I found myself laying on my back on the ground, gasping as I tried to catch my breath. My ears were ringing, and I hurt all over from several small cuts and bruises. As near as I could tell though I wasn't seriously injured, so I grabbed my weapon and pulled myself upright.
Jenna and Rebecca were both doing the sa, then all three of us sort of froze when we finally noticed the damage across the street. It actually took a solid second or two just to make sense of what I was seeing, because the view looked very different compared to what was there only a couple seconds earlier.
My gut lurched as I finally realized what happened. The two buildings directly across from us had partially collapsed, and the alley where Jace and his mother had been standing was now a ss of broken concrete and twisted rebar. And laying in the middle of that scattered rubble were two bodies.
That's when I rembered that the raiders' remaining gun-sled was mounted with an artillery piece. And it just hit Mayor Wheeler and her son.
"Ella!" Rebecca shouted as she suddenly dashed past both Jenna and I, out across the wide open street.
I swore as I brought my weapon up then followed my girlfriend, to try and give her so cover. Our android shipmate was right behind , she kept watch to the left while I covered things on the right. Just as we reached the middle of the road all three of us hit the deck again as sothing loud roared past above us. A mont later an arc of brilliant purple light lanced out over our heads, and the settlent was rocked by another explosion off to the west.
"That's the Tullrohane's fighters," Jenna announced. "They just shot down the last raider sled. Jenny says the troop carriers are setting down now too, one next to the Deter and the other on the north-east side of town."
"Tell them we need help out here!" Rebecca responded as we all scrambled the rest of the way to what was left of the other alley.
The boss dropped to her knees next to Ella while I moved to check Jace. I was almost surprised to find he was still alive, but just barely. Even without my dkit or scanner I knew he wasn't going to last long.
I couldn't even count all the injuries, but at a glance I knew he'd suffered a mix of shrapnel wounds from the shell and blunt trauma from the smashed prefab walls. There were head wounds, it looked like one of his lungs had collapsed, his right arm was completely severed at the shoulder, and his right leg was only hanging on by a few strips of flesh just above the knee.
"VDF troops are on the ground," Jenny reported quietly. "I've already signalled them that we need dical aid here imdiately."
I sighed as I pulled the first aid kit out of my jacket pocket. I was tempted to just pump the shattered young man full of painkillers, but I knew the Tullrohane would have a first-class infirmary. There was a minuscule chance they could save his life, so with that in mind I administered a large dose of trauma shot to try and keep him going. He was bleeding from too many places to catch them all with wound sealant, but I did what I could.
anwhile I heard Rebecca talking quietly behind , "Hang in there Ella! We can get you back to the Deter, Jenny can save you! Like I told you before, rember? She can fix you up better than ever."
I finally turned my attention to the mayor. At first glance her condition looked almost as bad, but she was actually still conscious and able to talk. That surprised , but I quickly realized most of her injuries were blunt force from the collapsing wall, rather than directly from the ordinance. I gave her a trauma shot to try and stabilize her, then started applying wound sealant to her nurous injuries.
While I was doing that the old woman slowly shook her head and mumbled, "Not Rebecca. I'm giving my ticket to Jace. Take my boy instead. Please. Save my son."
Hearing that left surprised, for two reasons. First because as far as Mrs. Wheeler knew Jenny's Re/Gen pod would change Jace the way it did for both Cam and Rebecca. That wasn't the case anymore, but the mayor had no way of knowing that. And second, because there was no trace of her usual gruff old abrasive act. She even addressed my girlfriend by her proper na.
anwhile Rebecca looked torn by the request. After a second or two she asked , "How's he doing Amanda?"
I shook my head, "Bad. But he's still with us. Jenny could save him if we get him there fast enough."
"Please Rebecca," Ella whispered. "Don't make beg."
"dics are on the way," Jenna comnted quietly. "ETA ninety seconds."
A mont later the android gave a worried look, "Jenny says Nyssa's in trouble. Three attackers are converging on her location at the mayor's office."
Those words hit like a jolt of adrenaline, while the world around seed to go into slow motion. I stuffed the first-aid kit back into my pocket as I grabbed my weapon, then set off for the mayor's place as fast as I could go.
A second or two later I ca around the corner of another building and saw the Wheelers' house in front of . The door was open, and as I ran towards it I heard the rattle of automatic gunfire from inside.
The muscles in my legs almost hurt as I charged ahead even faster, with my weapon raised and ready. As soon as I reached the doorway my eyes scanned the reception area. Two raiders were on either side of the open door that led to the mayor's office, while a third lay on the floor in a pool of blood. The guy on the right held a submachine gun, while the one on the left was carrying an assault rifle. Both of them had their backs to as their focus and their weapons were directed into the office, where my sister had to be hiding.
The n started turning towards the mont I reached the doorway, but my reflexes were quicker. And I was already facing the right direction with my smart weapon raised and ready.
