Chapter 39
Yiko had Hal come to her.
Apparently she could better explain what they needed to do to find invisible battleships in the engineering room than up on the bridge.
Hal left Chel and the rest of his team with instructions to return to Kyber’s Arm and find a way to lurk there without being seen. Given the interference the storm caused, that should be easy enough to do.
As he moved through his ship, he realized he must be projecting menace, because his crew got out of his way a little faster than usual.
“The Unhil was going to lift the Class 5 frame when you arrived,” Eazi said in his ear as he reached the tube to go down to Engineering.
“Lift it?” Hal wondered if he’d misheard.
“I know. Apparently that’s how the Tecran did it, and they left instructions for the Garmman.
The Tecran apparently used their Levron-class battleships to lift me and the others, and the Garmman ships aren’t as powerful, or they weren’t.
” Eazi paused. “I have to assume the Garmman understood they needed to make their ships more powerful, so all of them may have undergone an upgrade.”
“Can you pass that on to the admiral?” Hal asked.
“Already done,” Eazi said. “When you arrived at the base, the captain of the Unhil thought she’d have to engage with you, so she dropped the cables that connected her ship to the frame below. There was some damage and loss of life on the ground, but Fiona is safe.”
“For how long?” Hal wanted to know.
“They’re planning to drop Fiona off in the desert and let the elements or the friens take care of her,” Eazi said.
The tube doors opened, but Hal didn’t move. “When?”
“Right now. It’s all right, Captain. The team the admiral sent to the base to rescue her knows what’s happening. As soon as she’s dropped off, I’ll give them her coordinates.”
Hal strode out onto the engineering deck. “How close are they?”
“Close. She’ll be out there on her own for half an hour, tops.”
“And Bunny?” Hal asked. “Can he go with her and keep her safe while she waits?”
“No, he’s busy trying to make sure the frame can’t be lifted,” Eazi said.
Not ideal, but Fee was resourceful and tough. She’d be fine for half an hour.
“Please let me know when they have her safe.” He made his way to where Yiko was standing beside a contraption he didn’t recognize.
“I will. The Garmman are bringing the cables back up to the Unhil, and they still plan to lift the frame. They’re relying on the Ciollo to keep you occupied while they do.
But Paxe will try everything he can to stop them taking it.
Bunny is working to make sure the cables will break off, but this time from the frame, not the ship above.
The whiplash from that might destabilize the Unhil. ” There was a warning in Eazi’s voice.
“You’re saying when that happens, we shouldn’t be too close?” Hal asked.
Eazi hummed in agreement. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
Vira had obviously set the people mover—which looked like an elongated hovering motorcycle—to top speed. All the better to get her as far from the base as possible in the time she had, Fee guessed.
The base was behind them in seconds, but the massive ship hovering over it meant Fee would be able to find her way back easily if she wanted to.
Hopefully she’d just need to wait around for her ride, and get the hell out of here.
Ten minutes into the journey, the mover slowed and then came to a hard stop.
Something had set Vira off. She seemed angry, and she hadn’t started the trip that way.
“Off.” Vira had held the shockgun on her the whole way, and she pressed it hard against Fee’s upper arm.
Fee swung down, her boots sinking a little into the soft sand, and kept her eyes on the Balcoan.
Her hand went automatically to the silver rod hanging around her neck and closed around it.
“Back up a little.”
She didn’t like the look in Vira’s eyes. Like the brakes had come all the way off.
“I got a message a couple of minutes ago,” Vira said, touching her ear. “Did you think we wouldn’t have ways of protecting ourselves? That we wouldn’t have inside information about who might be coming here from Distani to get you?”
Damn. They must have picked up the rescue party Hoke was sending her.
So much for waiting for her ride.
She rolled her eyes. “How the hell was I supposed to know about that? Seriously? And how do you know they aren’t coming because Halarian Bost spilled the beans?
” She lifted her hands, palms up. “We both know Baruke’s here.
Why do you assume they’re coming for me when they could easily be coming for him. ”
“No. They’re coming for you.” Vira sounded very sure. “Anyway, Bost wouldn’t talk and Baruke’s not here.”
