“Hahahaha!" The cyborg chortled insanely as her shots bounced off his skull. "Armour plated cranium bitch!" he snarled defiantly.

The murderous pirate levelled a broad barrelled grenade Launcher in Alyssa's direction and looked down at John, as he writhed futilely under the cyborg's pinning hold.

“Say goodbye to your whore!" the Captain snarled, grinned evilly, as he savoured the desperation in John's eyes.

“I've got to save her!" John thought frantically, as he fought with all his strength against the relentless power of the Cyber-arm.

“Raaaarrrrhhhh!!!" he bellowed, as his vision seemed to narrow into a tiny tunnel, completely focused on the homicidal cyborg's arm that was preventing him from protecting his woman.

Alyssa stared at the blunt muzzle of the grenade launcher, feeling a chill run down her spine, knowing she had nowhere to hide. When the Pirate Captain charged them, she had been knocked back along the corridor, and the nearest doorways were too far away for her to dart to safety. She watched helplessly as John flailed away under the pirate's implacable grasp, the Cyborg narrowing his eyes and grinning malevolently, as he prepared to end her young Life.

Suddenly the pirate lurched to the side, tottering over to slam head first into the wall. She could see his dazed expression turn to one of shock, as he was suddenly twisted again, and slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the corridor with overwhelming force. John rose smoothly and with deadly purpose, the pirate's cybernetic arm clenched in his hands. He put his booted foot against the pirates torso, and hauled back with both arms, ripping the bulky cyber arm away from the pirate's torso to the accompanying screech of twisting metal. The pirate was unbalanced at having the weighty limb ripped so unceremoniously from his body, and he crashed over on to his side with a noisy clang.

John casually tossed the hundred pound arm aside as if it weighed nothing, and the cyborg watched him incredulously as the man bore down on him.

The Pirate Captain still had the grenade Launcher clenched in his fist, and he swung it around, preparing to fire at point blank range. John caught his arm in his right hand, just below the wrist, and then chopped down with his left, breaking the marauder's forearm with a sickening crunch. The cyborg stared at his ruined arm in horror as John knelt on his chest.

“Time to die," John said, his voice Low and menacing.

He grabbed each side of the Pirate Captain's head in his hands and pulled. The Cyborg's strangled metallic death screech echoed down the corridors, as John ripped the slaver's head clean off his body. Suddenly exhausted, John slumped backwards, letting the pirates lifeless head slip from his fingers and roll off to the side.

Alyssa dashed up to him, her face full of concern.

“John, are you ok?!" she asked, her voice full of worry.

She cupped his head in her hands and looking into his eyes, but she couldn't pick up any thoughts from him and he seemed to be dazed. Alyssa shook him gently, and he gradually regained full consciousness, his eyes becoming bright and focused again.

"What happened?" John asked, bewildered.

“Let's discuss it later," Alyssa said firmly, as she helped him to stand.

John picked up his assault rifle and magazine from the floor, wincing at the sharp pain in his back and shoulders from where the cyborg had tried to insert him into the wall. They walked back to the mess hall, where the two crewmen from the Calypso were cautiously checking on the pirates that John and Alyssa had gunned down. More freighter crew were coming out from the storage area behind the kitchen, Looks of relief etched on their fear drawn faces.

One of the crew, the brown haired woman who had spoken to them earlier, stepped forward holding a makeshift trauma bandage to her left arm.

“Thank you Commander! You saved us!" she said passionately.

The rest of the Calypso's crew had gathered around, and they echoed their Captain's words, thanking John and Alyssa profusely.

“We rescued three women in another room back there too," Alyssa said.

“We were going to Let them know when the rest of the ship was safe."