Garner frowned. “You have our warship's signal? How--?”
Ben managed a grin. “The power of love.”
Chapter 33
Tally pressed herself up against a thick tree trunk and watched the Caruson soldiers filter back out of the treeline that curved to her right and jog toward the almost completed landing pad.
It was clear they'd been recalled from their hunt for Sari and Handel, and she was relieved Ben's friends had managed to escape.
She wondered why the search had been called off, why they'd given up, when she finally noticed a sound in the distance, getting louder.
The little helpers perked up, and she lifted her gaze to the skies. Her view was blocked by thick branches and leaves, but she caught the glint of metal as a big runner came in to land.
As it settled on the landing pad, she saw it was about the same size as the runner that had brought her and the others to the head of the Trail, but that the landing pad it settled down on had been built for something much bigger.
The runner didn't switch off its engines, and as the door at the back lowered, Tally saw movement from the tents set up in the open field.
Caruson soldiers emerged, some carrying stretchers between them, some driving hovers with stretchers on them. They headed for the runner.
The Caruso who were being transported were all bandaged, and she could see blood seeping through some of the dressings.
Some of them had limbs missing.
She and the others had managed to survive the earthquake unscathed. The Caruson had obviously not been nearly as lucky.
The earthquake must have been the catalyst for this whole nightmare.
She was so busy focusing on the injured being ferried to the runner, she missed the confrontation at the runner's open doors until the first shout.
The big commander she'd caught a glimpse of the day before when she and Ben had been spying on Rainerville strode across the field, face set in lines of unspeakable fury, and Tally turned to see what could have put him in such a towering rage.
The pilot was blocking access to the open doors of the runner, refusing the injured Caruso admittance.
He did something using a small device in his hand, and the door, which doubled as a ramp, lifted up a little, making it almost impossible for the stretcher carriers to get inside.
She wished she could speak Caruson, because the commander descended on the pilot with a blistering verbal attack, and the pilot yelled back in turn.
They were big men, both of them. The thick skin on the faces of the Caruso made it difficult for Verdant Stringers to intuit expression, but there was no doubt in her mind that they were both angry. Their big hands chopped the air, and she could hear their harsh breathing even from her hiding place.
Eventually, the pilot threw his hands up, turned to the men carrying the stretchers, and pointed back to the tents.
He snarled a last retort at the commander, turned on his heel, and stalked back to the runner, using the device to lower the door back down so he could get in.
He got three, maybe four, steps, and then the commander lifted his laz and shot him in the back of the head.
He pitched forward, his head lying at an odd angle on the wooden planks of the landing pad.
For a moment, no one moved, but suddenly, the whine from the runner's engines picked up, and with a roar, the commander sprinted toward the runner's ramp, leaped inside, and then moments later, came back out dragging another pilot with him.
He threw the man down beside his colleague.
The co-pilot said something, his hands moving much like the original pilot's had, the invective clear and taunting. Whatever he said, the white hot rage that flashed across the commander's face made Tally shrink back, her fingers pressing against the rough bark of the tree.
He lifted his weapon and fired again.
Then he lowered his laz, and stood, staring at the two dead men in front of him.
He rubbed a hand over his eyes, then lifted his head and shouted.
At first Tally thought it was some kind of cry of frustration, but she realized when the soldiers around him began to move, that he was barking commands.
The stretcher bearers carried the injured up the ramp and then ran back to the tents to get more.
In the end, at least eighteen where carried in, and two were brought who obviously couldn't fit. There was a little juggling, as one was obviously considered more severely injured than another already on board, and they were swapped, and then the two extra were taken back to the tents.
There was something wrong, though.
The commander moved through the camp, the sound of his voice grating on Tally's nerves as it seemed to ramp up.
His temper was clear, but he seemed to lack a focus for it, and when he glanced over at the dead pilots, it seemed to be with regret.
Had he killed the only two people who could fly--?
The prickle under her skin happened only moments before she felt the press of the laz against the back of her head. She froze, her fingernails digging into the tree bark.
A grunt of satisfaction sounded right in her ear, and she flinched.
She slowly turned her head, and met the eyes of one of the soldiers that had tracked her through the forest for days. He smiled as he stepped back so she could stand, and she could read the triumph at having found her on his face.
He shoved her forward, out of the forest and toward the commander.
Tally stumbled a little as she stepped out of the cover of the treeline, and felt the little helpers desperately try to find a way out, ramping up her heart rate, making her skin prickle.
She couldn't see any options, and neither, it seemed, could they.
And she'd just seen what happened to people the commander really didn't like.
* * *
The commander turned to the soldier pushing Tally toward him with a snarl.
The look in his eyes said he'd happily kill her just to check one more thing off his list.
His words landed in harsh, quick whips, and even though she couldn't understand, she had the sense the commander wasn't pleased at all that his underling had gone looking for her.
