Kwaide (The Ammonite Galaxy Series, Book 2)

chapter Twenty-eight

Chapter 28

IT WAS FIVE days later, and they were huddled around Diva’s bed in the aid centre. Diva was on her way to recovery, after a three-hour operation in which the gash in her leg had been repaired, including nerves. Luckily there had been no severing of tendons. She would walk and run again.

Others had not been so lucky. The final death toll had been nearly two thousand, and there were nearly the same number of injured, although many were now well on the way to recovery.

“The Sellites will soon be back,” said Six gloomily.

Grace shook her head. “I don’t think so, Six. Remember that there are only five hundred Sell houses, and that they really don’t have the personnel to keep up this rate of attack. Atheron must have pulled in all the favours he could to man so many spaceships – they must have taken the ships away from mining operations all over the system. And they don’t have an arsenal of bombs either. What with the attack on Arcan last year, and this one on Kwaide, I don’t think they can have more than a couple of missiles left. Plus, they lost all their nuclear weapons. I really don’t think they will be anxious to come back to Kwaide.”

“So they won’t send soldiers?” asked Ledin, who had called in to enquire after Valhai Diva.

“There is no army on Valhai. The only trained combat team is the one that protects the head of Sell, in the Valhai Voting Chamber. That is it. They don’t have an army to send.”

“That is a great relief,” said the pilot. “Although I don’t think the Elders will let it go so easily.”

Six shook his head. “They will attack again. We will have to be ready. The result of the next attack could finish the conflict.”

Diva struggled against the sheets. “I have to get up!”

Six put a flat hand on top of the sheet. “You will stay there,” he said, in a quiet tone.

Diva opened her mouth, and then closed it again. 

Grace giggled. “You looked just like a fish then, Diva!” 

Vion cleared his throat. “You need to stay in hospital for at least another week, Diva, and then it will take you six weeks of rehabilitation to get full use of your leg back. From there to being in combat fitness will take months.”

Diva gave him a look. “I have no intention of sitting around here interminably,” she informed the company. “I might manage a week or two, and then you had better cross me off the Kwaide visiting list.”

Six gave a nod. “I think we would do better to send you to Valhai to help Arcan,” he said. “That big meeting is coming up, and I think you and Grace ought to be there. I would go myself, but with the menace of a new battle, it might be better if I stayed here. In any case, we don’t want Diva here totaling any more shuttles. We have had to ask Coriolis for a loan of two of theirs as it is.”

Diva opened her mouth to protest, but Grace looked pointedly at her with one eyebrow raised. She got a resigned nod back. 

“Very well,” Grace said. “We will go back to Valhai when Diva can travel, and if Arcan is willing to transport us back.”

Vion made a stifled sound. All of them turned to look at him. He reddened. “I … err … that is—” He broke off and looked like a stuffed Xianthan turkey bird. Grace felt a cold shadow of apprehension.

The doctor cleared his throat. “I … err … I suppose I should tell you all that I am … about to enter into a life commitment with the daughter of the 466th house.”