Book 4
Siha: Rise of Rakhana
Part II
She feels the ship quake…The turbulence jars everyone, their teeth in their skulls. Twelve additional passengers made the rachni ship, all in various states of dirtiness, and injuries are common among them.
Braith sits against the pock-marked wall, floor covered in dirt at her feet, dark and jagged delineations inside the ship's hold…There are rachni inside the crevices, handling the flight and she among the drellkind, other species are waiting, waiting to reach base.
Casting her eyes up, she sees Casnar come over to her and kneel down from a tunnel in the left of her wall, "…Tetonbaum's mending," he updates her, "…I'll be on feet for a while still, but how are you…" He grasps her head and kisses her brow, "…It was a good hit down there, no?"
Braith shakes her head, "…I think we missed it, Casnar…It wasn't inside the mines with the rest of the Silvers…" She holds his gaze.
"Why," his brow winches, "…You didn't feel it down there?"
Braith shakes her head, ponytail brushing her shoulder with the flick.
Casnar sighs and sits back onto his hips, rubbing his eyes with dirty hands, "…Why didn't you say anything about it while we were down there, setting the lines, detonators, everything else…Why now," he looks to her.
"We needed to destroy the nest," she whispers, "…If he's not there, that would not have altered our objective…We had to send the signal that destroying Nualavera and the Craig…" She sees the pass of pain over his patak, "…would not be forgotten, and we would not be licking our wounds."
She sighs and leans her head against the hard rock and durril—material leaked from the rachnis' own mandibles to build the ships and their technologies to fly and attack…Casnar reaches for her knee, "…Fine…Focused, that's what you were…The Enmity, at least you were able to hurt it in the trees," and Braith nods agreement.
"An accomplishment, among what the rest have done here," she nods to the others resting in the polypy hold, "…The Silvers will be unable to recover their numbers so quickly from our attack on the nest in Bangal'roux…"
Casnar gets up, "…I'll be up front, I need to take care of a few things pressing on my mind…Rest, love, we'll be back soon to base."
Braith follows him with her eyes, "…Get us home, Casnar," she whispers, "…I want to see Ylyssus and Jenner, Jaspin…I need to see them..."
"Soon, we will be there soon," he turns, a parting smile for a job well done and he leaves, his body superbly defined in the skinsuit. Braith looks down at her hands, fingernails dark and stained with rakha and silver blood...She lowers these to her lap and closes her eyes feeling more turbulence lull her to sleep.
…Abomination…
Braith remembers the feeling of having something so close, and yet it continues to slip away, like the Illusive Man—constantly finding her flank, attacking before she can barely counter it.
The Silver has suffered a significant blow from the attack they have just made in Bangal'roux, but they will continue to proliferate if the opportunity, the time is not used well by her and the Alliance…Rachni are at least on our side, she thinks…They do not like the Silver…Mortal enemies…Somewhere in her mind, her power falls into its dormancy, waiting to be melded with again, to fight…
Braith…Can you hear me…
Tetonbaum?…
He calls to her…Braith opens her eyes and looks about, startled.
It was only a whisper but it sounded quite close to herself, in her head she dares to think…And that is not possible, nor is he close for Tetonbaum is somewhere else inside the ship.