Surprisingly, she climbed into the back with the rest of them. As the truck started up—on the fourth try—Hakim sat on the wood bench across from Jelena.
“You originally came here to retrieve the prisoners?” Hakim asked, again choosing Jelena as the leader, or at least the person at whom to direct her questions.
“Yes.” Jelena saw little point in withholding information now.
“Sorel reached out to the Starseers for help because his own people couldn’t handle the retrieval?”
“Actually, he reached out to mercenaries in general.”
It was too dark in the back of the truck to read facial expressions, but Jelena sensed Hakim’s surprise before she spoke. “You’re mercenaries?”
Jelena debated whether to tell the truth or to try to pass themselves off as hardened mercs. Thor might pass, but she and Erick? Not that it mattered that much now what Hakim thought.
“We run freight, actually. We needed to make some extra money to pay off a debt.”
“Run freight?” That seemed to surprise Hakim even more than the suggestion that they were mercenaries. “I thought—I guess the stories led us all to believe that Starseers sit in temples in their reclusive communities and spend a lot of time meditating and moving things around with their minds.”
“Thorian meditates a lot,” Erick offered.
“Erick sits in his cabin reclusively and plays holo games,” Jelena said. That definitely ought to change Hakim’s image of Starseers. Maybe she should share that Erick was usually in his pajamas when he played, with rumpled clothes in piles all over the deck and empty FizzBurst cans stacked into castles on the desk.
“Why did Sorel hire mercenaries for the rescue when he sent his own team to take down our generator?” Hakim asked, grunting as the truck bumped down a rubble-filled street.
“We may have been the expendable diversion,” Jelena said. “We noticed your people were waiting for us when our submarine got close to your continent.”
“Hm, yes, we received a tip from an informant about that.”
“And no tips about the—”
Thor stood up abruptly, jerking a hand up. “There are men in combat armor paralleling us.”
“Combat armor?” one of the soldiers whispered wistfully.
“How far from the generator building are we, Phillips?” Hakim called up.
“A few blocks.”
“Attack coming,” Thor barked. “Get out!”
He followed his own order, leaping past Jelena and springing out of the truck. He disappeared into the shadows before she’d even stood up.
“They’re surrounding us,” Erick said. “I think they have grenades.”
“Out, out,” Hakim said, waving to the men who’d hesitated at Thor’s order.
Jelena hurried to leap out of the truck before being trampled by the soldiers. Erick landed beside her and pointed toward an alley between two buildings, one still intact and one merely a shell. She glimpsed movement at the other end of the alley and raised her staff.
“They’re going to target the truck,” Erick whispered, then raced toward the alley.
Jelena went with him, trusting that Thor, wherever he’d gone, could handle working by himself. She sensed Erick raising a barrier across the alley. Two men in combat armor pounded toward it, one carrying a rifle and the other a grenade launcher. Jelena didn’t have to see anything else to know these people were better armed than any of the Chollans. Better armed than most of the Opuntians she’d seen too. She wondered if they were mercenaries rather than natives of the planet, but that was all she had time to wonder before a thunderous roar came from behind them.
Jelena didn’t let herself turn away from the men approaching through the alley, but she glanced over her shoulder as the flames of an explosion shot out from under the truck. The vehicle itself was launched into the air and landed on its side several meters away. Someone cried out in pain.
She would have taken a step in that direction to try to help, but the two armored men ran into Erick’s barrier, pulling her attention back. They bounced off it, but weren’t thwarted for long. They fired at him and sprang into the air, both landing on the roof of the intact building. Their blazer bolts—these men definitely weren’t using bullets—ricocheted off Erick’s barrier and bounced back down the alley.
The men sprang off the roof, trying to come down behind Erick and Jelena. She created her own separate barrier above them, and then, since the two men would have landed on it, she thrust it upward, hitting them with a powerful counterforce. She sensed their surprise as they were hurled across the street, over the now-burning truck and into buildings on the opposite side.
