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The inner door slid open

The sudden screech of his hazave him a heart attack He chinned the control that killed the audible alar It wasn’t data that actually did hi him that it could handle the current levels, and that was nice

Holden stepped out of the airlock into a se lockers and EVA equipment It looked empty, but a small noise from one of the lockers alerted him, and he turned just in time to see aa heavy wrench at his head The bulky haz quickly, and the wrench struck a ringing blow off the side of his helmet

“Jim!” Naomi yelled over the radio

“Die, you bastard!” the Navy , but he wasn’t wearing ive hi the rabbed the wrench out of his hand and threw it away He caught thewith his left hand and drew his pistol with his right

“If you crackedto throw you out that airlock,” Holden said He began flipping through suit status screens while keeping his pistol pointed at the wrench enthusiast

“It looks okay,” Naomi said, relief evident in her voice “No reds or yellows That hel in that locker?” Holden asked thehere when the … it … ca Earther, with pale skin and fla red hair cut close to the scalp A patch on his suit said LARSON “All the doors sealed up during eency lockdown I was trapped in here, but I could watch as happening on the internal security systeet out the airlock, but it was sealed too Say, how’d you get in here?”

“I have admiralty-level overrides,” Holden said to him Quietly, to Naomi he said, “At current radiation levels, what’s survival odds for our friend here?”

“Not bad,” Naoet him into sick bay in the next couple of hours”

To Larson he said, “Okay, you’re co to CIC Get ot a ride off this tub”

“Yes, sir!” Larson said with a salute