The Starbender Cycle: Book 4: Backstabbed in the Face

[Excerpt from Book 4 of The Starbender Cycle, by Fetcher McMarvin]

Trevor's breath fogged up the glass of the airlock door, obscuring the faces of the Royal Astronomer and Mercy, smirking her signature smirk at him from the other side.

"Breathe shallow, Pulsar," the Astronomer menaced, "for these breaths be your last breaths. Now that I have the Prism, the Darkstar Anomaly is under my control and all the galaxy shall..."

The Astronomer didn't finish because he was interrupted by his head being exploded by a blast from Mercy's phase pistol, his remaining words replaced by the muted clattering of his teeth against the other side of the airlock door. White breath fog mingled with red mist on the airlock glass, casting Trevor in a pink glow.

"Nothing personal, Trevor," Mercy said. "I'm sure this thing will fetch a nice price on the Thraxian Black Market."

And with that she kicked the airlock button, sending Trevor tumbling out into the unloving black of space.