End Game Charlie: The Dragon Mage 12, page 27
A moment later they were back outside, only this time inside the tall fencing surrounding the field areas, and under the intertwined defensive grid above. It was the only thing that actually seemed to have been put in place to thwart attackers, though Charlie couldn’t help but wonder if it wasn’t more to prevent a jail break. In a big open field like this, without it a ship could theoretically drop in, grab a prisoner, and fly out before anyone could stop them. It was what had kept the dragons from even considering the idea.
Unfortunately, Arlo and Ripley had no idea help was on the way, and even if Kip could fly in, he wouldn’t know where among the tens of thousands of workers to land. By the time he did, he’d surely be targeted and possibly blasted from the sky.
So, on foot it would be.
Bawb led Charlie out into the field to begin their search.
Meanwhile, Hunze was guiding her prisoner into the storage area. Surprisingly, there were a few Urvalin milling about, sorting boxes and shifting them to different racks. She noted that a few items seemed to be unattended on the tables with no box around.
These workers would never dream of stealing from the Urvalin. But from lowly prisoners? Well, there was bound to be some good pillage in their personal items.
Hunze reached out with her magic, testing the air, trying to sense the Bakana rod. It was something no one else could do, as the device was undetectable in its dormant state. But Hunze was different. She had been broken free of captivity by a Bakana rod, and her connection with it under such an extreme situation of duress and power had made her sensitive to it even when not in use.
To anyone else it would just look like a regular old rod. A metal walking stick, perhaps, or some such useless item. She turned slowly, feeling for it.
“There,” she said. “It is in that row.”
Voices drew closer. More Urvalin, carrying boxes, it seemed. And they turned right into the area they needed to go.
“What do we do?” Skohla whispered. “They’re blocking the way.”
“Leave that to me,” the Ootaki replied with a little grin.
Hunze pulled a tiny thread of her magic and cast it into the racks of personal effects, tugging hard. The racks buckled as though from an improperly placed load, and boxes began to tumble.
“Look out!” she called to the workers.
The Urvalin looked up and realized what was happening just in time to duck aside, dropping their boxes as they fled. A mess of stored items rained down from above for a good twenty seconds before things stabilized and the debris ceased falling.
“Are you okay?” Hunze asked, rushing forward.
“Yes, thanks to you,” the nearest woman replied.
“I saw it beginning to go from where I was standing,” Hunze said, slowly scanning the fallen items, but not in the way the Urvalin thought she was. There it was. She could feel it. The Bakana rod was here. “What a mess,” she said, wading into the pile and pulling boxes free, making it seem as though she was looking for anyone trapped underneath.
Her fingers felt a hard length of metal, and her body nearly reacted from muscle memory. She fought it down, keeping her disguise in place, but only just. The other Urvalin were already at work doing the same, pulling the boxes up and starting to straighten out the area.
“I still have a prisoner to finish processing,” Hunze said. “Once I have finished, I’ll return to help you.”
The thankful Urvalin flashed her an appreciative smile and thanked her, then turned to work with the others. Hunze shoved the Bakana rod, as well as a random box she had grabbed, into Skohla’s arms and ushered her out of the area. Once clear, they turned for the exit.
As they’d suspected when they came in, no one gave them a second glance on the way out. And with a prisoner carrying items like manual labor, why would they?
“Do not drop those,” Hunze barked, as they exited the compound. “Come one, now. Keep moving!”
She was playing the part to the hilt, and it was working. None of the other Urvalin suspected a thing. She had managed to retrieve the Bakana rod without detection and would be back at the ship in a few minutes.
Now it was up to Bawb and Charlie.
Chapter Forty-Five
Bawb gave Charlie a rough shove on the back as they walked deeper into the fields. “Keep moving,” he growled as they passed one of the Urvalin overseers keeping an eye on the workforce.
