her closer to Hawk, and she had not the ability to move any farther away from him.
The Mule hissed, a long, sibilant sound expressing sheer disbelief and revulsion.
Lily took another step, back to the captain’s chair and the ship’s com.
“To those soldiers under Comrade Vanov’s command still remaining on this ship. This is Captain Ransome speaking. Your commander is dead. Put down your weapons and return to your shuttle. If you do so without harming any of this crew, or any part of this ship, we will let you leave unharmed. If you do not, at whatever cost to us, we’ll kill you all.”
A pause, snap, and reply. “Min Ransome? Be it truly you? This is Paisley. I be still in Engineering. I hid.”
“Paisley?” Lily glanced at Pinto. “Did you run the vector coordinates through Engineering?”
“Yes, min.”
Lily did not reply for a moment. Pinto smiled slightly. The Mule hissed, sta-ish laughter.
“Damn my eyes,” Lily murmured. “Stay at your station, Paisley. Well done.” She flipped com to all-channels and waited for what was left of the Jehanist troopers to reply. “Yehoshua, collect their guns. Starting with her .” She made an economical gesture toward Comrade Trey.
Looking grim and not a little queasy, Yehoshua began to pick his way through the corpses.
“Finch.”
He looked up at the sound of Lily’s voice, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. His eyes looked glazed.
“See to Jenny.”
“But—”
“Finch.”
Keeping his gaze averted from Hawk’s unconscious form, he complied.
“Mule. Carry Hawk into my cabin. Clean him up as well as you can.” As the Mule stood up, showing no expression whatsoever at the command, she reconsidered. “And take Pinto and Yehoshua as guards. Armed. Bach, monitor all systems.”
Ship’s com snapped to life.
“Captain? This be Rainbow. Be you there?”
“Yes. What’s your status?”
“Ya comrades gave theyselves up, Captain. We got ya weapons. There be twelve here. Shall we kill them?”
“No. Detail a group to escort those twelve to their shuttle and seal them in. I want you and the others to first make sure the rest of our crew is safe and returned to their stations. I need Flower up here, and you, and as many as you can spare from guarding the shuttle. We’ll have two prisoners for detention, and I’m afraid some rather ugly”—she hesitated, and refrained from glancing around the bridge—“cleanup to do.”
“Sure, Captain,” Rainbow responded. Her voice sounded incongruously cheerful over com. “We got ya bastards, didna we?”
“Get moving,” snapped Lily, because to reply to Rainbow’s question was too painful. “And Yehoshua,” she added, just as he was about to leave, escorting the Mule with its terrible burden, “take Aliasing and Comrade Trey to detention. I’ll want to speak with them later.”
Lia began to cry again, but she did not resist as Yehoshua took her arm—none too gently—to lead her away. Comrade Trey followed dully, looking if anything relieved to be escaping the carnage.
Gregori gave Lia a long, piercing stare as she left. She would not look at him—at anyone. But once the bridge doors sighed together, concealing her, he sidled carefully around the bodies and knelt by Finch. Didn’t say anything, just crouched there, face pale and frightened.
Finch had turned his back on the careless litter of death behind him as he checked over Jenny’s injuries, but he essayed a glance at Gregori—risking a glimpse of the dead soldiers—and patted the boy with tentative solicitude on one arm. “She’ll be all right,” he murmured. “Just a couple days’ rest, and this arm will have to heal.”
“But all the bloods—” Gregori whispered.
Finch winced, and then realized the boy meant on his mother’s head and face. “Head wounds always bleed a lot,” he explained, and winced again, thinking of their throats. Unconsciously, he lifted a hand to brush at his own neck, and he shuddered.
“I need
The Mule hissed, a long, sibilant sound expressing sheer disbelief and revulsion.
Lily took another step, back to the captain’s chair and the ship’s com.
“To those soldiers under Comrade Vanov’s command still remaining on this ship. This is Captain Ransome speaking. Your commander is dead. Put down your weapons and return to your shuttle. If you do so without harming any of this crew, or any part of this ship, we will let you leave unharmed. If you do not, at whatever cost to us, we’ll kill you all.”
A pause, snap, and reply. “Min Ransome? Be it truly you? This is Paisley. I be still in Engineering. I hid.”
“Paisley?” Lily glanced at Pinto. “Did you run the vector coordinates through Engineering?”
“Yes, min.”
Lily did not reply for a moment. Pinto smiled slightly. The Mule hissed, sta-ish laughter.
“Damn my eyes,” Lily murmured. “Stay at your station, Paisley. Well done.” She flipped com to all-channels and waited for what was left of the Jehanist troopers to reply. “Yehoshua, collect their guns. Starting with her .” She made an economical gesture toward Comrade Trey.
Looking grim and not a little queasy, Yehoshua began to pick his way through the corpses.
“Finch.”
He looked up at the sound of Lily’s voice, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. His eyes looked glazed.
“See to Jenny.”
“But—”
“Finch.”
Keeping his gaze averted from Hawk’s unconscious form, he complied.
“Mule. Carry Hawk into my cabin. Clean him up as well as you can.” As the Mule stood up, showing no expression whatsoever at the command, she reconsidered. “And take Pinto and Yehoshua as guards. Armed. Bach, monitor all systems.”
Ship’s com snapped to life.
“Captain? This be Rainbow. Be you there?”
“Yes. What’s your status?”
“Ya comrades gave theyselves up, Captain. We got ya weapons. There be twelve here. Shall we kill them?”
“No. Detail a group to escort those twelve to their shuttle and seal them in. I want you and the others to first make sure the rest of our crew is safe and returned to their stations. I need Flower up here, and you, and as many as you can spare from guarding the shuttle. We’ll have two prisoners for detention, and I’m afraid some rather ugly”—she hesitated, and refrained from glancing around the bridge—“cleanup to do.”
“Sure, Captain,” Rainbow responded. Her voice sounded incongruously cheerful over com. “We got ya bastards, didna we?”
“Get moving,” snapped Lily, because to reply to Rainbow’s question was too painful. “And Yehoshua,” she added, just as he was about to leave, escorting the Mule with its terrible burden, “take Aliasing and Comrade Trey to detention. I’ll want to speak with them later.”
Lia began to cry again, but she did not resist as Yehoshua took her arm—none too gently—to lead her away. Comrade Trey followed dully, looking if anything relieved to be escaping the carnage.
Gregori gave Lia a long, piercing stare as she left. She would not look at him—at anyone. But once the bridge doors sighed together, concealing her, he sidled carefully around the bodies and knelt by Finch. Didn’t say anything, just crouched there, face pale and frightened.
Finch had turned his back on the careless litter of death behind him as he checked over Jenny’s injuries, but he essayed a glance at Gregori—risking a glimpse of the dead soldiers—and patted the boy with tentative solicitude on one arm. “She’ll be all right,” he murmured. “Just a couple days’ rest, and this arm will have to heal.”
“But all the bloods—” Gregori whispered.
Finch winced, and then realized the boy meant on his mother’s head and face. “Head wounds always bleed a lot,” he explained, and winced again, thinking of their throats. Unconsciously, he lifted a hand to brush at his own neck, and he shuddered.
“I need
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