They raced down the bend, and through the opening at the end, Samson saw pulse fire ricocheting within the transport bay.
“Fan out! Akino, on me!”
He and Akino shot through the opening, diving to the side and hiding behind a deactivated hovercart while his men ran up to the right. Across the floor, Chandi and her squad crouched behind two transport luggers, taking heavy fire.
“Why isn’t Chandi shooting back?” Akino said.
“Because of that.” Samson pointed at the ore pails at the opposite end of the docking bay. “They don’t want to damage the payloads.”
Seven Jantari soldiers guarded the ore, shouting commands, razing the wings of the luggers with pulse fire. Chandi hid beside the left engine.Move, he thought desperately as the soldiers advanced.Get out of there.
But there was nowhere she could escape to. Samson cursed. His mind raced, anguish clawing at his throat like some wild, cornered beast, as he watched one soldier reach for their belt, for something silver and rigid, and he thought,Slab grenade, just as he shouted, “Chandi!”
The soldier turned. Chandi cried out. And then Akino fired, a clean shot that cleaved through the soldier’s chest. He toppled, the slab grenade bouncing, blinking, and the Jantari ran, shouting “Take cover!” not one thinking to throw himself on the explosive when the grenade detonated.
A searing white light ripped through the bay. Samson felt its heat a moment before it blew, and he called to it, his Agni churning, seeking, borne on the ancient instinct of finding the familiar, and he met the grenade’s fire with his own. Blue flames swarmed the shape of the explosion. Curbed it. Samson snapped his urumi, forcing it to become smaller, imposing his will on its hunger. Pain ripped up his bicep, needling into his chest with a sudden abrasiveness that made him gasp. His arm trembled. The explosion wobbled. But his flames held, lengthening into tongues that finally swallowed the grenade’s inferno into his own.
Samson collapsed, and the flames dissipated into smoke. His vision swam as Akino barked a command, and the Black Scales who had beensneaking up the end of the bay charged forward, tackling the Jantari. There were cries, blood-soaked moans.Chandi.His fear snapped him back, and he forgot his pain, his exhaustion, even his own tired anger against her as he pushed himself to his feet.
“Chandi!” He dodged through the crates and staggered up the ramp, calling her name. “Chandi!”
There was no answer.
Worry, fresh and fetid, churned his chest.Great Serpent, if she’s hurt—
He staggered toward the lugger, crying himself hoarse. “Chandi!”
“Sam!”
She appeared behind the tail of the lugger, blood leaking from her shoulder, and it took all his strength not to grab her.
“You—you’re hit—”
“Get down!”
They slammed to the ground just as a shot skipped off the hull. Akino slashed his urumi through the shooter, ripping off his arm. The man toppled, and Akino made quick work of him after. Only three Jantari remained. Samson’s Black Scales pressed forward, and they raised their arms in surrender.
“Smartest thing they’ve done yet,” Chandi said with a grimace.
Her shoulder wept openly, and Samson tore out the bandages from his kit. “Sit still.”
“General—”
“Sit still, damn it, or can you no longer take orders from me?” he said, his voice cracking. Chandi fell silent, her eyes flicking across his face as he hurriedly wrapped the cloth around her shoulder.
“General,” she began again.
“Chandi, I swear—”
“Sam.”Her eyes met his. “The miners. We still need to get them out.”
His hands trembled as he knotted the wrap. Below them, Akino activated the hovercarts and guided the pallets into the luggers as Chandi’s men, the two who remained, kept watch over the Jantari.
With every second, Samson felt the press of time against his neck.
“Go,” Chandi said as the bay doors opened, revealing the purpling dawn. Her bloodstained hand wrapped around his wrist. “Take Akino. He’s a better shot than you. And don’t take too long. Don’t push yourselftoo hard, too quick. Promise me, Sam.” And in that moment, as she looked at him with wide, imploring eyes, her voice a plea, a command, the bitter knot in his chest loosened. Chandi, his fearless commander. The one who knew his fears better than he did and lent him her strength. He nodded, overwhelmed. She let him go and he rushed into the tunnel without looking back, Akino on his heels.
They sprinted to the bunker as the ground started to rumble.
