I crushed the detonator in my fist, feeling the distant crump of the mines going off. Picking up my weapon and charging back towards Lasky’s position, I met him coming the other way. We half-turned and arrested momentum against each other, back-to-back. I could already see them moving in between the crates, undeterred by the last of our explosives.

“Where’s Rams?”

“He’s on overwatch, but I think he’s lost it. Muttering something about Oklahoma. He’s out of it.”

“We’re not going to make it to the lifeboats.”

There was a silence. One of them came around the corner; I dropped it with three rounds to the chest and two to the head. The metallic clang of lifeless metal hitting the deck made me smile in grim satisfaction.

“One last stand then, brother.”

Brass casings went clink against the floor, and I crisply slammed a fresh magazine into the gun hot on the heels of the empty one.

We fought rogue silicon with hot lead. We didn’t win, but we sure made them pay.