Mining In Space [II]

"Harper, inside! Chloe, Elena, fall back to the ramp!" Leo roared, shoving Harper toward the cargo bay as he spun and sprinted up the ramp for the bridge!

His boots hammered the deck… The magnetic soles tore loose and slammed down, tore loose and slammed down.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

'Six seconds… Five... Move, move, MOVE!'

Down on the rock, four shadows burst out of a jagged fissure forty meters away.

Two-meter gunmetal-grey arachnid horrors with flat razor-edged shells and eight bladed legs that clicked furiously against the basalt... their arched tails already flaring with orange plasma stingers as they skittered across the low-G stone straight for Chloe and Elena.

CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK!

"Bugs! Four of 'em!" Harper yelled, ignoring Leo completely and dropping to one knee at the lip of the ramp with her carbine snapped to her shoulder. "Elena, MOVE!"

BRRAP! BRRAP!

Two bursts sparked off the lead Stalker's shell.