They trudged along, passing through several different varieties of crops on the way. They started off weaving through tall stalks of something that looked like a bulbous version of corn, though that was only a guess as they would have to snap one of the pods off and look inside to confirm that theory. Something the Urvalin would undoubtedly take exception to.
They stepped from the shadows of those plants into open sunlight and long mounds of what appeared to be a tuber of some sort, judging by the way the crop seemed to be underground, not above.
Next were groves of trees, their branches laden with unripe fruits. Then came waist-high shrubs, bursting with bright-red berries. Judging by the thorns on the plants, Charlie wondered if perhaps they hadn’t taken on that color from all the blood they’d absorbed from the workers picking them.
Bawb shoved Charlie hard again, making him nearly trip. The Urvalin overseer in this section chuckled to himself and gave the disguised assassin a knowing nod. He hated the prisoners too, it seemed. But Bawb had different reasons.
“What the hell, Bob?” Charlie grumbled. “No need to be so rough, it’s just an act.”
“And you are meant to act meek.”
“I am acting meek.”
“As meek as a Zomoki-riding visla, you mean.” Bawb let out a little sigh. “You are emotionally involved in this, Charlie. And, despite our mission, you are itching for a fight.”
“I am not.”
“You forget how well I know you.”
“Okay, fine. I guess maybe I do want to kick someone’s ass right about now. But can you blame me?”
“Not at all. They have captured our friends. More than that, they have invaded our home, cutting you off from your loved one. But you have trained for this, Charlie. You know what you must do. Take all of that out of the equation. Let it wash from you like the blood will rinse off your hands when we have finally ended the Urvalin threat.”
“Stop talking dirty. With all that blood talk, you’re getting me worked up,” Charlie joked.
“We will have our day,” Bawb continued. “But this is not it. Now, do as you have practiced.”
Charlie knew Bawb was right. He had to settle into his role. He took a deep breath, letting his ego slip away as he fell into character. His shoulders hunched, as though he were a broken, beaten-down prisoner. His footfall became less sure, belying a wary state of mind. And hardest of all, he let his worries for Leila slide to the back of his mind, never gone entirely, but not distracting him from his work.
He had done an admirable job of it so far, but with every day the likelihood of her giving birth increased. And now knowing the Urvalin had actually invaded his homeworld, he was nearly beside himself with worry. But Charlie couldn’t let that show. He had to bring his A game. Many more lives than just theirs depended on it.
“I think I see them,” Bawb said. “There, ahead on the right.”
Charlie squinted, but even from a distance it was pretty clear who they were looking at. “Yeah, that’s them. The only humanoid-looking people in this area.”
It was a stroke of luck that the teens had not been moved to another field as of yet. When Charlie was walked out to begin his first shift, the guard had told Bawb to bring him to this section to start harvesting Walla berries with the other newcomers. The thorns were a bitch, he said, but at least they were easy to pick.
The harder crops, it seemed, were saved for after the new arrivals had become acclimated to a life of labor. It was the first mildly compassionate thing they’d heard the Urvalin do so far. Though that was likely only because if they wore out the prisoners on their first day they would have to divert resources getting them back on their feet rather than benefiting from their labor in the fields.
The two men made their way toward the teens, casually scouting out the location of any other Urvalin in the area. As these were new arrivals and more likely to be a problem, there were several overseers in the general vicinity, but even then they did not seem overly concerned with their charges.
“Keep working, and do not look up,” the disguised assassin said as he shoved Charlie toward the others.
“Bawb?” Ripley asked.
Charlie settled in beside her. “Speak quietly, Ripley. And keep working.”
“Charlie? What are you two doing here? Did they capture you too?”
“We’ve come to get you out of here.”
“But how?” Arlo asked. “It’s great to see you and all, but in case you hadn’t noticed, we’re in a prison camp.”
“You let us worry about that,” Bawb replied.
Arlo tensed up. “Oh, crap. Charlie, we had something for you, but the Urvalin, they—”
Charlie nodded slightly. “Yeah, a Bakana rod. We know. Drombus and Duzza told us.”
