Wolf Heart

Chapter 55

Planet: Kestra, Odaport Compound

First Insurgency War

MAIA

Maia rushed through the Insurgent compound with her autoblaster at the ready with each corner she checked. All clear so far. Her inner comms beeped in her ear, with the contact information spreading on the side of her visor, but she focused on the task at hand. "Black Wolf?"

"Mouse, I got him."

Maia faltered around another corner, and one more check before daring to relax. "You got him?"

"Yeah."

James' tone filled with exhaustion and a sense of sheepishness. Maia scowled, then asked, "What happened?"

"Get over here. I'm sending you my coordinates in the facility. Send a message to General Falae that we'll be over at the site," he instructed without hesitation before hanging up. Coordinates flashed on the other side of her screen, guiding her to where she lost track of James in their siege of the quiet Insurgent base.

They all left. They knew. Maia sent a quick confirmation to General Falae and the secret holding site before following the small map at the side of her screen to the coordinates. On her knees by the door, she listened for anything suspicious, but free of the tension, she opened her way to James' coordinates.

Empty storage crates lifted around the walls, where floating platforms rested in suspended animation. In a cluttered mess, James knelt beside another shape with a heavy-lidded expression while his hand rested on the shape's head. Maia raced for them with a hiss. Flattened on his back, Rayan Falae, eyes closed but breathing deep. Maia went to his other side to investigate, then scowled at Black Wolf and took off her mask. "You were supposed to let me know before you advanced on him."

"I know, Mouse," James hissed while pain creased the corners of his eyes. "I might've... fucked up."

"What do you mean 'I might've fucked up'?" Maia pushed her finger into Rayan's cheek. "What happened? Did he resist or something?" She kept her distance while James drew his fingers across Rayan's temples with a searching frown, where the black strands tangled between his fingers. "James? Talk to me?"

James released a sigh and let Rayan go. "He resisted a little, but not nearly as much as I honestly expected him to."

"Okay, and going back to what you meant by saying 'I might've fucked up'."

James set his hand on his knee and refused to look at her. Maia tapped Rayan's chest before standing and opening her communication line. "Alpha-3 reporting in from Eteran base," she said, careful to not reveal too much to any outside influence who listened in. "Requesting immediate EVAC from Landing Site Delta in Quadrant six-four." Maia checked her wristpad, then turned back to James when he scooped Rayan into his arms. "Cargo retrieved and enroute to location." Comms closed off her message, she sighed. "Black Wolf."

"I'll carry him," Black Wolf said in a cautious voice before lifting Rayan off the ground. "Let's just get to the landing site and to General Falae's location."

By the time they escaped the Insurgency base, Maia reflected on the abandoned state of their entry. James hung close to Rayan when they strapped him into the resting seat of the transport. It took them to a small compound out in the Eteran wilderness, out of the eyes of the Sanctum Strike Forces. Maia helped James lift Rayan out of the transport and put him on a gurney, where soldiers rolled him into the safety of the base.

"So, mind telling me what happened while we wait?" Maia asked.

James folded his arms as they entered with the rest of the cargo Maia marked for retrieval within the base. "I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled. "I just want to sit down for a minute." He sat down in the corridor where they took Rayan Falae down to the holding chambers for interrogation. Hand on his heart, he frowned deeper and never smiled.