Trailblazer

by Michelle Diener

  They might just think exactly that. And that had Ben terrified. Because wherever they decided to go, they were taking Tally with them.

  Chapter 37

  Tally could see the warship up ahead.

  It hunkered beside Veltos's small moon, still and unresponsive.

  The big Caruson hailed it again as they approached, his frustration ramping up as the minutes ticked by with no answer.

  They could have been onboard already, but the soldier had told her to wait until they had permission.

  When it was clear that was never going to come, he insisted she go forward anyway.

  Tally headed the runner toward the big landing bay on the under side of the ship, but a sudden warning light pulsed red on the bridge.

  Irwin swore.

  “What is it?” But she was afraid she already knew.

  “Their weapons just went hot.” Irwin finally sounded a little more like himself. A little more energized.

  The Caruson soldier's tone changed, and he started to repeat the same word, over and over.

  “Fraknvos.”

  A sudden blast of static had Tally wincing and covering her ears, and then the warship lifted up and away, disappearing behind the moon.

  The runner was really only a near-space vessel, built to go from the warship to the planet below, and it didn't have sophisticated tracking, but even so, she knew the ship was gone. She had never seen a ship move that fast.

  The Caruson swore and hit the side of her control panel, then he walked away, fists clenched.

  “What now?” She looked over at Irwin.

  He shrugged, still sitting with his back against the wall. “Go back to Rainerville, maybe? What else can we do?”

  “What was that about?” She could see all of the Caruso looked more than just unhappy, they were furious. She'd almost say betrayed.

  “They didn't honor the fraknvos.” Irwin spoke as if he was feeling his way. “I don't fully understand it. I said before it's like family, but I think it's also a bit like our surrender. If you surrender, the other side is honor bound to give you medical assistance, and treat you well.”

  “So it's hard for them to do? They have to put aside their pride?” Tally asked.

  Irwin nodded. “And after they bent the knee, so to speak, instead of help, the warship pretended not to hear them, and then ran away.”

  Tally looked through to the hold. Recalled the urgency in the Caruson soldier's calls to the warship. There was no possible way they hadn't understood the severity of the situation.

  “Maybe it was the best the captain of the warship could do,” she said. “If their orders were to attack, pretending not to hear and then running away was as much fraknvos as they could give.”

  Irwin nodded, and they drifted in silence for a long moment. Their only option was to go back to Rainerville. She dreaded what she'd find there.

  If Ben had been hurt . . .

  The Caruson who'd been directing her stepped into the back, and went into a huddle with the other two soldiers, talking quietly.

  The runner drifted closer to the moon and she turned it around, back to face Veltos. She didn't care now where anyone else wanted to go, she was going back to Rainerville.

  As they came about, something slid from the far side of the moon, and Tally froze.

  She stared at it as it moved into view, sleek and sharp. They were so close, she could see the name of the ship, the VSCS Galaha, along the side.

  She was still looking at it when the red glow of the warning light started flashing. The warship's weapons were hot.

  She heard Irwin swear behind her, heard the thump of boots as the Caruson ran to the big screen to have a closer look.

  But all she had eyes for was the cannons as they came around.

  * * *

  Tally watched the reactions of the Caruson soldiers to whatever message was being transmitted from the VSC warship.

  They stood, faces and bodies tense.

  Whatever was being said was in Caruson, and she decided it was time for her to get in a word.

  “Hello,” she said. “This is Tally Riva of the Raxian Expeditionary Force. I am on board this runner. There are at least twenty Caruson onboard who are severely injured, and they need immediate medical assistance.”

  There was absolute silence for a moment, and even the Caruso turned to her with faint smiles at how thoroughly she'd flipped the situation on its head.

  “Tally Riva, this is the signals operator on the Verdant String Coalition Ship Galaha, Sergeant Fraser. Is anyone else from your group onboard with you?”

  Tally remembered the name Fraser. This was Frangi's friend, Linn, talking.

  She closed her eyes briefly. But she found she didn't want to tell him how badly Frangi was hurt. “The trail guide, Irwin, is with me, and he requires medical attention as well.”

  There was a pause. “No one else?”

  “I'm afraid not. Frangi is--”

  “Tally Riva, this is Captain Harris of the VSCS Galaha.” The commander's voice cut across both of them. “What are you doing onboard that runner, and what is going on?”

  “It's a very long story, Captain.” She held the runner in place, too afraid to move and get shot at. “Whatever the reasons for my being here doesn't detract from the fact that there are people dying on this runner, and their own warship just raced off and left them.”

  “When was that?” Harris's voice rose.

  “About ten minutes before you came around the side of the moon.”

  “Is that so.” There was a cold edge to her voice.

  Tally imagined the captain was directing all sorts of long-range tracking searches in the silence that followed.

  “So, let me get this straight. Their people have abandoned them, and you want me to take them in after they shot down the runner that was meant to take you home, took out our comms satellite, and attacked our people.”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  She didn't say any more. She didn't need to.

  The VSC would not leave these people to die.

