An engine roared as one of the cruisers flew over the canyon, its running lights outlining the big ship against the dark, cloudy night sky. Alisa jumped when an e-cannon fired, the energy blast slamming down into the canyon. Dirt exploded between two of the remaining shuttles, leaving a huge smoking crater in the earth. Soldiers flung themselves away from the
Nomad
, some running down the canyon to get away from the attack.
Shit, he’s powerful,
Abelardus said into her mind.
I gathered that,
Alisa replied as it dawned on her that Stanislav had to be controlling the weapons officer on that ship, if not the whole bridge crew. That gave her one more reason to doubt that Stanislav had truly been defeated and left to die in that meadow. Not if he could do this.
Even if she thought he was a liar, that didn’t keep Alisa from walking behind him, letting him be her shield as he approached the
Nomad
. There were still soldiers massed around the ramp, but he did not seem worried about them.
He shouldn’t be able to concentrate on so many people at once,
Abelardus spoke rapidly into her mind.
And how in the hells did he get that helmsman and pilot up there to fire on their own people? You can’t—people aren’t easy to convince of something that goes against their nature.
Maybe his prayer beads work better than Alejandro’s.
Alisa waved for Beck to come forward. “Need your help to storm the fortress, Beck.”
“Here, Yumi,” Beck said, thrusting a rifle toward her. “Help Mica guard the prisoners.”
“Erp?” Yumi blurted.
“I’ll do it,” Ostberg said brightly.
Yumi did not hand the kid the rifle. Good.
Shaking her head, Alisa pushed to catch up with Stanislav. Abelardus did, too, passing her to stride along at his side.
Several of the guards at the ramp, taking cover under the overhang of the freighter, spotted the Starseers approaching.
“There,” one cried, pointing a rifle at Stanislav.
Alisa hesitated. She trusted Stanislav and Abelardus to create shields to protect themselves, but did not know how far those shields would extend. She yanked out her stun gun, though she could not imagine what good it would do her. It seemed like she should have a weapon and be ready to defend herself.
As the first soldier fired, a dark figure sprang off the top of the cliff on the opposite side of the river from the
Nomad
. Alisa might not have noticed him, but the cruiser was flying by again, running lights brightening the night sky and gleaming on red armor. Leonidas.
The Alliance craft hurled another explosive. It struck the ground at the same time as Leonidas landed in a roll that hurtled him through the brush like a boulder bouncing down a mountainside. He splashed into the river as the explosive went off a couple hundred meters downstream. Flames filled the canyon, and dirt flew as another crater was blasted out. The river flowed sideways into it.
The chaos did not distract Leonidas. He sprang out of the water and charged the soldiers at the base of the ramp. They all turned their weapons toward him, finding him more of a threat than the black-robed Starseers. That was a mistake.
Stanislav and Abelardus raised their staffs. Several of the soldiers firing at Leonidas flew to the side.
Ignoring the blazer bolts splashing off his dirty armor, Leonidas crashed into the remaining soldiers, heedless of the fact that they also wore armor. Some of them managed to scurry away, but he was so fast that he caught four. Striking like a tornado, he lashed out, kicking and punching. Men flew, as if they had been thrown by a Starseer attack, some hitting the side of the
Nomad
so hard they left dents in the hull. The men rolled, and the fight disappeared into the tall grass, blades thrashing. Alisa could no longer see what was happening, but one after the other, soldiers were yanked down, disappearing from her view.
When the way to the ramp lay mostly open, Alisa ran toward it, waving for Beck and the others to follow. Shouts of pain and squeals of weapons fire filled the canyon, the noise echoing off the walls. Someone had to be yelling orders, trying to round up the men, but the beleaguered soldiers were under attack from too many directions. Alisa made it to the bottom of the ramp, jumping over an armored man who flopped past like a doll hurled by a child.
A squawk came from the grass, a startled cry from Yumi. Suyin Tiang had broken away from her. Her wrists were tied, but her legs weren’t, and she sprinted for the river.
Alisa shot the stun gun before her brain caught up to her reflexes. As the beam hit Suyin and she dropped into the grass, Alisa wondered if she should have let the woman go. Maybe the Alliance would be less likely to chase after her ship if she left the Tiangs here. But was that safe right now? An air battle had started up as the four Alliance ships fired upon the cruiser that kept shooting into the canyon. The Tiangs might be caught in the crossfire if they were left in the field.
