The comm was dead. No backup was coming. Riza’s panicked glances told her that the creature was still advancing and she would soon run out of corridor. She would have to save herself.

Feeling a warm rush all over her body, she raised the rifle to eye level and fired directly at the creature. Boom. It stopped moving. Boom. She fired again. And again. And again. She stood her ground, firing an almost continuous stream at the thing, barely aware of her target anymore, barely seeing through her fury. In her mind, she was destroying something else. In her thoughts, she was seeing an entirely different away mission.

She stood rooted, even as the thing fell and collapsed into a pile of dead husks. Tears soaked the front of her uniform, but she didn’t notice. She continued blindly firing at the husks, wearing a blackened hole into the floor.

Strong hands suddenly broke through her fit and firmly took hold of hers, grasping the rifle from her. She clung to it, trying to wriggle free, but the hands persisted. “Shh, Doshal. Let go. It’s dead.” Joza’s voice.

Riza loosened her grip and let him take the rifle. She heard Lomar’s voice from far off, asking if she was injured, and Joza replying that he didn’t think she was. Riza’s entire body shook, but she held herself upright, continuing to stare at the husks on the ground. She saw Terry’s flickering photonic form at the corner of her vision.

The Captain’s brisk footsteps approached, “This area is secure. We need to move out as soon as possible-” then the Captain broke off, and Riza could almost feel the calculating gaze turn to her as Koril’s tone turned from commanding to pointedly concerned, “Is everyone all right?”

Joza cleared his throat to speak, but Riza interrupted him. She looked up at last, seeing the care on all of her crewmates’ faces. A smile, however weak, spread across her own face, “I am fine, guys. Really. I’m good to go.”