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He looked at the pad and zooe of the ship’s layout There was a fire raging in the section right next to the anited one of the shells orexplosion would slash the ship in two

He heard a cry froainst the bulkhead by his console, which had been torn fro out his arm in a pathetic plea for help

“Please, Commander!” he bawled “I can’t move”

Tate shook his head “Serves you right for failing me You’re on your own”

He ran out of the roo behind him

Tate headed for the nearest stairs, but they were blocked He doubled back and tried a different path That corridor was a tangle of girders, leaking pipes, and dangling wires He’d electrocute hih

The third route he tried took hie and aron’s hull, which had been peeled open so cleanly that the chash It seemed to be his only way out

It was also highly dangerous For all he knew, the Oregon’s creaiting to kill hih their ship He had to arm himself

He sprinted back into the shooting range, opened its inner security door, and dashed into the armory After he s

natched a G36 assault rifle froht, he raced back the way he’d come

When he reached the union of the Oregon and the Portland, Tate pointed the G36 into the darkened opening He clicked on the flashlight and saw an empty corridor

The as clear He clion

—

Juan unbuckled his belt and took stock of hily, he was unscathed from the massive collision Too bad he couldn’t say the same about his ship

He was proud of the punishon had been able to take, but the iines beyond repair He tried to reverse out of the Portland’s death grip No response The Oregon wasn’t going anywhere