“Softball state champions three years in a row,” she said. She repositioned herself to get out of Breen’s way, but she did not leave my side.
H’rran trotted over with a Xalanite medical kit in her hands. She handed it to Breen, and he began to work on my wound. H’rran assisted the medic while X’nit and Ann provided covering fire. Occasionally Leigh released my hand, but only long enough to fire at an approaching enemy human. Her aim with a more refined weapon proved just as effective as with the grenades. X’nit once again commented his praise, and Ann simply replied with, “Paintball.”
My nanites were slow to translate the names of the two activities, but finally I received their meanings and a general understanding of the rules. Interesting. Combat training disguised as games.
I winced as Breen used a cautery device to close my wound. Leigh squeezed my hand, and her touch helped ease the sting of the device.
Her touch helped make everything better.
While Breen bandaged my wound, I noticed that the gunfire and explosions seemed to be lessening in frequency. A quick glance at the remains of the intake center revealed several official Xalanite military ships landing at the periphery of the compound as our opponents ran for cover. Their arrival confused me. We hadn’t wanted to get the Xalanite government involved in a potentially inciteful operation; it was why we had chosen a retired military pilot to aid us rather than requesting active military aid. Who had summoned them?
As if she could hear my thoughts, Ann answered.
“I bet it was N’kal. He’s the only one with this kind of pull with the Xalanite government.”
That made sense, though it did not answer why they were summoned. “If he had desired to involve the Xalanites, why not do so from the beginning?”
“They probably thought you guys needed the added help.”
We turned towards Timber’s voice, the shock of her arrival written on our faces. With her were her husband N’kal, the human police officer, Marcus, and Leigh’s father. All four were armed and geared in the latest Xalanite battle finery, though Timber’s vest had clearly been tailor-made for a human woman. “When we saw how bad the fighting was on the news, N’kal phoned home for some reinforcements. It took a little bit of explaining, and we had to bargain a bit for the faster ships, but thankfully his dad and sister were amenable to loaning us some people.”
“Yeah,” Harrison said. “If Leigh had just given us a chance to explain, we could have told her they were on the way.”
Leigh blushed. “Well, maybe next time lead with that instead of scaring the crap out of me.”
“Somehow I doubt she would’ve stayed away even if she’d known,” Ann said dryly. “All that time wasted dropping her off.” She shook her head as though upset, but her face expressed mirth.
“Does this mean it’s over?” Leigh asked as Xalanite soldiers poured out of the ships, dispatching any remaining AXL members with precision.
“For now, the immediate threat is contained. There’s still a bureaucratic nightmare ahead of us though, not to mention dealing with dozens of displaced Xalanites that I’ve just illegally funneled through the Underground Railroad.”
“That was pretty smart of you, Aunt Ann. I would never have thought of that.”
The director grinned. “Do you really think I only set the Xalanites up here because the first one crashed in Upstate New York? Please. Give your old aunt some credit.”
“Does anyone else require triage?” Breen asked, holding up a hypodermal injector. “I have basic tools here now, but once thesoldiers secure the site, I can borrow some of their equipment for more serious wounds.”
I turned to X’nit, who had taken a seat on the ground inside the tunnel entrance while we talked. His head hung in exhaustion, or perhaps in slumber, though it concerned me that he wasn’t responding. “X’nit? Come here. Let Breen treat your injuries now that the battle has ceased.”
He did not move.
“X’nit?” Ann’s voice had a slight tremor, which was unusual for the normally unflappable woman. “Honey, are you hurt?”
With Leigh’s help, I got to my feet and started towards him. “Breen, he has been hiding injuries beneath his outer garment. You should check him.”
Breen raced to X’nit’s side and tore off the trenching garment. X’nit’s head lolled back and forth with the motion, but he did not wake, and it was obvious from the amount of black blood seeping through his under garment that he had lost much of his fluids. The fact that he still breathed, labored though it was, seemed miraculous.
Ann leapt into action, running towards the nearest soldiers and shouting orders in Xalanite to bring a medic. Though she was no longer the official director of the AARO, she still had a commanding presence, and the soldiers wasted no time in obeying her.
Within minutes, Breen stabilized X’nit, and a group of soldiers brought a litter to carry him to a ship for more intensive treatment. Ann tried to follow them, but several humans—loyal to the AARO and the Xalanites, not more AXL spies—approached her asking questions. They wished her to lead them in the chaos following the battle, but Ann clearly wanted nothing more than to be at her husband’s side.
Timber stepped in and took over, instructing the humans to field all questions to her for the time being. Ann hurried offto the ship where X’nit had been taken, and Timber assumed charge of the field.
With nothing left for me or Leigh to do, we headed for one of the ships in search of a place to rest. Leigh was fairly fresh, but I needed to sleep. I had gone far too long without proper rest, and the exhaustion started to seep in. My body ached, and the wound in my leg throbbed. Thankfully, one of my former units had been assigned to this battle, and my comrades ushered me onto their ship and assigned me and Leigh to some spare quarters.
My mate wasted no time in getting me abed and tucked in. To my dismay, she did not join me under the covers.
“You need sleep, mister, not sex. When that leg is healed, we’ll talk.”
