Blood Prize

Chapter 10: Boldly They Rode

“How are we getting out of here, ijun Kahl?” Kala asked, still dazed.  She watched as Chantal planted the explosives against the window.

“Hopefully, Hranik’ll get over here, quickly,” Chantal answered.  

She finished and moved back to Kala, lifting her off the floor and carrying her in front of the desk before motioning for Ihkra to get there as well.  She waited before pressing the detonator.  The detonation blew the debris outwards, into the blizzard, before Chantal rose.  She smiled at the new opening before picking Kala back up and bringing her to the opening.  Snowflakes melted off her skin as she stared into the whiteness.

The elevator dinged, drawing her attention to it.

“Ihkra!” Chantal snapped, kneeling down behind the desk and placing Kala down.  She grabbed her rifle and aimed it at the elevator they had taken up.  Ihkra slid in beside her.  “Do you know your way around a pistol?”

“Yes,” Ihkra answered.  Chantal reached into her jacket and pulled a pistol out, handing it to Ihkra.

The elevator didn’t open.  “What the-”  Bullets ricocheted off the desk.  Chantal dropped back down in surprise.  “Jesus fuck!”  Another ding and the elevator they rode opened.  “Two elevators?  Who the Hell has two elevators to their office?”

“Leibowitz of Earth, I’m approaching your position.”

“Never been so glad to hear that,” Chantal stated.  Beside her, Ihkra fired off several shots.  Cries erupted from the other side of the desk.  “Northwest side of the structure.  I’ve blown out the window.”

“Understood.  On approach now,” Hranik stated.

“Ihkra, take Kala, get on the Gnat,” Chantal ordered.  She glanced over the desk, her rifle coming up as another elevator dinged.  Her rifle bucked against her shoulder as bullets flew towards the attackers.  Blue blood splattered against the wall as Jogunti Marines dropped.  “Hranik?”

“I’m here, but the air defenses have been mustered,” Hranik stated.  “I can’t wait forever.”  As he finished, the side of the Gnat slammed against what remained of the wall, pieces of debris dropping to the floor.  The airlock opened.

“Go,” Chantal said.  She looked mournfully at her beloved Kala.  “I’ll cover you.”

Ihkra slid over to Kala, picking the Straxian up before nodding at Chantal.  The Fortune’s Captain nodded back, rising and firing at their attackers before Ihkra ran towards the window.  Cries echoed in the room as she moved backwards towards the waiting airlock.

The hammer of God slammed into her kneecap and she fell to the ground.  Another drilled into her shoulder, shattering it and rendering her left arm useless.  She kicked at the ground with her good leg, pushing herself against the desk again, staring at the waiting Gnat.

“So close, yet so far,” Chantal muttered through gritted teeth and pain.  “Hranik, go.”  She placed her rifle over the desk and fired blindly.

“And you?” Hranik asked.

“Just go!” Chantal growled.  Her P-710 clicked empty and she pulled it down, struggling with the magazines.  She watched as the Gnat pulled back and disappeared into the blizzard.  “Fuck, never thought,” she grimaced, “I’d go out like this.”  Again, her rifle went over the top of the desk and blindly fired into the mass of Jogunti.  “Anyone got any good songs?  Anyone?  Murphy?  Pavlov?  Smirnoff?”

Aside from her rifle and the ricochets, only silence answered her.

“Too bad,” Chantal muttered.  With her good arm she pushed herself up against the desk and facing over the table.  Her shots were off, bullets striking the walls, bouncing off them.  “Come on, you bastards!”

******

“Wait!” Kala cried.  “Tali’s not aboard!  Hranik!”

She fought against Ihkra’s grasp, but she was in no condition to physically do anything to the woman.  Ihkra roughly heaved her into one of the chairs and pulled the harness down.  All Kala could do was watch as the Gnat flew away from the facility, her love wounded and broken, left behind to the fates.  The hatch sealed, cutting her off from Chantal.

“Hranik, go back!” Kala pleaded.  “We can still save her!  We can save the Captain, just…  Please!”

“I’m sorry, Kala’Ital of Straxi, but I cannot,” Hranik replied through the subdermal.  “Leibowitz of Earth made it clear-”

“I don’t care, that’s the Captain!” Kala growled.  “That’s the Captain!”

“Who ordered him away, who told me to save your life,” Ihkra said.  “She-”

“Means everything to me!” Kala snapped.  Her head dropped against the harness, a tear running from her eye and dropping off her nose.  “Please, we can save her.”  She reached up, to her subdermal.  “Tali, hold on.  Please, hold on, I’ll get Hranik-”

“Hranik, until you’re back to the ship, you listen to no one else!” Chantal’s voice cut Kala off.  “I love you, resta Kala.”

“Tali…”  More tears flowed from her and dripped off the tip of her nose.

“If I were you, Ihkra of Salasta, I’d get into a seat now,” Hranik called from the cockpit.  As if to punctuate his words, the Gnat was jolted.  “The winds picked up quite a bit from our entry.  They’re up to 150KPH!”

Ihkra slid into the seat next to Kala, pulling the harness down before placing her hand over Kala’s.

“Shaushami…” Kala said, staring at the airlock hatch.  “I never…  We never…”  Her hands went to her face.  “Now it’s too late to exchange them.”

“You’re talking-”

“She would have been Queen Consort,” Kala said.

*****

“Joe, we’ve got a problem here,” Juan stated.

“We’ve problems all over, Juan,” Johannes said.

“Shields failing on our stern.”

A shot struck the stern, breaking through the weakened shields and drilling into the hull.  Juan and Johannes were forcibly rammed into the consoles, Johannes having the wind knocked from him in an explosive gasp.  Another shot, then a third struck the transport.  Something exploded overhead and flames leaped from a bulkhead.  

“Take care of it!” Johannes ordered.  His fingers danced over the console, the ship twisting to present its nose to the firing ship.  “Where are you, Captain?”

As if to answer his question, Hranik’s voice came through the communications earpiece, “Sudenwald of Earth, prepare for departure, quick.”

“Just like you guys, arrive late for the party!” Johannes mumbled to himself.  “Understood, just get your asses back here, now!”

Shots from the Jogunti cruisers were deflected off the shields, though Johannes knew each shot was whittling them down, just as they had done with the aft shields.  The Gnat registered on the sensors and Johannes was glad at the idea they were almost out of there.  The shields weren’t going to take much more.

“You seem to have a problem,” Hranik said matter-of-factly.

“Thanks, tips, I’ll keep that in mind.  Get in here!”

What was normally a delicate procedure was done in only a matter of moments.  The elegant dance of the Gnat matching velocity and speed of the Fortune, setting up for the airlock, and ensuring it was sealed normally took minutes to get right.  Hranik and Johannes had it done in less than one.

“FTL, now!” Johannes slapped the Helm and the ship was engulfed by the familiar stream of faster-than-light travel.  It took a few minutes before he sighed in relief.  Hearing Hranik’s familiar footsteps, Johannes turned in his chair, leaning back and placing his head in his hands.  “You can thank me-” he stopped himself.  “Where’s Captain Leibowitz?”