Collision Course (Class 5, #6)

Chapter 45

CHAPTER 45

Rose sat down on the bench inside the runner, and closed her eyes as hot tears stung her cold cheeks.

She sensed someone crouch down beside her, and opened her eyes a little.

“You doing okay?” Vanuti asked.

“Very happy to be inside a Grih runner, that’s all.” She closed her eyes again. She was a little afraid to assume this was the end of things. Every time she’d thought they were free and clear, something had interfered. Mostly that something had been Pyre.

She heard the sounds of the Hasmarga coming through the tube, and forced her eyes open. Two warriors were carrying Gerna, and they laid her at the far end of the runner.

The babies were carried in next, and finally the tiny corpses.

Rul and Dav came through last, and she closed her eyes again in relief as the tube was drawn in, and the doors closed.

“What’s wrong?” Dav asked, and his fingertip traced the path of her tears. “I can see the tear tracks.”

“Happy tears,” she said. “Relieved tears.”

“I can handle happy tears,” he murmured, and she laid her head on his shoulder.

The runner pulled away, reversing and then swinging around, leaving the Havelan in the rear view mirror.

“We might have a problem.” Nortega turned to look at them from the pilot’s chair.

Rose gritted her teeth.

“What?” Dav asked, getting to his feet.

“The Kimol have just arrived, and so have the Bandri, each in separate battleships.”

“What do they want?” Rose asked, amazed at how calm she sounded.

“The Kimol want us to go back and free Captain Priyan and the remainder of her crew.” Nortega made a face. “The Bandri want us to offer some recompense for the damage we did on the moon.”

“Don’t respond.” Dav sat down again. “We’ll talk once we’re back on the Barrist , and the Hasmarga are back onboard their own ship.”

“Someone called Sartie wants to talk to Rose.” Nortega looked back again.

“You know her?” Dav asked.

Rose nodded. “She’s Kimol. She and I have had a few conversations.” She drew in a deep breath. “Let’s see what she wants.”

“Rose?” Sartie’s voice came through the comms unit in Dav’s helmet.

“How are things going, Sartie?” Rose bet not very well.

“What is wrong with the Havelan ?” Sartie asked.

So, no chit chat or pleasantries. That was fine with her. “I told you, the babies chewed the cables and circuits.”

“More than that. What do you know about the intelligence that is in control of it?” Sartie’s voice held a hint of suspicion. “We’ve received more demands.”

“I told you, that would be Pyre. The thinking system your people developed and placed in a small mine runner. The Havelan brought her into their launch bay, and my guess is she’s been working on making it her new home ever since.”

The silence stretched out so long, Rose thought they’d lost the connection.

“You’ve damaged the Havelan ,” Sartie eventually said. “You blew off the launch bay doors. Both the Hasmarga and the Grih. You owe us a favor.”

Well, that was some bare-faced cheek. “When people hold me against my will, I reserve the right to free myself any way I can. I’m guessing the Hasmarga have a similar philosophy.”

She put her head back on Dav’s shoulder.

“Will you go back and rescue Captain Priyan?” Sartie asked.

“Do you want her to die?” Rose countered.

“What do you mean? She and her crew are in danger of death if they stay.”

“They may be in danger of it if they stay, but Captain Priyan shot Gerna twice, and she’s still unconscious as a result. And there are six dead babies because people under her command shot them, too. A seventh is dead from the actions of your thinking system.” Rose lifted her head a little to look over at Rul. He was making that low vibration. “So there will be no rescue. If the Hasmarga could have laid hands on Priyan, she’d be dead. She can be lucky Pyre locked her in the comms station.”

Dav lifted a hand, and the comms cut off.

They were close to the Barrist , Rose guessed, because the engine sound changed, and then she felt the gentle bump of a landing.

“We’re finally home,” Dav said.

The doors opened, and Rose used the hand Dav extended to get to her feet.

“A few times, I wondered if I’d make it,” she said. Her voice wobbled a little. She took a step toward the door, and that was the moment her waters broke.

“The Fisone keep hailing us.” Jia Appal walked into the waiting area outside the med bay just as Dav stepped through the med bay doors.

He glanced at the time, gave a nod. “Rose is in the shower now. She’s fine, and Hri still wants to do some tests, so let’s go.”

“She’s not about to give birth?” Jia asked, gaze darting to the closed med bay doors.

