That was all the incentive Trina needed. "Bernie, do I still have full rights?"

"Yes Trina, there has been no official transfer of power."

"Trina come on, shut down the clinic and release the schematics!"

"Ok," Trina repeated, "Bernie, Rerra had full authorisation. TXNX44."

"Thank you Trina. Bernie, isolate the clinic, close the section bulkheads on deck 2, emergency decompression alarms for segments 2 to 4 and lock the stairs on segment 3 to deck 2. Cut power to segment 3 on deck 2. Give me the location of the manual cooling valves for the clinic. Can I change the master access code?"

"Yes, to all."

"Bernie, master access is now ETIHWTOLEOC. And give me the location of the valves."

The AI sent the schematics to her pad. "I will leave for a short while. Better wait for my return before going outside."

"It's late," the clanmother said, "kittens say goodbye to Rerra and prepare for the night. The evening has been exciting enough."

She nodded, the clanmother had understood. She went to the storage room, got into the gym uniform and a multitool, and was out.

In the corridor, she could hear the faint alarm and angry metal screeching of the closing bulkhead shutters. She hoped they worked, those on this deck looked as neglected as most of the station's tech. Her destination was the nearby stairwell. The alarm was louder inside. She went down to deck 2 and was satisfied with the heavy metal bolts that sealed the door. Nine of the twelve rusty bolts had moved.

Halfway up between the decks, she tried to open a side panel with her multitool. But two of the screws were rusted solid and the multitool had no grip. Time to try the paw claws the Kolani had made her, nanotube-reinforced biological diamond. She wedged one into an empty screw hole and pulled with the gym-trained strength of her legs. The thin steel plate had no chance and bent. She dug her claws into the centre and pulled it through the thin rusted tin, tearing it in half. Water dripped out, no wonder the screws had not moved.

Using her pad as a light, she saw the rusty manual valve. It was hot to the touch, but it moved. Not easily, though, and it leaked even more hot water. But it got easier with each turn until it was closed and the leaking stopped as a bonus.

She went up to the third floor and ran around a quarter of the station to the next stairwell. The stairs here saw more use, a few cats ran up in panic, as the fake decompression alarm was still going. Deck 2 was sealed here too, although only seven of the twelve bolts had moved. This time the screws on the panel all turned and the inside was dry but certainly not clean. The valve was not leaking either and closed easily. "Bernie, the power distributor 3/2/45/A is for the Ketcher clinic?"

"Yes, one of two."

"Bernie, it is without power now?"

"Yes, status is powerless."

She knew this type. 0005 later, the outgoing cables were swapped. When it would be turned back on, they would fry the grid in this area. With a grin, she returned the panel. No one would guess that she had been manipulated the power distributor.

Her pad chimed. This time it was a video call, Fanny standing in a stairwell, panting, her ocelot fur stuck to her body. "Rerra, thank Hopkins. I could not get to the shuttle, Torragh patrols everywhere, each with some with killer monsters. Luckily, they haven't sniffed me yet. Get off the station if you can, I'll try another section."

"Hello Fanny, they had killed Kerta from Samul. Looks like they went for the outer decks first. Come to the shipyard on the innermost deck. I will go there too, my ship’s there too. Entry is on segment 1. Ask for Bernie, me, and the white ocelot."

Fanny hesitated a moment, looked up and down. "Someone entered below. I will try." And the connection was cut, with a lingering streaky image.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

She ran back to Petra den. The door opened with her code. Trina sat in the entrance room, next to Yuha, while the door to the inner den was locked. "Ok, done. Trina, have you heard from Yakka?"

"Yes, she is on a shuttle. But they cannot release the docking clamps. Flight control is playing dead."

"At least she is safe for now. Now come, we have to get you to safety as well. Thank you, Yuha."

"I can't leave the station," Trina said. "Not after they killed Kerta!"

"Yes, very honourable. But right now they are out for you as the highest-ranking Samul here after Yakka. And no one knows you are here. So let's go to the shipyard, there is only a single door and we have suits, we can even hide outside."

"And the station's fusion cores and main power distributors are next to the hub. Best shields we can get." Trina nodded slowly, more speaking to herself. "There's even an emergency control centre. Ok, let's go."

