Xin placed his hand on the anvil.
Every alarm aboard The Mirror Absolute erupted at once.
Red warning lights flashed across the chamber.
Shen's composure vanished.
"Get him away from it!"
Three engineers rushed him.
The first hit Xin from behind. Xin twisted, grabbed the man's arm, and threw him into a console. Glass shattered. The second barely got hold of his jacket before Xin drove an elbow into his ribs. The third caught a headbutt that dropped him instantly.
A pulse shot flashed across the room.
Xin threw himself sideways.
The blast punched a smoking hole through the wall where he'd been standing a moment earlier.
Shen lowered the pulse rod.
"I was trying to do this peacefully."
Xin pushed himself back up.
"Funny. Didn't feel peaceful."
He slapped his hand against the an
