Way of No Return (Champions of the Crystal Book 8)

Chapter 2.3

Scotty resisted the urge to run through the corridors once he finally reached Praxatillus Control. The night shift was usually quieter than the day shift, he knew from experience, but tonight the lights were on full and there seemed to be more people around than there should be. He grabbed the first tech he ran into. "Where's the Commander?"

"Uh, her office, Major."

"Thanks." Scotty continued on his way, relieved not to find energy weapon scoring on the walls or the scent of explosions in the air. His imagination had worked overtime, stuck down at Bathir with no way to know what was happening.

The line of people waiting outside Mukryilla's office was a new phenomenon. Scotty paused, looking to see if there was anyone he knew, and saw the first wounds he'd encountered. Several techs had bandages on their heads or hands; one woman's arm was in a sling. They all looked like they were in varying degrees of shock and should be sitting down. "Have you all seen a medic?" he demanded.

"Yes, sir," they murmured. The man at the end of the line volunteered, "Everyone's cycling through the med scanners and then reporting to the Commander."

"Thanks, er, Cradin," Scotty said, dredging up the name. He had recently completed several years as Mukryilla's chief aide here in Control, and there wasn't much turnover among the tech staff. "Mind if I cut in?"

Everyone shook their heads. Scotty nodded in thanks and went to the head of the line. When the door opened, he tried to slip inside, only to be prevented by someone else he knew. "Hey, Kander. You okay?"

Captain Seren Kander mustered a grin. "Mostly. Um, I'm trying to push this lot through as fast as I can." He lowered his voice. "I don't know how she's staying upright, but she wants to get this done right away."

Scotty frowned. "She okay?"

Kander grimaced, and Scotty said, "Don't worry, I'll take the blame," and pushed past him. Neither of the two junior aides sitting in the anteroom tried to stop him, and he pushed open the door to the inner office without knocking.

Shock stopped him on the threshold. The pressure bandage covering half Mukryilla's face was meant for temporary use only, but she had apparently been wearing it long past its effectiveness. Blood was seeping into her uniform collar, and Scotty could already see bruising around her jaw. The one eye he could see was dilated, and he could tell from the way she was sitting ramrod straight that there were probably bodily injuries as well.

"Medic in here, now!" he roared over his shoulder.

"Scotty," Mukryilla said, her voice lacking its accustomed crispness. "I need to finish this."

"You need to treat a severe head injury," he retorted. "If you're just taking statements, let Kander do that. Or me. Or anybody else."

"You shouldn't even be here," she muttered.

"Yeah, well, I got bored being stuck in a shelter," he replied, making her grin wearily. He stepped aside as a medic peered cautiously around him. "Good. You take the Commander to the infirmary, immediately. Sedate her if you have to. Kander?"

"Scotty," Mukryilla said, waving off the medic, "you are not in charge here."

"I see one incapacitated Commander and one totally unhurt Major. Guess which one I'm going with?" He grinned, trying to cover his worry. "You gonna make me stage a mutiny?"

Mukryilla gave a long sigh. "Finish taking statements. Kander can help. And find out where those sharding cats are."

Scotty didn't want to delay her, so he hid his confusion. "You need help?" he asked the medic.