True to McKee’s prediction, the company arrived at its destination one hour later. The sprawling encampment was extremely large, and as the off-worlders arrived, hundreds of Droi came out to gape at the T-1s. The village was located in a canyon that, judging from the marks on the rock walls, had been home to a mighty river thousands of years before.
During that time, the force of the water had removed most of the softer material, leaving mushroom-shaped pillars that stood at least a hundred feet high and were festooned with greenery. There was a commotion as Avery told Insa what the unit needed, and the local issued a series of orders in his native tongue. A space was cleared under one of the umbrella-shaped towers, and as the company took up residence there, McKee was struck by the extent to which the formation would protect them from orbital surveillance. A good thing given that the Hudathans owned the sky.
The next couple of hours were spent getting settled. McKee made use of the time to run routine maintenance checks on all of her T-1s. She had just completed the last one when Private Caskin appeared. There was a white bandage wrapped around his head, and it made his hair stand up. Like so many legionnaires, his face was young and old at the same time. He nodded. “Hey, McKee, the old man wants to see you.”
McKee wiped some grease off her hands with a rag. “Okay, where is he?”
“The Droi forgot to put up street signs,” Caskin said. “I’ll take you there.”
McKee told Larkin and the rest of the squad to take a break and followed Caskin through a maze of shelters, cooking fires, and animal pens to the foot of a rock tower. They had attracted a retinue of juveniles by then. They stared at the off-worlders and chattered among themselves. “They’re up top,” Caskin said, and pointed.
McKee looked, saw that a spiral pathway had been hacked out of solid rock, and realized that the locals had been using the canyon for a long time. She said, “Thanks,” and began to climb. The path was about two feet wide, and tool marks were still visible where material had been cut away. There was no handrail or rope. Just a sudden drop off to the right and tiny shelters below. She did her best to ignore that as she climbed steadily higher and emerged onto a flat area. It was covered with lush greenery, flowering plants, and a tangle of vines.
The garden was natural, or so it appeared, as McKee followed a footpath to a clearing where a thatched roof threw shade down onto Avery, Insa, and a pair of Droi she hadn’t met before. They were seated in a circle and rose when she appeared.
Insa nodded. “I see you, McKee.”
“And I you,” she replied.
“We meet,” the Droi explained. “This Ola and this Tran. They leaders.”
McKee greeted each Droi in turn, and once the introductions were complete, she was invited to sit down. Avery spoke first. “The council and I have been discussing what to do next. The Droi could attack the Hudathans on their own,” he said. “And that would be helpful. But all of us believe that a well-coordinated effort could inflict more damage. Unfortunately, the ridge heads are jamming the Legion’s communications, so we’ve been unable to reach Rylund by radio.”
There was nothing McKee could do but nod, and say, “Yes, sir.”
“So we’re going to send Rylund a message, letting him know about the alliance with the Droi,” Avery continued. “I would prefer to handle that myself—but I owe it to Echo Company and the Droi to remain here. Even though we don’t know what Rylund will ask us to do, this is the time to set up a chain of command and teach tactics.”
McKee knew all of those things were important and knew what was coming next. Avery saw her expression and nodded. “That’s right . . . I’m sending you, a bio bod from your squad, and three T-1s.”
McKee raised an eyebrow. “Three T-1s?”
“Me go, too,” Insa put in. “Tell Rylund. He believe.”
That made sense. A visit from a Droi leader would command attention that she couldn’t. And Insa’s knowledge of the terrain that lay between the encampment and Riversplit would be helpful as well. She nodded. “Copy that. When do we leave?”
“First thing in the morning,” Avery replied. “So get ready. Which bio bod will you take?”
McKee thought about it for a moment. “Larkin.”
Avery frowned. “Really? He’s got a bad rep. What’s to keep him from deserting once you arrive in Riversplit?”
“Me,” McKee said flatly. “Sir.”