I pulled the trigger, and the head of the man on the left expanded into a ssy red mist while so large holes appeared in the wall behind him. That shocked both and his buddy, until I rembered my weapon was still set for high velocity and hard target ammunition.
The remaining raider was already shooting as he desperately swung his submachine gun towards , but I was still quicker. I adjusted my aim and fired again, then winced as part of the man's torso disappeared while a few more fist-sized holes appeared in the office wall. The rest of him ended up in a ssy heap on the floor, next to the the other two bodies.
Then I called out, "Nyssa? Are you here?"
"Amanda!" my sister gasped weakly from inside the office. "Please help?"
A second later I was in the office, crouching down beside Preston and Nyssa. They were huddled together on the floor behind the mayor's desk, Mr. Wheeler's back was to the wall and my little sister was leaning back against him.
Nyssa was clutching a large heavy-looking semi-auto pistol in her right hand, while she held her left hand over her abdon. There was enough blood soaked into her clothes to make it clear she'd been shot, probably by one of those raiders I'd found at the office door. Mr. Wheeler seed to be unhurt, and from the look of it he'd been holding and comforting my sister.
Preston took the smart rifle off my hands and pointed it at the doorway while I gently lay Nyssa down on the office floor so I could get a better look at her injuries. I quickly determined that she'd taken a pair of HDLI slugs to the abdon, one on either side of her navel.
"You're going to be ok," I told her as I administered a trauma shot then applied so wound sealant to stop the bleeding. "We'll get the bullet fragnts out later, for now you need to stay still alright? Just try and relax. The shot I gave you should help with the pain."
"Ok sis," she winced. Then she mumbled quietly, "I got one of the raiders. I shot him, before his buddy shot . I'm gonna be a badass, just like my sister."
I grimaced, "I saw that. Where'd you get the gun? And when did you learn to shoot?"
She replied weakly, "Mrs. Wheeler gave it to when the attack started. She said it was lucky. I think she's right."
"Jace taught how to shoot," she added with a little smile. "He took to a gun range in the city. It was a fun date."
At the ntions of his wife and son Preston glanced at and asked, "Did you see Ella and my boy out there? What's going on, are we winning?"
Nyssa added softly, "Is Jace ok?"
I hesitated a mont then shook my head, "Jace and Ella were both hurt. dics should be with them now though, we're going to do everything we can for them. The Vysalis Defence Force is here, I'm sure they've got the raiders on the run."
It was clear from his expression Mr. Wheeler could tell I was holding back. I really didn't know what else to say though. Jenny could potentially save either Jace or Ella, but only one of them was ever listed as being part of the Deter's crew. Mayor Wheeler wasn't on the crew roster anymore, but I had a feeling our AI would still honour Rebecca's offer.
The sound of a couple people entering the front room distracted both of us before the old man could ask for more information. Preston imdiately raised the smart rifle, while I picked up my sister's heavy automatic and pointed it at the entrance.
Fortunately the people out there knew better than to walk right up to the doorway with those three bodies laying just outside. Instead one of them called, "This is Sergeant Curry of the VDF, looking for Miss Voss? Her highness sent us to find you."
"In here!" I responded as I lowered the handgun.
Mr. Wheeler lowered the rifle as well, while two n in dark grey and black military combat uniforms ca in through the door. They were both in their late twenties, with short hair and smooth shaved faces. Each was carrying a carbine-sized assault rifle, but they held the weapons pointed downwards.
Before either could say anything I stated, "My sister's wounded. Can you get a stretcher in here? She needs to be transported to the Deter."
"Yes ma'am," one of the soldiers nodded. He tapped a control on his body armour then spoke into his helt's integrated mic, "We need a stretcher unit at my location."
Thanks to my tall fuzzy ears I was able to hear a woman respond through the built-in speakers in the sergeant's helt, "Two minutes."
With that out of the way the soldier inford , "Her highness requests your presence ma'am. Private Thomson and I will stay with your sister and see that she's looked after."
"Sir," the sergeant added as he looked to Preston, "You should go with Miss Voss."
For a mont I felt torn between knowing my girlfriend needed and wanting to stay with my little sister.
"Go on Amanda," Nyssa mumbled weakly. "Go look after your girlfriend. I'll be ok."
"Thanks sis," I gave her a weak smile as I set the safety on that big handgun then tucked it into my belt.
I retrieved my rifle from Preston, then I led him out of his wife's office and back towards where I'd last seen Ella and Jace. As we approached I found the street was lit up with a bunch of portable lights. There were a half dozen VDF soldiers guarding the area, while two dics were crouched down next Ella as she lay on a stretcher. Rebecca was there too, kneeling by the old woman's right shoulder. There was no sign of Jace though.
Mr. Wheeler moved closer, then when Rebecca realized I was there she got up and stepped back to stand by my side. At the sa ti Preston sank to his knees next to his wife.
"How's she doing?" I asked softly. "Where's Jace?"
Rebecca slipped an arm around my shoulders and pulled into a side hug as she replied, "Jenna and a couple soldiers took him to the ship. They've probably got him in the Re/Gen pod by now."
