‘They ain’t set to stunt” Mclntyre yelled as energy beams sizzled past them.
They zigzagged the last few yards to the meadow’s edge and plunged down the steep slope, stumbling and falling in me darkness. They made their way toward the thick brush, where they would be safe from the Komani—temporarily.
After a few minutes’ thrashing through the foliage, they found a gulley that led away from the camp. They flopped down, bellies in the dirt, and gasped for breath.
“Everyone okay?” Vorgens asked.
Two grunts answered him. Through the foliage, he could see lights swinging back and forth.
“Sergeant, can you find your way back to the Mobile Force from here?”
“I dunk so, sir,” Mclntyre said.
“Can you evade those guard posts we saw on the way up here^”
•Tes sir.”
They could hear shouts now, and the sounds of men probing through the brush.
“All right, Sergeant,” Vorgens said. “You and Giradaux make a break for it. I’ll scuttle off in another direction, making enough noise for the Komani to spot me. I’ll lead them on as long as I can. You two make certain to get back to Brigadier Aikens.”
“But, sir …”
“You tell Brigadier Aikens—personally—that he’s facing a whole Komani clan, not just a few raiders, plus a large number of native rebels. They’ve got modern weapons of every type.” “Yes sir.” “All right—now get going.” “But—they’re shootin’ to kill. You can’t …” “Sergeant, are you a soldier or a lawyer?” Vorgens could sense Mclntyre’s face going red. “Yesir.
“Now get moving. Don’t worry about me. I’ve got something else in mind. Good luck to you both.”