*
When they got to the laser cannon they found it destroyed. Kelper and Var’s bodies were hanging from the branch of a nearby tree.
Blake glanced up at the sky, but there was no sign of the Liberator. He just hoped that this meant it was now out of trouble. ‘We have to keep moving,’ He said. ‘They’ll keep coming until they’ve killed us all. That must be what they are programmed to do: stop this project dead.’
Vila winced. ‘I wish you hadn’t used that word.’
Servalan stepped forward, her hand outstretched to Blake. ‘No-one is going anywhere. Now give me the gun.’
The request took Blake completely by surprise. They weren’t out of danger and here she was trying to take them prisoner again? ‘You’ve got to be joking,’ he said.
But Servalan was far from joking. She glanced over her shoulder at the only Federation soldier left. ‘Hannes, take their weapons.’ Hannes didn’t move. ‘Do I have to remind you that you are a Federation officer and I am your Supreme Commander? To disobey a direct order is punishable by death. Now, take their weapons.’
Hannes began to move forward but the gunshot hit him just below the heart and stopped him dead in his tracks. The communications officer crumpled to the floor.
Vila bounded forward and clapped the new arrival warmly on the shoulder. ‘Avon! I never thought I’d say this but I’m actually pleased to see you.’
‘You must stop saying such nice things to me, Vila, you know how easily I cry,’ Avon told him, a look of complete disinterest on his face. The sight of Servalan soon changed that. He jerked his gun in her direction and smiled his most charming smile. ‘Servalan, I’d like to say how much of a pleasure it is to see you again, but we both know I’d be lying.’
In return the woman spread her hands and shrugged as if to say ‘what can we do about it?’
Avon walked across to Blake and offered him a new teleport bracelet. ‘You’ll be pleased to know that the Liberator is alive and well and back in orbit. Her drive systems will take a bit of time to fully repair themselves but if it wasn’t for me the ship could have been in a far worse state.’ He paused for a second. ‘I’m assuming that you did know the Liberator was about to crash, only I was expecting a bit more appreciation.’
The rebel leader looked down at the bracelet but did not take it. ‘You didn’t have to kill him.’ He said.
‘A simple “thank you for saving my life” would be nice,’ Avon said.
‘Thank you for saving my life,’ said Blake. ‘But you still shouldn’t have shot him. He’d just helped us escape from those creatures down there, he wasn’t going to harm us.’
Avon glanced down at the dead man lying at Servalan’s feet. ‘He’s a Federation officer, Blake. That’s one less problem for us. I’ll say sorry to him if that’ll make you happy.’
Blake took the offered bracelet and slipped it onto his wrist, while Avon handed one to Cally and Vila.
Servalan held a hand out towards Avon.
‘I’m sorry, I don’t think he brought one for you,’ Blake told her.
‘But you can’t leave me here with those creatures, they’ll tear me to pieces.’
Avon shrugged. ‘Your mess, Servalan. Your problem.’ And with that he thumbed the button on his bracelet. ‘Liberator, this is Avon. Bring us up.’
Then they were gone.
SALVATION
The stranger threw a few more sticks onto the fire but still the young girl shivered.
She was sitting on the opposite side of the campfire to him, her knees pulled up to her chest, watching him through the flames. He’d told her several times that he had no intention of harming her but she didn’t seem to believe him, even when he’d killed the man with the knife. He didn’t know what else to do.
Other men would have sat and watched her get dressed, but not him. He’d picked up the man’s body and carried it into the other room, shutting the door behind him.
He’d waited for her there a long time, so long in fact that at one point he thought she might have slipped out of the window and run off into the night. But she came to him eventually. He’d made her a hot meal from the things he’d found in the cupboard and they talked while she ate. Actually, he’d done all the talking, the girl just ate in silence, occasionally glancing up at him with wide, frightened eyes. She probably thought that he was lying to her, that he just wanted her for himself. It was understandable.
The girl was watching him again as he unclipped his gun belt and lay it on the ground beside his blanket.
‘I’m going to get some sleep now. I suggest you do too. Got a long day ahead of us.’
The girl said nothing, just watched him pull off his boots and stand them on the patch of bare, dried mud along with his water canister.
The man pointed at the fire. ‘You still hungry?’
She shook her head: no.
He picked up the water canister and shook it, water sloshed about inside. ‘You want a gulp before you settle down?’
It was another no, so the man decided to leave her be.
Somewhere in the dark of the woods an animal screeched as it swooped in for the kill.
*
The next morning the man woke early and checked on the girl. She was still sleeping, so he let her be for a little longer while he cooked breakfast.
