Itwas playing havoc with her empty stomach but at least it meant shecould leave now. She waited for another roll to complete and thendarted her hand up. Andthe monkey hits the button,she thought, vaguely remembering the line from somewhere.
Vikramstepped out of the elevator, finding himself in a small air-carhangar. There were three vehicles hovering in their chargingstations.
Heclimbed into one and backed out of the shelter. He didn’t stop toquestion his actions. He simply knew he was doing the right thing…whatever the hell that was…
Hesteered for the family farmup in the highlands. He might not have put a lot of thought into hiscurrent objective but the huge chunk of spaceship falling to theground was worthy of a moment’s consideration.
Hekept flying but his mouth hung open in shock as the smoking mass fellwith an odd slowness toward his current destination. Does it stillhave some drives working?
Itrumbled out of sight behind the high hills. A sound like thunderechoed for a minute at least and then died out, leaving only a hazeof smoke from the trail of forest fires and burning wreckage.
Heflew on, bringing the car to a stop at the forest’s edge wherethey’d cleared a landing pad for their own runabout. He hopped outand started into the forest, knowing he was heading for the sameplace where he’d been found unconscious previously.
Hefrowned. Am I in control of myself this time or just a spectatorin my own body? He stopped walking, pleased to see that he hadsome measure of control.
Buthe was still oddly determined to find Kusha. He started moving again.
Anew noise brought him to another halt so he could hear it moreclearly. He stood there, head cocked to the side…
Itsounded like something big hammering the atmosphere aside because itwas in a hurry.
Vikramturned and his mouth fell open again. His suit, reading hisbiometrics, deployed his gauntlets and helmet.
Themonkey frowned. She’d hit the button. Nothing happened.
“Podunoccupied?” sheyelled at the interface. It was showing nobody on its manifest. NoQuailu, anyway.
“Youracist piece of shit!” she yelled, wanting to release herrestraints just so she could kick the control pad but a sudden rollreminded her why that was a bad notion. A loud rumbling made her lookforward.
Isthis the start of our crash?The ship was pretty damned big, after all. Itwould take a few seconds to…
Sheflinched as something started slapping at the outer window. It was ablur of green. “Holy shit!” she blurted. “Just my luck to be onthe bottom when we impacted!”
Thehull would have grown skids for the crash,her brain reminded her. There’sstill a chance.
Thenoise outside turned into a steady hiss of foliage as the shipsettled into the earth and began to slow. Loud cracks seemed toindicate the breaking of tree trunks but they could also have beenlarge chunks of hull being torn loose.
Gabriella’sown digestive system was feeling a little loose as well. There was alot going on, it all involved her and she had no idea how things wereabout to end up.
Therewas nothing she could do but hang on and hope she didn’t getscraped into a paste. When the ship stopped moving, she could decidewhat to do next.
IfI’m still alive.
Shesmiled grimly, slightly pleased with herself for being able to thinkwhile facing possible death. Her smile twisted itself into a frown.
Westopped moving? When did we stop moving?
Vikramwas breathing so hard his visor was fogging, something he’d neverseen happen before. Something else he’d never seen happen before,but had seen twice so far today, had this time happened close enoughto pelt him with debris.
Thecruiser, the biggest single thing he’d ever laid eyes on, hadbellied into the jungle to the west of his hill. It had looked to beunder partial control aside from the whole crashing thing.
Hugeskids had deployed on the underside just before impact and thegigantic monster had slid along at what had seemed a leisurely,tree-snapping pace up the valley between two other hills.
Ithad seemed to be aimed straight at him and that pace had startedseeming much less leisurely as the ship loomed larger and closer. Thecasual violence exhibited as it carved a path throughtwenty-meter-wide tree trunks was a thing of interest.
Thatinterest grew into mind-numbing terror as the ship slid inexorablytoward him. The bows were torn open, long tendrils of confusednanites flailing around like some monster squid of ancient Earthlegends.
Itlooked like it was coming straight for him. It was more than justlooks.
Run,Vikram! the voice in his mind urged.
Hewas already moving. Whendid I start running?He ran perpendicular to the ship’s approach vector. Theapproaching hulk’s apparent slownesswas deceptive.
Hehad the sense to realize a ship that size was probably moving muchfaster than it seemed. His only chance was to get out of its path,rather than to outrun it.
Thehailstorm of destruction grew closer as he raced as fast as hispower-assisted legs could carry him. He risked a look to his left andsaw he was out of time.
Hegathered all his strength for one final, desperate leap. He sprangforward, at least five meters off the ground, and was slammed forwardby a section of tree trunk thrown out by the ship.
Hisarmor saved him, absorbing almost all of the shock, but it didnothing for his stomach as he cartwheeled wildly into the scrub. Thelanding blew the air out of him as the suit flexed to soften theimpact.
Hisribs were bruised but not broken. He sat up in a daze. The suit…and that large chunk of tree trunk had saved him. There was no way hecould have run far enough in time.
Andthere was no way the suit could have saved him from the crushingweight of an entire cruiser.
Thehull loomed above him, crackling with the static discharge of itspassage through the atmosphere. A hangar bay was perhaps five metersabove where he sat.
ShouldI go in there to help? Heshook his head, realizing how stupid that question was.
Therewere no Human cruisers assigned to their protective fleet. Just theold Kuphar and two corvettes. These had to be bad guys.
Helooked down at the ground, seeing the toppled remains of that deadfeather tiger. There was no way
