The force from the explosion kicked the destroyer off its axis and threw the aft of the ship around into a slow spin. If I’d hit true, as I later learned I had, the ship’s engines and powered systems would be offline or destroyed, leaving the crew helpless to prevent the ship from tumbling. It would also prevent them from returning fire, which was rather important since my suit, though armored, would offer little protection against a warship’s batteries. Even the smaller guns of those fighters would have torn through the thin armor protecting me from the vacuum, which is why I immediately moved to target one of the two fighters.
I let my hand fall to my waist and pulled a number 6 silver, which I chambered without looking, allowing my gaze to continue scanning the space above me. I was lo
