CS10: WORM

The All-Clear signal pulses. It's even more annoying than the General Quarters alarm. I look back out at the tent-like mass receding behind us. No sign of the exchange. Very professional. Something catches my eye. Out past the drop-point, where the strands thin out a bit. There's something moving. We Go Into Lockdown Mode. But it's too late. The Dhole slams into us, but just barely. Systems crash. I hear someone screaming. Then they go quiet as autotriage systems kick in and either medicate or resuscitate the injured. The window goes black. We're maneuvering. Then it all settles down again. The window de-opaques. The Dhole is behind us. Crashing into the strands surrounding the Drop Point where the Skipper just made her transfer. It might have all been for nothing. But I doubt it.