"How's Nyssa?" she added. "Is she alright?"
I grimaced, "She took a couple HDLI slugs in the gut, but she should be ok. I still need to dig the fragnts out, then she'll be in bed recovering for a while."
After a brief hesitation I asked, "What about Mrs. Wheeler? If they can get her to the Tullrohane's infirmary they might -"
"She already told them no," my girlfriend sighed. "That's the first thing the dics said. She doesn't want to leave her ho, or her husband."
She held a little tighter as she whispered, "Ella's dying and she knows it. They're doing their best to stabilize her, but..."
Her voice trailed off, but I already had a pretty good idea of Mrs. Wheeler's prognosis. I wrapped an arm around Rebecca's waist, and the two of us held each other while we watched the VDF dics do their thing. They both had fully equipped dkits with them, loaded with the latest portable scanners and all the best supplies. Still, there was only so much they could do for the woman without getting her to their ship's infirmary.
After another minute or two Mr. Wheeler got to his feet then approached Rebecca and I while the dics started packing up their gear. The old man looked stricken, like he knew as well as we did that his wife wasn't going to make it. Apparently she was still hanging on well enough to talk though, because the Preston had a question for us.
His voice was low and quiet as he asked, "Ella says you're gonna fix up my boy, sa way you fixed up Cam last year?"
"Yeah," my girlfriend nodded slowly. She kept her voice down too as she told him, "Don't worry, Jace isn't going to co out looking like Cammie. I can't say for sure what's going to happen though. Only that he'll be in perfect health, but he's going to look a little different."
I added softly, "Your son was in much worse shape than the mayor. This is literally his only hope."
Mr. Wheeler sighed, then nodded once. "Alright. We're gonna take Ella back to the house, she wants to be in her own bed. You let know when my boy's alright? And uh, if it's not too late, bring him round the house as soon as you can. Ella's hoping to see him one last ti. I think she wants to say goodbye."
The old man's voice broke once or twice as he said that last part, and I couldn't help feeling for him. He turned away and returned to the mayor's side as a couple VDF soldiers gently lifted her stretcher, then along with one of the dics they set off for the Wheeler's ho.
I caught the way Rebecca was looking as the group left so I suggested softly, "Why don't you go with them? You've got your commlink, we'll let you know if anything else cos up. I have to head back to the ship, Nyssa should be there by now and she needs ."
"Alright Amanda," my girlfriend gave another gentle squeeze. "Thank you. Good luck with your sister."
We exchanged a brief kiss, then she set off after the Wheelers while I turned and headed back towards the Deter. Sure enough there was a VDF troop carrier parked alongside our ugly space-bug of a ship. There were a few more dics there, and they'd set up a triage alongside their transport where they were working on other wounded. I recognized a couple Ganvis militia n laying on stretchers there, including Finn. There were also a few of the raiders being treated, but they were kept separate from the locals. And there were VDF soldiers posted on guard duty as well.
I hesitated a mont, there was a strong temptation to pitch in and help out. They seed to have things under control though, and Nyssa was my top priority. So I continued on my way towards our ship, and sure enough the ramp was down and Jenna was waiting for just inside the main airlock.
"Is Nyssa on board?" I asked. "And how's Jace doing?"
The android relieved of the smart rifle and spare magazines so she could put them away while she replied, "Your sister is resting in the guest cabin. And Mr. Wheeler is with my sister, currently processing. Is the captain on her way back as well?"
I sighed, "Thanks Jenna. Rebecca's staying with Ella and Preston for now. She's got a commlink, so we can reach her if anything cos up."
Then I asked, "Jenny didn't have any problems working with Jace? He's never been part of our crew."
"She had so initial misgivings," Jenny replied, "But given the circumstances and the fact that she's now got those male body files she was willing to make an exception."
She elaborated a mont later, "By circumstances I an Rebecca offered Ella use of the Re/Gen capsule while Mrs. Wheeler was still listed as a mber of the crew. And the mayor specifically asked that her son take her place. In addition, Jace has flown with the Deter twice. And finally, Jenny and I both agreed that saving the young Mr. Wheeler's life would be the right thing to do."
I nodded slowly, "Alright. That all makes sense. I'm glad she's able to help him."
"Shall I seal up the ship for now?" the android asked. Then she gestured to that big chunky handgun I still had tucked into my belt and added, "Would you like to stow that"
I nodded, "Close up the ship please. And no, this belongs to Nyssa. I'll leave it with her stuff."
Jenna hit the controls to raise the ramp and close the airlock while I headed aft towards the lift in engineering. She caught up with a few seconds later, and I realized she was carrying my dkit.
"Thanks Jenna," I grimaced as she handed it over. "I forgot I'd left that by the airlock."
She gave a sympathetic smile as we started up to the main deck, "You're welco Amanda. Perhaps you should get so rest after you've checked on Nyssa?"
"Yeah," I agreed with another sigh. "That's a good idea. Thanks again."
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