Chapter 1

Jim jumped as the proximity alert started shrieking a warning. “God damn tourists,” he muttered as he opened communications. “Unidentified craft, this is station prime one. You have entered restricted space. Divert your course NOW!”

The com crackled a shrill female voice pleading, “Prime station HELP! The pilot and co-pilot are dead.”

“Shut down your engines,” he calmly responded. “There should be a multi-levered handle all connected at the top, push them all the way forward until they lock in place.” Silently he watched as the ship’s engines shut off, but the ship was still moving. “Hell of a way to start a day,” he growled as he readied a grapple beam to slow and pull the ship in.

Pulling it to the hanger, he began to lock down almost all the station, manual instead of electronic locks on doors (he found they were much too easy to hack) and headed down to the ship. As he approached, his long legs eating up space, he stopped dead in his tracks. There at the hatch of the ship was a young teenage girl/woman crying and shaking, staring straight at him, her chest heaving, gulping for air, hardly wearing any clothes.

“I am Jim Stock, this is a private station owned by my family.” (well what was left of his family) “You will have to leave as soon as possible,” (he didn’t like company, especially the uninvited kind) he snapped out. The girl broke down and started sobbing, muttering to herself.

“They are all dead. Oh my god, I can’t believe they are all dead.”

Falling out of the hatch, she just lay there, pooled on the deck like a useless lump of flesh.

Jim was about to step forward when the intruder alert went off. “What the hell!?” Grabbing a plasma rifle next to the door, he opened his mike, “Computer, status report.”

A mechanical voice answered, “Five, level six armbots converging near the open hatch.”

“Level six. Shit, bring up security fields and shields, place around the ship, and protect the girl!” He shouted into his comlink as the first appeared and started firing.

As Jim started returning fire, he shouted, “Damn it, girl, move your ass NOW!” Taking out the first two, he knew it wouldn’t get any easier as these were the more intelligent bots that learned as they went. He could see the other three taking cover as he got a shot off and disabled the arms of the third. The girl looked up at him, then at the bots as they dropped and ran screaming toward him.

“Increase to full combat mode now,” he growled into the com.

“Increasing now, all internal batteries are online, and the shields are full.” Dozens of specially made turrets came out of the walls and started blasting away, taking two more out at the beginning.

“Status report,” he barked.

“Four units inoperable, three of those, no mechanical or electrical activity, one unit damaged, one arm and leg inoperable,” the mechanical voice droned on, “advise more protective cover.”

Smirking, Jim thought, “Would a direct, tight, em pulse directed at the last bot be enough to disable it? I’m unsure of the shield rating of a six. Analyze!”

“Searching ... such a pulse would disable mechanically, but upon further analysis, I have detected a tri-cobalt explosive; advise immediate evacuation.”

“No shit, ya think?” Jim felt the weeping puddle of females at his feet clutch at his leg as he spoke. “Direct pulses at both of the last two operational bots, drop blast shield and door, then evacuate the space, make sure they are all gone before you close the outer hangar doors.”

“Compliance Captain,” the voice answered back, “beginning procedures now.” Jim watched as the shield door began to lower. Grabbing the girl, he pushed her to the airlock, her small frame offering no resistance to him as he hurriedly got her through and slammed the hatch closed.

“Report, Dickie,” he snapped out.

“Applying the bursts now, sir, they are immobilized, starting evacuation,” Dickie replied.

“Bring it up on display.” A picture of the hangar appeared before his eyes, thanks to a synaptic implant installed years ago when he was still in the stellar space forces, and he was allowed to keep it as a reward for his service.

“Report.” He said as he searched the bay.

“Four of the bots are gone, and one completely deactivated is still in the bay, with no activity. The bomb is unarmed but still active. Recommend removal.” Dickie droned back to him.

“Okay, keep it in the bay, bring up shields, we don’t know if the others will...” Suddenly, there was a huge explosion astern, and Jim held on as the force of the blast hit the shields. “Damage report!” He ordered as the girl at his feet began to scream, her green eyes wide in terror.

“No external damage to report. The blast weakened the shields astern and port by 5%. Other than those, we are green on all boards,” Dickie stated. Breathing a sigh of relief, he could now turn his attention to the quivering, incoherent female latched onto his arm and, as he now noticed, drawing blood with the nails of her hand.

“Miss, you have to let go so I can do a med scan on you,” he gently started to pry her hands from his arm.

“NO!!!” she screamed, pulling closer to him, “NO, NO, NO!” Jim sighed as he cupped her soft, tear-stained face.