Both of the outer segments had blasted us, one up at Maze’s group, the other direct at mine. We’d managed to move in time, Auron just barely clearing the upper edge of the purple, but the interface showed me Zee’s location plummeting in a way which was absolutely wrong.
Maze and Ferus dove after her. Ruuel, breathing hard from the effort of moving everyone so quickly, said: "Swoops from mark four. Auron, take over carriage and bring us rapidly over it and down. Sonn, full power into the detached part."
Ferus had caught Zee. He and Maze paused together, then Maze said, voice tight: "Rendezvous with the others."
Lohn took care of the swoops behind us as Sonn dropped another ball of lightning down onto the damaged segment. We descended rapidly, meeting together on another roof. Zee was limp and still, but I knew from the mission display that she was alive. Ruuel let me go and turned to watch the massive, saying: "It’s reorienting."
"Restart enhancement rotation," Maze said, brushing a finger against my arm. "Looks like the second ball of lightning has had some impact. We’ll work on detaching the other segment. Keep moving. Spel, join us with Gainer and Halla."
Ferus passed Zee to Auron, enhanced, and then he and Maze took off again.
"We’ll work on finishing off the injured segment," Ruuel said. "Kettara, use Light element. The rest, whatever minor seems most likely to damage it." Lohn and Mara re-enhanced, and I went back to being Auron’s carting-about problem. I was too caught up in the fight and worrying about Zee to spare much attention to the whole grabbed-by-Ruuel thing. I’ve been thinking about it plenty since. He was going all-out, at his limit of Levitation and Telekinesis talents, and I could feel his chest move as he gasped for air. If I hadn’t been panicking, I probably would have enjoyed that a lot.
The damaged segment didn’t seem able to produce the purple beam any more, or didn’t have a chance before we rained Light and Fire and Ice down on it. The other segment shot at Maze and Ferus, but forewarned they were able to dodge and pelt it with big chunks of the buildings it had been tromping over. The rest of the Setari swung around and toasted that side as well.
The centre section was still alive, though, and still moving, crushing more of the city in the process. We all dropped down to another roof, very close to it, meeting up with Ketzaren, Alay and Halla.
"Take Annan back to the ship," Maze told Ketzaren. "Spel, enhanced Sonics on the main body."
Alay nodded, taking my hand and squeezing it: I’ve no doubt I was looking wide-eyed and pale. We all moved back behind her then, with the ship behind us, and I found out that Alay’s Sonic talent is a really scary thing. Like Ketzaren’s Wind, it’s something that takes her a long time to build to a seriously destructive level, but even with our ears covered and not being the focus of her attack, my bones started aching. The massive began to wail and rock, and every bird and animal in its direction which hadn’t fled already burst from cover and ran.
It died unspectacularly. I expect if it had anything recognisable as a head, blood would have run from its eyes and nose and ears. As it was, it just stopped moving and wailing and settled down on the crushed remains of the buildings below. Alay stopped shredding our ears and let out her breath. She turned her head and just for a moment I saw her face. Naked. I know that Maze lost his wife in the last massive attack, and now I know that Alay must have lost someone too.
"Escort Ionoth are still emerging," Ruuel said, and added either to me or to our audience on the Diodel: "Massives are usually trailed by other Ionoth, particularly swoop roamers."
"We’ll pause here for recovery and then clear," Maze said.
"Pandora control is sending reinforcements," Tsel Onara added, voice crisp but with just a hint of relief, or respect. Massives are well-named.
Most of the Setari began eating the energy bars Ruuel had handed out earlier. I had mine in a pocket, but ignored it, for all I was really hungry. I figured it wouldn’t be that long before we went back to the Diodel and had some food which didn’t leave a tarry-sweet aftertaste in my mouth.
Lohn came over and gave my shoulders a squeeze. "Remember when you asked if enhancement was worth all the complication of rotations?" he asked. "This is what it comes to – the difference between dozens of us bouncing attacks off one of these things, or a handful with enough impact to penetrate its defences."
I smiled a bit weakly, feeling shakier than I usually do after working with the Setari, and asked: "How bad is Zee injured?"
"Her vitals are steady," Maze said, coming across to give me a quick captain-survey. "The attack seemed to be electricity-based, intended to stun prey and not strong enough to kill a healthy person. Though it would be another matter if we’d not caught her." He gave Ferus an approving glance.
"Surion."
There was something in Ruuel’s tone which made us all look at him, and then follow his gaze to a building far up the hill. Two dark figures were watching us. Distance and the thin light of dawn made detail unclear, but I knew them anyway. Cruzatch.
I glanced at Maze, but he was being pure captain, surveying the watching pair before saying: "Any others?"
"Not that I’ve sensed."
"Out of range of an immediate kill." Maze frowned. "The nearest gate to that location is one street beyond. We’ll feint a retreat back toward the ship, then split and attempt to circle and catch them between us."
Ruuel nodded, and the Setari broke into two groups, Auron tucking me under his arm again. They were very intent, grim. I guess, since Maze thinks the Cruzatch are organised and actively working against the Setari, he didn’t want to give them a chance to report back.
When we split, Fourth Squad headed straight for the gate while First took a swift, circling loop toward the Cruzatch. One of them launched itself at First, while the other did as Maze had predicted and went for the nearest gate.
I’d not seen a Cruzatch fighting before. There’s an eerie similarity to the Setari in their speed and the way they grow weapons – though the Cruzatch Ruuel fought created long claws from its fingertips rather than a sword from its arm. It was very fast, too, if no match for Ruuel, especially Ruuel enhanced. The thing I hated, though, was the way it almost seemed to be getting off on fighting him, like it knew it would just come back if he won.
"Clear the emergents and rendezvous back at the Diodel," Maze ordered, and we spent another half hour chasing down swoops and one of those stilt things. Then it was hot showers and hot food and First and Fourth Squad were just about recovered from their wake-up call when two shuttles from Pandora arrived. It had a bunch of greysuits who wanted to investigate the massive, and more greensuits, and Ninth Squad, which I’d had nothing to do with before.
I took the opportunity of everyone being distracted by their arrival to go see Zee. She was still unconscious, looking very crumpled and bruised for such a tall, fit woman. The doctor’s letting me sit with her, and they think she should wake up soon, but I’ve managed to write this entire diary entry without her so much as twitching.
Setari Musical Chairs
Zee woke up. I’d fallen asleep – one of those post-too-much-enhancement power naps I’m getting used to taking – and when I opened my eyes she was lying on her side watching me.
"Just a few moments too slow," she said, voice dragging a little. "Nasty shock to the system. I’ll be joining Alay in rehabilitation for a while."