They ate in silence then, after the plates had been cleaned and the camp packed away, the man poured some water over the remains of the fire. He saw that the young girl was watching him with a frown.
‘Stops trackers knowing my business,’ he told her. ‘If the fire’s cold, they don’t know how long ago we were here. Sounds silly but it could keep us alive.’
They followed a faded trail that wound through the woods and took them north towards the spaceport. The girl didn’t know where they were going but as long as it was in the opposite direction to Javida City she didn’t care.
They’d been walking for two hours when the man looked down at the girl suddenly and said, ‘I’ll take care of those bruises for you later if you like. I think I’ve got some neutralising pads in my pack. They must be hurting you.’
The girl did something then that took the man by surprise. She spoke to him. They were the first words that she had uttered since he had killed the man with the knife. ‘No, they’re OK.’
He decided not to push things and for the next few hours they walked together in silence.
*
It was during supper on the fourth day that she asked the man why he was doing this.
He didn’t answer straight away, but thought about his words carefully, although he pretended that he didn’t want to speak with his mouth full.
‘Sometimes it’s enough to do what’s right. Some people do things for gain or sheer greed, others because it’s all they know. But there are some who choose to do things because it is the right thing to do.’
The girl cocked her head to one side. ‘Which sort are you?’
This made the man laugh. He said, ‘Oh, I’m the sort who does things for gain. Others tell me what they need doing and when I’ve done it they pay me.’
‘Someone is paying you for me?’ The girl looked worried.
The man shook his head. ‘You’re different. I’m helping you because it is the right thing to do.’
After that, he refused to discuss the subject further and they settled down to sleep.
*
They reached the spaceport at the end of the third week. It was further on foot than the man had expected and he had already lost three weeks money. Deva would be furious with him.
The freighter was scheduled to leave from Landing Bay Four in an hour’s time. He would go with her as far as the departure gate, but refused to go any further. When the attendant had scanned the girl’s retina and confirmed that she was booked into cabin 970, she left them alone so that they could say goodbye.
The man removed the pack from his shoulder, opened it and reached inside. He pulled out a credit clip and
handed it to the young girl.
‘This should have enough credit on it to buy you meals for the whole four-month journey.’
The girl took the clip and slipped it into her pocket.
‘I never said thank you,’ the girl said. ‘For the man with the knife.’
The man shook his head. ‘No need.’
She pointed out of the viewscreen towards the waiting freighter. ‘Where is this taking me?’
‘To the outer colonies. Does it matter as long as it’s away from here?’
The girl nodded. ‘Anywhere is better than Gauda Prime, right?’
‘Right!’ said the man. No-one knew this better than him. ‘And you’ll be safe, it’s what your mother and father would have wanted for you.’
‘My mother and father are dead,’ the young girl told him. ‘They died when I was very small.’
The announcer called the flight and the man smiled. ‘You’d better be going. The sooner you’re away from here the better. I’ve arranged for someone to meet you when you reach the outer colonies. Her name is Beetha, she’s very nice, you’ll like her. She’ll help you get settled. Now go on, or you’ll miss your flight.’
The girl ran forward and hugged the man tightly, then she kissed him on the cheek, just below his scar.
He watched her turn and walk away. But after only a few steps she stopped and spun around.
‘I don’t know your name.’
‘The people that don’t like me call me Skogsra, that’s an evil wood spirit in an ancient Earth language.’
This made the girl laugh. ‘I like that, it sounds funny. What do the people who like you call you?’
The man smiled and said, ‘They call me Blake.’
The name seemed to please the young girl. ‘Then I shall call you Blake.’ She was just about to walk away again when she suddenly stopped, and spun back around to face him again with a delighted giggle.
‘I almost forgot, I’m Katri. Katri Tam.’ She waved to him and then she turned and walked towards the boarding ramp.
‘I know,’ he whispered.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks are in order to a string of very kind and talented people, without whom this book would almost certainly not be in your hands right now…
To the “Blake’s 7 Crew” at Big Finish—Xanna Eve Chown, David Richardson, Justin Richards, Cavan Scott and Mark Wright, and to all at B7 Media.
To the “Support Crew”—Roland Moore, Emma Barnes, Lee Harris, Bill and Janet Croke, and Margaret and Ken Harrison.
To the genius that is Terry Nation, for providing such wonderful toys for me to play with.
But most of all to Linzi—who became my wife in the handful of months between the completion of this book and its publication—for her endless patience, support and love. I couldn’t have done this without her.
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