“How can you get me and the other executives past that to the shuttles?” he asked.
“I can’t protect you all.” Satuur’s tone was flat, pragmatic. “The rest will have to stay here and take their chances. I can only keep you safe, and it’s going to be very difficult. You must do exactly what I say, when I say. Do you understand?”
Trusting his bodyguard’s expertise implicitly, his response was simple. “Of course, Satuur. Get me out of here.”
Gunfire erupted outside, a mix of ISMC laser rifles and incoming slug-throwers.
Satuur nodded once and slipped off his suit coat, exposing a double shoulder harness with his needler on one side and a slim Jivool-made pistol on the other. He lifted the vest of his suit, exposing a combat vest beneath as well as a thick belt. Turning the belt around his mid-section, he revealed a needler magazine, two power cells for the pistol, and a heavy combat knife. There were also four oblong devices about eight centimeters long clipped in place just past the blade.
The gunfire increased outside, followed by the horrendous crash of metal on metal as bulldozers tore through the security fencing. The lights within the facility flickered as the electric current going through the fence grounded out and spiked the power systems. The power inside the facility went out and then emergency lighting came on. An explosion erupted outside, followed by what sounded like a GenSha screaming, and then one of the dozer engines sputtered and failed.
Satuur moved away from the monitors and headed straight for the stairwell entrance.
“Follow me, sir,” he said, drawing the pistol.
Dolamiir rose, took off his suit jacket, and removed his vest. He, too, had a slim combat vest beneath his shirt, and it was the best credits could buy.
Satuur opened the door, exposing a dim stairwell, with stairs going up and down. He stepped out silently, peered down the stairwell, and listened for several seconds as another explosion rocked the courtyard.
“That sounded different,” Dolamiir whispered.
“ISMC rocket launcher,” Satuur replied. “I would guess our troops knocked out the other dozer on the east side, but the compound is breached—probably on both sides.” The sound of gunfire increased to a steady exchange, inbound and outbound. “Let’s move.” He shifted over and started up the stairs.
“We’re going up?” Dolamiir asked, confused.
“No choice,” Satuur replied, pausing. “Our only hope is to make our way down the north side of the building, where there isn’t an exit, and flank them through the trees. Their attention will be focused on the entrances and whoever is defending them.”
“What if they have spotters along the ridge line?”
“I scouted an escape route last year that should provide enough cover for us to get to the ground,” Satuur said confidently. “I even had your people place several arrays of food stuffs and empty crates along the way to ensure we won’t be seen.”
Dolamiir nodded. His success over the years had relied heavily on being able to pick the right people, and he was now certain Satuur had been the perfect choice. He followed his bodyguard up the flight of stairs, doing his best to stay calm. Panicking would do him no good, and while he felt uncomfortable putting his trust in anyone, Satuur became his anchor in a very turbulent sea.
Satuur opened the door at the top of the stairs and took a moment to scan the stairwell as the steady sound of gunfire filtered up. He looked back and motioned for Dolamiir to follow.
“Stay low,” he said, and then stepped out into the dim light of a cloudy day. Dolamiir followed.
Dolamiir moved up the stairs, crouching, and out into the weak daylight. He blinked his eyes a few times so they could adjust to the brightness, and then he found himself in an alley of sorts. Blue tarps covered stacks of crates just outside the door, with just enough room between them and the stairwell enclosure for him to navigate. He saw Satuur disappear around the far corner on the north side of the stairwell. Thick plumes of black smoke rose to the east and the west, with a fair amount of it drifting over the building and burning Dolamiir’s eyes.
Staying in a crouch and moving easily using his long, clawed arms, he found Satuur crouched below the edge of the building, scanning the tree line. Another explosion on the east side, coupled with Jivool screams, made the roof shudder beneath their feet. Several seconds later, yet another thick plume of black smoke rose on the east side of the building and enshrouded them.
“Perfect,” Satuur said. “They’ve breached the east entrance and provided us some cover.” He glanced at Dolamiir. “They should get the west entrance shortly. When they do, we move.”