She turned to Yuha and hugged her. "Yuha, take care! I'll let you know as soon as I know more. And please keep a low profile."

"Take care, clansister." Then Yuha bowed to Trina. "Sorry for you, my condolences, Trina from Samul. Take care!"

Trina just stood there, though.

"Yuha, greet the rest. I try to come back, clansister." They muzzled shortly but then she was out and to the staircase with Trina in tow before the latter got cold paws.

* * *

Climbing 30 decks up the stairs hubwards was exhausting. Fortunately, the gravity decreased with each deck. But Trina's strength left her at the same rate. When she fainted before the last deck, she carried Trina over her arms the short distance to the office door. She sat down Trina and swiped her token. As the lights came on, Fanny was flying towards her with a steel pipe and just held back in the last moment, crashing awkwardly in the low gravity into the door.

"Ouch! Rerra!"

"Fanny, this is Trina of Kerta from Samul. Kerta was her clanmother, who was killed while they talked. She is probably in shock. Please help her?"

Thank Hopkins, like all Ketcher members, Fanny too was trained in health care.

"I'll check her, put her on the table."

"Thank you, I will go to the shipyard, get the ship ready and see what I can do else."

She went to the ladder to the shipyard while Fanny started some medical looking procedures to check on Trina. Satisfied, she slid down the ladder and in no time was in the control room for the airlocks. "Bernie, am I still authorised?"

"Yes, full authorisation. In fact, the key was not used."

"Bernie, Kerta has been killed, destroy her key."

"Her access code is now blocked. But she has a hardware key that cannot be overridden."

"Do we have auxiliary controls on the docking ring?"

"No, the shipyards do not. Your authorisation has only veto rights. The full access rights are with the Serash tribe. Rerra, I am worried, Lenny has not answered at all since the second power cut. I am running the station solo right now."

"Bernie, I will see to it as soon as I can. Now, can I somehow release the docking clamps on the shuttle and any other ship that wants to leave? Within my current authorisation?"

"Not unless you trigger a full station evacuation alert when all systems fall back to local operation mode."

She shook her head. The ensured panic would kill hundreds. "Bernie, can we cut the power to flight control to get backup controls?"

"No, flight control has a hot core as a backup, additional to the one for starting ship cores. Only if both failed, the controls go to the hub room and after that to the shipyard and then can be grabbed by whoever claims them first."

Well, she had to ask. Another try. "Bernie, what would happen if you cut the power to a docking port?"

"Nothing, the clamps default to their current state, which means locked. Unless a ship pushes in, then the clamps release. This was designed as an emergency measure to undock in case of a total loss of power."

"Bernie, can you give me the address of Yakka of Samul?"

Her pad chimed with the address. 'Yakka, this is Rerra. What port is your shuttle? We can cut the power and you have to push in to release the clamps,' she typed.

Yakka called her back immediately, "Rerra, have you seen Trina?"

"Yes, she is with me in the shipyard. But she is in shock, Fanny of Fiyul from Ketscher is caring for her."

"What?"

"She is a friend and they are out for her too. Quickly, I may lose control at any moment, but I think I can let you undock. Which port?"

"A15"

"Your core is hot?"

The view switched to the pilot. "Yes, our core is hot. But flight control is not answering."

"Yes, you are on your own. No traffic, I guess. Ok, I will cut power, then push in with +0.1 g until the clamps release. Get the news to the planet!"

"Bernie cut the power from A12 to A18." Maybe that would distract the station management for a moment. If it was manned right now, about which she had serious doubts.

"Ok, it worked. Thanks you. Take care of Trina, plea-" And then she was out of the clamps and without flight control, there was no forwarding of the net.

"Bernie, restore power. Any more ships with hot cores?"

"Seven ships are in the process of starting their cores or have already started. The power cut may have delayed two starts."

Sorry, she thought but nothing she could have done differently. "Bernie, evacuate the small ship airlock again and prepare for startup power on the internal UDA."

She went into the next room and through the said universal docking adapter into the Sagan. She booted her up, prepared the xenon transfer and started cooling the superconductors. Then out again.

"Bernie, what is the status of the ships which are starting cores on the docking ring?"

"Two are still draining, the others are probably up as their consumption has dropped to"

"Thank you, Bernie."