“Right. Just like the Garmman won’t plough you under when you’ve served your purpose.
But either way, what are you saying here?
That you think I somehow contacted Distani and got them to send someone to fetch me?
Is that actually what you’re saying, if you’re so sure they’re coming for me? ” She put her hands on her hips.
She was still wearing her bracelet. She hoped she could antagonize Vira into taking a shot at her. That would be more foolproof than a strike with the rod.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Vira suddenly shook her head.
“It doesn’t matter. Even if you didn’t have anything to do with it, Grihan soldiers showing up are a sign that things are really going downhill, and I can’t have you rescued and talking.
If the Garmman don’t get this right, we’re going to need to run, and I’d rather not have someone around who can describe me as well as you can.
At least we have the thinking system as a bargaining chip if the worst comes to the worst, but it’s not really something I want to have to give up. ”
“That’s if Kilmar or Nukolo haven’t decided to take the crystal and run while they sent you off on this little side mission.” Fee gave a condescending smile, as if she thought Vira was a dupe.
Vira glanced back at the base, and then turned, teeth bared. “You are a real stirrer.”
“So shoot.” Fee patted her chest. “Go ahead. It’s a better way to die anyway than of thirst or a frien bite.”
Vira gave a little smile. “I’ve disliked you since I first set eyes on you. Have fun in whatever afterlife you believe in.”
She shot, straight at Fee’s chest, and the bracelet deflected it straight back.
It hit the Balcoan, flinging her off the mover and over onto the desert floor.
Fee walked around, finding it difficult to move in the soft sand.
Vira lay on her back, arms splayed. Fee crouched beside her, felt her pulse, and then picked up her shockgun.
“You really did try to kill me.” She swung onto the mover and looked down at the body. It was karma, but it was also so unnecessary. “What’s new, Eazi?” She gripped the handlebars.
“The two runners from Grih HQ have been shot at, and they’ve had to take cover. No one’s dead, but they’re pinned down by a really serious military heavy cannon.” Eazi sounded unimpressed. “They weren’t expecting any resistance that far out.”
“Okay, so they’re not coming, I assume.” Fee shielded her eyes to look up at the Unhil. “What about lifting the frame? Is that still going ahead?”
“Bunny is trying to make sure it won’t.” Eazi said. “But he’s only one little drone.”
“Baruke is back at the base, I’m sure of it. But there’s something wrong there. Maybe he’s injured, maybe he’s dead, but Vira and Kilmar were very sensitive about discussing him at all.” She wiped her forehead with her sleeve.
The sun was lower on the horizon and it would be dark in a couple of hours, but the radiation coming off the sand in waves of dry, moisture-sucking heat was making her feel sick.
She glanced down at Vira and then hopped off the vehicle and carefully removed the scarf Vira had donned to protect her hair and face on the ride, and wound it around her own head.
This wasn’t just going to help keep the sand out of her face, but hopefully she could pass for Vira when she returned, as well.
She was slimmer in build compared to the Balcoans but a similar height to most Balcoan women, and hopefully people would see what they wanted to see. Their clothes were both dark and utilitarian, although her jacket had Eazi’s crystals on them.
She swung back onto the vehicle and turned it toward the base, taking a moment to study the lay of the land before she moved forward.
“You’re going back?” Eazi asked.
“I can’t stay out here, and there’s no rescue in my immediate future. I’ll try to get Baruke and hide until there’s someone close enough to come get us.”
“I don’t like it, but you’re right. You can’t stay out here. You don’t have any water and even if the anti venom did work on you, you don’t have any.” Eazi did not sound happy.
“I look enough like Vira from a distance to get back into the base,” Fee assured him.
“Be careful,” Eazi whispered as she revved the engine and then started flying back.
Up ahead she noticed the runners were moving down from the Unhil again and she guessed they’d finished reattaching the cables.
Any moment now, the big battleship would begin to lift the frame. Or try to.
That might be a very good time—while everyone’s attention was elsewhere—to sneak back into the base and find Baruke.