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She arched a brow as she gave his cheek a quick kiss. “No heroics. You’ll be right behind me, or I’m coming back in after you.”

“I promise, I won’t do anything noble to save you.”

Georgia shook her head and grinned at him before wriggling out of the hatch.

Ash followed her, lowering the hatch, then crouching as he took in the surroundings. He frowned. They were out in the open and too exposed. If there were any Siblet out here, they’d easily see them.

The tablet in his backpack vibrated, and he pulled it out. The message was from Cleo. “They’re getting the ship and heading our way.”

“Oh, crap,” Georgia said.

Ash lifted his head and scowled as a troop of a dozen Siblet and six mutant beasts appeared on the horizon, and they were headed straight for them.

“We can’t take them all on,” he said. “We don’t have enough weapons.”

“And those jerks back there took my gun,” Georgia said as she scooped up the banty and settled him on her shoulder. “Let’s head to that tree cover. Out here, they’ll easily pick us off.”

Ash nodded, hating to run from a fight, but it was that or die. Georgia had no weapon, and he’d left behind the Siblet weapons so he could climb. And if any of those mutant beasts bit Georgia, she’d be taken down.

They raced into the black, stunted copse of trees nearby. Ash kept looking over his shoulder, slowing when he saw they weren’t being pursued. “Why aren’t they chasing us?”

“I think I know the reason.”

Ash turned to Georgia. She was knee deep in mud, yanking on her right leg to get it free. He raced over to help.

“Don’t come any closer.” She lifted a hand. “You’re much heavier than me. You’ll get trapped, too.”

“Can you get out?”

Georgia shook her head. “Take this little guy. I don’t want him to get trapped.” She lifted the banty off her shoulder and tossed him to Ash.

He caught the creature and set him on the ground.

The banty chirped and twittered, not happy to be rough handled, but didn’t run off.

Ash waded into the sticky, foul smelling mud and grabbed Georgia around the waist. “I’ll pull you up and throw you so you’re clear of the mud.”

“I can get out. I just need something to use as a lever. It can’t be that deep.”

“You don’t know that. You’re still sinking. No arguments.” He lifted Georgia a couple of inches, but she was still stuck in the mud like it was some fast setting glue.

“Those damn Siblet knew we were heading straight into this,” she said.

“Try again. When I lift you up, you jump.”

“Ash! I’m stuck in mud that feels like superglue and there’s nothing to jump off.”

“Try! We have to get out of here.” He looked through the trees and saw a flash of Siblet uniform. They’d be within firing range in less than a minute.

“Find a branch or something I can use,” she said.

“No time. On three, you ready?” he said.

She scowled at him but nodded. “Sure. Go for it.”

“One, two, three!” He bent his knees and threw his weight into lifting Georgia.

It worked. She was free from the mud. Ash slung her to the side, and Georgia landed on a hard patch of dirt.