He said Jolo loves me, she thought.
……
Jolo heard them before they made it around the corner. “That sounds like worms comin’.” Soon two giant Bakanhe Grana warriors stood motionless on the other side of the energy wall. Filcher, looking frail and helpless, stood right between them. Two Fed security detail grunts moved off to the left, behind the BG. The older marine with the scratched up armor trailed them a few meters back and stood behind everyone. The young marines’ rifles were hot. Jolo could see the thin blue line of plasma glowing on the top of the forestock. They were tense, unlike the older one who was standing at attention with a bored, sour look on his face. We can’t win this one, thought Jolo. He hoped Greeley wasn’t going to try anything. The odds were too high. Three Fed guns vs. Jolo and Greeley on the move, down the hallway, and there was some hope. But the two big mechs threw everything off. They could kill all of the humans in a second.
Filcher’s hair was messy like he’d just woken up, his eyes bloodshot, one button on his jacket undone. His breath came in ragged gasps like he’d run all the way there and he swayed just a little like there was some imaginary wind moving him. He went for the flask in his jacket pocket and took a pull. “You three will follow these, uh, these gentle-, uh, black mech bastards to their ship. They have graciously arranged passage back to Duval. I’m sure it will be a safe trip.” Filch started to fall in towards the energy wall and one of the mechs used his staff to pull him back.
The older marine spoke into his comm. “Cell block 472 section D, release door.” That’s the only one with his wits about him, thought Jolo.
Suddenly the lights on the side of the wall went green and Jolo could see Filcher and the BG clearly. Filch leaned in towards him and the young marines tensed but held their ground. “Stand down, you fools!” Filcher screamed at them and they shuffled back a step. Meanwhile the big black mechs stood motionless like giant metal pillars. The only thing moving were their red ocular receptors behind the slit on their round, black heads.
“I know these men and would like to say a formal goodbye, if you don’t mind,” Filch said to the warriors. He tried to push one of them back but he might as well have just tried to shove the side of a building. “Fine, I’ll just step inside.” And Filch stepped into the cell block and gave Jolo a sloppy, drunk, hug. “Here, take a drink,” and he handed Jolo the flask, but Jolo refused. So he gave it to Barth, who took a pull, and then Greeley. The big man paused and stared hard at Jolo. Then slowly the flask went back to Filch. “Come on, buddy. For old times’ sake.” And Filch put his back to the BG and he gave Jolo a look. His expression changed for a flash and he handed Jolo the small bottle and Jolo took it and had a swallow. The flask was metal, but Jolo’s thumb sunk into a soft section on the back.
Jolo knew immediately he was holding a small breach charge designed to put a hole in a door lock mechanism. They were Fed military issue and even though Jolo and Greeley would normally blow doors open with their guns, Jolo remembered them from long ago. Computer, he thought, how many seconds after contact with metal will a Federation breach charge explode?
0 to 34 seconds.
Well, let’s hope it ain’t 34 or we’re all dead, thought Jolo.
By then the BG warriors were gesturing for them to file out. Jolo needed a small diversion to get close enough and right on cue Filch fell into the black mech on his left, by then Greeley was half way out so Jolo slammed the small charge hidden by the flask on the chestplate of the mech on his right. He yelled and dove back, Greeley bowled into the Fed greenies and a split second later the charge went off and the big BG fell to the floor in a hunk of metal. The other one was tangled up in Filch, but deftly recovered, moving the Admiral out of the way without injuring him and then coming down with his fully lit staff in one smooth movement. He missed Jolo by a centimeter but cut one of the young marines. The energy blade tore through the man’s armor and nearly cut him in half. He landed in a pile next to the downed mech, his eyes open, mouth twitching but no words, a dark red spreading outwards in a circle around them on the white floor.
Greeley snatched the rifle from the other young marine and unloaded on the standing mech, who turned
