The tracker crouched, its front legs longer than the back. Skin that looked like tree bark, mottled brown and rough looking, covered its body. Its head resembled a piece of driftwood. Its mouth a thin, uneven slash.
"We need to kill it before it can warn the others," Kira whispered in a low voice to Graydon.
A tracker meant there would be a kill squad not far behind.
As if it sensed her plans, the tracker tipped its head back to release the beginning of a ululating wail.
A bullet between its eyes brought the sound to a premature halt. The tracker went limp, its body sliding off the nose cone to hit the snow with a thump.
Dark green and brown blood spread from the back of its head, staining the pretty white.
"This is a trap, yes. But it's not meant for you." Diesel lowered the sniper rifle he'd used to shoot the tracker. "You're not our target; you're our bait."
Kira stared at the rifle Diesel was holding. "Where did you get that?"
He hadn't been holding it a second ago.
He shot her a crooked grin, tapping Commander Berry’s memorial marker. It opened, revealing an empty chamber. "Let's just say I came prepared."
Brie strode into the open, crossing the short distance to stop beside Diesel as he attached his robotic legs to his body and rose. She gave the tracker a cursory look before saluting the other man. "Sir, you were right. Our forces picked up movement as soon as the tracker called them. In addition to the large number of shriekers they've bred over the last few days, there is a skyling leading them."
"That won't be all," Diesel said.
Brie inclined her head. "The planetary defense corps just notified us that there are three Tsavitee dreadnoughts inbound."
Diesel squatted beside the tracker, looking it over. "That won't be enough to take the planet, but they can do a lot of damage with those."
"The defense corps has already rallied the fighters we have stationed in the debris field. They will try to do some damage before the ships reach us."
Diesel sent Kira a sidelong look. "You've really kicked the hornet's nest this time."
"What is going on?" Kira demanded.
Diesel rose to face her, shouldering the sniper rifle. "Like I said, this trap wasn't meant for you."
Graydon moved closer to Kira, his stance protective.
"A few days ago, a piece of debris from the moon impacted the planet. My people were sent to make sure that was all it was. When they didn't check in, we knew we had a problem," Diesel explained. "But you know the Tsavitee. They're tricky buggers. We had to draw them out. For that, we needed you."
The sound of weapons fire came from the trees to the north-west of the memorial. Explosions followed.
"There's not much time," Diesel said, glancing in the direction of the fighting. He tucked a hand in his pocket and withdrew a small storage device. "This contains all my records regarding those munitions. The transaction history along with the frequency the locater was using to give away our position."
He tossed the device at Kira. She snatched it out of the air.
"This doesn't change anything," she told him.
Diesel gave her a sad smile. "No one knows that more than me. I've spent the last decade and some change atoning for what I did. Let me continue a little longer."
Kira's hand clenched around the device.
Diesel nodded at Brie. "There's a smuggling ship waiting for you. Brie can guide you. Take the All Father and complete the mission. We'll hold them here."
Going head-to-head with a Skyling and its kill squad was tantamount to a suicide mission. They were devious bastards and notoriously hard to kill. Their ability to self-heal from even mortal wounds was terrifying. As was their ability to command.
If one of them was coming, it was just a matter of time before it rolled through Diesel and his people. All he could do was hold the line until reinforcements arrived.
Brie's face was flinty as she met Kira's gaze. Her unwillingness to abandon Diesel despite what he'd done was obvious, leading Kira to believe the woman had learned about it a long time ago.
