“Ship to Adryel. Are you okay?” The girl next to her, the one whose name she couldn't remember, smacked her arm. Adryel rubbed it, and they both turned back to the Kantenan. “Whoa. Do they always look at us like that?”
“Cholka, what are you... Oh,” another girl, this one Adryel did know--Tanny--said. “Oh my.”
The big Kantenan, followed by a few more, came over. His gaze darted over them all, then settled squarely on Adryel.
The Galactic Alliance people were coming off the ship with the volunteers and herding them to the other side of the landing pad.
“What is all this?” Adryel asked. “We need to get aboard and get everyone into orbit, and in safety.”
“Your people are being moved to a more secure location,” the big Kantenan said.
No, this was wrong. They needed to get out of there. Off this planet, as soon as possible. Not get stuck here in some cell where the Kantenans control their coming and going.
“On what authority?” Adryel asked. “Yours?” Sure, she’d just wanted his help, but it was to find those who had fallen.
To find Graecey.
Not to haul them all up and lock them away somewhere.
“In point of fact, yes.”
She waved her hand. “Great. You’re a male who just decides to start doing things,” she muttered.
He crossed his arms. “We need to get you to a secured location. And get you medical attention.”
“No.” Adryel said. Her side was starting to hurt, though she wasn’t about to admit that. She'd evidently hit the wall harder than she thought. “We lost people over the edge. Our leader, as a matter of fact. We need to go down there--”
“No.”
“What do you mean, 'No'? I have friends down there!” Adryel snapped. She gestured to the edge of the landing platform. “Who knows how many of our people fell over the ledge when this thing started to crumble?—”
“All the more reason we are getting you to a secured location. We need to inventory your people and find out who is missing.”
“Inventory us? We’re not food stock!”
“Inventory! To count!”
“Again, our value to you ranks right up there with food stock.” She took a step towards him, and pointed to the edge. “Graecey’s down there, and I’m going to get her.”
“You're not going anywhere. You are bleeding.” He gestured to her side.
Adryel looked down. “Damn.” Sure enough, she had blood on her side. It couldn't be that bad if it wasn't hurting, though. She patted the spot.
It was tender, but she’d have to pull off her shirt to see the wound. Probably superficial.
“Oh wow, Adryel,” Cholka said. “What happened?”
“Doesn't matter. I'm fine,” she said, and glanced back at the Kantenan. “Still doesn't change information.”
“You're not going down there. You are wounded.”
“Well, someone needs to go down there,” she fired back.
“Not yet. You need to be healed. When the platform is secured, we will--”
The ground began to rumble.
Adryel started to shake.
