Chapter 24
Chapter
Twenty-Four
Always have a plan for the pet
The village looked different than it had three months ago.
A Rivonok scout doing a preliminary pass would find exactly what it appeared to be: a small fishing settlement on the habitable strip of an unremarkable outer-quadrant planet. Hexagonal buildings, a harbor, a market square with a few stalls. Ordinary. Quiet.
I walked through the center of the village aware of where every surveillance device was.
I knew which trees had concealed explosives embedded in their root systems and which buildings had hatches cut into floors and spy holes in the walls.
I knew where the trip lines were, what they triggered, and which section of the north path had been rigged to produce a sound like a very large thing falling over.
That one wasn’t a weapon, but it made a noise loud enough to tell everyone within two clicks exactly where the intruders were.
Pasek was explaining the food situation.
“Braija’s point was that if we’re stuck waiting for several days, people will need to eat. She’s preparing ration packs. Simple, travel foods.”
“That’s practical,” Maive said.
“She’s already started.” He paused. “She also said, and I’m quoting directly, that if the Rivonok destroy her ovens, she will deal with them herself.”
“I believe her,” I said.
“So do I,” said Tregen. He walked on Maive’s other side with his arms behind his back, his limp barely noticeable on the flat path. He had recovered well. “I’ve seen how she lit into the Durbok when he shorted her on salt, once. He never did it again.”
A few villagers acknowledged us with a nod, a fist to the chest, as we passed.
“Walk me through the sequence again,” Maive said. She had a small board in one hand and had been making notes. This wasn’t because she didn’t know it. She’d helped design it. The board was for anything that came up in conversation and needed adding.
“Detection first,” I said. “The perimeter devices alert B2; B2 alerts me. Word goes out immediately. Everyone who can’t fight, like Celn and her children, old Maike, the three families in the east cluster, Aila and the younger ones—”
“And the Pesh family,” Tregen added.
“All of them. They move to my house. Elevation, clear sight lines in three directions. They stay there until it’s over.
” I had a hand on Maive’s back as we walked, as our relationship was commonly known by now and neither of us were inclined to hide it.
I gestured to the stone building. “Your home, my dear, is where the Rivonok will likely go first. You’re the village leader.
It’s the largest building. They’ll want to establish a visible position.
” I kept my voice even, though it cost me.
She didn’t argue. She wrote something on the board.
“Everyone else stays armed and in position,” I said. “Hidden. We have spots throughout the forest and in the buildings. When the Rivonok cross the perimeter, everyone goes to their position. I want the village to look empty when they arrive.”
“It won’t look empty if anyone panics,” Pasek said.
“Which is why we’ve practiced.”
“We practiced twice.”
“Five times,” I corrected.
“Two went badly.”
“Three went well,” I said with a wave of my hand. “That’s the relevant number.”
He tilted his head and conceded the point.
The path curved toward the harbor. One of the fishing boats was out.
The other one at the dock had been quietly loaded with supplies, like dried food, water, basic medical gear, in case evacuation became necessary after all.
Maive had authorized that without making a declaration about it.
She’d simply had it done. I truly appreciated her approach to leadership.
“The forest,” Tregen said.
“Explosives set in a grid across the north and west approaches. Far enough from the Junu trees that there’s no risk to them.
If the Rivonok sends drones ahead, the anti-drone unit handles that first. Deactivates anything within range.
” I had pulled the unit from the Andromeda’s own equipment.
It was the most valuable thing I currently owned.
“After the drones are down, anything that keeps moving triggers the grid.”
Tregen nodded. He had been in the assembly hall the day I’d laid all this out. He’d listened quietly and understood what it meant, and had decided to accept it anyway.
“And before any of that,” Maive said, “you talk to them.”
“I talk to them,” I confirmed.
Pasek looked at me sideways. “Do you think they’ll listen?”
“I think they’ll listen to the word ‘trade,’” I said. “They want the junver syrup. They don’t want a firefight with an unknown defensive capability on unfamiliar ground. If I can offer them what they came for without a fight, some of them will take it.”
“Like the arrangement with the Durbok,” Maive said.
“That’s the offer I’ll make. A negotiated supply agreement. Nothing that compromises your independence—just a formal arrangement so they have something to bring back to whoever sent them.” I paused. “It may not work. But it costs nothing to try it first.”
“And if it doesn’t work?” Tregen asked.
“Then the village opens fire from concealment on a force that doesn’t initially know where the fire is coming from, after at least part of it has walked through a mined forest.”
Pasek considered this. “That sounds favorable for us.”
“Considerably more favorable than the alternative,” I said.
Maive stopped.
I followed her gaze. Aila was sitting on the low wall bordering the market square, feet dangling, watching us approach. She had both arms crossed and had clearly been there a while, working herself up to something.
“Gilrox,” she said, as we reached her.
“Aila.”
“I want to fight.” She puffed up as if to make herself bigger. “I’m tough as any of you.”
Behind me, Tregen suddenly found the harbor view extremely interesting. Pasek cleared his throat.
“I know you are,” I said.
“I’m a good shot.” Her lower lip popped out. “You said so.”
This was technically accurate. I had put a small training blaster in her hands once, at Salie’s explicit permission, and she had hit the target twice out of four attempts. “You are,” I said.
“Then I should fight.”
That couldn’t have been more out of the question. The mere thought of this precious little girl anywhere near danger made my gut turn inside out. “Not this time, Aila. I need you for something else.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What?”
I bent down to her level, then picked her up, because she was within arm’s reach. She allowed this without protest, which meant she was at least willing to hear the offer before rejecting it.
“You’ll have the most important job in this village,” I said. “Taking care of Silli.”
She looked at me. “Silli?”
“While I’m dealing with whatever’s coming, I need to know he’s fed and safe and not doing anything naughty near the water.” I met her eyes. “I’m assigning you, specifically.”
The crossed arms loosened slightly. “What does he eat?”
“Fish,” I said. “He prefers the eyes.”
She recoiled so hard I had to tighten my grip to keep her from going over backwards. “The eyes?” Aila said.
I nodded. “He loves them. He’d eat only them and toss the rest of the fish if he could.”
She wrinkled her nose. “That’s disgusting.”
“He doesn’t think so.”
She stared at me for a moment and then, slowly, the objection left her face. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll take care of Silli. But I’m not picking the eyes out of fish for him.”
“That’s okay,” I said. “He can do that part himself.”
I set her down. She dropped off the wall and headed back across the square with her chin up.
Maive took my hand as we walked on. The conversation moved to other things, like patrol rotations, the location of the second medical kit, whether Pasek and Tregen’s cousin in the east cluster could be trusted to stay put when the time came.
Pasek’s considered opinion was not entirely, but probably enough.
I didn’t say the rest of what I’d thought when I told Aila she had the most important job. I’d meant every word. I just hadn’t told her the other part: that I wasn’t certain I’d be back for Silli when it was over.
I hoped I was wrong about that.