Several more bursts of gunfire, followed by a heavy volley from ISMC rifles, floated up from the ground floor on the east and then the west side of the compound. There were several exchanges, broken up by the screams of wounded GenSha and Jivool. An explosion shook the building. More black smoke rose and curled over the west edge of the roof.
“Follow me.” Satuur quickly holstered his weapon, slipped over the edge of the roof, dangled by his claws for a moment, and then dropped to the second level.
Dolamiir followed quickly. He scrambled over the edge of the building, felt Satuur’s claws at the back of his legs, and let go. With a grunt, he landed and immediately went down into a crouch. When he looked around, he found himself surrounded once again by blue crates which formed a passage all the way to the northern side of the building where he spotted the top of an attached utility ladder. Beyond that was a tall stack of blue crates arranged in a roughly 10-by-30 rectangle that he could have jumped onto if he wanted.
Satuur crept across the roof, his weapon once again in his hand, and crouched at the edge. He motioned for Dolamiir to join him and then peeked over the edge, quickly scanning to the left and right. Faint gunfire could be heard inside the building, but there was little remaining outside.
Dolamiir had to hand it to the GenSha. The attack had been decisive. He had no doubt that they would take prisoners once the bulk of the troopers was eliminated. A pang of regret floated through his thoughts. Korvan was inside, and he possessed many of Dolamiir’s secrets. The executive had to hope that, somehow, Bith shot Korvan as well as Suulamiir, or that his assistant was killed during the assault. If he was questioned, he would keep his mouth shut, but Dolamiir held little hope that Korvan would remain silent if the questions turned into a torturous interrogation.
He shook his head. There was nothing he could do. If he succeeded in making it back to the Rumiar, he would arrange for an orbital bombardment of Black Sector. He didn’t like the idea. It would be expensive and difficult to explain, but he was certain he could sell the notion to the ISMC Board of Directors. It was the only way to keep a lid on the situation. It wouldn’t be the first time an ISMC Corporate ship leveled an entire sector—and it probably wouldn’t be the last.
“It’s clear,” Satuur said, breaking Dolamiir out of his thoughts. “When we hit the ground, follow me to the right and stay back five paces. When I pause, you pause. And if I say drop, you hit the ground as if your life depends on it, because it will.”
“Understood,” Dolamiir said.
Satuur slipped over the edge and clambered down the ladder, disappearing from view between the building and the crates. Dolamiir didn’t hesitate. He followed quickly and reached the ground to find his bodyguard standing with his back against the blue crates, his needler pointed at the west corner of the building and his pistol pointed to the east in the direction they were headed. Satuur was scanning left and right, keeping an eye on each corner, and when he faced one way, his ears swiveled back to face the other.
“Put your back against the wall and keep it that way,” Satuur said, and then he started moving toward the west corner of the building. Smoke was thick in the air, and as Dolamiir cleared the crates, he realized he couldn’t see the ridge line anymore. There was too much smoke. He smiled. It meant that none of the GenSha scouts could see him. They were only 10 meters from the east corner of the
building, when Satuur’s head snapped around toward the west corner.
“Halt!” a deep GenSha voice barked.
Dolamiir was already on his way to the ground when the needler whispered twice. He looked up and saw the GenSha’s arms going slack, his weapon only partially raised. Two bloody holes blossomed in his face, and his eyes showed the vacant stare of death.
Another GenSha rounded the corner, his slug-thrower leveled. He pulled the trigger without aiming, and the barrel erupted in flame as the auto-rifle spat out heavy slugs with the thunder of automatic weapon fire.
Satuur pulled the trigger of his needler four times, stitching a line from the center of the GenSha’s chest up to his head. The GenSha staggered backward, his arm swinging up and out with the trigger still depressed. A line of bullets hammered into the wall of the building, gouging the concrete and peppering Dolamiir with pebbles and dust.
“Get up!” Satuur shouted and then leapt toward the east corner of the building.
Dolamiir jumped to his feet.
