An explosion rocked Shihuangdi as pieces of debris from its shattered cannon flew across the viewscreens. Lights flickered on the bridge as power fluctuated from melted systems.

The pulse missiles Qin had fired would track a ship with ease. But if they passed near a cascade of signals, like a massive eruption from a lifeboat exploding inside a capital ship, it could confuse their guidance systems and direct them toward whatever target they saw first.

Chimera rocketed straight at Shihuangdi, passing over its bow and twisting around its center with the two missiles in its wake. The pulse missiles slammed into Shihuangdi, an eruption of energy spiking the bridge systems and sending its crew leaping away from exploding consoles.

Qin fell back and tripped on the stepped platform.

The security team around Jasper stumbled as well, falling to the deck as the artificial gravity struggled to regain equilibrium. Natalya and Jasper locked eyes for a brief moment, understanding passing between them.

With a great heave, Natalya threw Jasper’s sword. The Prophet caught the weapon with his manacled hands, the blade sinking into his fingers as he cradled it. In that same instant, a blast rang out and Jasper fell forward, a bleeding hole in the back of his neck.

Co took the blast as the signal to start shooting. The two guards flanking Jasper went down and Natalya shot the Weapons Officer, diving behind the console for cover. Augustus and Sisi leapt behind the communications console, its occupants fleeing in terror.

Natalya tried to get a shot at Qin, but the man leapt to the safety of his spherical platform, grinning at the slumped over Prophet.

“Jasper!” Natalya shouted.

The bridge’s three hatches all opened. Two smaller ones were on the sides. The third, main hatch was behind Natalya. Security teams poured inside, and Co tossed a grenade out the main hatch to keep from being overwhelmed.

Chimera came around for another pass and blasted Shihuangdi. Ptolemy fired the ship’s cannon-slugs at the bridge and forced those not fighting Natalya and her crew to struggle with shield and weapons consoles, trying to restart targeting systems and repair fried shield emitters.

“Jasper…” Natalya whispered, sparing a glance at the Prophet through the deafening roar.

Jasper lay on the deck, cradling his sword. As the bridge lights flickered from damage both internal and external, a new, golden light emanated from the sword.

The wounds on Jasper’s body evaporated like water on hot sand. The hole in the back of his neck sealed over, and the Prophet put his hands on the hilt of his sword, standing to face Qin.

“No!” Qin shouted, and shot Jasper in the chest. He fired again and the Prophet moved his sword lightning fast, deflecting the blow with a flash of gold.

Jasper sliced his shackles like they were made of wax and said, “Stand down, Qin.”

“Security, attack!” Qin shouted as he activated the shield emitters around his spherical platform.

The teams on the sides of the bridge opened fire on Jasper, the Prophet twirling his blade in a whirlwind of golden flashes.

Natalya ducked and fired. While Jasper contained the guards on the sides of the bridge, a security team pressed to make it past the blast-melted main hatch. There seemed no end to them. No matter how many blasts or grenades Natalya and Co threw, Shihuangdi’s security teams kept them pinned down.

“Transfer all power to secondary systems at my command!” Qin ordered through the roar.

“Transferring!” an engineer shouted just before her console exploded in front of her.

Natalya felt another jolt as a flash of alarms went off. The lights flickered and the artificial gravity died just as a security officer tried to sprint through the main entrance. Co shot him, and the officer tumbled through the air till he came to a halt against the ceiling.

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“That’s all I’ve got, Captain,” Ptolemy said in Natalya’s ear. “Their defenses are back online, but I’ve made that bridge a little safer at least.”

“You can’t do anymore?” Natalya asked, leaning against the nearest console so she could fire without the recoil tossing her back.

“Afraid not. I’ll have to keep my distance. Get Augustus out here quick, I’m not as good a pilot as he is.”

Augustus hid behind the communications console, shooting uselessly over his cover. Sisi’s welpro was the only thing keeping them grounded, the device aimed at the floor and creating a bubble of artificial gravity.

Jasper leapt from the other side of the bridge, deflecting blasts in mid-air as he bounced off the ceiling. He used his momentum to close on the security officers, landing amongst the team on the left side of the bridge and knocking them back in a wave of golden energy. He jumped from a console to do the same with the group on the right, but a salvo of blasts caught him in the side and he crashed against Qin’s shielded platform.

“Ptolemy didn’t put another bomb anywhere, did he?” Co asked, firing bursts to keep the security team back.

“Afraid not,” Natalya answered.

“Gonna be hard to board shuttles from here.”

