ReDawn (Skyward #2.2)(59)

“They’re working on it,” Rig said. “But a new flight of Unity ships showed up that’s doing a better job protecting the cytonic ships. If they don’t keep the enemy moving, the cytonics are going to get the inhibitor up and then we won’t be able to leave. They could use your help.”

The humans could hyperjump, but it would take precious minutes for them to collect all the Independence ships. They’d helped us do this, and we couldn’t leave them behind.

    “Come on,” I said to Arturo. “Let’s get to our ships.”

We ran through the tunnels and the hangar. Arturo followed me to my ship, checking the damage to the landing gear as I climbed inside. He leaned on my canopy and put a hand on my arm again. “Are you sure you can do this?”

If he were anyone else I would have shaken him off, but Arturo wasn’t being condescending. He was genuinely concerned.

“I’ll be fine as soon as I’m in the air,” I said.

He nodded. I thought maybe he respected that answer. “Good. Let’s get up there.”

Another burst of mindblades ripped through the space around the platform. I didn’t want to teleport us into the path of that, so I turned on my radio as Arturo and I hovered off the platform.

“—got ’em,” Rig was saying. “Jerkface, the enemy is circling around to your position.”

“Copy, Rig,” Jorgen replied. “I see them. Sentry, FM, head them off. I’ll ask some of the Independence pilots to help you.”

“We’re back, Jerkface,” I said. “This is Amphi”—I still couldn’t remember the rest of his name—“and…Angel.”

“Ooooh,” Sadie said. “Angel. That’s pretty.”

“Told you,” Arturo said.

I smiled. “Where should we jump to?”

“Welcome, Angel,” Jorgen said. “Come out on the treeward side. Your friend Quilan is over there with a bunch of Unity ships protecting him. The cytonic ships all seem to have gotten into position now.”

    Which meant we needed to get out there immediately or we could be trapped.

“Copy that,” I said. I picked a spot between us and Tower, and beckoned Naga along with me as I hyperjumped.

I realized too late that I should have used Chubs. The malevolence of the eyes felt stronger than ever. We were angering them, drawing their wrath. They struck a chord with something primal that told me they meant me harm, and someday they were going to snatch me out of the sky and exact vengeance.

Arturo and I emerged from the negative realm in the airspace between the platform and Tower, and several ships immediately turned toward us.

Alanik, Quilan said. Surrender your humans and I can argue for your pardon.

They’d figured out who I was working with. I wondered if they’d gotten close enough to get a look, or just deduced.

No, I told him. But I’ll accept your surrender anytime.

Why would we offer a surrender when we’re winning?

“Cover me,” I said to Arturo.

“On it,” Arturo replied. I went into evasive maneuvers, diving past several of the ships as they came at us, pushing toward Quilan.

I reached into the negative realm to retort, and caught snatches of his voice.

—have your humans— Quilan was saying. —to the Superiority—come and get—

    By the branches. He was going to turn us in right now. He had his bargaining chip—me, Rinakin, and our human allies—all out here in the open. He must have decided that was enough.

“Jerkface,” I said over the radio. “Quilan is calling in the Superiority. I don’t know how fast they can get here, but—”

—holding out on us— the person Quilan was talking to responded. —measures, effective immediately—should have been more forthcoming—

Quilan’s voice sounded panicked as he answered. “—just found them—told you everything we—have been perfectly loyal—”

“I don’t think it’s going the way Quilan anticipated,” I told Jorgen. “But I don’t think it’s going to turn out well for us either.” At least if he was talking mind-to-mind he wasn’t concentrating on the concussion field, though they might not need him for the inhibitor.

“It rarely does,” Jorgen said. “Any idea what we’re facing?”

“No,” I said. “But—”

Alanik, Quilan said. This is your fault. You brought this down on us. Surrender now, or—

Shut up, I told Quilan, and he did, though I couldn’t shake how frightened he felt out of my head.

What had the Superiority threatened him with that had him so shaken?

At that exact moment the universe went silent again. Tucked around my waist, Chubs let out a whimper.

“They’ve got the inhibitor up!” I said. “We need to get them out of formation or we can’t hyperjump out of here.” We could leave the platform, I supposed, and run for our lives. But we’d still need time for the humans to light-lance all the Independence ships. We might not all make it.

    “Jerkface,” Nedd said over the radio. “We lost another one of the Independence ships. Kimmalyn had to fall back to reignite her shield, and we couldn’t keep them from—”