“No. Her contractions haven’t started yet. And I can be back here in less than five minutes if anything starts.” Rose had told him the birth was probably hours away. Her and Hri Revil’s calm had helped him settle down from the utter terror he’d felt when her waters broke.

They started walking to the bridge. “The Hasmarga got off the Barrist okay?” he asked.

He had left the logistics to Nortega and Jia, rushing Rose off the runner and to the med bay on a hover stretcher.

“They did. Their ships are very interesting. Kila introduced herself to Rul, and I can see she hopes we offer them some kind of cooperation agreement.”

Dav nodded. “I think we will. Rose helped them, and we’ve worked as allies. Cooperation agreements have been built on less.”

“The United Council will be surprised. We came here to make contact with one group of people, and ended up making contact with two.” Jia stepped through onto the bridge and Dav followed her.

The crew turned and stood in respect as he stepped in, a few ululating in welcome. He acknowledged their greeting with a smile and waved them back to their places. It felt really good to be back.

“Jia says they keep hailing?” he asked Borji.

“They want to speak to Rose,” Borji said, spinning to face him.

“Who’s they?” The Kimol had already tried, and Rose had smacked them down.

“The Bandri. They say they helped her, and you.” Borji waved a hand at the screen. “Should I accept the hail?”

“Yes.” This should be interesting. Dav stood, legs braced, facing the screen.

A Fisone in uniform stood in front of the lens, a man surrounded by another two men and two women. All of them looked like they were in military uniform.

“I am Commander Utwick. I’m the leader of the military arm of the Fisone planet. The group that the Kimol call the Bandri. We make up the majority of the Fisone, and we do not condone anything the Kimol have done.” The commander’s eyes narrowed. “We had no idea what was happening until the person called Rose McKenzie told our soldiers about the Kimol capturing her. And she will confirm that.”

Rose had told him a little about what had happened when the Bandri had grabbed her from the Kimol, but the details were vague. He had shot the Bandri guard who’d hurt her—Caudra—but the others in Caudra’s group had helped him and Nortega, and their skimmers had definitely been useful.

They had also attacked the Kimol base at a time when things were looking bad for him and the rest of the team. So they had earned a few credits, he realized.

“Your people, Rosco, Vichea and Pinli, were helpful to us. But I agree we need to speak to Rose about her experience with the Bandri before coming to a conclusion.”

“You destroyed our infrastructure on Dimal, killed some of our people. An unprovoked attack.” Utwick managed to work up some fiery outrage.

“We will wait until Rose is well enough to join us, and I’ll hail you then,” Dav told him. He would not be drawn into an argument.

“Can we at least get your assurance that you will not be attacking Fisone until we settle this?” Utwick asked. “We have been tracking Kimol communications and we heard a threat from you at one point to do just that.”

“That was when the Kimol were holding Rose for ransom,” Dav said. “And we decided against it, even then.”

“What about the Hasmarga?” Utwick asked. “They have returned to Dimal, and are sending down small ships to the surface.”

“The thinking system the Kimol developed injured or killed a number of the Hasmargan warriors who were being used as slave labor at the Kimol’s mine. My guess is they are going down to find them, dead or alive.” Dav leaned forward slightly. “My suggestion is that you extend them every assistance possible.”

Utwick blinked in surprise. “We will wait for your hail,” he said, and cut the feed.

Off to scramble some soldiers down to Dimal to help the Hasmarga find Ecdre and the others, Dav guessed. Hopefully they would be found alive. “Sazo, let the Hasmarga know the Bandri are going to offer their assistance.”

“I have,” Sazo said. “They still haven’t found their people, so they will probably accept the help.”

That might save the Fisone from an attack on their planet. Although given the fury at how badly their people were treated, Dav wouldn’t bet on it.

“Captain Jallan.” Nivan Cossi stepped onto the bridge and put her hands together in greeting. “It is good to see you safe.”

Dav put his hands together in return. “Thank you.” He gestured to the screen. “We have some decisions to make.”

“About our future relations with both the Fisone and the Hasmarga,” she agreed. “Protocol states we need to send for a negotiation team with representatives of all members of the UC. And I’ll need a report from everyone who’s had personal contact with both groups so we can decide our initial way forward.”

“I think battleships will probably arrive before any negotiation team,” Dav said. “Sazo called for help when Rose was taken.”

Nivan nodded. “Most likely. And I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.”

Dav was glad they held the same view. He wanted the Fisone scared. He wanted them to feel intimidated.

They had behaved as if they were immune from consequences.

He wanted them to face the fact that they were not.