We ported in as a pair, only to find ourselves suddenly surrounded by green-lit figures.
“Nice,” Tens murmured. “I wonder if they’ll share the secret.”
“Ask later,” Mack told him, “and make sure they know it’s us.”
That much was evident, when the half dozen soldiers nearest turned their weapons towards us, and then abruptly pointed them to the sky. We took the hint from the fact they were kneeling, and in firing positions, and dropped down. We hadn’t expected to be in the center of a double-layered protective circle, but we adapted.
We pointed our Blazer 54s skyward, as well, wondering what the soldiers knew that we didn’t. The outer ring had also landed in a crouch, but their weapons pointed outward. I guessed there to be about twenty-four in all. Not a bad number for a rescue mission, but wouldn’t more have been better?
“Master Manreiden will reassess troop requirements once contact is made,” said the soldier nearest, and I worried that the coding Tens had attached to our equipment might have provided our allies with more access than we’d wanted.
“Nope. I did that on purpose. You guys need to be in touch.”
Mack grunted something that suggested Tens might have warned us, but I couldn’t be sure. Weapons fire lit up our landing space, and the suits worn by the outer ring, flared as external shields activated.
“Ambush,” and the commander sounded unfazed, almost like he’d expected it.
“It is clan business,” he said, and then the Skymander troops leapt to their feet, and attacked the four sides of the space around them. If I hadn’t known any better, I’d have said they’d done this before.
“Many times,” was not an answer I wanted to hear, even as it was welcome.
I ran with Mack, and the troops parted to let us fit into their battle line. We hit the trees at the edge of the landing space, and I remembered to look up, was firing as the first arach dropped. There was no time to warn the others, but Tens had linked the implants, and soon the battle lines alternated between those firing upward to engage the arach dropping from the trees, and those firing forward to deal with the combat soldiers firing from cover in front of us.
The shooting match soon became a melee, and I found myself wielding the Glazer in one hand and the now-familiar machete in the other. I’d used the Blazer to deal with the first two arach dropping directly onto me, and then cleared the two attacking the troops on either side. They’d provided enough melee cover for me to fire further down the line, but then there’d been too many friendlies in the way, and I’d waded in to join them in clearing the arach from the rear of the men engaging the more human shapes ahead.
The movement took me away from Mack, but I figured he’d be fine. If he didn’t like it, he could always kick my ass later. The action lasted less than three minutes, and I stuck with the nearest soldier, as he made sure of the arach and enemy troops nearest, before going to join the main body.
On the way back, one of the arach ‘corpses’ rose from the leaves, while the soldier was dispatching a second. I took its head without thinking, and then made a crater where its face should have been. I followed this by blowing an extra hole in the head of every arach corpse I could see. It reminded me of what they’d said about Delight’s team: “They’re just so used to making sure that it’s become second nature for them to put an extra round into the head of any corpse they see.”
Now, I understood why.
“You can fight at my side, anytime.” The soldier’s words broke my concentration, as I searched for another corpse, before scanning the tree branches overhead, and the bushes nearby.
I had no reply for him, but I managed a nod, and we made it back to Mack and the rest of Skymander’s force without incident. I stopped beside Mack, and the soldier stopped beside me.
“Looks like you got a fan,” Mack said, and I blushed.
“She saved our backsides,” the soldier said, and it sounded like a correction.
Before Mack could reply to that, Master Manreiden’s voice came over the comms.
“Hazerna have been compromised. Lady Skymander’s orders are to capture any Hazerna we encounter going forward...” He hesitated. “When possible. Our lady would not have us die needlessly. Survival, then prisoners.”
“Survival, then prisoners,” the men confirmed.
“As for the arach, my Lord and Lady say kill them all.”
“Skymander,” came in confirmation, and I wondered how a lord’s name could have become a battle blessing.
My wondering was cut short, as the commander pulled us together, and briefed us on the next phase of the battle.
“Scans show the arach have a ship here, and have set their headquarters. This is where the Odyssey team were taken when they attempted to rescue the Corovani lords from the arach infiltration unit. Andreus Corovan’s preparations, however, had been exceptionally thorough.”
He kicked one of the nearby corpses. “As of now, we are aware that Clan Hazerna has been compromised. The Skymander’s Lady Hazerna will be assisting the existing leadership to weed out any other traitors, as soon as we’ve secured the Corovan center. Our Lord Skymander is returning with Ghost to deal with the Hazerna center.”
“Skymander,” came in a soft chorus, around me, and I shivered at the worship in its depths.
We moved shortly afterwards, each team with a clear objective. Mack and I had been assigned to the one taking out the arach ship.
“Do not let it launch,” were the instructions, followed by, “Kill everything on board; arach give nothing in interrogation.”
Well, that answered the question why, and I wasn’t averse to killing arach. At least, that’s what I told myself, as fear sent icy coils through my gut.
“Odyssey are coming,” Master Manreiden said, through our comms. “Work with them, but do not stand