Avery smiled. “Okay, Corporal . . . We’ll leave it at that. Now let’s go over the message.”
McKee left the meeting an hour later and made her way down to the ground. With no one to guide her, she got lost among the maze of Droi campsites but eventually found her way back to the area where the company was camped. Then it was time to notify the T-1s chosen to go north and hand off responsibility for the rest of the squad to Sergeant Boyce.
With that accomplished, she went looking for Larkin and found him teaching poker to half a dozen Droi. All sorts of items were piled up in front of the legionnaire, including what looked like a handful of uncut gemstones. Just part of the mineral wealth hidden in the Big Green.
Larkin complained loudly as McKee ordered him to leave the game, but stopped once the city of Riversplit was mentioned. He was busy stuffing loot into his pockets when she grabbed a wrist. “Give it back. Now.”
“Or what?” Larkin demanded hotly.
“Or I’ll take someone else,” McKee replied.
“Damn it, McKee . . . Why are you such a drag? First you go over the hill—then you get all uptight about a poker game. They’re sheep, and sheep are meant to be sheared.”
But he returned his winnings, promised the Droi that he would continue to mentor them once he returned, and followed McKee back to the company area, grumbling all the way. “Load up on food and ammo for your ’borg,” McKee said. “We’re still a hundred miles from Riversplit, and according to what I was told earlier this afternoon, there are at least ten thousand Hudathans on the ground.”
Larkin’s face lit up. “We get to grease some freaks?”
“It would be best if we could avoid them, but yes, odds are that we’ll have to grease some freaks.”
“I like it,” Larkin said enthusiastically. “I’ll get ready.”
It was dinnertime. So McKee took an MRE and went looking for a place to eat. And that, as it turned out, was a hundred yards away in a grove of trees. She saw signs that a shelter had been erected there in the recent past, but the spot was vacant at the moment and perfect for a peaceful dinner.
A few minutes later, McKee had settled in and was about to heat up her main course when she heard a rustling sound and drew her pistol. Avery saw the weapon and looked apologetic as he entered the tiny clearing. “Sorry about that . . . Can I join you? Boyce said you were headed in this direction.”
McKee wondered what Boyce would make of Avery’s looking for her with his MRE in hand and decided that she didn’t care. The chance to spend time with the one person who knew her better than all the rest was too good to pass up. “Of course . . . Make yourself to home. Sorry about the mess. The maid quit.”
Avery grinned and sat on the log next to her. “It’s so hard to find good help these days. Are you ready to go?”
McKee nodded. “Pretty much. I’ll run one last check on the ’borgs after dinner.”
“That’s good, real good,” Avery said awkwardly. “I wish I could go with you.”
“I know,” McKee said sympathetically. “But you’re right. Getting the Droi ready to fight is very important. And you’re the only person qualified to do it.”
“There’s something else,” Avery said. “Something I wanted to talk to you about alone. There is the distinct possibility that Spurlock and Jivv are in Riversplit by now. If so, you could run into some serious trouble. That’s one of the reasons why I want Insa to go along. Your relationship with the Droi will make it more difficult for Rylund to throw you in jail.
“Plus there’s this,” Avery said as he gave her a memory mod. “I re
corded a full account of what took place—minus the Catherine Carletto stuff. So if you think my testimony might be helpful, please feel free to use it.”
“Thank you,” McKee said as she accepted the module. Jivv would shoot her on sight, but if the robot had been destroyed in the fighting, then Avery’s account could be useful. More important, however, was the fact that he was trying to take care of her. That meant a lot.
Avery looked into her eyes as if trying to see through them to whatever lay within. “Catherine . . .”
“Cat.”
“Cat . . . It isn’t right, I know that, but there’s something I want to say. A lot of things could happen over the next few weeks. Bad things. And well, if I don’t say something now, it might not get said. And that would be too bad because I . . .”