Leonidas made the decision for Alisa, running over, grabbing Suyin, and racing toward the ramp. Mica, with a stun gun stuck in Admiral Tiang’s back, had already joined Alisa. Alejandro stumbled after them, sweat dripping from his chin as he staggered under the weight of Durant. Alisa winced, fearing they should have left him in the ship, perhaps in the secret cubby. Too late now.
She grabbed Alejandro’s arm and helped him up the ramp. “Abelardus?” she called.
He and Stanislav were still standing in the grass, a breeze tugging at their robes as they stood with their arms spread, their staffs raised.
Start the engine and prepare to lift off
, a new voice spoke into her mind. Stanislav.
We’ll keep distracting them until the last moment. Be careful. There are more enemies inside the ship. Stay near the cyborg.
Leonidas had already charged up to the top of the ramp and stopped, a limp Suyin over one shoulder and his free hand aiming his rifle ahead of him. Alisa ran up after him, but halted a step inside the hold, spotting the enemies that Stanislav had mentioned.
Aware of the rest of her people joining her in the hatchway, Alisa stared up at a row of armored soldiers standing along the walkway and pointing their rifles at Leonidas. Some of those rifles shifted to cover Alisa, Beck, and the others.
Leonidas growled deep in his throat, and looked like he might drop Suyin and spring for the walkway. Standing next to Alisa, Beck also crouched, as if awaiting the order to attack.
“Hold on,” Alisa said, and lifted her hands, afraid that her non-armored people, the Tiangs included, would be caught in the cross fire. Unless they raced back outside, a possibility she was considering, there was nowhere to dive for cover. “Let’s talk.”
Outside, the sounds of battle continued, both in the canyon and in the sky overhead.
Inside, the soldiers hadn’t fired yet. With Suyin and Admiral Tiang in the group, they probably wouldn’t. And if Alisa was able to stall them, Stanislav and Abelardus should realize that they were in trouble. Maybe Abelardus would run in to help. If he could shield her team, Leonidas could start a battle with those on the walkway.
A
hiss-clank
came from behind her, and she jumped. The ramp retracted, and the hatch clanged shut.
“The time for talk is long past,” a cool male voice said from the walkway.
Chapter 14
“Actually,” Alisa told the armored soldier who had spoken, “this looks like an
excellent
time for talk. To keep people from doing something they’ll regret.”
“Do you regret kidnapping my fiancée, Captain Marchenko?” the soldier asked.
“Yes,” she said promptly. “Though it technically started out as a rescue mission.”
Alisa squinted, trying to see through the man’s faceplate. It sounded like he knew her, but she did not recognize the voice. The man looked at Leonidas, sniffed in disdain, and let go of his rifle, a harness keeping it from falling. The seven soldiers lined up behind him did not lower their own weapons as he unfastened his helmet and removed it.
“Hawk,” Admiral Tiang blurted. He stood in front of Yumi and Mica—or maybe it was more correct to say that they had shifted to stand behind him. “You came,” he added, pleasure in his voice.
Alisa recognized the officer’s face, even though she had never interacted with him personally. Her suspicions were correct. It was the legendary pilot, a man in his forties with dark skin and black wiry hair shorn close. He ought to be walking with a limp, at least according to the old news feeds that had covered his last battle and subsequent discharge, but the combat armor might correct for that.
“Of
course
I came, sir.” Hawk sent an aggrieved look toward Suyin, who still hung limply over Leonidas’s shoulder, as he dropped his hand to his rifle again. “We have your ship secured, Marchenko,” he said, his voice growing hard again as he met her eyes. “Have your people drop your weapons and let your prisoners go.”
“I haven’t used my explosives yet,” Mica whispered. “I’ve got a couple of rust bangs.”
With Hawk staring at Alisa, she did not whisper back. She met his eyes and said, “We don’t have any prisoners here. Just some people we rescued from the attack on Laikagrad.”
“Oh, I’m sure,” Hawk said.
Admiral Tiang looked over at Leonidas but didn’t say anything that might have supported Alisa’s claim. After being drugged and dragged through the jungle, he might not feel very rescued.
“We’ll gladly give them to you, but we would like to then fly away without being fired upon.”
