Taking Space 2

- UNFORESEEN DIFFICULTIES -

Michael glanced up at the viewscreen displaying the luxury apartment where the assassin android currently stood dormant as Stevens probes hung from a hole they had cut through the left wall of the apartments elaborate bathroom to connect directly to the stations surveillance feed.

Catherine, Daniel, and Stephanie stood beside him watching as walls of text scrolled in front of Steven and he every so often input his own lines of text. They had gained access to the station's cameras some time ago, but Catherine had stopped them from bringing them up on the viewscreen by saying, 'Some things can't be unseen.' They all had agreed with her statement, so Steven was doing this the old-fashioned way.

At long last Steven swiped his hand through the hologram dispelling the confusing scripting languages and leaned back.

"How bad is it?" Michael asked him.

Steven wiped at his left eye and shook his head. "As Cat said, you don't really want to know. Before this I thought the station's prime income came from TG38, but as it turns out it's not even a third of their income. Their prime business is the import and export of humans."

Daniel frowned as he leaned against the command council next to Steven's. "So, slavery and human trafficking?" He asked.

"No," Steven answered. "It's far worse than that but it's better for all of our mental health if I don't go into the—"

An explosion shook white sun station and the assassin toppled backwards its metal head bouncing off one of the luxury apartments walls as it fell over putting a dent in.

"What was that?" Stephanie asked grabbing for a control hat.

New images filled the view screens and Alf appeared beside them. "Someone just hit the Savage razor with some type of heavy weapon," he informed them. "It's front end, engines, and most of its other systems, are laying in multiple pieces strewn across the docking bay."

"What?" Daniel declared in alarm.

"I'm guessing the Emperor has discovered our presence on the station," Michael said.

"Sounds like a sound conclusion to me," Steven said. "Because my drones' sensors are picking up three armed men coming up the west hall and two coming from the east."

Stephanie shoved the control hat on her head and the assassin sprung to his feet. The assassin then brought up his arm and shook it, but nothing happened.

"Oh, no I forgot I don't have my shield," Stephanie said.

"No need," Steven answered. "The assassin has his own power source, so I was able to give it its own personal shielded."

"You mean like Cox had and our medallions have?" Daniel asked.

"Exactly," Steven said. "Thanks to the stealth fiber covering the assassin's Dynovamator and the total lack of need for any active jamming system there's not much interference either so said shield should be almost able to withstand a direct hit from a heavy weapon if need be. Though as always too much strain will collapse the dimensional door providing it."

Stephanie nodded, and the android spun around taking off towards the opposite side of the apartment.

"Ah, you're headed the wrong way," Daniel said.

"No, I'm not," Stephanie said as the android picked up speed slamming into the far wall.

A golden shield flickered to life around the assassin as the wall gave way and sparks flew in all directions as the android plowed straight through it.