"Tuann weapon," Graydon lied without changing expression. "Don't worry. I made sure no humans were in the vicinity first."
Brie's nod was distracted, her gaze still on the swath of forest that had been laid to waste.
"How much further?" Kira asked.
That seemed to snap Brie out of her daze. "A few miles."
Graydon sauntered past them. "We should get moving then."
They had only gone about a mile before the sound of battle up ahead had them slowing.
Kira joined Brie as the other listened carefully. "Is that where the ship is?"
Brie looked troubled as she shook her head. "We're still a couple miles out. There aren't any settlements in that direction either. Not for over a hundred miles. That's why Diesel chose it as a landing site for the smuggler’s ship."
Kira considered for a moment. If that was the case, then there was only one explanation for a battle to take place where there should be no people.
"Odin," Kira guessed.
Brie's expression said she agreed.
Kira and Graydon shared a look.
"We can't leave Odin behind," Kira told him.
He inclined his chin. "I guess that means we need to do our best to rescue them."
"And hope we don't die in the process," Kira muttered.
From the sound of things, Odin and their escorts were taking heavy fire. It was going to be difficult to save them and make it the rest of the way to the ship without encountering any casualties.
But abandoning Odin wasn't an option.
For one thing, they still had the J1N. No way was Kira leaving without her friend's body. The Sye was also still Kira's best chance to locate the Tsavitee home world.
Either way, Kira had to save the All Father.
"I don't suppose you'd let me handle this on my own," Graydon said, seeing the look on her face.
"Not a chance."
He smirked and walked toward the sound of battle. "Very well, then."
Brie's face showed nerves as she glanced uncertainly at Kira. "Is this a good idea?"
"Probably not," Kira admitted, starting after Graydon. "But we're going to do it anyway."
Still uncertain, Brie shouldered her combat pulse rifle before following.
A short time later, Kira and Graydon slipped through the trees like ghosts. Graydon a short distance in front of her and to the right. A dark shadow that seemed at home with the rest of those present in the forest.
Kira focused on the sounds of battle up ahead. They weren’t far now.
They'd left Brie a short distance behind them. In a sniper's perch where the human could provide cover if things went south.
Sensing something up ahead, Graydon signaled Kira.
She nodded. She’d heard it too. They were getting close.
As planned, they separated. Graydon circled to the right; Kira to the left.
She didn't have to go far before she spotted a reaper. As dumb as they were big, reapers were typically used as shock troops. The first choice when the Tsavitee had a difficult target they wanted to obtain and expected heavy casualties.
Humans liked to refer to them as demons, due to how closely they resembled illustrations in old religious texts.
This reaper stomped the ground, pawing at it like an angry bull.
Kira followed its line of sight, noting the flash of muzzle fire from a mound of dirt a hundred yards away as a human laid down suppressive fire. There was movement next to the human as someone popped up to lob a pulse grenade at the clump of Tsavitee who were trying to get close.
Odin's escorts, Kira was guessing.
If they were there, Odin was too. Probably crouched out of sight while they tried to hold out.
Having ascertained the situation, Kira snapped the akieri into its sword form. Then she waited for the signal she and Graydon had agreed on.
She didn't wait long. A wail of pain came from the forest to her right. It was followed by a loud crack and then the sound of trees falling.
Kira slipped from her hiding spot, staying low as she crept closer.
Those firing on Odin and the rest paused, turning to see what happened.
The reaper was no different.
Taking advantage of Graydon's distraction, Kira sliced the tendons in the reaper's ankles. He fell forward, crying out in pain. Before he could figure out what had happened, Kira was there. Her sword cutting across his throat, leaving him to choke on his own blood.
"Hello, there," Kira crooned with a smile when the Tsavitee glanced at her.
She was moving before they could recover, slaughtering them before they could bring their weapons to bear.
A shot sounded, a second before the last Tsavitee could be dealt with.