr now.
'Despite my best efforts? Above Average I’m afraid.'
She grabbed him and kissed him firmly on the lips as he tried to squeeze by. 'Come back safe, I
haven’t finished with you yet!'
As Janus dashed back towards the docking bay, joining many others heading in the same
direction, he couldn’t help but smile to himself. He didn’t really want to die but now he really
wanted to stay alive, the difference was subtle but important.
Somewhat in a trance he raced up the open cargo bay ramp and Lazarus was already off the pad
and headed for the exit when it finally snapped shut behind him.
He weaved amongst the other ships headed for the station exit. Launch protocols at a Constore
were always somewhat more lax than at a main station but this was bordering on chaos. Launch
Control had clearly given up and had just left the inner doors of the docking bay permanently open,
relying on the forcefields alone to stop the station from explosively venting its vast atmosphere into
space. Not that it really mattered, if the station's defenders failed to repel the attack, formidable
though it was, the Constore would be quickly torn apart by the Thargoids. Daddyhoggy would die,
Tina would die, even the Goat Meat man would die. Ok, Lazarus, I need you to be on your best
behaviour for the next few minutes. Let's put on a good show eh? He tapped the astronavigation
panel by way of encouragement but Lazarus gave no clue as to her current mood.
Janus squeezed Lazarus past the same gaudily painted station Sidewinders that had launched
earlier when he'd rescued the Remloked pilot, they seemed reluctant to join the line of ships waiting
at the exit. Janus shook his head sadly. This isn't about eight Creds an hour boys, this is about
whether you die outside the station fighting or inside the station trapped and helpless.
He glared at them until he lost sight of them and had to concentrate his attention on the very busy
exit, suddenly, right behind what appeared to be a beautifully equipped Boa Class Cruiser which
breached the forcefield and disappeared, it was his turn.
He hit full power and Lazarus tore through the inner forcefield and a brief instant later exited
into a Maelstrom of utter Hell.
The BCC was gone! A sea of tumbling fragments and a rapidly fading cloud of burning
atmosphere was all that remained.
***