Michael Hudson - Thieves of Light

"Then we'll have to go up and get them," Bhodi said.

"How? Charge the ridge? Face facts, Bhodi. We're outgunned. Let's be glad Majestic's got a thick skin and go see if we can help the Sarge."

That was when both heard the welcome sound of Li-hon's voice demanding their report. Parcival quickly summarized the situation for Li-hon, courteously leaving out any mention of Bhodi abandoning his post.

"Stay put," Li-hon said. "We'll be there in a moment."

Four made a crowd in the entry way. Li-hon took the spot nearest the open hatch, with Parcival pressed into a corner beside him. Pike filled the middle of the chamber, and Bhodi found himself pushed nearly out of the compartment and completely out of the conversation.

"How many do you think?" Li-hon asked Parcival.

"There's only a single fire point. I'd say one, with a C-class laser cannon."

"Another Dog?" Pike wondered.

"No," Li-hon said. "They don't have the discipline to work as snipers. A Dog would've come charging down out of the rocks the minute we stepped out of the pod."

"A Destructor, then."

"That's my guess," Parcival said.

Li-hon nodded. "He's there to pick off anyone that gets away from the Dogs. Except he should have left the pod alone, so we'd have a reason to come out. Not too smart."

"Like I said, a Destructor," Pike said with a crooked grin. "What do you say?"

"Whatever we do, we have to do fast."

"Why?" Bhodi said from the rear.

Li-hon twisted his head to look back at Bhodi. "Because the Arrians can't support a nest this deep in our territory, and they wouldn't just abandon a team here, even for a clever ambush."

Bhodi suddenly understood. "Which means that there's an Arr ship somewhere upstairs playing hide and seek with Zephyr and a warren somewhere down here with the crystals inside."

"Exactly so. And if we want to get them back and save this planet for the Light, we've got to get moving."

"Not to mention if we want to get out of this valley alive."

"That, too."

Pike edged forward to steal a peek out the door. "Quiet out there now. Do you have the spot?"

"Yes," Li-hon said. "If he hasn't moved."

"I'll bet he is moving. He's got his choice of a thousand meters of ridge."

"Ideas, anyone?" Li-hon asked.

Pike shook his head. "There isn't going to be much we can do if our friend keeps his head down. Gonna be hard to get above him. What about a little air support? Let Mlas bring the other pod down and have a shot at him."

"No," Li-hon said. "He may have friends elsewhere in the rocks. We can't risk the second pod."

Bhodi suggested, "What about the chances of cutting the cliff out from under his feet? Parcival?"

"I was thinking about that myself and ran a couple quick calculations. That's solid granite. I don't think we could cut it faster than he could move."

Pike looked to Li-hon and eyed the pair of club-handled grenades tucked into the Qeth's utility belt. "Think you can reach the top with a tin can?"

"If I have time to get out the door and get my feet planted solidly, and if we can keep him from burning it on the way down."

"And if we know where he is."

"I'll draw," Parcival said, edging toward the door.

"I'll cover," Pike said. "Give me the pipe."

Li-hon unsnapped the sling on the pulse cannon and passed it to Pike.

"What do you want me to do?" Bhodi asked.

"Stay put."

"No," Bhodi said. "Not again. I'll draw. Not Parcival."

"Don't treat me like a kid, Bhodi," Parcival said. "It's my job."

"It's not that," Bhodi said, shaking his head. "I'm faster than you are, so I've got a better chance of not getting hit. And I'm less valuable than you, so if I do get hit, it doesn't matter."

Parcival looked to Li-hon, asking for his adjudication.

"Right on both counts," Li-hon pronounced. "Come up here, Bhodi. You're first out the door."

Bhodi did not quite understand why he had volunteered to offer himself as a target to the Arrian gunner high in the rocks. But as he crouched in the doorway, tensing in anticipation of Li-hon's signal, he knew that it was the right thing to do.

It was more than rebellion against being sheltered from danger, more than his inability to forget that Parcival was the same age as Ralphie-next-door, who still cried over skinned knees. It was more even than pride and ego driving him to show that he wasn't afraid.

It was, he thought, linked somehow to the sudden insight that, in this moment at least, the platoon was better with him than without him-that with his contribution, more of them might make it back to Zephyr, even if he himself did not.

That seemed to be the reason, but it did not make sense. He owed them nothing, least of all his own life. He hadn't accepted their fight as his own, hadn't acknowledged any responsibility for anyone's survival but his own. But here he was, about to tempt fate twice, and perversely happy about it.

He locked his gaze on the burned-out shell of the pod. If I can reach there, I'll have cover, he told himself. What's the world record time for 200 meters? Twenty seconds? I could sure hit me with that much time Li-hon touched Bhodi's shoulder. "We're ready. Remember-evasive. You can't outrun a phaser bolt."

"Fine last words for me to hear," Bhodi said and leaped out onto the sand.

There was no place for Parcival in the queue that was forming at the door, so he maneuvered himself into a place where he and the combat recorder built into the chest pod would have a clear view of the action.

Bhodi was the first out, lighting down smoothly and sprinting toward the pod. His long strides ate up the open ground quickly-ten meters, twenty, thirty. Parcival caught himself whispering under his breath: Run, Bhodi, run like you never have.

Then the Arrian sniper opened up, and things started happening. Bhodi ran through the fringe of the sniper's ranging shot, stumbled and broke stride. Parcival feared for a moment that Bhodi was going to fall down, which would almost certainly be fatal. But he caught himself and angled sharply right, limping slightly.

An eye blink later, Li-hon jumped down to the ground, his gaze locked on the sniper's new location. After a two-step windup that reminded Parcival of an outfielder cranking up for a throw from right field to home, Li-hon let fly with the grenade in his right hand.

At the same time, Pike stood up in the entry way and opened fire, raking the cliff's edge with the pulse cannon. His efforts created a cascade of rock litter down the near-vertical slope and drew the sniper's attention away from Bhodi.

The grenade arched high in the air, propelled by Li-hon's muscular explosion. But either his estimate of the distance was wrong or his injured left leg did not give him the thrust he needed. The grenade bounced harmlessly against the granite wall a bare meter or two from the top, skittered down the face, and exploded harmlessly in midair.

Head turned to the side as he ran, Bhodi saw the grenade fall short, and Parcival could almost feel Bhodi's anxiety surge to new heights in the instant following. His gait noticeably slowed by the hit he had taken, Bhodi lowered his head and cut back to the left.

But Bhodi was no longer the most important target for the Arrian. Following typical Destructor priorities, the sniper Fixed his attention on the largest "enemy" at hand. Majestic's hull sizzled as the sniper poured energy onto it. Pike answered back shot for shot, trying to force the sniper to cover.

Li-hon stood calmly in the open, seemingly oblivious to the thousands of watts of energy pouring down in his direction from the cliff. He armed the second grenade, took it in his left hand this time, and hurled it toward the rocks with a Herculean effort. His left leg buckled and he went to one knee to watch the flight of the clublike bomb, making no effort to retreat into the wreck.