THE FALL OF ROSENROT STATION

HOSTILES

The sky was already full of stars when he reached the cafeteria. He looked at it and then he stopped and looked around and then he pulled out his palmcoder and sent off an instruction to the autodolley. The autodolley reacted immediately it's induction engine whining faintly as it wheeled close to one of the hologardens and powered down. A secondary circuitry layer would continue to draw a trickle of power from the nearfield, listening for further instructions.

Even did not wait to see the autodolley complete its orders. He crouched and moved over to a concrete berm that had several large-leafed plants. They were just holograms but they provided visual cover.

It was a couple of minutes before he heard them and a couple more before they appeared from the other side of the cafeteria space. It was two men and they walked side by side and they both had needleguns short black carbines with full blocks that curved down below them. One held his needlegun from the hip while the other held his with the stick extended and the butt resting loosely with his shoulder.

Even had stood when he had heard their voices. The men came out into the central area and stopped and began looking around the area. They had their backs turned to Even but if they turned around they would see him. Before that could happen Even crouched back down and moved back further into the darkness behind the berm.

Shortly there was a flash and a low crack. It took Even a moment to realise that one of the men had fired off his rifle and another moment to realise the target was one of the trees.

The second man said something in a low voice.

I know it. Said the first. Look I killed it.

As Even watched the tree shuddered and broke apart into a thousand motes of light which dissolved. The round had hit the controlling circuitry. If it had hit the generator the thing would have simply winked out of existence like it had never been.

He was still looking at where the tree had been when there came a ear piercing shriek that came from the other side of the cafeteria. As Even watched the men spun to face where the shriek had come from. One of the men lifted his rifle to fire from the shoulder while the other fired from the hip. The crackling sound of the guns echoed through the cafeteria.

Another shriek came from closer, from somewhere behind Even. He twisted around and shortly spotted some new creature, a creature unlike the pale twisted hulk that he had encountered before. It was short and insect thin, ribs pressing through flesh that was black and glistening wetly like a beetles carapace. It had no visible eyes or nostrils and it's ears were holes in the otherwise smooth dome of its head. It stood and threw its arms wide and unfurled dagger fingers and opened its mouth impossibly wide and shrieked through rows of dagger teeth. It rushed them. The first man turned and aimed and squeezed off several shots that pierced through its chest. The creature seemed to sit down and then fell on its face and began to bleed out some dark blood like oil.

There was some flash of movement and Even turned to see another of the creatures leap from the second floor landing several meters over to land onto the first man. He screamed in shock and pain as it grappled with him, its fingers slicing through clothing and flesh. He flailed ineffectually until the creature abruptly dipped its domed head forward and in a flash had used its teeth to tear away a chunk of flesh from where his shoulder met his neck. There was a spray of red. In that moment the second man turned and fired from the hip impossibly accurate and put a needle that clipped the top of that darkly glistening dome which exploded in a splash of carapace and brain. The creature slid to the floor. The wounded man put his hand to his neck briefly then held his hand in front of his face. He looked at the blood and then he moaned.

Be silent. Said the other man. He stood his needlegun ready scanning the shadowed perimeter of the cafeteria. No more hostiles appeared.

Even turned his attention to his palmcoder. He woke the dolley and sent it the most complex set of instructions its limited circuitry would be able to retain. It wheeled off silently heading for the other side of the cafeteria, moving behind the concrete berms as much as possible.

Then Even looked at the men. They looked scared. The wounded man was sitting on the floor, blood running down his back and from slashes in his sides. The other man spoke to his wounded friend in a low voice. The wounded man shook his head.

Even stood and took a step away from the berm and then he stopped and slipped off his dufflebag and eased it onto the floor and took his palmcoder from his thigh pocket and laid it atop the dufflebag. Then he straightened up. The men hadn't noticed him but they would in a minute. He held his arms out and hands open and visible.

Hey. He called out. Over here.

The man that was on his feet spun to face him. In a second he had seen him, taken him in, and trained his needlegun on him. The wounded man was also looking at him but without interest.

Who. Said the man. The fuck are you.