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Several dots of light had to be from rural homes or businesses. Fields stretched to the horizon, only disappearing behind rolling hills in the distance. The farm-cultivated countryside was in swaths of reds, blues, yellows, and a smattering of green.
Something was off.
Instead of the colors being in uniform, sections of black covered most of the fields.
She may not know a lot about farming, but she doubted the area should look like that.
As the ship began its descent, the view of the upcoming groundswell changed to one of desolation. The rough ground had gray dirt littered with jagged rocks and boulders. Nary a plant or grass in sight. They must be close to the prison.
“Okay ladies and gentlemen, put your tray tables up, fasten your seatbelts, and make sure your cell phones are off. We’re going to land this puppy.” Qhasheik pushed a couple of buttons and waved over some video screens.
“I don’t understand. What does he want us to do?”
Jelena glanced over her shoulder at Asu.
His knuckles were white as he held his knees in a tight grip. Forehead deeply furrowed, he’d squished his eyebrows together. If possible, his pale face blanched.
She bit the side of her cheek to keep from laughing. “Don’t worry. He’s only trying to be funny.”
“I am funny. Dammit!” Qhasheik’s deep growl on the last word accompanied him yanking a lever toward him.
The ship jerked and dropped. Then remained steady.
“Did you almost ram us into a mountain?” Abiditan demanded. He inspected the console in front of him.
“Qhasheik!” Katsuki pounded her fist on the chair’s armrest. “Quit goofing off.”
“I’m not, myressei! I swear that mountain came out of nowhere.”
Time to save Qhasheik’s ass. “Is that the prison?” An image of the square-shaped compound filled Jelena’s vid.
“What? Oh, yeah. That’s it.”
That forced Qhasheik to focus on the job instead of trying to reassure Katsuki. Which could take hours they didn’t have.
Abiditan opened an enormous monitor at the front of the cockpit.
The prison, in all its stark glory, expanded in 3D. A massive, twenty-foot barrier surrounded a cluster of buildings. Around it, an intense rainbow of colors sparkled. That was the first line of defense, a force field.
Good thing Warad-Mushtal and his team came up with a neutralizer that both teams would coordinate and use at the same time.
Beyond the force field was a high wall made of strong graphene.
The transparent material and its triangular lattice may have been a powerful deterrent, but Jelena’s ice capabilities could freeze a small amount of the material. That would give her group the open hole they needed.
The other team would use the explosives that should not only get the Akurns’ attention, but penetrate the wall that was two hundred times stronger than Earth steel. Hopefully that would make most of the guards scramble to defend the area.
Then the team would only have to fight their way through a small contingency of guards on their side of the prison.
From there, they’d zigzag until they got to the heavily guarded entrance of Sychar’s prison cell.
One of the last lines of defense was getting into the building.
Heart racing, Jelena clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking. Her attention remained glued to the image of Erset La Tari. There. Sychar was in that compound. Hang on, my love. I’m coming. She ignored the gnawing pit in her stomach. As well as the enticing man seated next to her.
That was too easy. BoD mumbled to Jelena in her mind.
Easy? Are you kidding? Everything might have gone as planned, but it had been far from easy.
