My shoulder aches as Kaedin and I walk across the battlefield with the other generals. The Earthlings are already at the center, waiting for us. I keep my chin high and my gaze proud, despite my weariness. Kaedin limps beside me, wearing his extra jacket. None of us wear our guns and knives, and I feel bare without them. Vulnerable.
The generals converse with the Earth humans, and Kaedin and I stand a few yards behind them. The fires still burn and bodies still cover the ground. Ahji never came back. The few pilots that are still alive said he sacrificed himself to destroy the last airship. I close my eyes so I don't have to look at the damage caused by the war. Kaedin puts an arm around my shoulder and hugs me close.
"I know," is all he says, but I know he knows what I am thinking about.
The generals are so busy talking they don't notice the Earthling soldiers circling behind us. I open my mouth to shout a warning, but a hand clamps over my mouth and drags me away from Kaedin. I thrash, trying to get free. Another black-clad Earth human grabs Kaedin from behind. I bite on the hand covering my mouth and it pulls away, giving me the opening to fight free of the other hand. My shoulder wound tears open and starts bleeding.
I run to Kaedin, tackling one of the Earth humans on him from behind, wrapping an arm around his neck and choking the air from his lungs. He collapses, and I shout at the generals. Some of them are already turning around to see what the commotion is, taking in the soldiers swarming around Kaedin and I. A ship touches down nearby, one of its hatches opening.
Three soldiers swarm me, beating me to the ground and then picking me up, one holding each of my wrists and the third holding both of my legs. I have to keep my head up to keep it from whacking on the wreckage that passes under me. I try to get them off, arching my back and pulling my arms and legs into my body, but I'm too weak from all of the fighting, and my shoulder throbs.
To my left, three soldiers carry Kaedin the same way. He is fighting too, but both of us are too tired from fighting all night. I notice that some of his wounds have opened again and are bleeding. Fistfights break out as the generals try to save us, but they can't get through the barrier of fresh soldiers surrounding us. Kaedin is thrown into the airship in front of me, and the soldiers carrying me throw me on top of him.
I get up, and Kaedin rises behind me. We scramble for the open hatch, but a blow connects with my head, one of the soldiers doing the same to Kaedin. Two hold us to the floor of the airship. I feel a stabbing pain in my neck as the soldier stabs a needle into my neck and presses the plunger. From under the soldier on top of me, I see the same thing happen to Kaedin. I hear a hiss as the airship's hatch closes and a hum as it lifts off the ground. The soldier gets off of me and I try to get up, but something weighs me down.
The airship speeds up, and whatever they injected in me takes effect, making the interior of the airship fade to black.
The
End