To him, it was a waste of time.
The soldier responded, trying to look obedient, but even to her untried ear, he was failing.
The commander waited until he was finished, and Tally saw his massive hands curl into fists, his eyes on the ground as he fought for control.
The little helpers buzzed. If the commander attacked her captor, they could maybe run.
But his hands uncurled and shot out, grabbing Tally by the front of her jacket and hauling her close.
She could see the blue-green-brown swirls in his eyes, and smelled the sour, spicy scent coming off his skin.
“You ghost ship girl.” He gave her a shake.
She blinked. His Verdant String vernacular wasn't great, but it was a lot better than her Caruson.
“No,” she said.
“Lie.” He shook her again, and this time her teeth rattled. He tossed her to the ground. Lifted his laz.
She stared straight into his eyes, refusing to look at the bodies lying near her, and knew he no longer gave a damn about whether she was useful to the Caruso or not. He was clearly no longer a Caruson team player.
She was just one more problem, and he'd eliminate her without a second thought.
So she needed to be useful to him.
She had no wish to offer herself as a hostage, and it was clear that whatever the Caruso had planned for her in that area, this commander was no longer onboard.
But there was something he needed.
“Wait.” She held up her hand, keeping her gaze steady. “You can't find someone to fly this runner, can you? But I can.”
The little helpers approved. A lot.
She felt the surge of energy, felt every sense heighten.
The laz dipped a little, then pointed down. “How?”
“I am ghost shi
p girl,” she said in response.
He frowned. “How?”
She made a gesture to get him to back off. “I'll show you.”
He stepped back, motioned for her to stand.
She did, although her knees dipped a little and she had to force them to lock.
What was she doing? Her breathing accelerated.
The little helpers promised her they were good at learning systems. That they would show her how.
She hoped to the stars and back that they were right.
Chapter 34
Ben shoved himself forward as the massive Caruson commander hauled Tally toward the runner.
A hand grabbed the fabric of his jacket and pulled him back.
“Have you lost your mind?” Garner shoved him deeper into the forest. “What are you going to do, run into their laz fire?”
“Not likely. They aren't even looking this way.” Ben had taken a full step out into the open before Garner had grabbed him, and no Caruson had even glanced their way.
“That's just dumb luck,” Garner hissed.
“I can't let her be taken.” Ben leaned back against the tree Garner had shoved him against, and faced the fact that he wasn't yet up to full strength. He was getting there, though.
“Ben!” Sari stepped out of the shadows, face alight with relief. “You escaped.”
Ben looked over at her. Saw his teammate was filthy, her uniform torn, and she had a scratch on her cheek. “Tally rescued me.”
She went still, and her expression turned thoughtful. “I thought there were too many things that 'just happened by accident' to her for her to be as harmless as she pretended. What are you doing here?” She glanced over the field.
“Tally was just captured,” Garner said.
“She got caught looking for you and Handel.” Ben tried to keep his voice level.
Sari lifted her hands. “I wish she hadn't done that. We can look after ourselves.”
That it was true didn't ease the terror in his gut.
“What's this about your little Raxian?” Handel moved out of the shadows behind Sari. He looked worse than she did, his one sleeve was wet and it stank of mud and was dripping slime. “Captain.” He nodded to Ben. Looked over at Garner.
“Tally rescued him.” Garner crouched down, looking out over the field through the trees. “But she's been captured.”
Handel raised his brows at the news that Tally had rescued them, and Ben could see he thought it must have been luck or chance.
“Where'd they take her?”
“To the runner.” Ben straightened. He was feeling stronger. He tipped the last of the energy solution Dr. Lenar had given him down his throat and then crouched beside Garner.
“You think they're going to fly her up to the warship?” Sari was watching him carefully.
“What else?”
“And what are those two dead guys doing in the middle of the field?” Handel moved closer to the treeline, joining them in the growing shadows.
“I don't know. We got here as they were dragging Tally to the runner.” But Ben wondered what had happened. Who had killed the men.
“Maybe Tally killed them before they got the better of her,” Garner said.
Handel looked over at him and scoffed.
Ben didn't tell him she'd taken down two Caruson in about five seconds when she'd rescued him, but this looked different. The men were laid out on the ground as if it was some kind of execution. They didn't look like they'd died fighting. “Whatever happened, they have her now. And we have to get her back.”
“Not to state the obvious, but how?”
Ben glanced at Garner. “You go back and signal to the Galaha that she's on that runner, so if they encounter it, they don't shoot it down.”
“Signal?” Handel's voice rose in hope.
“We have the Galaha's call signature.” Garner grinned at Ben. “I can get word to them.”
“The Caruso haven't even taken off yet,” Sari said.
“The delay in direct signaling means they could be long gone before the Galaha even gets the message.” Ben shuffled back and then stood once he was deeper among the trees. “Garner, go. I'll stay here and see if there's a way to get her out.”
