Awakening the Lightforged

Tense from Naruuna's tone, Uuchantuu waved to Araana and Oka'ada as she set off at a jog toward the last group of cars. They got there just in time to see two speeders of Imaia troops pull up on either side of the tracks.

Starless nights, she thought, even as Araana cursed, "Perke."

Was this from someone on my team? Something Koruuksi did at Last Shadow? Or just bad luck?

Taking a deep breath, Uuchantuu steeled herself and approached the soldiers as they climbed out of their speeders.

These were soldiers, not guards. Their uniforms were more practical, and they wore body armor and carried side-arms and short swords at their waists with rifles strapped over their backs. They also carried themselves with more confidence than the guards.

Rather than deter them, Uuchantuu tried to think like a low-paid guard who probably hadn't seen much combat in her life.

"Thank the light you're here, Lieutenant," she said, saluting as she approached the rank of the most important-looking woman in the group.

She looked Uuchantuu up and down, then returned the salute. "Corporal. What's going on here? Where is Sergeant Akane?”

"At the mine, sir," Uuchantuu said, assuming that was the man she’d spoken to earlier. “The train pulled into town and a few cars came uncoupled. I was here investigating it when some sort of explosion went off in the mine."

Expression grim, the woman nodded. "Command made the right call sending us over here, then. This is a rebel attack."

She turned back to her soldiers and listed off six names, then pointed toward Memfoso and the mine. Those six hopped back into their vehicle and sped off toward the mine.

Uuchantuu looked after them for a moment, then turned her attention back to the officer, expression smooth as her stomach clenched. Her fingers twitched. She itched to conjure some hardlight.

"That's what I thought, sir. It looked like just an issue with the georaurals coupling the cars together at first, but after the explosion—"

"Did you have a tech determine that?"

Uuchantuu blinked at the woman's interruption. "Sir?"

The lieutenant frowned, folding her arms as she glanced at the cars, then Uuchantuu and her companions. Her soldiers began fanning out as they approached the cars, dividing into groups. There were only two-dozen of them, but they were armored, armed with rifles instead of sidearms and truncheons like Uuchantuu and her people, and they could be Auroramancers.

"I read over the files of those stationed here so I knew what I would be working with if anything happened," the lieutenant said. "I don't remember anything about any guardsman being skilled with georaurals. Did you call in someone from the town or the mine?"

Beside Uuchantuu, Araana stiffened. A few of the soldiers were almost between the cars where their people were.

Calm down, we can handle this.

Uuchantuu shook her head. "No, sir. I looked at it myself. I haven’t been formally trained but georaurals interest me. When I have time, I look at the speeders or various devices, and it's obvious that these use emeralds and plates of obsidian to link together with enough slack to allow for the tighter turns the rail sometimes takes around rock formations like this. I don't know if it was the only factor, but when I checked, it looked like a few of the wires weren't pressed against the biogems firmly enough to activate the coupling or keep the proper strength. Probably just some wear and tear over time."

The lieutenant narrowed her eyes. "All cars and georaural components are inspected when the trains reach their destination, with components switched out if needed. That's standard procedure.

Even a corporal such as yourself should know that."

Uuchantuu nodded, resisting the urge to wet her lips. Her throat had gone dry, too.

"Yes, sir. Even inspectors make mistakes, though."

The lieutenant shot Uuchantuu a sardonic expression. "True enough."

She looked past Uuchantuu for a moment. "What of the men you have between the cars?"

"Pardon, sir?"

"Do they also have an interest in georaural technology? Or are they idling in the shade despite the explosion at the mine? Did you send someone for a trained technician to recouple the cars?"

Uuchantuu's stomach clenched at the edge the woman's voice carried. Araana and Oka'ada shifted.

"It's a pretty simple fix," Uuchantuu said. "So, I told them what needed to be done. I'd gone back to the station to report to my sergeant and request a tech, but then the explosion happened." The woman's expression grew more skeptical as Uuchantuu continued. "I don't know if he requested the tech. Our orders were to recouple the cars and get the train out of here as quickly as possible. I was on my way back when you arrived."

The lieutenant nodded, but said nothing. Her gaze traveled from Uuchantuu, to each of her companions, then past them to the cars.

"What was your name again, Corporal?" the lieutenant asked. "And the names of your men here?"

Uuchantuu hesitated just long enough to seem nervous, but not suspiciously so. It gave her a moment to remember Oka'ada and Araana's aliases. "Corporal—"

A small projectile, almost too fast to track, slammed into the lieutenant's shoulder. Uuchantuu's eyes went wide. Even as the lieutenant cried out, Araana lunged, flying past Uuchantuu to knock the woman to the ground.

She landed flat on her back, dust billowing up from beneath her.