AllFreeNovel
Share Us
9
RHIANNON
I didn't love the idea of being lugged around like a duffel bag, but I didn't exactly have a lot of options. Even I knew that the walker was cumbersome and I hadn't had enough practice with it to get very far on my own. If I wanted to help, I was just going to have to deal.
I tried to wait patiently while Nikathy called on his friends, listening as he instructed Herod and Adreax to take the lead on forming an outer defense against the Patrol. They both answered the call readily, and for once, I thought I saw some relief on Nikathy's face. The people of Kychek could not be counted on, but the pilots he had flown with were still standing by him. This was good news for me, too, because it meant that I might have a chance to join the fight aboard a real ship once all this mess was over. If only I could prove myself and make it through this alive.
Finally, Nikathy carried me out to his personal vehicle and placed me gingerly in the passenger's seat. We were on our way to the Hive, and I was ready to get down to business. One of the council members had written directions to the little shack that served as their headquarters and Nikathy was mumbling to himself as he turned down one street after another, moving us closer and closer to the edge of town. When we arrived, I tried to hide the misgivings that chased through my mind. The place was a dump.
"You ready?" he asked. But somehow I knew what he really meant was,are you sure you want to do this?
I nodded, telling myself that the exterior of the building was not what mattered. What mattered was on the inside, and I had to get in there to see it for myself.
Nikathy came around to the passenger side of the transport and lifted me out. I felt foolish clinging to him like a small child. It was humiliating. But he was so focused on the task at hand, he didn't even make any of his characteristically snide remarks. He simply brought me through the doors of the Hive, stopped just inside the threshold, and we both took in the chaos all around us.
"This looks... promising," I said dryly.
I felt his shoulders stiffen as a man approached, looking from Nikathy to me and back. He cleared his throat and gave a sloppy salute that made me embarrassed for him. Yikes.
"Welcome, sir," he said, greeting Nikathy and offering his hand for a shake. But after a second, he seemed to realize Nikathy's conundrum and dropped it back to his side awkwardly, frowning at me. "And this is?"
"Rhiannon," I said sharply. I couldn't stand shoulder to shoulder with this man, but I could certainly introduce myself, and I wasn't going to let him speak over my head as if I wasn't right here.
The stupid man blinked several times and I rolled my eyes, wishing more than anything that Nikathy could set me down. Seeing that neither of the men were going to make this easy, I snorted and decided that it was going to be up to me to get this train rolling. Fine.
"I need you to fill me in on the city's defenses as they currently stand. What kind of weapons do you have? How many ships can we scramble? What kind of formations are we thinking for the first push?" The man only stared at me blankly, and I thought perhaps his brain had dribbled out of his ears in the last few seconds."Hey! Soldier-boy! Anybody home?" I snapped, waving a hand in front of his face.
I felt Nikathy chuckling silently against me. "You better answer her," he remarked. "I hear she gets mean when she doesn't get answers."
Kind of him to come to my rescue now.
But the man still looked at me with uncertainty. I couldn't blame him, really. I was hardly the vision of the hero they needed at this moment. But that only made me more resolute.
"Let's try this again," I said. "Nikathy, would you mind putting me down?"
He looked around for a chair, and failing to find one available, marched over to another of the men in uniform and coughed loudly, gesturing with a nod of his head for the guy to clear out. Then he sat me in the chair and took a step back, just behind me like some kind of bodyguard.
Now that I was in a less debasing position, I leveled my glare at the obstinate man still watching me.
"Hello. I'm here to help. And while I personally don't think I should have to defend my qualifications to you people, on account of the fact that Nikathy has put me in charge, I guess it's worth mentioning that I am a defensive weapons specialist, and I have seen the insides of a Patrol ship. So between the two of us, I think I'm qualified enough for you to answer a few quick questions. What do you think?"
The man's eyebrows lifted, and I knew I had finally gotten through to him. Behind me, I heard Nikathy unsheathing a weapon, and the man's eyes darted away from me for a split second before his mouth fell open and he started rambling apologies.
"I'm sorry, sir, ma'am. Yes, we could use your help. I just couldn't be sure you were to be trusted. It was my mistake."
I glowered at him, glad to see we were all on the same page now.
"Show her around. Get her up to speed. And for the love of all the gods,listenwhen she speaks," Nikathy growled.
The man was nodding like a bobble-head, desperate to get out from under Nikathy's withering stare. Now, I just had to hope he kept that same energy when Nikathy wasn't looking.