Avery’s words were cut off as she placed an index finger on his lips and used her other hand to pull him closer. As their lips met, something flowed between them. The giving and taking was both tender and exciting. And, had the circumstances been different, McKee knew that the kiss would have been little more than a beginning. But that couldn’t be. Not a hundred yards away from Echo Company and their responsibilities.
And it was as if Avery knew that, too, because he made no attempt to follow up as their lips parted. “Wow,” he said. “That was good.”
McKee smiled. “What? You weren’t sure?”
“No, I wasn’t,” Avery said lightly. “Just because you can lead, fight, and repair cyborgs doesn’t mean you’d be any good in bed.”
“And you think you could get me there?”
“I’d sure like to try,” Avery said. “But not here. Not now.”
“No,” McKee agreed. “Not now.”
Avery broke the ensuing silence. “Now I have even more riding on this mission. I want both of you back.”
“Both?”
“Cat Carletto and Andromeda McKee.”
“I’m hard to kill.”
Avery nodded soberly. “But you aren’t bulletproof. Watch your six, Corporal. I’ll be waiting.”
* * *
The legionnaires and the Droi emissary departed the canyon without fanfare at exactly 0600 the following morning. The sun sent shafts of light down through holes in the canopy to form pools of gold on the forest floor. Birds chittered, insects buzzed, and the T-1s generated a steady whir-thump-whir sound as they followed the track back toward the main road.
With no infantry or heavy vehicles to slow her down, McKee hoped to travel fifty miles on the first day. Then, depending on conditions, they would either push on during the hours of darkness or hole up while she went forward to scout the way. That was the worst part. Not knowing how the enemy was deployed. It seemed safe to assume that the Hudathans were primarily focused on Riversplit and keeping the Legion penned in.
Would that focus make it easier to sneak in? Maybe . . . Although once inside the fortified city, she and her party might have trouble getting out again. There were lots of questions and very few answers as Eason began to pick up speed.
Conscious of the fact that riding a T-1 took some getting used to, McKee looked back over her shoulder. The Droi was riding a ’borg named Noll. The only part of Insa that McKee could see was the Legion-issue helmet, which was bouncing up and down. She spoke to the native over the squad freq. “Hey, Insa . . . Are you okay?”
“Me fine,” came the reply. “Bumpy but learn soon.”
“Roger that. Let me know if you need a break.”
Thankfully, Insa was a quick study, and it wasn’t long before his helmet steadied, and McKee could focus on other things. Primary among them was the need to prevent the group from being spotted from the air. Contrails could be seen through gaps in the trees, and unless the strategic situation had changed a great deal overnight, they belonged to Hudathan aircraft.
Fortunately, the enemy weren’t looking for her group, not specifically anyway although that could change later on. But the Hudathans would certainly take action if they spotted the T-1s. So her responsibility was to make sure that they didn’t. And with Insa to guide them, there was a very real chance that they could escape notice during the initial part of the journey.
So when the group came to the main road, she led them across it instead of taking a right. They continued west for a good two miles before veering north on what Insa said was an ancient trade route. Though not an actual road, it was wider than a trail. With the jungle canopy to protect them, the T-1s could stay under cover and make good progress.
Strange though it seemed given all that could go wrong, McKee took pleasure in the warm air, the dappled sunshine all around her, and the rhythm of Eason’s movements. And while she told herself to stay sharp and keep her head on a swivel, there were times when her thoughts turned to Avery.
She knew he was very different from the man-boys that Cat Carletto had loved to toy with. Not as pretty for one thing, relatively poor, and not very hip. All of which meant that the previous her wouldn’t have given him the time of day.
But the party girl had been transformed into a battle-scarred warrior and a person with very different values. Now the very things that would have struck her as boring in the past meant everything. Avery had a good mind, moral clarity, and ten times the courage of the sports-boys she had dallied with on Earth. Enough to stand by her even if it meant a court-martial and the possibility of imprisonment. How many men would do that?