By now, weapons fire had opened up all around Jelena, the bangs of the locals’ rifles mingling with the squeals of blazer fire. White and red beams lit up the night. Hakim’s people were gathered in two alleys, keeping their backs to the walls for cover as the armored soldiers circled around them, striding around impudently, knowing they were impervious to bullets.
But they weren’t impervious to Thor, his mental powers, or that Starseer-crafted sword of his. He’d flicked the weapon out to its full length, and he was running openly in the street, leaping to engage any soldier who was foolish enough to step into his path. Speaking of impudence…
I’m trying to clear the way to the generator building, he informed her blandly as he sprang for an enemy shooting at him from a doorway. These men killed the people working on the generator earlier today, and they intend to keep anyone else from getting in to fix it.
The two men who’d attacked Jelena and Erick regained their feet and sprinted back toward them, so she didn’t answer. Erick shifted his barrier around to block them, and they bounced back again. They paused, the flames from the truck highlighting their suits of armor. One orange-colored and one silver, they were not uniform in any manner. The men fired, this time holding their triggers down to pour sustained blasts into Erick’s barrier.
“Those two seem determined to get us,” he growled, his voice taut with concentration.
Jelena threw a blast of energy at the men from the side, trying to knock their rifles away. One was startled and let go. The other tightened his grip and kept hold of his, but his finger slipped off the trigger.
“Charge them,” Jelena ordered, hearing one of Hakim’s people cry out in the alley. She and Erick couldn’t simply defend themselves. They had to take some of their attackers down.
As Erick lowered his barrier, Jelena raced toward the men with her staff in hand, her Starseer robe flapping about her ankles. The man pointed his rifle toward her chest, but she batted at it with her mind. Again, he kept hold of it, but her power made his aim falter. The runes on her staff flared to life, and that startled him for a second, long enough for her to reach him.
She feinted toward his chest with the tip of her staff. He reacted quickly, speed enhanced by his armor, and almost knocked her weapon out of her hands, even though she’d already been withdrawing it and swinging for his hip. He whipped his rifle across to block the blow. This time, their weapons touched, and she poured mental energy into her staff. Lightning sprang from the contact point, branching and streaking up his rifle. Unfortunately, he hadn’t held his weapon there for more than an instant, and though surprise jolted him, he didn’t experience much pain. He stepped closer to Jelena, swinging the butt of the rifle toward her unprotected head.
Jelena ducked and scrambled back. He would have caught her, his speed greater than hers, but she flung an image into his mind, one of her old standbys: a dog springing at him from the side, lunging for his throat.
Had he paused to think, he would have realized his armor would save him from fangs if there truly were a dog, but he instinctively glanced to his left. It only gave Jelena an instant, but that was enough. She jabbed him in the side with her staff and pressed it there, ensuring there was time for the power to flow from the tip and into his armor.
Blue branches of lightning streaked out and wrapp
ed around him. He stumbled back, trying to bring his rifle to bear, but she stayed with him, keeping the staff pressed against his armor. The air filled with the stench of something burning. She wasn’t sure if it came from the truck or his armor, but he finally dropped to the ground and rolled away from her, putting distance between himself and her staff.
She jumped after him, knowing he still had plenty of fight in him and wanting to put him—or at least his armor—out of commission.
But a dark shape came up from behind the man, reaching him first. Thor swung his sword down from overhead, the enhanced blade gleaming blue in the night. The soldier glimpsed him and tried to roll to the side, but Thor compensated and slashed down into his chest piece. A startled gasp came from the man as armor he’d thought was impervious to any weapon in this city was cut open like a fish being filleted. Again, he tried to roll to the side, but Thor was just as quick as he was and stomped a boot down onto his shoulder, halting his foe. He shifted his grip on his hilt and drove the tip of the sword into his foe’s exposed chest. The man spasmed, his hands coming up to snatch at the blade, but Thor pulled it out too quickly. And it was too late, regardless.