“And us?” Sari asked.
Ben looked at her and then Handel. “I'm not going to ask you to risk yourselves to free Tally. If you want to help me, I'll take it, but this is personal for me. You can wait for the Galaha to get here, help protect the scientists Tally rescued. I'm happy that's a good use of your time and skill. But I'm going after Tally.”
Handel rubbed a filthy hand over hair that was too short to even grab. “Why?”
“Tally has saved my ass more times than I can count in the last week,” he said.
“But it's more than that, isn't it?” Sari asked.
His lips quirked and he inclined his head in acknowledgment. “Oh, yes.”
* * *
Ben leaned against the tree, watching the field.
Garner and Handel had gone back to the scientists, but Sari had stayed. She was wiping herself down with the thick wipes from her pack, stripping the mud and grime off her face and arms.
“You go into a bog, or something?” Ben asked her.
She snorted. “The river bank. Just managed to avoid being lunch for a legava, too. Had to kill it.”
They sat in silence, the clean, pleasant scent of the wipes swirling around them as Sari pulled off her shirt and scrubbed at her neck and chest.
“That runner is just sitting there. Not going anywhere.” Ben was confused. His worst fear was they would take off immediately, but they hadn't moved, and he didn't understand what was going on. He still couldn't see a path to getting onboard without being seen, though. There were Caruson soldiers all around the runner.
“Maybe they're waiting for someone.” Sari pulled a clean shirt over her head. “The soldiers don't look comfortable, do they? They're twitchy.”
Ben had noticed that, too. “They're expecting trouble, maybe?”
“Trouble from whom?” Sari's eyebrows rose. “They don't know we have a direct call signature. They think they've killed the comms and they've taken down the only ship that could have sent word about them. Who could they be scared of?”
It was a good question.
“Well, look there.” Ben tilted his head. “Here comes someone familiar.”
Irwin stepped out of the treeline on the far side. He was limping, and he didn't look good.
The Caruson soldiers standing around, fidgeting, reacted immediately as he made his way toward the runner, running toward him, shouting instructions, weapons raised.
He gave them the sign every sentient species knew to go fuck themselves, and kept coming, and when they reached him, Ben wished he could hear the exchange, because it was heated.
Eventually, they half-carried him toward the runner and disappeared inside.
“They were waiting for him, you think?” Sari asked.
Ben lifted his shoulders. He was crouched, gaze trained on the runner. Irwin's appearance had woken the soldiers up a bit, but most still looked at a loose end. “Irwin told them to go to hell a couple of days ago, and he's been limping his way here ever since.”
“Looks like that's still his position, given the shouting and the gestures.” Sari sounded slightly amused.
Ben thought Irwin looked in worse shape than when he'd seen him last. Almost gray, and moving with far more difficulty than before. He'd been trailing Ben and Tally through the forest relatively well after he was shot. Either something had happened to him, or his wound was infected.
“Garner was right when he said Irwin looked bad,” Sari said, almost as if reading his mind. “Tally really did some damage when she ran into him on that hover.”
Ben grunted, not commenting. But it explained a lot.
He'd have to find out the circumstances of how that happened from Tally.
“Why are they still sitting there--?” Sari cut off as a massive Ca
ruson soldier ran toward the runner.
Ben looked behind him, saw two other soldiers, looking very much the worse for wear, following him at a slower pace.
They looked like they'd been pushing themselves for days. He'd bet a lot they'd come from the mine, and they'd had to make the journey without hovers.
The Caruson commander strode out of the runner, and he met the front-runner halfway across the field. They spoke, heads together, and then turned to wait for the other two to join them.
“Something's happened at the mine,” Sari said.
“Yes. Maybe there's been another cave-in.” Ben checked the distance between where he was crouched and the door of the runner. Wondered how distracted the Caruso were, and then suddenly the sound of the runner's engines changed. Idled down, and then revved up.
The commander turned, pointing toward the entrance, and one of the Caruson soldiers jogged up the ramp.
He had just disappeared inside when, out of nowhere, an explosion shook the ground.
Ben was thrown back, ears ringing, and from his position on his back, looking straight up, he caught the glimpse high up of a warship.
The Caruso were firing on their own?
Another strike hit the ground.
“How come they keep missing?” Sari shouted. She was crawling toward him.
Good question. The runner was the perfect target. Unmoving, unarmed.
“On purpose,” he guessed. Because whoever was in command of the warship would be acting under orders from a distant authority, but it was hard to kill your own.
Very hard.
He had gotten his feet under him, and tried to see if the chaos was enough to give him the chance he needed.
Before he could do anything more than straighten up, the runner's ramp began to lift.
The Caruso had scattered as the bombing had started and there was a clear path.
Ben ran.
He heard Sari shout behind him, but Tally was in that runner, and he had a chance to get in there with her.
He was less than halfway across the field when the door snapped shut.
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