Enemies of a Sort Read online

  Chapter Nine –

  Back under the planet’s surface, Flynn tapped the shoulder of the last remaining miner, letting him know it was finally his turn to leave. He took off like a bat out of a port-a-john, as Putty would say.

  As far as evacuations went, Flynn supposed it was smooth. Bruce had told him the mine had all sorts of emergency drills, but without knowing the real cause of the evacuation, some men had drug their feet. When they hit the surface, having been clued in on the lift ride up, they were all running for their lives.

  The evacuation lock was finally put in place with only five ships left in the port. Two of their captains had holed up on their ships and refused to let anyone on board. They cited the evacuation as an encroachment of their Colarium-given rights. The moment they were asked to provide a formal refusal, their boarding hatches opened. It was one thing to take a verbal stand; it was another thing completely to put your defiance on the record.

  Nika’s men had taken on the task of rooting out the Refuti claim jumpers, and Flynn had agreed to let them handle it on their own. They knew the planet’s terrain better than anyone else available and for now, Flynn was content to handle things down at the bomb site.

  “You two are on the next lift up,” Flynn said to his brother and Chadrick, preparing himself for their resistance. “I want you to catch a ship out of here.”

  Putty and Chadrick exchanged a glance before turning to him with set jaws. Putty dropped back to lean against the wall while Chadrick spoke. “We’re not going anywhere. If you’re stuck on this planet till the end, we are too.”

  Flynn looked at his brother. “You wanted to leave before we got here. If I remember correctly, you didn’t want our mother to lose all her children.”

  “It’s selfish, I know, but I won’t have to deal with it, I’ll be dead. And I’m not about to let my little brother stay while I run off and hide.”

  “Fine. But I warn you, this could get tense.” He turned, looking to the clock as it slowly ticked down.