“This way,” Thor said, jerking his head toward the front of the truck. “You need to figure out a way to finish off armored opponents more quickly.”
“Thanks for the tip,” Jelena grumbled, following him.
Erick jumped over his own fallen foe, the man not moving, and joined them. She’d have to ask him how he’d finished off his man so quickly, since he also had a staff and not some crazy powerful sword. Leonidas had always told her to attack armored men’s minds, since the mind was the one target that armor couldn’t protect, but she struggled to use her mental powers to inflict pain.
“This way,” Thor called, waving to Hakim and her soldiers in the alley, then pointing his glowing sword down the street.
Jelena thought they might hesitate, seeing him as some strange, scary figure in black, with blood dripping from his blade. But they must have believed he was on their side, for they ran out of hiding as one, though two men had to be carried by their comrades. Hakim had acquired two pistols, but she wore a worried, frustrated expression as she glanced at the smoldering truck, flames still spitting from its interior. Jelena suspected most of the downed men in the street had been a result of Thor’s work rather than that of her people.
“Get this man out from under here,” she ordered her soldiers, pointing at the person Jelena had heard scream when caught under the falling truck.
He was lucky the flames weren’t on that side and affecting him yet, but he had enough to worry about as it was. His legs were pinned, and Jelena could feel his pain as he shoved ineffectively at the vehicle. Four soldiers surged to either side of him, squatting and trying to push the truck off him. Erick lent his mental power to the effort, pushing the vehicle upward. Thor stood apart, peering into the gloom to either side of the street. Jelena sensed more armored men out there in the streets paralleling theirs.
Two soldiers dragged the pinned man out from under the truck, and one hoisted him over his shoulder.
“We’ll find you a doctor soon, Jin,” he promised.
“Can’t wait,” the man gasped, his legs not moving.
Jelena wondered if they would ever move again, given the medical equipment available here. She couldn’t help but feel bleak all over again at the pain and despair radiating from these people. After this, she wanted to take a trip to somewhere cheerful, a place where people had reasons to be happy. Was there any chance this world could be turned into such a place in the future?
Nobody spoke as Thor led the group toward the building at the end of the street—what remained of it. One side stood, but Jelena faltered when she caught sight of the collapsed half, rubble piles where walls had once been. The rest of the walls, and the roof over the remaining half, looked like they could tumble down at any second. If the generator inside was in as bad of shape as the rest of the structure, it would take a lot more than an engineer and a few spare parts to get it working again.
“War Leader Hakim?” a voice crackled over a comm.
“Here,” Hakim answered tersely.
“We’ve got the bombers back on our radar. They’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“Minutes?” Jelena exchanged looks with Erick. “How fast can you work?”
“With sticks and knives? I’m a wizard.” Erick started for the front of the building, but tossed back a, “Make sure Thor bounces away any bombs that might drop on our heads.” He paused at the front entrance and looked toward a giant hole in the wall a few meters down. Debating which was the better way to enter? “There are people in here,” he called to Hakim.
Hakim looked to her beleaguered troops—most of them were carrying or supporting injured men—and then to Thor.
“I believe they’re on your side,” Thor said to Hakim, and strode toward the building, choosing the giant hole over the door.
Jelena followed him, lifting her staff when a figure stepped out of the shadows and into view. It was a child, too small to be a threat.
“You’re back!” she cried, her voice familiar.
“Hoshi?” Jelena asked. Why wasn’t that girl ever someplace safe?
Hoshi ran out through the hole, heading not for Jelena but to Erick. “Where’s my sister?” She gripped his robe. “Is she all right?”
Jelena winced, remembering Masika and Erick saying they’d used the doctor as a hostage in order to escape. That must have left Hoshi feeling scared and betrayed.
“No, I understand why you did it,” Hoshi said, gazing up at Erick. Had he spoken to her telepathically? “But where is she now?”