And then there was the kiss. Cat Carletto had never been one to sleep around casually, but there had been lovers, some of whom wanted to marry her. Or said they did, although there was always the possibility that what they really hoped to marry was her family’s money. In any case, some of them were very good in bed. And she’d enjoyed that.
But not once had there been a connection like the one she’d felt with Avery as they kissed. There was a physical attraction, a strong one, but something more, too. She didn’t have the right word for it, although “completion” came close. And he wanted her in spite of the scars on her face and back. Proof that the attraction wasn’t based solely on her appearance. All of which was very interesting.
Of course, there was danger, too . . . Because ever since she’d been forced to part company with Cat Carletto, she’d been very lonely. Maybe that was it. Perhaps she was so desperate for love and attention that she was willing to grab onto the first man who took an interest in her.
Her thoughts were interrupted as Eason spoke over the squad push. “I have a target. It’s at twelve o’clock and coming . . .”
McKee saw the drone. The machine was so low that it had been hidden behind a rise, where Eason’s sensors couldn’t “see” it. Now it was flying straight at them, and there wasn’t enough time to hide. So she said, “Kill it!” and Eason opened fire. There was a bright flash followed by a loud bang as the cylindrical robot exploded. Pieces of shrapnel flew in every direction—but Eason and McKee were unscathed.
“Nice shot,” McKee said, her mind racing. She had never seen that type of drone before, which meant it was probably Hudathan. Why send it into the Big Green? Intelligence gathering probably. One of many such machines dispatched to spy on the Droi. That was her theory anyway.
But what to do? Odds were that the images captured by the drone had been streaming to some sort of ship. So the Hudathans had seen Eason and possibly the others as well. How would they react? McKee thought she knew. “Insa! The Hudathans know we’re here—and can home in on our heat signatures. We could use a river to conceal them.”
“No river,” came the reply. “Small streams only. But lake nearby.”
“Noll,” McKee said, “take the point. Insa, guide him to the lake. And hurry! The Hudathans will be here soon.”
Noll passed Eason, ran for a short distance, and took a hard left. The jungle was ripped asunder as the T-1 plunged into it, closely followed by the other ’borgs and their bio bods. “I’ve got an incoming aircraft,” Eason warned. “It’s two miles out and closing fast.”
McKee want
ed to say, “Damn, damn, damn,” but knew leaders were supposed to be imperturbable. So she kept her mouth shut as limbs threatened to decapitate her and passing branches tried to rip her off Eason’s back.
Then she heard Insa say something in its own language, and the trees parted to reveal a small lake. Noll plunged in, and Eason followed. Once in the water, the cyborg began to wade out to where it was deeper.
McKee felt the cold liquid invade her clothing and knew that while the T-1 could survive when completely submerged, she couldn’t. So it was time to release the harness and hang on to the grab bar for as long as she could. The trick would be to keep everything but her head beneath the surface.
A quick look around revealed that the others were pursuing the same strategy, for which she was grateful. Then the Hudathan ship was upon them. The disk-shaped vessel was bigger than she had expected. So much so that the hull blocked out most of the sky. A loud, thrumming noise could be heard as the ship’s repellers cut momentary grooves into the surface of the lake and steam rose all around. Then the Hudathans opened fire with large-caliber projectile weapons. Was it aimed? She didn’t think so. It appeared as if the Hudathans were hoping for some lucky hits. And she figured they might get some as bullets churned the surface of the lake—sending thousands of miniature geysers shooting up into the air.
At that point, McKee did the only thing she could. Having let go of Eason, she forced her head down and dived for the bottom. It was a mistake. The combined weight of the helmet, body armor, and weapon pulled her down. Then she was at the bottom of the lake, struggling to release the helmet’s chin strap as projectiles plunged around her. Her gear was like an anchor, her lungs were on fire, and she was going to drown. The last thing she saw before darkness closed in was a bed of flowering animals that lived on the bottom of the lake. The “blossoms” were red—and they were pretty.
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