The two Xalaxians showed Decker and Aranarth to a small open-top repulsorcraft which they rode back the Cluster Prime.

The sky above the cluster was filled with such vehicles, most flying in large groups resembling schools of fish. The buildings below were tightly packed together and quite tall. It appeared the cluster had chosen to direct its growth upwards, rather than outwards. The cluster was colorfully lit up with scrolling Xalaxian text, large luminous holograms, and shimmering sculpted force field tubes connecting various buildings.

The prison, a rounded-top cylinder, was only accessible by flying vehicle, as it itself floated in the air above the cluster, casting an inconvenient shadow over the sections below. This made the prison inescapable without some method of flight.

The repulsorcraft flew straight into the prison via a landing bay of the kind one might find on a starship. It bumpily settled onto the ground. The four individuals got out.

They passed through a series of increasingly strict security checkpoints. Even the advanced human-supplied weapons detectors failed to register the two ranger's Suits, curled up in hyperspace as they were. In the process of passing through all these checkpoints the group picked up two silent prison guard armed with Xalaxian microwave weapons. These weapons were powered by large charge packs strapped to the backs of the guards. Decker wasn't sure what the Xalaxians called them but his people would have called them masers.

"Are you certain you wouldn't prefer to speak to the prisoners inside the virtuality?" said Huayi/Eeeek, as she led the way through the prison hallways towards the cell block where the gug-gug-gug prisoners were being held. "It could easily be arranged. It would be much safer."

"I'm not worried about a few unarmed prisoners," said Aranarth.

"I am. You are guests and our responsibility is-"

Huayi/Eeeek was interrupted by the muffled sound of an explosion. Followed by another.

A cacophony of alien sirens began to wail.

<Suit!> thought Decker.

<You don't even have to ask,> said the Suit. It immediately began to deploy. Aranarth's suit was doing likewise.

"Squire!" yelled Aranarth.

Both rangers took off running before their suits fully deployed. Thanks to their enhanced hearing they were able to easily trace the noise to its source. Decker felt his helmet crawling across his head for the first time. His vision went red, then blue, then clear again as the three fields that made up his visor activated one-by-one.

Their Xalaxian entourage followed behind them but, although a great deal stronger than humans, Xalaxians couldn't match their speed unaided.

The explosions continued, roaring over the sound of the siren. As the rangers grew closer they could hear shouts in Low Xalaxian and the sound of maser fire.

They rounded a corner and came face to face with a scene of utter chaos.

A gaping hole had been blown straight through from the outside of the building into the cell block. Each of the walls between here and the outside was blasted wide open creating something of a tunnel. Cold air rushed in from it.

The walls were painted gold with Xalaxian vital fluids in large splatters, all that remained of several guards. The stink of death stained the air.

One of the cells had been ripped through and the inside was a mess of shattered machinery and dripping golden slime.

The remaining guards were engaged in a fire fight with three Xalaxians attackers. Their maser beams were harmlessly converted into yellow flashes of light as they struck the invisible shields protecting the attackers.

The attackers fired back with thin rods they held in one of their four arms. These kinetic blasts had no trouble pulverizing the unshielded Xalaxian guards, leaving nothing behind but gold mist. Two more guards were killed in this way just as the rangers arrived.

Aranarth aimed his heavy ion pistol at one of the attackers before he was even holding it. It slipped into his hand from the higher dimensions just as he pulled the trigger. The beam of ionized particles punched straight through the shield and blew a large hole in the attacker's torso. She slumped down against the wall, dead.

The other two attackers turned and fired at Aranarth. The first shot crashed his shield in a burst of purple sparks that turned black just before the shield lost integrity. The second shot struck him center mass. Particles of his suit were thrown into the air and he went skidding backwards onto the ground. Vapor rose from the wound.

From this prone position Aranarth squeezed off another shot, causing the head of the second attacker to explode.

The last attacker fled through the holes in the walls, trying to cover her retreat with wild blasts from her kinetic wand. Decker took off after her, only narrowly avoiding a blast out of sheer luck. The attacker continued to fire and Decker was forced to take cover, allowing the attacker to gain a decent lead on him.

The attacker jumped out of the hole in the building's exterior by coiling her four legs and launching herself into the air. She landed in a repulsorcraft, which dipped slightly from her weight. She immediately seized the controls and sped away as fast as the little vehicle could take her. Decker saw her disappearing into the cluster and took to the air himself. He slingshotted after her using bursts of AG.

The repulsorcraft started to descend, bringing itself out of the open air and towards the maze of buildings below.

<I can't see that repulsorcraft on my sensors,> the Suit informed him, <it's got some kind of equivtech cloaking device. If we lose visual we're going to lose it entirely.>

The fleeing Xalaxian attacker began to fire behind her at Decker, her shots going wild as she attempted to hit a moving target, from a moving platform, all while trying to pilot at the same time. Several of the blasts hit the sides of tall buildings, blowing away chunks.

<I need a railgun,> he told the Suit, <Perjurer-class.>

<I am not authorized to provide that,> the suit informed him. <You need permission from Ranger Aranarth first.>

A kinetic blast hit one of the force field tubes connecting the buildings, and the entire thing lost field integrity. Several Xalaxians inside fell to their deaths.

<There isn't time,> thought Decker.

<Those are my orders,> replied the Suit.

Decker had the unusual sensation of wanting to wring his own neck.

He mentally checked in with his implant, saw that he could use the Overdog as a makeshift communications network, and shot Aranarth a signal through it.

<I'm just behind the last attacker. Being fired on. Thanks to your dumb orders my sprelling suit won't warp me in any weapons so tell it I have authorization.>

<Absolutely not,> replied Aranarth, <you're inside Cluster Prime. It's too dangerous. There's too much of a chance for collateral damage.>

Another barely aimed kinetic blast tore through the sky and pulverized a repulsorcraft that was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

<That ship has already warped,> signaled Decker, <this sprellhead is shooting everything in sight. It's less dangerous just to let me take her out.>

<No,> replied Aranarth. <Not while you're inside the cluster. You're too inexperienced.>

Decker couldn't decide whose neck he wanted to wring anymore.

Decker started to close in on the repulsorcraft. He suit wasn't much faster than the craft but it was just fast enough to start to catch up. Of course, this also made him an easier target to hit.

Another blast from the kinetic wand hit Decker straight on. His shield popped in a spray of purple and black.

Decker continued to fling himself forward with as much force as he could. He was almost there. Just a few more meters. The Xalaxian would be no match for him if he could get himself aboard the repulsorcraft...

He dodged and weaved as best he could, trying to make for a difficult target. It didn't do him any good; he was too close. A kinetic blast hit him full force in the chest. The power from the attack sent him flying backwards, spinning out of control.

Decker passed through a hologram of a Xalaxian and crashed into the side of a building, shattering a window, before dropping out of the sky to the ground below. He was aware of lying in a crater, trying to sort through a million different sources of pain, before he lost consciousness.