The frien dropped down, twitched, and then lay still.
There was movement from the side, and Fee moved back against the far wall, giving the grahudi space as it slunk forward.
It poked the frien and then looked at her.
“Help yourself, if that’s your thing,” she said.
She edged around the frien and kept walking, and Bunny ran beside her.
She glanced back, but the grahudi seemed to have vanished, and she wondered if there was a way for the Fitali to come and take it back to its home, because it was not better off here, that was for sure.
It could have left the base, but it hadn’t, and that gave her pause. Because she bet it had tried, but it had the same issues she had. No water, no easy transport out.
She saw the glimmer of light up ahead that was from more than just the tunnel fixtures and sped up.
And there was the grate across the tunnel entrance that she and Hal had used before.
She approached it cautiously and tried the door that was built into the grate. It was locked.
She stepped back. She didn’t have the code this time, and no access to Eazi to discover what it could be.
There were holes in the wall around it, and she guessed it was used by the grahudi and the frien when they wanted to come and go.
The air from outside was furnace hot now that the sun had passed midday, pressing against her like heat from an open oven.
Even if she could get through, would it be wise without a runner waiting to pick her up?
And given the only possible route without the codes was to try to squeeze through a frien tunnel . . .
Hard no.
She assumed if Bunny could open the grate for her, he’d have done it already.
She leaned against the metal bars, to think through her options, and jumped back.
“Ow.” The grate was so hot it burned her.
Time for a change of plan.
By now, someone had probably found Bart and his friend, and they’d be looking for her.
She’d need to come up with a new way out, or pretend not to have gotten too far in her escape.
She turned to face down the tunnel, and started walking back.
CHAPTER 35
TheIlliummoved fast.
Hal had to assume the Garmman battleship was monitoring them, so moving quickly, confronting them before they had time to react, was the best plan.
The battleship flew straight over the top of the moon and dropped down in front of the Garmman ship.
And well, well, well . . .
TheCiolla.
“Captain Hunner has some explaining to do,” Hal said.
