"Is somebody securing the door?" Cynthia asked, and this time Ford knew the question was meant for him.
"Yeah," he croaked out. "I brought help."
"Good. You didn't bring an infirmary with you, or a doctor, did you?"
"What happened to Merith?" Ford asked.
Cynthia shook her head. "She's out there. I don't know."
Ford realized the weapons fire had stopped. "Report!" he bellowed over his shoulder.
"All clear, sir," Stecklan yelled back. "Do you need help in there? We have casualties."
"Help them. We've got it for now," Ford replied.
The color was creeping back into Sabrina's cheeks. Ford checked in with Seuréa, who was trying to stimulate Sabrina's body to produce more blood. "No, don't do that," he murmured. "It might overtax her system. And we might need more of your strength."
"Mother needs me," she whispered. "But I couldn't let Sabrina die because I was stupid."
Cynthia said, "She's stabilizing. You can stop now, Lyssara."
Seuréa stepped back with a deep breath, then burst into tears. Rutha bent down to hug her. "There now, little one. It will be all right."
"No it won't. Why does everyone keep saying that when they know it isn't true?" Seuréa burst out. "Mother's almost dead and I can't fix her. And I don't know what to do about the Way."
Ford said, "Do you know what to do about the Kyan ships?"
"No!" she wailed.
"I do. Look," Ford said, picturing the way he had sabotaged the Kyan ship.
Seuréa frowned, closing her eyes. Ford felt a rush of power through his connection to the Crystal, and a moment later she opened her eyes with a feral smile. "Yes."
Cynthia said, "Do you know what to do about that Way?"
Ford shook his head. "Maybe if I had time to study it. You look pale."
Cynthia took a deep breath. "I think I'm nearing the end of what I can give her."
"It's enough. Look." Ford gazed at his wife's face, which had lost its deathly pallor and creased into a faint frown.
Cynthia nodded and slid the needle out of Sabrina's arm. Ford put pressure on the spot to keep her from losing any of the precious blood as Cynthia yanked the needle out of her own arm, then wilted to the floor.
Rutha hurried over to Cynthia, looking up as the door crashed in. Sastarn had a body in his arms, unidentifiable under a coat of dirt and blood. He looked around, dismayed at finding no help, and gently laid her on the other bed.
"Who?" Ford asked.
"Ranja," Sastarn said. "She's barely breathing, but the rocks falling on her must have stopped them from finishing her off."
"Any sign of Merith?" Ford asked.
Sastarn shook his head. "Sorry, sir. She's definitely dead. So's Captain Evis. We haven't found Kendara yet."
"Stecklan's got first aid training; get him in here," Ford ordered.
"Yes, sir," Sastarn said, but he stayed where he was, shifting his weight anxiously. "Um, sir, the princess. Is she...?"
"Sabrina's going to make it," Ford said firmly, as if daring someone to contradict him.
Sastarn smiled in relief. "Miah's breath, I'm glad to hear that. And congratulations, sir."
"Thank you," Ford said, puzzled, before he realized where Sastarn was looking.
Pinsi sat hunched over in the supply cabinet, humming tunelessly to the tiny bundle in her arms. Ford stared in shock; it had honestly not occurred to him that the baby could have survived. "Is that...is she...." he stammered out.
Pinsi looked up and smiled at him nervously. "She's sleeping, sir."
Rutha had finished elevating Cynthia's feet and turned to her daughter. "Give her here, my dear. Sir, sit down. I've known far too many first-time fathers to let you have her while you're wobbly." She smiled to take the sting out of her words.
Ford collapsed into the chair Sastarn kicked closer to the bed, holding out his arms to receive his daughter. He had witnessed so many of his siblings' births that he was an old hand at holding newborns, but he was alarmed at how tiny Lily was, how limp and quiet she seemed. "Is she okay?" he asked Rutha.
"I did the blessing right away," Seuréa hurried to tell him.
"She is small, and she is tired," Rutha said, "but Doctor Grayson thought she would live. The mask is helping her to breathe, since she is not very good at that yet."
Ford peered around the mask as best he could, trying to make out features. Lily seemed to resemble him far more than her mother, though her wispy platinum hair might grow to be like Sabrina's, he thought. "Welcome, little princess," he murmured. "We would have thrown you a better party if you hadn't been so determined to surprise us."
"It wasn't her fault. She didn't want to leave her nice comfortable place," Seuréa said. "It was the Crystal. We need Sabrina."
She and Ford both looked at Sabrina's face, which showed no signs of waking. Ford reached out and took his wife's hand, giving it a squeeze. Then he took a deep breath and opened his connection to both her and the Great Crystal, letting the power flood into her and trusting that she would know what to do with it.
Sabrina sat up with a gasp, a panicked expression on her face. "Why isn't she crying?" she demanded.
"Because she's sleeping," Ford replied, smiling at her in relief.
Sabrina gasped in shock as she looked over at him, then down at the baby in his arms. "How—what happened?"
"There's no time!" Seuréa said. "Mother needs us!"
Sabrina cast a longing glance at the baby, bit her lip, and said, "Yes, I know."
Ford handed the baby back to Rutha and reached for Seuréa's hand. He, Sabrina, and Seuréa formed a circle of clasped hands and concentrated.
The Great Crystal had much more power than one person alone could channel, probably more than all of them could. He felt Sabrina direct Seuréa to strengthen Mara, while she and Ford focused on the Way, examining it as best they could. Darkene was nearly stripped of its atmosphere and showing large cracks in its crust. They could feel the enormous outpouring of energy Mara was drawing, managing, just barely, to keep the planet stable.
There has to be an answer, Ford thought, as Sabrina wondered, How can we fix this if Mara can't?
——————————-
Scotty threw his depleted blaster away and switched the good one to his right hand, barely dodging a Kyan blast that would have finished off his dented and fragmenting suit chestpiece. He kept firing, a little surprised he was still alive, until he finally realized there was no one firing back. He stared in amazement at the circle of dead Kyan around him and Mara, their heads in pieces. The smell, he realized next, was overpowering.
Mara moaned, and Scotty looked down, a grin stretching the muscles in his face, feeling unfamiliar. "Good work!" he said.
Blinking, Mara frowned up at him. "What?" she said, her voice a ghost of its usual strength.
"Wasn't that you?" he asked.
"Seuréa," she whispered.
The first explosion was deafening; the Kyan ship that was throwing flaming debris all over the nearest peak was so close that he heard the sound almost immediately. One by one, the other six ships went up as well.
Scotty threw back his head and let out a victory whoop, hearing echoes of it from different parts of the valley. Then he turned his attention back to Mara, who had made no move to sit and looked as if she might slip back into unconsciousness any moment.
"That was the easy part," she murmured.
Scotty dropped to his knees beside her and gave her a hug, then pulled out his canteen and urged her to drink the last of the water. "Yeah, I figured as much. It wasn't all that easy, though, you know. What do you need me to do?"
"Find transport," she replied, her voice a little stronger. "I need to reach the Academy. Niavar needs data on the Way."
"Let's get uphill and I might be able to make my com work," he suggested. First he went to check on their guide, though his first glance had told him the soldier was dead. Scotty closed his eyes and laid his hand on the man's shoulder, saying a quick thanks, before taking what supplies and equipment looked useful.