text: [Themes: sci-fi, female protagonist, LGBT, science fiction]
  
  You realize that Andrea's tactics are getting increasingly insane, but you've come this far --also, you're afraid to stick around now that Mildred is lying unconscious in a pool of her own blood. You step through shards of smoldering, broken glass and climb over the windowsill. You look back to Esmeralda and see that she is having issues getting over herself. You reach out your arms and grab her metal torso and heave her over the partition.
  
  Andrea is still standing in front of the metal door at the far end of the Jovian room.
  
  You tap the radio button at the side of your helmet and ask: "What's the hold-up, Andrea?"
  
  Andrea smiles through her face-plate and taps the side of her helmet. "It won't budge. I've tried the button, but they've obviously locked it. That's okay, though, because they have to come here now that there's been a security breech. I'm just standing here, biding my time. It shouldn't be long."
  
  You and Esmeralda meet her at the door. "How long should I have my air tank on?"
  
  "Keep it on for now. We're still in hard vacuum until further notice. Plus, this is the Jovian region so they're bound to flood this place with hydrogen and ammonia when they want to give it air again."
  
  "Was it necessary for you to crack Mildred's skull like you did? I checked before I left, and she was still alive. But that kind of act could have killed her!"
  
  Andrea grins at you. "Young miss, this is a brutal game you're playing now. Both of us our on a quest for revenge. People are going to get hurt. That's just how it is."
  
  You shake your head. "You were never like this before."
  
  "Tragedy changes a person, Sandra. You know that. We can never go back to the way things were. Ever." Andrea suddenly stands up straight, her gloved hand on the wall next to the door. "They're coming now! I can feel the vibrations. You two might want to step back."
  
  You and Esmeralda head to the other end of the room. You aim your ray rifle at the door.
  
  Andrea steps back a few feet from the door and aims her own rifle.
  
  The door slides up and a bulky metal robot steps through it. It stands over six feet and has multiple legs like the Jovians. It turns its blocky head sideways and regards Andrea with grim glowing blue eyes.
  
  Almost immediately, Andrea fires her gun at its head. There's a bust of blue light as the gun's ray beam burns across the robot's face. Andrea keeps this up for close to a minute, all the while backing away from the mechanical sentinel until she's standing next to you. She then stops firing.
  
  The robot's head explodes in a flash of light. Sparks spray from the now-gaping maw where it's face was. But because the room is a vacuum, the whole thing is a coldly silent tableau.
  
  Andrea pats you on the shoulder. "Well, now that Talos there has graciously opened the door for us, shall we be on our way?"
  
  "You're crazy."
  
  "I have your dad to thank for that." Andrea heads for the door.
  
  Her progress is interrupted by 97364 Ocean-Hill, who sidles past the sparking remains of the drone. The Jovian is wearing some kind of space suit of it's own which, like its previous outfit, is covered in armor-like metallic plates.
  
  There's a burst of radio static in your helmet. Then you hear a mechanical voice say:
  
  "Why have you done this? Did you think you could really escape from our city? I am not your enemy. I am one of the few Jovians who actually likes humans. I have done every thing I can to make your stay here as comfortable as possible. I trusted all of you to co-operate with us. What you have done could very well start an interplanetary war. Millions of humans and Jovians could die because you refused to be civil."
  
  Andrea points her gun at the Jovian. "Let us through, Jovian."
  
  97364 Ocean-Hill scuttles forward and stops about five feet from Andrea. Then a gloved proboscis shoots from his "mouth" and a three-fingered hand grabs at Andrea's ray rifle.
  
  Andrea jumps to the side and fires her rifle at 97364 Ocean-Hill's appendage.
  
  The creature flinches back as its retractable hand gets burned to ash.
  
  Andrea pushes the barrel of her gun into the side of the Jovian's helmet. "Now, my jovial friend, it looks like you're our hostage. We want safe passage out of this God-forsaken berg. And if we don't get it, you won't be around any longer to annoy humans with your pathetic attempts at charm."
  
