If we survive this.
Esthi taps her tablet. A draining sensation, like I’m losing nanosolution fast, grips me. I stagger a step. But a moment after the feeling starts, it stops.
Carver’s chest moves. He curls up like he’s dying and coughs out rocks. A string of muddy drool drips from his mouth.
After disconnecting us, Esthi lowers the half-empty bottle of water to his lips and helps him drink.
Armor>>Carver: Status.
Carver>>Armor: Operational. Power Level – 12%. I am dry and worthless as wolf shit in the desert.
“He needs oil,” I tell Esthi.
She gets up and digs through her pack, producing a small bottle with a needlepoint nose. “This is all I’ve got.”
“You have oil?” Carver rasps.
Esthi hands it to him. “I’ve been on ships for years. I crawl around in ductwork and the like. Rust can be the difference between life and death. Penetrating oil helps break loose stuckhinges, latches, and bolts. I’ve got a tiny amount of gun grease. But it’s just a dab.”
She gapes at Carver when he bites the end off of the oil bottle and downs it like water.
“Ugh, thank you.” Carver rolls onto his back and stares up at the ceiling. “Give me two minutes to spread this around. Maybe three. Systems are still loosening up.”
Carver>>Armor: Request update since last ping.
I find his last ping relay in my memory banks from three years ago and send him every recording I have so he knows what I know while Esthi carefully folds up her cords.
“I’m guessing we may need this for the others.” Esthi rearranges her pack so the cords are easy to access. “I’ll connect to the downed unit, then to one of you, whoever has the most power left. But with the wolves out there, we’ll likely have to wake them and get back here.
Carver sits up. “If I can get a bit more food and water in me, I can bore us an underground path to the others.”
“The Brothers will need power. We should stay topside,” I counter.
Carver points at me. “You’re right. I’m a bit rusty after years of hibernation.”
Esthi grabs another food bar and the small bottle of water. She chews a lip as she hands it to Carver. “There’s a bowl of berries behind you, along with a few strips of jerky from the garroh I caught. But this is the last of my food and water.
“I can’t take that,” Carver says. “I won’t.”
“You need to free your brothers. This is what we have,” she says.
“No, it’s whatyouhave,” I counter. “You should keep it.”
Esthi sighs. “I can forage more. But you need strength. Take it. Get your Brothers out. I’ll help as long as I’m able, but I can’t do what you do.”
“What about your sister?” I ask.
She rubs a dirty hand over her pretty mouth. “To the best of my knowledge, she was assigned to pilot a Skysprinter. So many have been taken out in the weeks since I crashed here fromMarstthat I’m not certain she’s even alive. I just wanted to try to find her for as long as I could. I think my search is coming to an end.”
Carver>>Armor: Brothers are shooting down the Skysprinters. Correct?
I click back twice in confirmation.
He gets up. “I am sorry to hear of your sister, Esthi. Thank you for returning me to operation. I must find this creek so I can break free of this dirt. It is like cement. Then I can free the others, and we can all look together as we make our way to the BlazeStar.”
Carver slows as he stiffly passes me on the way out.
Carver>>Armor: I know she freed you, but you need to remember your place in protecting her from all threats, Solcruean and otherwise.