Satuur peeked around the corner just as a GenSha miner appeared with an ISMC rifle in his paws, weapon held high. Satuur shoved the rifle sideways, stepped in, and hammered his elbow into the side of the GenSha’s throat, staggering him in his tracks. Satuur’s right arm dropped, and he fired twice into the GenSha’s sternum with the needler. He stepped back, raised the pistol, and put a round through the GenSha’s face.
A burst of gunfire chewed into the side of the building not far from Satuur’s head. He ducked behind the GenSha’s body as it fell. Several rounds hammered into the miner’s back, and then Satuur leapt sideways behind cover, putting his back against the wall.
His eyes flickered to the forest 20 meters away and then to the compound, fixing on something. He turned to face Dolamiir. “When I say run, you run straight that way—” he pointed with his weapon at about a 45 degree angle away from the building, “—and get into the trees. About 10 meters in, cut right and head straight for the gap in the fence.” Slipping the needler into his waistband, he pulled two of the oblong devices from his belt. “Stay low, keep to the trees, and head for your shuttle. Don’t stop for anything.”
Dolamiir swallowed once and then nodded.
Satuur pressed something on the back side of one of the devices and then threw it around the corner.
“Grenade!” a GenSha shouted.
There was a dulled BANG! and then the hiss of gas.
Smoke poured out in all directions, quickly slipping around the corner of the building.
“It’s a smoker!” another GenSha shouted.
Palming the second device, Satuur pressed the back of it, glanced around the corner and pulled back just as a burst of gunfire tore up the side of the building, spraying stone everywhere. He tossed the second device, putting some muscle into it, and then turned to Dolamiir.
“Run!”
An explosion shook the compound, and there was the sound of screaming GenSha.
Dolamiir took off at a dead run, running on all fours, as Satuur moved to the corner, peaked around the edge, and opened fire. Dolamiir didn’t look, didn’t dare to, but he heard the bark of Satuur’s pistol, each shot followed by the grunt or scream of a GenSha. He raced into the forest as fast as his arms and legs could carry him, dodging left and right through the trees. He turned and spotted a three-meter gap where the fence had been pushed over and torn out by the bulldozers.
“They’re getting away!” a GenSha voice shouted from behind him.
Dolamiir didn’t pause. Keeping to the trees, he dashed from one thick trunk to the next, hoping Satuur was close behind. Without his bodyguard, there was no way they would get off the ground, for only Satuur was capable of piloting the shuttle.
He ran like a chased animal. Occasionally, he heard more laser fire from behind him, followed by GenSha slug-throwers, but none of it seemed to be aimed in his direction. He kept to the shadows, letting the black of his suit blend in with the relative darkness of the forest around him, and did his best to keep a steady pace.
By the time the shuttles came into view through the forest, Dolamiir’s heart was pounding in his chest, and he was barely able to lope along, but he pushed himself onward. Finally, he spotted the sleek nose of his personal shuttle protruding out past the standard shuttle the board had descended in.
He breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped up onto the landing pad.
Home free, he thought.
“Freeze!” a GenSha voice barked from his side. He turned and saw two miners with ISMC rifles leveled at him step out from behind the back of the shuttle.
Dolamiir froze in his tracks and raised his hands, still gasping for breath.
One of the miners raised a communicator to his ear.
“We’ve got one of them,” he said into the comm.
A faint voice came in from the unit.
“No, there’s no sign—”
A bloody hole appeared in the center of the GenSha’s forehead. When his partner turned to see what was wrong, a red blossom appeared in the side of his head, and they toppled together.
Dolamiir turned and saw Satuur step out from behind the thick bole of a tree, the needler still aimed at the dead GenSha. He scanned the entire area, his eyes flitting from one potential ambush site to the next. He jogged up to Dolamiir with a pistol in each paw and headed for the tail of the standard shuttle. He wasn’t even breathing hard.
“Hurry,” he said as he passed by. “They’ll be here quickly.” They rushed around the standard shuttle and made their way to the hatch of the executive shuttle, quickly moving up the short steps. “Close the hatch and buckle up,” he said as he dashed for the cockpit.