“She’s on our ship and safe,” Jelena said, glad she didn’t have to lie to the girl. Ogiwara was safer than the rest of them—Austin would simply raise the Snapper’s shields when the bombers approached. Assuming there’d been time for the shields to regenerate power. And assuming the bombers didn’t all target the freighter. She suddenly doubted herself and whether those were safe assumptions to make. What if the airplane pilots, realizing that Thor had manipulated them and believing he would be aboard the Snapper, all rushed the ship and dropped everything they had on it?
“Jelena will explain.” Erick patted Hoshi on the shoulder and moved past her. “War Leader Hakim—you better take me to the generator.”
“This way.” Hakim, who waved impatiently from the doorway, clearly had that in mind. She looked like she had been thinking of grabbing Erick and throwing him over her shoulder.
Actually, she didn’t think she was strong enough for that, Thor informed Jelena. But she was thinking of grabbing him by the collar and dragging him into the building on his back if necessary.
Oh, does that take less strength than an over-the-shoulder carry?
Thor came to stand next to Jelena and Hoshi. I don’t know. We’d have to set up a test to compare.
“That’s a Starseer artifact, isn’t it?” Hoshi whispered, staring at Thor’s sword. It had stopped glowing, and to Jelena’s eyes, didn’t look like much more than the katana it emulated in shape, especially in the dark when the runes weren’t visible.
“Yes.” Thor withdrew a kerchief, wiped the blade, then held it up. It started glowing.
Hoshi did not seem surprised, nor did she seem worried in the least standing between Jelena and Thor. Jelena had expected tears of worry and betrayal after Erick’s kidnapping of her sister.
“You’re going to save us, aren’t you?” Hoshi looked from the sword to Thor and then to Jelena. “I knew it. You’re going to stop the war.”
“We can’t promise that,” Jelena said.
Thor touched Jelena’s arm. “Those armored men are still out there. I’m going to… patrol.”
Jelena arched her eyebrows at the pause. Did that mean he intended to fight them? To pick them off one at a time? The notion of him deliberately stalking and killing people chilled her, as thoughts of assassination always did, but could she
complain when those men were part of the same unit that had blown up the forcefield generator? Not to mention the truck her team had been riding in.
Thor jogged into the shadows, not waiting for her agreement or approval.
“I know you can save us.” Hoshi tugged at Jelena’s sleeve. “You helped Arthur find his dog. And you helped that other dog!”
“What? How do you know about that?”
Had Hoshi run into the boy in the tunnels?
“I know lots.” Hoshi twirled and pointed at the doorway. “We should go inside. It’s not safe out here.” She peered toward the collapsed buildings all around the area and others still standing, their windows dark.
Jelena sensed people in them, people who’d refused to leave their homes when they’d been warned to hide in the tunnels. A couple of scared dogs hunkered in an alley, and she was tempted to call them over, but for what? She didn’t have any treats to offer this time.
She also sensed Thor on the hunt, but she drew her mind back from that. He always seemed dark and cold when he was in that mode. Chilling.
“Inside wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Jelena said, glancing toward the sky as they walked into the building. The first stars had come out, and she thought she heard the faint rumble of engines over the roar of the ocean. “Erick may need our help.”
“He will,” Hoshi said with odd certainty.
Chapter 16
A few oil lanterns burned in the remains of the large warehouse-like building with the destroyed roof open to the stars on one side. On the other side, Erick crouched next to a machine with the panels pulled off. The generator presumably. Jelena felt heartened that it didn’t look to be in that bad of shape. She wondered why the armored men outside hadn’t come in and blown the thing to pieces. Admittedly, there were some holes in the panels that remained up. Someone had been shooting at it. A big thick panel lay on the floor next to Erick, even more riddled with holes. It looked like it had been leaning against the generator, perhaps to shield it, until he’d moved it.
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