“TheUnhil, the Garmman battleship above, dropped the cables they were going to use to lift the frame all the way from nearspace when they thought they were going to have to engage with theIllium. The falling cables killed seven and injured many more.” Fee watched Hardy, Trayla and Natta lift the stretcher.
Vunia took the fourth corner, and Fee stepped up to help Crin shift Baruke off the bed and onto it. Vunia had strapped a portable monitor to Baruke, and some kind of stick-on fluid bag, and his breathing hadn’t changed at all.
“How do you know the cables dropped because theIlliumarrived?” Crin asked. “Were you outside when it happened?”
“No, Kilmar and Vira, the two leaders here, told me.”
“They knew it was theIllium?” Crin asked sharply.
Fee was about to say that Eazi had told her the battleship’s name, the Balcoans had just mentioned a Grihan battleship, when she changed her mind. “No. I assumed it was theIllium, because that’s the Grihan battleship present in this area. Do you think it was another ship?”
The other four were looking between them, trying to hide their surprise at the exchange.
“No, no.” Crin shook her head and took the lead out of the door. “I’m just interested in what they know and how they know it.”
“Yes, it’s going to be a mess working through everyone who helped them by leaking information,” Fee agreed.
A sound and a vibration started up as they made it to the foyer—a sort of groaning and a rumble.
Shit. The frame.
“They’re lifting the Class 5. We’ve got to move it!” Fee noticed the four carrying Baruke passed Crin as she stopped, head tilted as she listened to the noise.
Fee passed her as well, running ahead so that she could open the stairwell door for the stretcher.
She let the team through, glancing back to see where Crin was, but she had caught them up and grabbed the door from Fee, urging her through.
But their run of luck was over.
Whatever was going on above had caused numerous people to come into the base through the storage level stairwell.
Fee saw the Grih stop as the sound of footsteps running up toward them became clear, and she pushed her way to the front.
“Coming through with Leader Baruke, keep to the side,” she called out, running to meet the Balcoans.
The Grih followed her, and as she came face-to-face with the Balcoan workers, everyone hesitated.
The builders were covered in streaks of dirt, on their faces, on their hands, and all over their clothes. They brought the smell of hot sand and sweat in with them.
“What’s happening?” she asked.
“A cable started to come loose, so we had to stop the lift and reattach,” one of them said. “Now we’re getting clear.”
She nodded, gestured to the Grih to follow her, and kept going.
The Balcoans pressed up against the wall and turned to watch as Baruke was carried past them.
“It really is the leader,” one murmured. “What happened to him?”
“Ask Kilmar,” Fee called back. “This is his doing.”
She was just passing the door to the storage area, and Kilmar, as if summoned by mention of his name, came through.
She didn’t hesitate, she flicked her silver rod at him. He gave a shout of pain as he stumbled back. The door was still partly open and she shoved him back through it and then pressed up against it, giving the Grih team room to pass with the stretcher.
“That’s the boss,” she said. “We’ve run out of time.”
Trayla nodded as they passed, and Fee looked up the stairs.
