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Kaminski cracked the inner door, and he and Martinezfire with Jenkins, falling back slowly as the things tested our defences It was difficult to ht: flashes of a claw, an alien head, then the explosion of plasma as another went down My suit counted ten, twenty, thirty targets

“Into the airlock!” Kaminski shouted, and ere all suddenly inside, drenched in sweat and blood

The drive chay on the ship – the energy core Once, this ine room Now, the device contained within the chaer y core sat in the centre of the roo that it filled the place, adorned with even ns This was our objective

Olsen stole a glance at the chamber, but stuck close to me as we assembled around the machine Kaminski paused at the control terminal near the door, and sealed the inner lock Despite the reinforcedof the Krell was still audible I knew that they would be through those doors in less than aoverhead The chas had probably been on-ship for long enough to know every access corridor and every rooe

They’ll find a way in here soon enough, I thought A e of the dead merchant captain – still strapped to his seat back on the bridge – suddenly came to mind

The possibility that I would die out here abruptly dawned on er – not directed at the Allianceus, nor at the idiot colonists who had flown their ship into the Quarantine Zone, but at the Krell

My suit didn’t take any ood It was pure and made me focused

“Jenkins – set the charges”

“Affirmative, Captain”

Jenkinsher kit She carried three de metal discs had a separate control panel, and was packed with a low-yield nuclear charge

“Wh-what are you doing?” Olsen stammered

Jenkins kept working, but shook her head with a senerator You should have read theThat was your first mistake”

“Forgetting to bring a gun was his second,” Kaminski added

“We’re going to set these charges off,” Jenkinsexplosion will breach the Q-drive energy core That’ll take out the main deck The chain reaction will destroy the ship”

“In short: gran explosión,” said Martinez