Falise knelt by his seat, asking, “Inspector General, are you hurt?”

“Fourth said my collarbones are broken and I have a sprained neck and bruised, maybe broken ribs. Just get me out of here.”

Kylee took in the three other men in the room. Two of them wore the same dress as the Third; they shared that nobody-home look and lack of emotion. They were seated off to the IG’s right. The guy two seats down on the left, however, wore Donovanian-made coveralls and looked familiar.

Walking down Kylee asked, “Hey, you’re Fenn Bogarten. How hurt are you?”

“Broken lower leg.” He glanced up with pain-wracked eyes. “Do I know you?”

“Kylee Simonov, and that’s Falise Taglioni. Dek’s sister, if you can believe. Let me check that leg.”

“I’ll save you the trouble.” Bogarten told her. “It’s a snap fracture of the left lower tibia and fibula.” He shifted, winced. “Not to mention that every bone and joint aches. We took one hell of a wallop.” A flicker of a smile. “Get me out of here, Kylee. I’m ready for evac.”

“Yeah, well, that’s not so easy. Kalico’s on the way with another shuttle, but we’re going to have to pack you up to the airtruck first. There’s too much broken shit and danger from the trees to set down here, so the airtruck’s almost a klick up the slope.” She bent down. “Here, give me your arm.”

With Bogarten’s help, Kylee got the man to his feet. Well, foot. The other dangled limply.

“Damn that hurts,” Bogarten told her.

“We got anything we can use to splint that?”

“You kidding?” Bogarten took a half hop, gasping as his foot flopped. “We stripped the emergency medical kit out of this crate last time we had an accident at the mine. Bet we can make something, though.”

“How about I pack you out?” Kylee told him as she set her rifle to one side. “I can rig something. There’s enough broken and splintered chabacho and vine laying around out there I could weave us a bower big enough we could sing ‘Coming Together’ under it.”

Bogarten chuckled. “Hey, how are you going to . . .”

Kylee stepped in front of him, thankful she was a half a head taller than he. She backed against him and pulled his arms around her shoulders and said, “Hang on tight. I’ll be as careful as I can.” Then she hunched and lifted him off his feet. Heard him gasp as she carried him through the hatch to the command deck.

At the ladder, she started up—thought the guy would half strangle her as he held on for dear life—but she made it to the top. Crawled out and laid the panting and sweating Bogarten at Flute’s feet.