Aster aimed her lengthy barrel at the woman. “I can shoot her if you like.”
“No. Tie her up. Bring her in,” I ordered.
Five minutes later, the area was cleared, but there were still Kvan drones circling high in the sky. Luther’s Pod was in the storage room, and Aster was on board her own Sprinter, joining our small fleet as we left Biks behind.
The fight continued, but Preston was confident his people were prepared for this eventuality. The Darlor and Hidan invasion would be fended off.
The Racer lifted from the surface, and I located Preston’s vessel fifty kilometers away. Aster flew alongside me, and Luther manned our guns, firing at anything not Velibar or Stin.
“This was not what I anticipated coming to Biks,” I told the crew as we entered space.
Holland had stayed quiet, but I was so curious about what had happened. Before I could ask, Jade did.
“Tell us everything,” she said to the SeaTech heir.
“I’d dropped R11 off in the Defender, and I’d just learned my mother was alive. I thought I might be able to get to her. When the gateway opened, I entered it. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I can hardly remember, and when I do, it’s like I’m seeing it from another point of view. Like a bad dream.” Holland spoke slowly. “It was a disaster. They tried to intercept me, and I had no clue whether you managed to shut the gateway down or not, only that they were aiming for my Pod.”
“You must have been freaking out,” Luther told him.
“I was. I avoided them for a couple days. Powered the Pod off and drifted aimlessly, using the basic support systems, but I had no food, only a little water. I had to risk it. I aimed for a remote part of Biks, one I assumed would have enough resources to stay alive. I killed the transmitters the moment I broke through the atmosphere, and kicked the thrusters on a minute before crash-landing in the range. It worked well. I hit the ground, cracking the hull, and ended up using the batteries for warmth the first couple nights.”
“That was months ago. What did you do since then?” Luther grumbled.
“Eventually, I remembered some training my father had taught me when I was little. He’d bring me into the wilds on a remote Hawaiian island, and we’d have to make it out on our own. It was how he blew off steam from the corporate world,” Holland said.
“He did a good job teaching you, then,” Jade said.
“Dad’s the best. I found harmless creatures in the water and made some basic fishing rods. After a couple days, I caught something, and from there on, I was able to keep myself alive.” Holland’s hands shook while he spoke. It had clearly been a traumatic experience.
“Are you okay?”
“I will be when we go home.” Holland was a tough kid. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you guys again. I was resigned to spend my days hiding in the mountains. At least until the Velibar detected the smoke from my fire.”
“You impress the hell out of me, kid,” Luther said.
“Thanks. What was all that talk about Refuge?”
“We’ll fill you in soon enough.” I had to concentrate.
We were approaching the drone hive near the manufacturing station, and I suddenly felt uneasy flying into a horde of the Stin. If they were working with the Hidan and Darlor, why would they stand idly by while the Velibar fought on the surface?
“R11, do we have to worry about Stin?” I had to check.
R11 turned his head and spoke assuredly. “The Stin are not concerned with our organic wars.”
That didn’t quite give me the answer I was wanting, but it would have to do. “Luther, how’s our guest?”
He had a video screen on his console, showing Zonrial secured in the cargo hold. “She’s still out. I gave her a good dose of sedatives, since she was a bit scrappy.”
“Let me know when she’s awake. We have to talk with her.” The Stin fleet was dark. Powered down. Varn’s Racer flew over to mine, and he arced around, leading me to the drone station.
Preston’s ship was already docked. It was a version of the smaller Squids, and the tentacles latched to the station, holding it on. Aster’s Pod sped by us, entering the docking bay before Killer.
The station itself was extremely remarkable. Stin had mentioned that it created these spying devices, and that the Velibar had stolen or possibly bartered for their use. With Stin, I didn’t know what to believe. This place was five kilometers in height, and had four major warehouse sections jutting from its spine. The docks were near the lower part, and I peered up through the viewscreen, adjusting the camera to see the length of the place.
Using the filter Jinx had created, I saw all the drones appear on screen. When I switched the filter off, the area became much less cluttered.
“What’s next?” Jade rose, and we met in the middle of the cockpit, all facing one another.
“We go home,” Luther suggested.
“What does that look like? Are the Velibar coming for us?” I glanced toward the exit.
“I have to reach my dad, and go to Dutis where my mother’s being kept,” Holland said firmly.
“Kid, we can’t…” Luther was cut off by Holland raising an arm.
“Don’t try to talk me out of this.” Holland stormed off, climbing down the rungs.
Zonrial was still unconscious when I entered the cargo hold. We’d deal with her later. I wondered about Trid and how the battle at Biks was unfolding.
Preston stood inside the docking bay with his Velibar sidekick. She eyed us warily, her tentacles flinching.
“The battle is over. Your friends from Refuge have been dealt with,” Preston told me.
Varn hopped down Killer’s ramp, with Jinx right behind him. They appraised the situation, and Varn let out a loud laugh. “This is messed up. We think we’re killing the Velibar,
