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“Looks like cargo door’s not sealin’, which we knew We ot the video feed back up … hold on …”

Holden shifted to peer over Alex’s shoulder Prax took another s of his food and gave in to curiosity An io bay no wider than Prax’s palo was on electronetic pallets, stuck to the plates nearest the wide bay door, but soravity to the floor It gave the rooe, zooo door In one corner, a thick section ofwhere the bend had cracked the external layers A spray of stars showed through the hole

“Well, at least it ain’t subtle,” Alex said

“What hit it?” Holden said

“Don’t know, Cap,” Alex said “No scorching as far as I can see But a gauss round wouldn’t have bent the metal in like that Just would have made a hole And the bay isn’t breached, so whatever did it didn’t nification again, looking closely at the edges of the wound It was true there were no scorch ainst the metal of the door and the deck Prax frowned He opened his ain

Holden said what Prax had been thinking

“Alex? Is that a handprint?”

“Looks like one, Cap, but …”

“Pull out Look at the decking”

They were se But they were there A handprint, s suspicion had once been red The un smear of darkness

The pilot followed the trail

“That bay’s in hard vacuuht?” Holden asked

“Has been for a day and a half, sir,” Alex said The casual air was gone They were all business now

“Track right,” Holden said

“Yes, sir”

“Okay, stop What’s that?”

The body was curled into a fetal ball, except where its palainst the bulkhead It lay perfectly still, as if they were under high g and it was held against the deck, crushed by its oeight The flesh was the black of anthracite and the red of blood Prax couldn’t tell if it had been a man or a woman