Stine and his men stood in the airlock, facing the interior door of The Hammer. They had been there for five minutes already and the deck officer had not yet restored oxygen to the compartment.

Then, a young face appeared in the small hatch window. “Commander?” his voice came over the earpiece.

“Go ahead, Ensign.” he replied.

“Captain orders you remain isolated until further notice.” he said, a tremor in his voice.

“Copy. Boarding party, comm frequency 327.” he said, touching a dial on his sleeve. “You fellas on?”

The men nodded.

“Here’s the deal, gents. We’ve been in contact with what’s likely a hostile alien. Captain has initiated protocol, so we’ll be in isolation until the brass makes the next move.”

There was a clunking sound as The Hammer disconnected from The Pillar. They watched as it drifted away, their eyes studying its scarred hull.

Seconds later, it was 20 meters away. Then Stine noticed Relk staring at them through the The Pillar’s airlock window.

His eyes glowing.