  “Tell the pilot to approach the landing bay,” Harris said at last. “And every laz had better be on the floor, or we will not hold back.”

  “Thank you.” Tally turned the runner toward the landing bay on the Galaha, and let the little helpers float it in.

  When they landed, she had Irwin tell the Caruson to put their weapons on the floor to one side, and go sit up against the wall on the other.

  She opened the door, and moved away from the control panel, standing just inside the hold as it lowered.

  With any luck, no one would realize she had been the one flying the runner.

  There would be way to many questions about that.

  The soldiers who stepped inside the runner as soon as the door was open reeled back a little at the sight of the injured Caruson.

  One of them touched their ear and muttered something, and Tally heard the sound of boots running toward them.

  “Tally Riva?” One of the lieutenants asked, her hair pulled back in complex braids from a stern face.

  “That's me.” She raised her hand.

  “Come.”

  Tally picked her way through the Caruso, and when she reached the lieutenant, she stepped in a little closer. “Irwin, the trail guide, needs medical attention, but he was also helping the Caruso.”

  The lieutenant gave her a hard look. “Meaning?”

  “Meaning, he's not an ally. He sold out everyone on the Trail. Don't trust him.”

  “Hmm.” She stepped away, spoke quietly into her comms. “All right. Follow me.”

  Tally sighed and did as she was ordered. “Am I going to speak to Captain Harris?”

  The lieutenant didn't turn around, didn't answer her.

  Tally guessed the answer was yes.

  Chapter 38

  Tally stepped into what was clearly a conference room and noticed there were only four people present beside herself and the lieutenant who'd brought her.


  One was clearly Captain Harris, a short woman with dark hair and big dark eyes, wearing the VSC uniform.

  A sergeant stood beside her, and she guessed he was Linn Fraser.

  She could see from the desperation in his eyes he had a personal stake in this.

  She liked the fact that Harris had allowed him to be here. He was by far the most junior officer present, and she guessed he'd been allowed to participate because of Frangi.

  The other two looked like older, more grizzled versions of Ben. Both the man and the woman held themselves in a way that shouted Arkhoran Special Forces. They wore plain black with just a single stripe of rank on the left side of their chests.

  “This is Sergeant Fraser,” Harris said. “I'm Captain Harris, and this is Commander Reskit and Commander Veniur. Let's hear your report.”

  Tally hesitated a moment, battled the ingrained resistance to taking orders from someone other than her own commander, then gave a nod. She began to relay what had happened, and when she got to Soo trying to fix the comms at the supply station, she stopped.

  “Have you gotten a message from Soo?”

  Linn shook his head. “Not yet.” He looked over at Harris, as if requesting permission for something, and she inclined her head slightly. He walked out of the room, and as soon as the doors closed behind him, Tally heard him break into a run.

  Tally hoped he was off to order a med runner down to fetch Frangi.

  “Let's move this along.” The Special Forces commander, Reskit, a tall, spare man with a brutal haircut, crossed his arms over his chest. “What did you find at Rainerville?”

  “There were a lot of Caruso there. They were building a landing pad out of the wood from the forest, and they'd taken the scientists prisoner. There were tents in the open fields behind the forest, and they were full of injured Caruson miners.”

  “And Ben?” Reskit watched her with hard eyes.

  She hesitated, wished she knew exactly where Ben was, and that he was safe.

  Reskit made a sound of impatience, and she raised her chin.

  “Ben was captured. I got away and ran into some of his team.”

  “Who?” The Special Forces woman, Venuir, spoke for the first time.

  “Sari, Handel and Garner. They'd been searching for signs of the Caruso when they saw them moving toward Rainerville with their injured and followed.” She paused for a moment, trying to think how to word it without drawing any attention to herself. “Some of Ben's team distracted the Caruson soldiers and we were able to free Ben and the scientists. But I was caught shortly after that. I'd just been taken into the runner when the Caruso warship attacked from near-space. They shot at their own people at least three times, then the runner took off. We went to the mine to get more injured, and then came up here to find the warship to get them the help they need.”

  “The same warship that just sped off?” Harris asked.

  Tally nodded.

  “There's a mine, you say?” Veniur asked, her voice thoughtful.

  “Yes. On our first day on the Trail there was a very strong earthquake. It appears the mine walls collapsed and either injured or trapped the Caruso working there.”

  “So they needed to get their people off Veltos. They tried to eliminate all witnesses by taking out the runner and satellite, and those of you on the Trail, and then they built a landing pad for what, a ship to come down and get their people out?” Harris was nodding as she spoke.

  “Yes, but something changed. My guess is the Caruso in charge of the operation weren't happy the Caruson commander on-planet made the decision to bring attention to themselves. They shot at their own people, and they've left them here without help.”

  “Why did they put you in the runner? Why bring you to the warship?” Veniur tilted her head.

  Tally lifted her shoulders as she thought through her answer. They would know about her. They were the ones who had probably given Ben his file on her. “I don't know for sure, but Irwin said they wanted me because I was the one on the ghost ship. He tried to grab me for them. They wanted to debrief me on what I saw on that ship.”

  All three went still at that.