  Things have taken a grim turn, you realize. This is only going to escalate further and further until...what? You don't even know how bad it will get, but the Jovian's predictions of war seem increasingly plausible. All you wanted was vengeance against the people who killed your parents. You don't want innocent people to die.
  
  And certainly not millions.
  
  > try To Reason With Andrea and Help Her Realize This is a Terrible Mistake
  You look to Esmeralda. "Well, Esse," you say, "I guess it's time I grew up."
  
  Esmeralda just stares at you and you suddenly realize she can't pick up what your saying. You tap your radio button, but Esmeralda puts her claw to the grilled speaker that acts as her mouth. That's right. It's not like you set these stupid devices on "whisper".
  
  Andrea, still holding the ray rifle to the Jovian's head, asks: "Well, are we going or not?"
  
  You turn on your radio. "No, Andrea. I've had time to think about what it is we're doing--"
  
  "What do you mean you're not going? I'm sure you want to kill these men just as much as I do. What's stopping you now?"
  
  Sliding your rifle under your arm, you spread your gloved hands pleadingly. "Look at what we've come to, Andrea! We've gotten to the point where we're about to start off an interplanetary incident that could lead to the deaths of millions. Doesn't that bother you? Innocent people. People like Janice--"
  
  "Don't you bring her into this!"
  
  "How can I not? You wouldn't be doing all these dangerous, crazy things if she hadn't died. And I wouldn't if my parents hadn't been murdered. We're just spiraling out of control. Maybe you've been feeling dead inside longer than I have; it would certainly explain how you could let those people at the Port Authority Building be gunned down."
  
  "They were in the way. They were probably all a bunch of spacers, anyway-- not a reputable lot."
  
  "Maybe. But can't you see what lengths you're willing to go to now? Would Janice want this?"
  
  "I said leave her out of this! And anyway, what's been fueling your drive for vengeance? Catholic Guilt? It's not like you loved your mother and father. Not with the way they treated you."
  
  You take a step toward Andrea. "I loved them. No, I didn't particularly like them. But I still cared about them. And the feeling was mutual."
  
  "If I may say something," intones 97364 Ocean-Hill's electronic translator. "Miss, Laughlin, if you would kindly remove your gun from my head, I think we could all talk about this calmly."
  
  "Nothing doing, Jovian," says Andrea. "You're my ticket out of here."
  
  "I'll have you know, Andrea, that my burnt hand is in great pain right now. You needn't make people suffer any more. Just drop your gun and--"
  
  "Shut up!"
  
  97364 Ocean-Hill becomes silent.
  
  "Janice must have been in a lot of pain, herself," you say. "Certainly, to do what she did."
  
  "Stop it, Sandra!" screams Andrea.
  
  "All those horrible feelings of betrayal. That my father, her lover, would do that to her. To just abandon her like that in her greatest moment of need."
  
  Andrea closes her eyes, sighs heavily, and looks down at 97364 Ocean-Hill. "You, Jovian, go through that door and don't come back."
  
  "Do you mean that, Miss Laughlin?" says the metallic voice.
  
  "Do it before I change my mind."
  
  The Jovian quickly scuttles through the doorway and the metal partition comes down.
  
  You feel your heart warm, something you haven't felt for a long, long time now.
  
  "Thank you, Andrea," you say, warm tears spilling down your face. "I knew the kind-hearted Andrea I'd always known was still inside you somewhere."
  
  Andrea points her gun at you. "Your father did this to me...to Janice. Tore our souls to pieces and stomped on them. I need to let you know something, Sandra. I was the one who thought up the plan. Everything. When Jay told me about the artifacts and John suggested we could use them to undue death...well, I couldn't resist that possibility. And I was so happy to know your father would die. Now you can join him."
  
  Esmeralda rushes in front of you right to block Andrea's gun as your eyes are dazzled by a flash of blue light.
  
  At first, you think you've been saved.
  
  Then your chest starts burning and you tumble to the floor. The very air within your helmet goes hot as your entire suit is engulfed in flames.
  
  You pass out.
  
  The End