Page 52 of Warrior’s Mate

"This is strategic," Kaiven said.

"Of course it is."

"No. I mean beyond slave value. They're stripping recovery capacity."

Maelis looked at the codes again. Doctors. Engineers. Agricultural technicians. Communications staff.

"They're making sure whoever survives the attack has a harder time rebuilding."

"Yes."

The realization expanded the horror rather than changing it. A chime sounded from the detachment channel.

"Captain Daratu, this is Patrol Escort Three. We have intermittent lock on your relay. Confirm extraction basin coordinates."

Kaiven sent them. Static rolled through the response.

"...copy western basin... approach window twenty-six minutes... transport trailing... support vessel reports drive fluctuation..."

The signal broke. Kaiven tried again. "Escort Three, repeat support status." Nothing. Maelis watched the channel indicator flicker.

"Communications?"

"Maybe."

"You don't sound convinced."

"I'm not."

He switched frequencies twice, then called orbital control. No response. The detachment channel returned in fragments.

"...rerouting around debris... civilian transport intact... repair ship falling..."

Static. Maelis looked at the manifest. Seven hundred names waiting on vessels they could barely hear.

"We continue moving people to the basin," she said.

Kaiven looked at her. "If the detachment doesn't arrive, we'll have concentrated civilians at a known Sargan site."

"Then we don't concentrate them. We hold groups in the farm corridors around the basin and release them only when a ship is physically on approach."

"That adds loading time."

"It also prevents collection."

He nodded. "Do it." The next hour became a race between incomplete information and moving bodies. Maelis staggered eleven civilian groups through six holding zones. Kaiven deployed security teams along approaches without creating obvious military concentrations. Every family received a colored route marker generated locally rather than through the public network. Medics established two mobile triage points. Farmers used cargo crawlers as barricades and then complained when Brigade officers parked them incorrectly. For ten minutes, Wasaytu almost felt organized again. Then the Sargans came back.

A scout signal vanished north of the basin. Weapons fire followed. Kaiven was already moving before the first report arrived.

"Two ground teams. Possibly a transport behind them."

Maelis stood. "They're coming for the basin."

"Likely."

"They know we're using it."

"Or they were returning to their own collection point. Either way, we have the same problem."