The tech arched his eyebrows and nodded. “Yes sir.” He disappeared inside the hatch.
Vorgens’ face knitted into a frown. Something was wrong. Altai isn’t the type that panics—but she’s flying here to see me—instead of using the tri-di. Something is very wrong.
Yet, strangely, he felt pleased that she was coming to him. No matter what the trouble was, he would be glad to see her.
About a half-hour later, a lone Komani flyer whizzed over the meadow, then slowed and spiraled down lower. Vorgens could see Altai’s hair streaming in the wind. She potted the Watchman, and put the flyer down beside the troop carrier.
Vorgens clambered down from the groundcar as she ran up toward him.
“It’s Merdon,” she said breathlessly, before he could ask anything. “He’s gone wild. Okatar is sending a column of .troops to sack Katan—where his father lives. Merdon is gathering up as many men as he can to attack Okatar’s main camp and kill him.”
It took Vorgens a moment to digest the news. “But that’s insane,” he said finally. “The camp is too heavily guarded for him to get through. It’s a suicide mission, and it won’t help his father in Katan.”
Altai nodded. “Katan is too far away to be reached in time. The Komani troops will be there tomorrow morning, at the latest. Even if Merdon had enough groundcars for his men, he couldn’t be there until late in the afternoon. What can we do? He’ll kill himself!”
Vorgens looked at her. Altai’s lovely face was twisted with worry over Merdon.
“Has he at least told his father about the attack?”