Born of Sand (Tales of a Dying Star Book 5) (23 page)

In her original plan she would have taken Binny out of the base before ordering the orbital strike. Such mercy was not possible for one hundred and forty factory workers.
Confirmation would ease my conscience. I need not make the decision. I am the blade, not the voice.

Time stretched. She leaned out over the doorway to check the hall, but it remained empty, the only sound the background hum of machinery and the echo of distant boots. A ventilation fan recessed with a dim light in the ceiling cast long, spinning shadows across the otherwise dark corridor. She stared at the little device, her only connection to who she truly was, the only tether to civilization.

Finally the third light on the device began blinking. A series of flashes and pulses, a code which Kari translated in her head effortlessly.

No change in operational objectives. On record as such. Primary objective: gather information on the
Children of Saria
and their plans for the planet Melis. Secondary objective: harass, deter, and destroy the rebels on Praetar to the best of your ability, maximizing casualties. Tertiary objective: capture the leader of the Freemen. If conflict in objectives, best judgment is advised.

Kari gripped the device until her fingers turned white, and very nearly smashed it against the wall. The message was the standard automated response when someone was not currently manning the receiver terminal in the station orbiting Praetar, or did not reply in time, or any other reason for not responding manually.
Probably taking a star-cursed piss, while I'm down here in the sand risking my life
. The technicians never had a sense of urgency.

Best judgment is advised
. The phrase felt like a taunt.

She knelt at the wall panel and removed a second device, smaller and simpler, with a cap on one end that protected a single button. Kari slipped it into her pocket, taking care that the cap remained firmly in place.

A sudden noise behind her. Kari jumped to her feet and whirled just in time to see Farrow approach the door. He flinched at her appearance, holding up a hand. "Shit piled upon shit, you scared me! I was wondering why the door was open..."

Slowly, Kari positioned her feet to block his view of the panel.
What is he doing here?

He looked embarrassed for a few heartbeats, then slumped his head. "Okay, you shitting caught me. Are you happy?" He entered the room and went to the far wall. Kari used the opportunity to slide a box behind her to block the panel completely. Her hand went to the knife at her belt, brushing against the leather grip.
A single slash to the throat
. He faced away from her, looking through boxes.
None will know, hidden back here. I'll close the door and escape topside and call down the orbital strike.

Her tertiary objective stopped her.
Capture the leader of the Freemen
. It would be easy, once they were topside and marching across the desert. She scratched at the hilt of her knife with a fingernail, considering Farrow.

In the opposite corner, he moved two boxes aside to uncover a third. He opened the top and removed a pile of rags, revealing a tiny metal container, like a bowl that could hold sugar. "Remember when Maggy made that batch of honey candies two months ago? Well, I saved mine to give to Binny. For special occasions."

He held out the container to show her the round, dark candies inside. Kari relaxed. "You spoil that girl," she said.

"I know," he said, stuffing the box in a pocket. "Don't tell Maggy. She already complains about how much of my own food I give the girl."

"Of course," Kari said. Thinking fast, she added, "I'd heard Maggy keeps some of her special foods hidden away too. I was hoping to take something with me for the journey, but couldn't find anything."

Farrow smirked. "Maybe we'll stop for some cuisine in the city. Visit one of the food dispensaries, eat some stale bread, have a chat with the peacekeepers. 'Sorry, I don't have any glass credits to pay. I'm a Freeman rebel here to retake the city and kill you.'"

I'm here to kill you
. And the mention of Binny only soured her mood more. Not caring that it might somehow tip Farrow off, she said, "It might be a good idea to take Binny with us."

The comment caught Farrow off guard. He frowned, then snorted. "What the shit?"

"We could bring her with us and hide her somewhere before infiltrating the palace cells. Victory Base is going to draw a lot of attention in the coming days. If we're unable to immediately overpower the peacekeepers and take the city, if our aircraft need to return to Victory Base to refuel and recharge, the Melisao will know where we are. Binny would be safer away, even in the city."

Farrow took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "If we fail to take the city immediately, we will have bigger problems than simply keeping Victory Base safe. We cannot win a prolonged war, Kari. We need to take the palace and the other primary peacekeeper outposts immediately, before they have a chance to regroup and focus their efforts." He put a hand on her shoulder, his grip firm. "I know it's difficult leaving Binny here, where she might be vulnerable. But there's nowhere perfectly safe, not in the coming days. I wish there was. You just have to trust our defenses, and pray that she stays safe."

I pray to a different God than you. A God of flesh and clothes, on a planet far away.

"It's not that," Kari said. "I just think having children running around what is supposed to be a military base, especially if there were a battle... it would distract the fighters."

"I've seen you slip her extra food too," he said. "You don't need to pretend. We all have a soft spot for the girl. She's like our daughter. All of ours, everyone at this base. Hopefully nothing happens to her, but if anything does... it's not your fault, or mine. It's just how shitty things are."

I'm going to kill her
. Why did that feel so miserable? She could bear the guilt of killing those she'd pretended to befriend, and even relative innocents like the factory workers. But for some reason she had a driving desire to save someone innocent, to prove she was not the ruthless killer they all thought.
Why?
she wondered at the pit in her stomach.
Why can't I banish this feeling?

