secretive life of a Section 9 agent, the difference was black and white. When we were on Mars, no one had acted particularly awe-inspired by our presence. In fact, almost everyone we met had tried to kill us. That’s not what an Arbiter’s job is usually like, Tower 7 notwithstanding. In the vast majority of Arbiter raids, people comply and do whatever you need them to do.
“Sol Federation Arbiter Force, acting on a judicial warrant!” announced Li Fei as we reached the bridge. “You are instructed to block all departures from this facility. Deactivate security and do not attempt to resist.”
His voice was deep and devoid of emotion. The people on the bridge reacted with quiet panic. They just sat there stupidly, staring at us like they couldn’t even figure out what we were doing on their station. The circle of open mouths and staring eyes was almost comical.
A middle-aged woman finally stood up. Her face was hard, but her voice had at least a veneer of culture to it. “I’m Denise Vassar, the captain of this station. May I see your warrant, please?”
I scanned the approach to the bridge while Li sent the warrant to her dataspike. No one was trying to stop us, and the Havisham was still berthed.
Everyone stay alert, warned Andrea.
“John, shut the docks down please,” said Vassar.
John looked at her like he didn’t understand what she was saying to him. She raised her voice as she repeated herself. “Shut it down.”
He made a face that read to me as confusion and resignation, then turned and started doing something rapidly on his instrument panel.
“Instruct your people not to resist,” Li Fei told Vassar. She tapped her dataspike and spoke.
“Attention, this is Captain Denise Vassar.” Her voice echoed through the intercom. “We have been boarded by Arbiters. For your own safety, please offer them no resistance and comply with any instructions they give.”
“The Federation thanks you for your cooperation,” Li Fei said as he turned for the door.
Right at that moment, one of the security guards drew his weapon. I don’t know what he was thinking—maybe he was on the payroll of one of the wealthy fugitives who called Llyr station their home. Mike Mitchell saw the movement, turned, and aimed his rifle at the man’s head. That made him think better of it, and the guard pulled up his gun in a gesture of submission as we all walked by.
That idiot is lucky to be alive commented Raven Sommer.
She didn’t know how right she was. The Arbiter Force has extensive authority for a law enforcement agency, and no one would ever question the decision to use lethal force against someone aiming a weapon at an Arbiter. Gabe was a good man, but I once saw him shoot a guy through the chest for taking aim at us like that and not think twice.
When we reached the airlock for the Havisham’s dock, the drop ship commander spoke to us over the shared channel. “You’d better get out here. It looks like they might be preparing to run.”
“Understood,” said Li Fei. “The docks should be closed.”
“I’m not seeing any sign of that from up here,” the commander told us.
“That bitch is either stupid or confident,” said Andrea. “They’re fucking with us.”
Captain Vassar had sounded the alarm right in front of us. What she’d said to the station was a veiled message to everyone on board. Arbiters are here. Offer them resistance and do not comply with any instructions they give.
Li Fei got the airlock door open. “We won’t have long.”
That’s when the Llyr security guards opened fire on us from behind. I don’t know what prompted it, but it was one of the stupidest and most suicidal gestures I’ve ever seen. I heard the shots but couldn’t feel anything beneath my armor. In our drop suits, we were too big to miss but too strong to harm.
Li Fei’s voice was a strange combination of amusement and anger. “So that’s how it is? We’re shutting this place down.”
He raked a burst of fire over the heads of the security guards. They ducked for cover as the bulkhead wall was pitted with two-foot wide scars. As a warning, it was incredibly effective. One guard tossed his gun away like it had just bitten him and threw his hands up. Another ran, but one recomposed himself and returned fire. Mike Mitchell shot him through the stomach and sent his torso pinwheeling away from his lower half.
That was it for the firefight,