“Then you know the Urvalin took it from us.”
“Do not worry,” Bawb said quietly. “It is being retrieved as we speak.”
“But, how?”
“Leave that to us. We’ve got it all under control,” Charlie said. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Ripley heard the slight hitch in his voice and, against Bawb’s directions, looked up at him. She could see the look in his eyes, the worry, the sadness. It was apparent to anyone who knew what to look for.
“Oh, you don’t know,” she said. “Leila is okay.”
“I heard she was unharmed. For now, at least.”
“No, it’s more than that. My mom and Grundsch are with her. They’ve been looking out for her, keeping her away from the Urvalin. And Baloo is with her, of course. And Bahnjoh. And from what I heard, they’ve been seriously messing up anyone who comes after them.”
Charlie felt a rock-hard knot of tension release in his chest for the first time since their arrival. Others would still linger with his myriad concerns, but this one, the most important one, was gone. Leila was really okay. She was safe.
“She’s okay,” he said with a relieved sigh.
“Yeah. Ready to pop from what I heard, but safe and in good health.”
Hearing that she was so close to giving birth steeled Charlie’s resolve and fired his desire to get back home. And with the Bakana rod, that would be sooner than later.
“We’re getting you out of here,” he said. “Just follow our lead.”
“How?” Arlo asked as he picked the sticky berries. “There are guards everywhere.”
“Not so many as you think,” Bawb noted.
“Is Ara with you? Are you going to have her fly in and blast them all with fire?”
“No, Arlo, nothing so brash,” the assassin said. “We are going to walk right out of here. Casual and unnoticed, not raising any alarms.”
“But if Ara’s here—”
“Not fighting is the best option if at all possible. We have been having our own interactions with the Urvalin since we have been in this galaxy, and a lot rides on our remaining unobserved. The Urvalin do not know we are here, and we must keep it that way.”
“So what do we do?” the teen asked.
“You fight.”
“What?” he asked just as Charlie tackled him to the ground.
“He said fight,” he quietly growled. “And make it look good.”
Arlo was no match for Charlie, that he knew all too well, but he was determined to make a good show of it, if that’s what was required. Charlie, for his part, could not display any of his customary skill and allowed the boy to strike him more than once.
“Good. Just like that,” he said as he delivered a quick jab to Arlo’s jaw. It was a pulled punch, but the impact still made the boy’s head recoil.
“Enough!” Bawb bellowed, stepping between them, grabbing them both by their collars and hauling them up onto their toes. “You will be disciplined for this disobedience.” He pulled them forcefully back the way they’d come. “Girl, you are to come as well. Do not fall behind!”
Ripley gathered her basket along with Arlo’s and hurried after them.
“Where are we going?” Arlo whispered. “That’s their base of operations.”
“I am aware,” Bawb replied.
“We can’t go through there. That’s where they all are.”
“As I said, I am aware. And that is our way out. Now, silence. Not a word.”
“What could we say? We don’t speak their language. And hang on, how are you speaking it?”
“Bone-conduction comms patches,” Charlie said. “We’ve got Kip tied in making real-time translations for us. That, and we’ve had a bit of practice by now.”
Bawb yanked on their collars a bit harder. “Hush, both of you. We are nearly there. Ripley, you may drop the baskets.”
She did as she was told, wiping her hands on her work clothes as Bawb led the three prisoners toward the building.
He nodded to the guard at the door, who, just as before, opened it for him without question. He did not hesitate, quickly ushering the workers through the building toward the facility exit.
“Hey, where are you taking those?” a guard asked, stepping in front of them.
Charlie tensed up, ready for a fight, but Bawb just carried on as though this was no problem at all.
“I was told to bring them for transport. This lot are being relocated,” he improvised.
The guard looked him over with what could only be described as disdain. “What are you, some kind of idiot?”