"The tunnel," Kari suddenly said. "The new entrance is at Factory Twelve."

Farrow paused. "Yes," he eventually said. "How did you know?"

"I've had jobs that required me to slip into the palace. That tunnel provided the way a dozen times."

Farrow grimaced. "Well shit. If I had known then I could have asked you about it instead of sending Geral to scout. Ahh, well. No death no despair, I suppose. What about it?"

"That factory," Kari said, "is where Mira worked."

He gave her a blank stare.

"Mira will know the layout of the building, the habits of the workers and foreman. She might notice something the rest of us do not. She would be a valuable resource to take along."

"Geral knows the building just fine. Mother above, so do you, right? And Mira
doesn't
know the foreman, because he was removed after she left. There's a new one." He shook his head. "Besides, we need Mira here overseeing the electroid production. She's a foreman in her own right, now."

Save one
, the thought invaded Kari's mind.
Save someone, whoever you can.

"It has been over a year since I used the tunnel," Kari lied, "so my knowledge may be out of date. Geral knows the building layout, but he doesn't know the habits of the peacekeepers, their patrols, how often they visited and inspected. If capturing these pilots is so crucial, then having a backup to Geral is a safe bet." Farrow opened his mouth and Kari pushed on, "And Mira has our electroid production moving along smoothly. Every girl knows her place, she hardly needs to be here to oversee."

"No. I would prefer to keep her here. I trust her, now, but am not confident she's ready to delve into danger." He turned to leave. "Gather your things. We need to go."

She grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "You're afraid," she spat, letting some anger trickle into her voice. "You don't want anything to happen to her, so you'll leave her here where it's safe. That's fine, for now, but when the real battle happens her inexperience will kill her. She'll freeze, or hesitate, or lock up and a peacekeeper will put a beam in her chest. We lost five veterans taking the freighter. Most of our flesh is made up of women with ten days of training. Mira isn't much better, but she's begun acting like a leader, and she needs a small taste of experience. This is her chance. A morsel gained now will reap a meal later." She scoffed for emphasis. "I don't want to protect her. I want to
improve
her."

I want to save her.

Guilt usually worked on Farrow, but for a long moment Kari didn't think he would budge. He looked into her eyes with anger and shame, searching for something within.
If only he knew my eyes were truly blue
, she thought idly.
Then what would he see within?

His eyes softened. "Fine. You are right, it will help her. A few days from now we will need as many experienced Freemen as we can get, and this is an easy way." He jabbed a finger at her breastbone. "But you will be the one to keep an eye on her. Guide her gently, giving advice while we go. I want her to gain some first-hand experience, but keep her back, out of most harm's way. Understood?"

Kari nodded. "Understood."

"Get your things, we've taken too long. I want to be topside within five minutes." He turned and strode from the room, the sound of his boots drifting away until disappearing entirely.

You have no idea
. She removed the second device from her pocket, the one with the cap on one end protecting a single button. She turned it over in her fingers delicately, a weapon more powerful than all the electroids and rifles the Freemen could hope to bring to bear.

Chapter 16

Kari stood in the small lift with her unsuspecting compatriots, waiting for Farrow to join them. He stood a few feet away, speaking quietly to Hob.

"If we're not back in three days, attack with our full strength," he said. "Don't bother with stealth. There's no point, with so many metal electroids marching along the dunes. They'll be obvious to anyone from a mile away."

"I can program the rowbits to duck and hide," Dok offered from his workbench. "Would only take a day. Flatten out like worms at a voice command."

"It wouldn't matter, we don't have enough sandcapes," Farrow said. He turned back to Hob. "Focus on the bunkers along the main city street. Once they're down push straight for the Governor's Palace. It might be worth sending a small unit, four or five, to the tunnel leading under the palace. If we fail they'll probably block it off or double the guards, but it's worth checking regardless."

"And the aircraft?" Hob asked. "Since I'm the only one who can fly, should I even bother? Is one worth it?"

Farrow chewed that over. "I've been going back and forth on that myself. Even one is valuable, but it would be a target for the Melisao aircraft. It'd be a death sentence. It's up to you. Use your best judgement, but don't throw yourself away for nothing. We might have enough strength to win on the ground alone."

Hob clasped Farrow's arm. "We will not lose," he said, eyes intense and certainty in his voice.

Next to Kari, Mira said, "I don't understand why I'm going."

Because I need to save someone.

"You need experience," Kari said.

"I have plenty of experience. Farrow says I'm progressing quickly--he's been helping me train in the armoury--and with the rifle I hit the target more often than not." She patted her hip. "Even better with the pistol."

They all carried pistols, since they were easily concealed. Once in the city, rifles would immediately give them away.
It won't matter, because Farrow and Mira are the only ones who will reach the city alive
, Kari thought gravely. "That's not experience. That's practice. Experience is being in an actual battle, feeling the rush of adrenaline and blood as someone tries to kill you, and you them."

Mira thought about that. "Is a little bit of experience today really going to make a difference when we attack in earnest?"