Before the bullet had even fallen spent to the ground, Zoe had grabbed Hank and thrown him down, drawing her Mare’s Leg as she hit the deck. Freya’s gun was also out, but she was watching the hover come across the ground towards them from a stand of trees, followed by a dozen men on horses, and noting the flashes of muzzle blast from among the bushes at their base as more gunfire erupted. Snipers – at least one, probably two.

“Frey, get down!” Zoe called, but she took no notice.

Crosby and his men had scattered, taking up positions next to Serenity, using her as a minimal cover and firing back at the intruders, but they were still too distant for handguns.

Scooping up the laser rifle Crosby had dropped, Freya reached into the crate and pulled out a box of ammo, cracking it and sliding a magazine into the breech. She didn’t notice the sudden pain of a graze across her left forearm, or if she did she ignored it. Bringing the rifle to bear, she sighted on the hover, and pulled the trigger.

The recoil thudded into her shoulder, and she realised her shot had gone high. Adjusting for the unexpected power of the weapon, she fired again.

The hover seemed to twist in the air, and was suddenly rolling end over end. It hit a rock and almost bounced, then exploded into a white ball of flame.

The horseriders scattered, some still shooting sporadically, as Crosby and his men fired back from their shelter next to the Firefly, their accuracy a hell of a lot better than the raiders now the distance had shortened.

Freya heard a familiar gun open up next to her, and knew Zoe was taking some out too. She nodded grimly, and aimed at the muzzle flashes still showing in the trees. She fired, once, twice, three times, and the flashes stopped.

“They’re running,” Crosby shouted, leaping to his feet. Two more riders were down before they were out of range. “Get the horses!” he ordered. “Get after them!” His men ran back towards the house.

Freya lowered the rifle, her face not showing any emotion.

Zo