Chapter 54

Callum was nodding off when a siren suddenly wailed. He sat up straight, glancing around wildly, wondering what was going on. Shargi pushed herself up. Her one eye was still almost swollen shut but her other was wide with fear. "What is that?" Callum asked, shouting to make himself heard over the noise. 

"It is the raid siren, Shargi thinks!" Shargi screamed back.

"A raid? What does that mean? An attack? The carcha?"

"Shargi doesn't know. She was told the siren happens when the ship is under attack and to go to the nearest evacuation shelter!" 

"Damn." Callum stood up. If the ship was under attack, he had to get to Angra Mainyu. He remembered there was an emergency tram to the hangar. 'Should I take Shargi with me?' "Do you know where this evacuation shelter is?" 

Shargi looked panicked. "Shargi doesn't. She never learned. Shargi is too stupid!" 

"Calm down. It's alright," Callum said quickly. "You can come with me." 

"Really?" Shargi asked tremulously. 

"Of course." Callum smiled. "Didn't I say I wouldn't abandon you?" With a wail, Shargi leapt into his arms. Callum caught her easily and allowed her to hug him for a second but then he quickly set her down. "We need to move, Shargi." 'We need to get Valencia and Taka as well.' He took her by the hand. "Come on." 

They raced out of the apartment and almost slammed into Valencia and Taka standing right outside. Myna was with them, too. Valencia grasped his free arm. It was a measure of her distress that she didn't even seem to notice Shargi holding onto his other hand. "What the hell is going on?" 'Her aide…what's his face…must not have come back yet.' 

"Shargi says that it means the Shimayasumota is under attack!" Callum said. "We need to head for the hangar!" Valencia nodded. She seemed scared but determined. Very like her. It made Callum's heart swell with love. 

Something started chiming. Callum could barely hear it during the moments when the siren lowered in intensity. He realized it was coming from his chip and quickly opened the hand display. He was greeted with the face of Bel, for the first time without even a hint of mirth. It was understandable under the circumstances but still shocking to see. "Callum, thank the Lady." 

"We're all alright, Bel. We were going to head for the hangar now. What's going on? Are the carcha attacking?" 

"Worse," Bel said grimly, "the Rukh. They came out of nowhere and caught us completely off guard. We're scrambling but some of their ground forces have already penetrated our defenses." 

"What are the Rukh?" Valencia asked. "How can they be worse than carcha?" 

"No time," Bel said, sparing her the briefest of glances. "Callum, listen." Callum realized Bel was terrified. That made him terrified. He'd only known Bel a short time but he knew she was not the type to be scared irrationally. If she was terrified, there was a very, very good reason. "Jella was trying to get to her shelter but some of the Rukh landed near our building. It is too dangerous for her to leave now. I am absolutely critical in organizing our defenses. Even this call is a massive breach of protocol. I can't…" her voice broke. "I can't go to her." 

"Say no more. I'll go right now," Callum said without even thinking about it. 

"Thank you, Callum." Twin tears leaked down her cheeks. "Thank you." Then she glanced to the left and her face paled even further. The call cut off abruptly.

"Okay, let's go," Callum said. He had taken several steps down the hall before he realized that Valencia hadn't come with him. Taka and Myna had stayed with her. Callum stopped. "What are you waiting for?" 

"Callum, are you serious?" Valencia asked quietly. She crossed the distance between them. "Bel said the ship is under attack. We need to get to Angra Mainyu and fight!" 

Callum stared at her incredulously. "Did you not hear her? Her daughter is all alone and might be in trouble!"

"So is everybody on this ship!" Valencia was staring at him like he'd lost his mind. "What about your sister? My father? Did they not even cross your mind?" 

That hit Callum like a slap across the face. They hadn't. She hadn't. How could he have not thought of his own sister? Before he could think of something to say, his chip buzzed again. Callum opened it, mouth dry. Yemoramato's snarling face appeared on the display. "Get your ass to the hangar, human!" she snapped. "Now! These Rukh have fucked our defenses seven different ways. It's a damned free for all."

Callum glanced at Valencia quickly and then at the display. "I have something else I have to do." 

"Are you fucking joking? I hate to admit it but even though you're a rank amateur, you're more powerful than ninety percent of the losers that make up our forces. Stop playing around and get your ass to your mech! Now!" She closed the call with a final glare. 

Valencia didn't say anything. She didn't have to. Yemoramato had slapped him back to reality. It was clear where he could do more good. But the thought of abandoning Jella was anathema to him. He loved her, even apart from her mother. The thought of leaving her to fend for herself was akin to tearing his own heart out. Is this what Bel is feeling? No, it had to be worse. A hundred times worse. And yet she was doing her duty. Shouldn't he? 'But she asked me to go…' Callum felt paralyzed. Whatever decision he made was going to leave him with almost unbearable regret. 

He wished he could lash out at Valencia but he could see in her eyes that she was in as much pain as he was. He knew it was all for his sake, too, since she had never even met Jella. 'What can I do? What can I do? Either way I am damned.' 

"I'll go." Every eye went to the woman who had spoken. Taka sighed and crossed her arms. "That old bastard never really taught me to do much beyond take off and land mechs. I've never been in any kind of fight. I'd probably be useless. So I will go and look after this Jella thing." 

"Taka…" Callum said, his voice quavering. 

She held up a hand. "No. None of that or I'm not going. Not a fucking joke." Callum swallowed his words but he would never forget them. "The only problem is I don't know the way." 

"Shargi will take you." 

Callum spun around to her. "Are you sure? It'll be dangerous." 

"Shargi loves Jella. She would do anything to save her." 

"Thank you, Shargi." Callum hugged her. 

"M-master!" Shargi cried out in embarrassment. 

"Would you like me to provide escort?" Again, all eyes turned to the unexpected speaker. Callum thought it might have been the first time he'd heard Myna speak without being prompted. 

"Uh, could you do that?" Callum asked. 

Myna stared at him with her disturbing unblinking gaze. "My combat capabilities are currently at an estimated thirty percent of maximum." 

Callum waited. "Is that a yes?" he eventually asked. 

"I am unable to make that determination." 

'We're wasting time.' "Good enough. Yes, please protect Shargi and Taka until they find Jella and then protect all three." 

"Affirmative." 

They rode the elevator down to the ground floor and walked to where they had to split up. Before they did, Callum grasped Taka by the hand and held it up. "Thank you, Taka. You have no idea how much this means to me."

She went red in the face. "What the fuck?! I told you…! Let go of my hand, you creep. Jesus Christ!" She ripped her hand out of his and wiped it vigorously on her leg.

He turned to Shargi and took her hand as well. "Stay safe," he said, squeezing it. 

"Shargi will find Jella." 

"I know you will." 

"Don't you think you better get going?" Taka asked. "I think that fie woman was about to shit." 

Callum grimaced at Taka's comment but he did let go of Shargi's hand. "You're right. Good luck." They parted ways. Callum glanced back several times as he hurried to the emergency tram. He couldn't help thinking he was committing a betrayal, even though his head told him he had made the right choice. 

The tram ride was silent. Valencia looked as miserable and guilty as he felt. He wanted to come up with the right words to make her feel better but he couldn't. Instead, he got up and sat next to her, putting his arm around her and pulling her close. She had been right and didn't deserve the burden of his decision. It was the right one. Yet Callum knew that if Jella died during the attack, he would never forgive himself.The same went for Taka or Shargi. Bile rose in his throat and all of a sudden he missed Ragrun.