The escape from Dock 9 - a mediocre tale

Kaelo whips up a hold-out blaster and slaps the emergency override. The amber spoofing light turns erratic, and the terminal starts clawing at the false Dock Nine vector.

Zoey and Mara are boxed in by the console and the sealed blast doors. If Kaelo finishes the purge, the shuttle gets their exact location instead of a fake landing lane.

Zoey moves first, cutting across the narrow gap with her deck in hand as Kaelo fires to keep her back. The shot scorches the console housing and sends sparks across the floor.

Mara lunges in from the side, forcing Kaelo to break his aim. He stumbles, but keeps one hand jammed on the override, trying to finish the broadcast anyway.

The terminal coughs out a warning, Dock Nine spoof accepted, then starts to destabilize under the purge. One more second, and the whole handoff to the shuttle goes dead.

Kaelo bares his teeth and backs toward the relay stack, blaster trembling now. Zoey has a clear opening, either drop him before he reasserts control, or lose the only route to Dock Nine.

Zoey drives in low, shoulder first, and her deck slams Kaelo’s wrist. The hold-out blaster snaps free, skittering under the console in a spray of sparks.

The hit costs her, too. A hot shard of scorched casing bites her forearm, and the override panel flickers as Kaelo’s grip breaks.

Mara surges forward and plants her boot on the fallen blaster, pinning it before Kaelo can reach for it again.

Across the console, the docking vector stutters between clean and false. If the override drops now, the shuttle gets a perfect lock on them instead.

Zoey hits Kaelo low and hard, and his balance breaks sideways. His hand flies off the terminal rail as her shoulder drives through the gap between him and the purge controls.

The blaster tears loose from his grasp and spins across the deck, clattering out of reach. Mara’s boot stays planted on it, white knuckled and unmoving.

The terminal’s spoofed vector flickers, then holds. Scorched light washes over Zoey’s burn as she clears Kaelo from the console.

Kaelo stumbles back against the relay stack, empty hands up now, eyes snapping between Zoey and the stuttering override. The shuttle lock tone softens, uncertain for one brittle second.

Zoey drives her heel up into Kaelo’s face, snapping his head back, then follows with a fast punch that folds him toward the relay stack. His knees hit the deck.

Mara rips her boot off the weapon and snatches the blaster free, backing one step from the console without taking her eyes off him. The amber transmitter keeps strobing through the smoke.

Kaelo slumps sideways, dazed and breathing hard, one hand dragging uselessly along the edge of the terminal. The spoofed vector flickers wider for a heartbeat, then steadies again.

On the main display, the docking coordinates hold in their forged lane, but a new line of security text crawls in beneath them, querying the containment override code. Somewhere beyond the sealed hub, an incoming lock tone sharpens to attention.

Zoey’s fingers fly over the deck, rekeying the terminal from the root access the spoof gave her. The amber transmitter gutters once, then goes dark.

The security query on the main display collapses into a flat rejection string. The incoming lock tone stutters, loses lock, and drops to silence.

A final purge request flashes from the terminal, but Zoey reroutes it into a closed loop and seals it. The spoofed landing lane steadies, no longer shivering under scrutiny.

Beyond the hub walls, the shuttle signature breaks off its direct line and drifts into standby approach. Kaelo sags unconscious against the relay stack, and the room’s red stress lights fade to cold white.

Mara lowers the blaster a fraction, eyes still on the terminal. The docking grid is holding, but the maintenance hatch alarm beside the door starts to chirp for authorization.