“I—”
“You know the rules. All prisoners have to be taken out of the worker exit.”
“Of course. How foolish of me. With these two giving me a hard time, it slipped my mind.”
“Well, don’t let it happen again. And if they act up any further, let me know and I’ll give them a good reason to behave.”
“Thank you,” Bawb said, already moving in the direction the guard had noted. “I’ve got this.”
The guard watched them walk for a moment, then he turned and went back to his duties.
“Almost there,” Charlie whispered as the doors came into view.
Bawb led them outside into the fresh air with the confidence of someone on a mission. No one thought to stop him. Why would they? Prisoner transfers were a common occurrence, after all. He pushed on, leading them toward the transit area. Eyes were on them now, and there was simply no way to change course to reach Kip. They would have to play this out.
“There,” Charlie hissed. “A small transport vehicle.”
Bawb saw it and hauled them toward it, ordering them to climb into the back before he jumped into the front seat.
“You know how to drive one of these?” Charlie asked through the divider.
“I will learn quickly,” Bawb replied.
He powered the floating transport on. There were no keys required. After all, who would steal from the Urvalin? He pulled away from the facility and headed out of town as quickly as possible.
“Kip, we are going to have to meet you outside of the immediate area. We are in an Urvalin transport vehicle. Follow my signal and rendezvous when we are in the clear.”
“On my way,” Kip replied, silently taking flight.
He saw the course they were on and hurried ahead, landing beside the roadway where no one would see him. A few minutes later, Bawb pulled up where he was directed and let the prisoners out of the vehicle.
“Thanks, Bob,” Charlie said. “Well done.”
“But where’s our ride?” Ripley asked.
“Hey, Rip,” Kip said as his airlock hatch uncloaked and opened for them. “So glad to see you guys.”
“Kip!” she squealed as she hopped into the craft. “Oh, man, it’s great to see you too!”
The others quickly piled inside and sealed the hatch. And with that, they took flight, the Urvalin none the wiser that they had ever been there.
Chapter Forty-Six
Charlie had opted to stay aboard Kip when they rejoined the others. While he preferred riding with Ara on most occasions, this, most certainly, was not most occasions.
“Tell me everything,” he said as soon as they had cleared the atmosphere undetected and rendezvoused with their friends hiding out on the nearby moon.
Arlo and Ripley were exhausted from their relatively short stint at working hard labor in the fields, but both perked up once they had a few electrolyte pouches and some snacks in them.
“Thanks,” Arlo said, tossing the crumpled beverage packet into the waste receptacle. “They really didn’t give us much to drink out there.”
“Of course, happy to help out. But what news do you have from back home? Why did you come here? We only got a partial story from the dragons.”
“Ah, yeah, that,” Ripley said as she finished her nutrition bar and washed it down. “We were with Rika and Marban trying to get the Bakana rod to you, when things went kinda sideways.”
“I thought Malalia was with you.”
“Her? Nah. She was back on Earth with Fatima. I tell you, she’s been messing with the Urvalin something fierce. Hard to believe, right?”
“Beyond that,” Charlie said. “But why didn’t she fly with you to the portal if she’s got her power back? She’d be quite an asset, if what you’ve said is true.”
“Because no matter how she may have reformed, a Bakana rod is a lot of power,” Ripley said. “Rika didn’t want to tempt her with it. You know how easy it is to fall off the wagon.”
“I see. So, she’s working with Fatima and dealing with the Urvalin on Earth. Now, tell me again, how exactly is this Urvalin tech blocking thing working?”
“It’s a bunch of microsats,” Arlo said. “Cal told me how it works. Well, he told Marty, who then told me. Same difference, though. Anyway, they deployed them to look like a bunch of inert space rocks. You know the kind, just random debris. But when they got into position they powered up and interlinked. Something about the Allpower and tech they use working in tandem that let them create what amounts to a force field or something. If anything running on conventional power flies through it, blammo, it all goes dead.”