“What you would like and what’s going to happen aren’t the same.” Hawk curled a lip. “Traitor.”
Alisa stifled a wince, though the words stung. “Contrary to Alliance belief, I haven’t betrayed anyone.”
“Your crew complement suggests otherwise.” Hawk’s sneer took in Leonidas and perhaps the Starseers outside, as well.
“What can I say? I hire the best people without prejudice.”
Mica snorted.
“If you’re retired and looking for a job, come see me,” Alisa offered grandly.
“He’s busy running for office,” Admiral Tiang said.
“Running freight sounds more honorable.”
Hawk’s nostrils flared. Apparently, he wasn’t one of those officers with a sense of humor. Alisa missed Tomich.
An explosion went off close enough to rock the deck of the
Nomad
. Leonidas glanced at Alisa, as if he were asking permission to take action. Alisa could lunge for the controls to try and override the cargo hatch, so the unarmored people could slip out that way, but if they were locked down from NavCom, it wouldn’t do anything.
While she was debating, the hatch flew open behind her.
“Yes,” Ostberg whispered triumphantly.
Alisa didn’t know if he had done that or if the other Starseers were coming, but Leonidas took it as a sign to burst into action. He lowered Suyin to the deck and sprang for the walkway. Alisa barely had time to react before blazer bolts streaked through the cargo hold. Beck raced after Leonidas, yelling and firing.
“Out, out,” she barked, grabbing Suyin and pulling her through the hatch. The ramp hadn’t extended, so she had to jump down while trying not to drop the unconscious woman on her head.
Mica and Yumi leaped out as Abelardus sprang over her head and into the hold. Stanislav followed him with less alacrity, climbing instead of jumping, his face twisted with pain.
Admiral Tiang landed next to Alisa, looking like he had been pushed rather than leaping out voluntarily. Ostberg and Alejandro also dropped down beside Alisa, the latter grunting and glaring at her as they tugged Durant back outside.
“This is
not
an appropriate way to handle a patient,” Alejandro growled at her.
“We’ll have to get a foldable hover gurney for the ship.”
Orange and red blazer bolts glanced off the hatch jamb and zipped out over their heads. Alisa ducked, pressing herself against the hull of the
Nomad
for cover, and ignored further complaints from Alejandro.
Clangs and thumps mingled with the weapons fire inside. The chaos outside was calming down, but the carnage left in its wake did not reassure Alisa that they were safe. Wrecked shuttles and craters littered the canyon floor, with a piece of a hull lying on a ledge halfway up the canyon wall. Other warped parts had flown a hundred meters or more.
An engine roared overhead. With Stanislav in the ship now, Alisa worried the soldiers out here would be able to regroup and cause trouble again.
Inside, the sounds of fighting lessened, so she risked rising on tiptoes to peer into the cargo hold. She found herself looking at the toes of a pair of red boots.
“Hand me the prisoners,” Leonidas said, lowering his hands.
“You mean the people we rescued?” Alisa waved for Mica to help her lift Suyin up to him.
“Give it up, Captain,” Mica said. “Even you can’t believe that. Or are you practicing for your appearance in front of a jury?”
Leonidas took Suyin from them and propped her against the bulkhead inside.
“Don’t be silly,” Alisa said. “We’re not going to be tried.”
“Straight to the firing squad, eh?” Mica asked.
Admiral Tiang came over of his own accord and lifted a hand toward Leonidas. Maybe he agreed with Alisa and thought being left behind would be a worse position to be in than imprisoned on a freighter. Or maybe he simply wanted to be with his daughter.
“They won’t be out for long,” Stanislav said from the cargo hold. “We should remove their armor and put them in the brig.”
He sat in the center of the hold, as if his legs had crumpled beneath him, his staff now in his lap instead of pointed at anyone. His face was much more haggard than it had been earlier, with bags under his eyes and an exhausted slump to his shoulders, as if he had been up for three days straight.
The soldiers on the walkway had fallen, two of them tumbling all the way to the deck. Beck stood near Stanislav, covering the armored men with his rifle, but he looked at Alisa in bewilderment.
“Who
is
this?” he mouthed.
Alisa shrugged, not sure where to begin. This wasn’t the time for explanations anyway. The Alliance ships and men outside would be getting their acts together soon.