Natalya surveyed the battle. The Prophet struggled as he leapt from console to console, unable to close on the rapidly growing security teams around him. The team at the main entrance had Augustus, Sisi, and Co pinned down.

With Ptolemy unable to safely engage Shihuangdi, they were out of allies. But one enemy had stayed out of this fight.

“Pul!” Natalya shouted, ducking behind a console to avoid a hail of blasts. She returned fire and shouted again, “Pul! Help us!”

The man lay flat on the bridge deck. Whatever signal Qin had been sending to short-circuit Pul’s shield emitters seemed weakened by Qin’s position inside his platform. Pul struggled to regain control of his devices, but couldn’t move without a great deal of pain.

“I should kill you,” Pul answered through gritted teeth. “For your crimes.”

“Look, Pul, whatever you think I’ve done we can discuss later,” Natalya said.

“The Khitan. My people. Qin said—”

“Qin just shot Dana! He lied to you, Pul, I didn’t hurt you or your people. I’ve seen the recordings. Sisi didn’t hurt you either. You’ve been used.”

“No!”

Pul pounded his fist on the deck.

“You want revenge?” Natalya shouted as Jasper screamed in pain and Co threw another grenade that blasted uselessly against the door. Shrapnel flew around Pul as his shields flashed on and off. “I’ll give you revenge. We can kill Qin together. He’s the one responsible for Farbind, not me, not Sisi.”

“Why should I believe you?” Pul asked.

“Natalya!” Augustus shouted, firing his shotgun at a flanking group of security officers.

“Because I was the one who tried to save Dana. You did too,” Natalya reasoned.

Pul flailed in anger and asked, “What can you do?”

“I can remove that transmitter,” Sisi suggested.

“Pul. You can sit there and wait for Qin to kill you. Or you can help us, and we’ll give you the chance to fight,” Natalya said. “You can get your revenge, for Dana at least.”

Natalya looked at the man. He nodded.

“Co, Sisi! On me!” Natalya shouted. She stood, firing into the doorway.

Co tossed a grenade and used her gun’s recoil to propel her toward Natalya as the two guarded Pul.

Sisi used her welpro to slide across the deck and keep herself stationary beside Natalya. She pressed her datasheet onto Pul’s wire-covered body and knelt at his thigh.

“It’s right here. But it’s embedded against bone. I’ll need a knife,” Sisi said. “Co?”

Co lowered her gun a moment and drew three knives from her belt. She hurled one at the deck, the blade twanging as it stuck near Sisi. Co threw the other two at a security officer who thought he could take advantage of the lull in the fighting and push through the door. He screamed as the knives stuck into his shoulder and chest.

“Thanks,” Sisi said as she plucked the knife from the deck. “Pul, I’m sorry.”

Pul grimaced.

“For… a couple things,” Sisi admitted. “But also for this. It’s gonna hurt.”

Sisi plunged the knife into Pul’s leg. The man screamed as Sisi turned the blade with surgical precision. “It’s in tight. Can’t remove it without too much blood loss. But I can…” Sisi said, sticking the knife a little deeper. “…deactivate it.”

Pul screamed again, but this time the electricity stopped arcing through his body. He punched the deck with a roar as a shield pulse shot him to the ceiling. He drew his pistols and glared at Natalya. Her throat clenched as she was certain the man would blast her. Instead, Pul leapt to the ground, sent a shield pulse through the doorway, and opened fire on the security team.

“Natalya!” Jasper shouted from the other side of the bridge, pinned down near the viewscreens.

Pul leapt toward the Prophet, shield pulses propelling him as he went from floor to ceiling, pistols blazing. He landed beside Jasper, a gun on each doorway, and said, “Heal me, Prophet, and we may live.”

Jasper didn’t waste time asking why Pul had decided to help. He pressed a hand on the man’s leg, his bleeding wound healing over.

“Thanks,” Pul said. He leapt throughout the bridge, ricocheting from console to ceiling to deck and back, firing the whole time.

It looked like they were pushing the security team back, but as soon as the officers retreated through the doors, the hatches sealed.

“We won!” Sisi declared.

“Qin!” Pul said, blasting at the central platform. His shots were useless, as not just shields but a metal tube had descended around the platform, sealing it tight.

“What’s happening?” Jasper asked.

“Secondary protocol,” Natalya answered. “In the event of bridge loss, the room is sealed and oxygen removed.”

“We’re screwed!” Sisi declared.

“One last chance to give up the Key Core, Natalya,” Qin warned over the bridge loudspeakers as oxygen hissed out of ventilation shafts. “There is no escape.”