The tech smiled. “Don’t worry, we’re going to keep the side bars up to keep you safe. From here, we’re going to the cutter, a fast trip down to the planet, and then straight to the House medical facilities.”
Jack eyed the electronics cart.So far, so good.No whizz-bangs or meltdowns.
Aria moved onto the gurney and made herself comfortable. “And you’ll be with me, Jack?” she asked, a touch plaintively.
“All the way, my love,” he said, squeezing her hand. “There might be a few times when you can’t see me, because you’re lying down and this is all a bit crowded, but I’ll be there.”
“Good.”
“Everybody ready?” asked the lead tech, and upon receiving people’s confirmations he said, “Okay then, let’s go. Nice and steady, no rush.”
As they made their way through the corridor, Jack asked one of the techs, “So what’s the effective blocking range on that rolling Faraday cage?”
“About three meters,” replied the female tech. “Not great, but all we could do on short notice. It’s why we have to keep so close.”
“Good enough for us,” said Jack. “I’m impressed you’ve managed what you have.”
They followed the curve of the passageway and entered the cargo lift, packed in tight as they descended to the flight deck.
“Doing okay?” Jack looked down at Aria.
“Doing okay,” she said. “I’ll just be glad when this is all done, and I can stop feeling like some kind of freak.”
“Soon, my darling,” said Jack reassuringly and patted her hand.
The group proceeded together across the flight deck, toward the surface-to-ship cutter that rested on its landing gear, the rear ramp open. They all assembled at the bottom of the ramp and got both the gurney and the electronics cart ready.
“Okay,” said the lead tech. “All together, on three, two, one…”
They pushed the gurney up smoothly, but the wheels of the cart became stuck on the edge of the ramp and stopped.
“Hold it, hold it!” called the female tech desperately, even as the gurney continued to roll upward.
“Damn it!” cried Jack, putting a hand on the gurney and forcing it to halt.
The lead tech wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. “I think we’re okay. Are we okay? Did we get out of range?”
“I…I don’t think so,” said the female tech.
“All right, everybody,” said Jack, “close call, but we’re ok. Bring the cart up slowly, and then we’ll all roll into the cargo bay together.” He caught the eye of the lead tech, and they both slowly exhaled.
It was the work of a few minutes to make everything secure in the cargo bay, and then the cutter launched from theMaracaibo, heading back to the planet’s surface and the Pleasure House below. Everyone was seated, except for Aria, who lay on the gurney, covered with a blanket, and a pillow under her head.
Jack squeezed her hand. “Almost there,” he said to her.
There was a beep in his right ear; his mobile comms device was signaling that he had a call. Turning away from Aria, he tapped his comm to receive the call.
“Jack, it’s Giles,” came the voice in his ear. “Sorry to disturb you, but I thought you’d want to know. We just got word on the news that the Gryffin family estates on Palamar have been wiped out.”
Jack fought to control his reaction. Aria needed to be kept calm; there was no way she could hear about this until after her surgery.
“Understood,” said Jack in a low tone. “Please proceed with further information.”
“It happened two days ago. Bombardment from orbit. The ship that did it evaded all detection and scans. Holy Hannah, Jack, who the hell are we dealing with here?”
“Do we have any idea why this action was taken?” Jack asked, trying to keep his choice of words as neutral as possible.
“Blessed if I know! Punishment for letting Aria get kidnapped, maybe? Sure has the feel of an act of vengeance. I’m guessing you can’t speak freely right now, but I figured you’d want the heads-up.”
