The alcohol burned painfully as it went down his throat. Traejan sat on the cold deck of the lifter, leaning over his knees, put the bottle down by his foot. He couldn’t think of any other way to calm his nerves down. They were on the edge of mech country – on the edge!

The bottle didn’t help much, just made his mental arguments less coherent. Traejan rubbed his face, slammed a fist hard against the crate behind him.

Why did he put up with Althea’s caginess? Kyso’s unquestioning trust of her? He was going to need to have to find some way of ensuring his survival this time. Which of them could he ally himself with? Nur bek Nur?Goa? Obe? Certainly not Enos, he’d never turn his back on that man. What would Kaelin have done? What would she tell him to do? He took another swig and stewed.

Over the wind, flapping of fabric, he heard something – a voice… yelling?

It didn’t sound like any of the men. He got up unsteadily to his feet, made his way to the door, to hear the call clearly. Was it Althea? He pulled the door back, looked outside.

“Kyso,” she was yelling, black hair whipping in the wind, dressed in just her grey Consortia gear, no outer clothing on at all. Two bundles were at her feet. Kyso approached her, looking to her, then the bundles, then back at her. What had she dragged – it wasn’t clear in the dim light. Traejan rubbed his eyes, tried to focus through his buzz.

“Go out,” she shouted over the wind. “Wake them up! Wake them all up!”

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Traejan stepped down from the lifter, felt the full bite of the cold wind. Kyso nodded to Althea, turned to look at him, then looked down at the bodies on the snow. Bodies?

Teffa and Obe – what the hell?

Were they dead? No, he realized as he stepped forwards. Obe was moving a bit, Teffa was breathing.

“And find Trae,” she finished. “I have an announcement to make.”

Kyso pointed at him, then turned away. Althea turned. He gaped at the sight. She was covered in blood, a huge stain of red running from her face, her throat down over her vest.

“Oneness,” How is she standing?

She couldn’t be badly injured if she was standing out in the cold like this, could she? He looked down at the two. They were bloodied as well.

“What happened to you?” he wanted to know. “Are you–?”

She held up a bloodstained hand.

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” she told him. “But I need to show them.”

Show them what? That you beat and bloodied Teffa an Obe?

“I’ll be all right,” she told him, carrying an otherworldly calm. “Help Kyso wake the others.”

He could only stare at her.

“Go!” she commanded. “I can’t stand here like this all night!

Shocked out of the moment, Traejan nodded, then turned away. Althea shouted at the two as he headed off.

“You two, get up!”

Nur bek Nur and Enos grumbled at being disturbed, but he did get them up and out. By that time, Kyso had gathered Peca andGoa. Teffa and Obe were standing, but didn’t resist when Althea shoved them, stumbling into the semi circle the others had formed.

“Move it,” she commanded.

They grimaced in pain, glanced around fearfully; there was blood, bruises on their faces. Teffa looked back at her, demanding to know, “What the hell are you?”

Althea followed them slowly, the fresh, freeing, cracking blood garish against her pale skin, her expression focused, hard.

“The one who’s going to save your lives,” she told them coldly. She stopped as the two entered the semi circle of the rest.