A greyish-green tide flows into the bridge through a rupture in the seal. The wave splinters and sprays, robots and strange beasts attaching themselves to the walls or floating in micrograv, attacking with snapping jaws and clicking, pincer-like appendages.

Fin targets and incapacitates the nearest of the bots, but there are too many and they are too small. The fragments of the destroyed form a metal snow in the space, further confusing him and camouflaging the true scenario. The insects are another matter, getting into everything.

Shell is firing rapidly near the exit to the airlocks opposite to the breach. Fin crawls his way towards her using grab rails, fighting and firing as well.

“Reboot! Reboot! Ragtime, you asshole, fucking deactivate all robots!” says Shell. She sees Fin, inclines her head and says, “Get into the suit on the wall beside the airlock.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll do the same once you’re wrapped up.”

When Fin passes her, Shell manually seals off the other exit to the bridge from the crew quarters. Some worker bots make it through and try to seize her, but she shatters them against each other. A rodent-like thing darts here and there, evading either capture or bullet. It disappears into some panels. Fin seals the suit and it tightens around him. It feels vaguely pleasant. He does not seal the helmet yet.

He taps Shell and covers the seal with his weapon while she disengages and puts the second suit on.

“Comm check,” she says.

“Check,” says Fin. “What now?”

“Open channel. Salvo, where the fuck are you?”

“I’m here, Captain. I have the antenna in pieces, ready for assembly outside the Ragtime. Joké’s in the opposite living area, awaiting EVA, and Lawrence is helping prep. What’s the plan?”

“I’m going to vent some atmosphere,” says Shell.

“What?” says Fin. “We’re already running on empty.”

“We won’t be running on anything if these mechanicals puncture us or the biologicals eat us. And the insects are too small to shoot,” says Shell. “I want to flush them out with an atmospheric vent through the airlock. Some of them will hang on, and we can mop those up.”

“But—”

“Can you think of anything else?” asks Shell.

Fin can’t.

“Right, everyone strap yourselves down with whatever. Fin goes into the Equivalence and we will detach it from the Ragtime. I’ll—”

“Captain, I might have another way,” says Salvo. “A side project I was working on while the 3-D printers were—”

“Salvo, get to the fucking point,” says Fin. “These things are breaching the seal.”

“Let them,” says Salvo. “In fact, open the seal.”

“Salvo—”

“Make sure all IFCs are broadcasting your details and stand away from the seal when you open it.”

Shell shares a look with Fin. Should we trust this motherfucker?