  “And Irwin came in on the runner with you?” Harris spoke first.

  Tally nodded. “He was caught in the crossfire between Ben and I and the Caruso, and then later I hurt him, accidentally, when I ran into him on a hover. He had some deal with the Caruso which broke down when they shot him, but he had no other way off Veltos, so he persuaded them to take him with them as an interpreter between me and them.”

  Harris and Reskit exchanged a look.

  “We need to make contact with Ben, get the lay of the land before we go in,” Reskit said, looking across at Harris.

  Tally lifted a hand, then forced it back down at her side. “They may have recaptured Ben.” She bit her lip as they all turned to look at her. “I thought I saw him on the field as the runner took off, and if it was him, then he was in the open, with no cover.”

  “Why would he have done that?” Reskit asked, voice harsh.

  “To try and rescue me.” She felt her shoulders hunch under their scrutiny and forced herself to stand straighter.

  “What about the other members of Ben's team? Enn and Va-Laya? Where are they?” Reskit eyed her with suspicion.

  “I was told they followed the Caruso trail back to its source. So theoretically they are watching the mine site.”

  Reskit gave a grunt Tally assumed was of approval.

  “We need to get down there and see,” Veniur said. She turned to look at Harris. “With your permission, Captain.”

  Harris nodded, and as the two commanders jogged out, she turned to Tally. “Lieutenant Sentko will show you to a room, and we'll call you if we need more information.”

  “I'd like to go back down,” Tally said. She should have anticipated this happening. She wasn't part of the Galaha's crew, and she was an unknown entity. They would treat her politely, but she was at best a witness, at worst an annoyance.

  “What do you think you can do that our own people can't?” Harris asked.

  The little helpers vibrated a bit at that, but Tally kept herself still. “I know where the mine is, for a start.”

  “If we need you for that, we'll let you know,” Harris said.

  “Captain, I know I can be--”

  “Science Officer Riva, let me be blunt. I don't know you. I have a feeling you glossed over parts of your report, and I don't trust you. You will not be allowed to do anything more as it relates to this incident, other than answer more questions. Have I made myself clear?”

  Tally stared at her, and then the lieutenant with the beautiful braids appeared in the doorway, and gestured for Tally to follow.

  Captain Harris swept her arm in the direction of the door, and Tally realized she had no choice but to come to heel.

  She followed the lieutenant out and they were a few steps down the corridor when the lights suddenly dimmed and then came back up, and a siren began to sound.

  “Incoming enemy warships,” someone said over a speaker. “Prepare for evasive action.”

  Lieutenant Sentko glanced over her shoulder, her face tight with frustration.

  “Go, I'll take care of myself,” Tally said, and with a nod, Sentko ran off.

  Tally followed behind her at a slower pace, and found what she was looking for a few doors down.

  A room full of screens, and Linn Fraser and some colleagues hunched over their control panels.

  “What's happening?” Tally asked.

  “There are two Caruso warships coming in almost faster than we can track.”

  “Did you get a runner off already to rescue Frangi?”

  Linn looked up, face grim. He shook his head. “They were loading one up with medical supplies when the warships were spotted.”

  “What's going to happen now?”

  “The orders are to move out of range, arm shields and wait for the reinforcements we called in before we came here.” Li
nn stood suddenly. “Where was Frangi hurt? What did she look like the last time you saw her?”

  Tally didn't move back when he stepped into her space. “She was hit in her leg. The one that had been injured before. She was unconscious last time I saw her, but we had a supply hover, and Soo and Lenny made sure she was lying comfortably on it, and Ben circled round when the Caruso sent soldiers after them and killed them, so they had a clear run back to the supply station.”

  Linn's eyes had widened when she mentioned Caruson soldiers. “They were hunting her?”

  “They were hunting all of us.” Tally held his gaze. “When we couldn't avoid them, we had to deal with them.”

  He nodded. Then noticed the light blinking on his control panel. He sat, and began to tap at the controls.

  “What now?” Tally leaned over him.

  “Two Caruson warships have just arrived. They've launched runners into Veltos's near-space.”

  “Where are the runners headed?”

  “Too soon to tell, but I think we can guess.”

  Yes, she could guess. Rainerville and the mine. It had to be. And they would either wipe out everyone there, or take their people and kill the Verdant Stringers. She couldn't see any other reason for them to come back.

  She wouldn't let that happen.

  “Are we out of their line of sight?” Tally asked.

  Linn looked up, his brow creased in a frown. “Yes.”

  “Okay. Thank you. I'll leave you to it, now.”

  “Thanks.” Linn had already turned back to his control panel, his focus on what was in front of him.

  Tally made her way back out into the passageway.

  If she was locked out by Harris and distrusted by Ben's commanders, then she'd have to take her chances on her own.

  If there were Caruson runners in near-space, no one would notice one more.

  She'd flown the Caruson runner into the Galaha's launch bay. And she could fly it out.

  Chapter 39

  The corridors were full of people moving from job to job, but Tally was still in her military uniform, no matter that it was not the cleanest it had ever been, and she blended in well enough.