Vorgens straddled his flyer and touched the buttons on the pummel that activated the machine. The flyer seemed to pulse into life. It stirred and vibrated, as though waiting for a command to action. He glanced at Sittas and Altai. They both seemed ready to go, although Vorgens worried about the priest’s ability to handle the machine.
At a nod from Altai they started off, keeping low and sticking as much as possible to the shadows until they were weB away from the Komani camp. Then they soared above treetop level and made better time.
As they skimmed along, Vorgens allowed Sittas to set the pace for them. The old man had some difficulty managing the flyer, but with Vorgens and Altai staying side by side with him, they got along without any real trouble.
They flew toward the valley where the Mobile Force as encamped, and landed on a hillside nearby, after less than an hour’s flight. They edged the flyers into the bushes, where they would be reasonably safe from discovery.
“I’ll go the rest of the way on foot,” Vorgens said. “If I tried flying over the guard posts at night they’d shoot me down automatically.”
Sittas nodded. “What will you do after you get there?”
“I’ve got to convince Brigadier Aikens to break out of this valley. He’s hopelessly outnumbered if he sits there and tries to battle it out. There’ll be a slaughter … on both sides.”
“If you do get the Ten-am forces out of this trap, what then?”
Vorgens shook his head. “I don’t know. We’ll be buying time. We’ll be saving lives. That’s enough for now.”