Dolamiir did as instructed, and as he was buckling into his seat, he heard the engines spin up. He glanced out the window and saw two ISMC cargo trucks coming around the bend in the road, 200 meters away. They were full of GenSha miners armed to the teeth.
“They’re coming!” Dolamiir shouted, panic filling his voice.
“I see them,” Satuur called back.
The engines surged, filling the air with the high-pitched scream of turbines and kicking dust and leaves up from the landing pad.
The shuttle leapt off the ground as if it had been kicked, jerking into the air in a barely controlled burst of thrust.
“Rumiar, this is E-Shuttle One,” Satuur said urgently from the cockpit. “We are outbound after a GenSha attack. I have the director, but the board is still on the ground.”
“Copy that, E-S-One,” an excited voice said through the comm.
Dolamiir looked out the window again and saw a big GenSha standing in the center of the lead flatbed. It was that mangy bastard, Gorn, the most volatile of the Union reps he’d met with, and he held an ISMC rocket launcher.
“Punch it!” Dolamiir screamed as Gorn raised the weapon to his shoulder.
The shuttle lurched again, this time rocketing forward, as the engines howled. Dolamiir felt his body press back into the acceleration couch, and his vision swam. He couldn’t breathe as the additional Gs tried to crush the life out of every cell in his body. His head was twisted to the side by the force, pinning his view out the window.
A ridge line passed beneath them a second later, and then another as the view of the Black Sector spread out to the east. The shuttle angled north, away from the city, its nose pointed at the sky. A third steep, jagged ridge line with a chasm on the far side cut by a deep river passed beneath them.
A feeling of relief washed over Dolamiir, and, although he could barely draw a breath, he heaved a sigh and hoped he didn’t pass out.
We made it—
A deafening explosion rocked the shuttle, throwing Dolamiir back and forth. The five-point seat restraint dug into his body as the world spun around him. A klaxon sounded inside the cabin, emergency lighting flared red, and an oxygen mask dropped from the ceiling. Part of the fuselage ripped away from the side of the shuttle, and a blast of frozen air ripped through the opening and whipped at
his body. He screamed as all acceleration ceased. The shuttle dropped and rotated, giving him a perfect view of the forest below as the shuttle made a barely controlled barrel roll. His body tried to lift away from the acceleration couch as the nose of the craft tilted downward, and the shuttle fell back toward the forest.
“We’re going down!” Satuur hollered as he heaved the controls.
The remaining engine sputtered and died, leaving only the sound of rushing wind tearing past the now open cabin. The shuttle leveled out and waggled back and forth as Satuur struggled to keep the belly of the craft aimed at the ground. Dolamiir didn’t know how long their descent lasted. His eyes were riveted to the window, and he watched in horror as the forest rose up to meet them in a deadly embrace. Seconds stretched by. He lost track of time, the entire scene drawing out into an eternally terrifying montage of endless moments. Another ridge rose up to meet them, and it looked as if they were going to crash into the side of a mountain.
“Brace yourself!” Satuur screamed.
The fuselage shuddered as trees raked across the bottom of the craft, and there was a titanic crash as the skin of the craft was torn apart by them. Thick trunks flashed by the massive hole in the fuselage, then the shuttle bounced off the stony ridge line with a lurch. An instant later, they were free of the ground and gliding again. The forest dropped away beneath them, and the nose dove again. He felt the shuttle accelerate. Seconds later, the hiss of trees scraping along the belly was followed by the thunder of breaking branches. They dropped into the forest, and all Dolamiir could see through the damaged fuselage was greenery slapping and tearing itself against the ravaged titanium. They dropped fully into the forest. Tree trunks slammed into the wings and fuselage like explosions, accentuated by the sound of tearing metal as first one wing and then the other was sheered off. The tail section ripped free, taking Dolamiir with it.
It rotated and tumbled.
He screamed again, and then there was another tremendous crash as the tail section spun, bounced upward, and tossed the hapless executive around like a rag doll. A thick branch sailed into the compartment, slamming into his legs, then the tail section crashed into the ground, knocking him, mercifully, unconscious.
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