'You're busy here, I see?' I said.
'Yes/ said Ravenor. 'The view should be good.'
I didn't quite understand what he meant but 1 let it pass. There were other things on my mind.
Harlon thumb-popped the cap of a bottle and passed it to me before taking his seat.
'Here's to us all, still alive despite the odds.' He clinked his bottle against mine and Kara toasted with hers.
'Well?' I said.
A bunch of hard-arse mere bastards smoked the Distaff. Took the whole spire out. Killed the lot of them,' Harlon said, matter of factly, but there was still an edge of rage in his voice.
'And you?'
'Madam Bequin saved us,' said Kara.
'What?'
'We got her back to Messina okay, stable,' said Kara. 'The medicae facility at the Distaff hall made her comfortable. They got me back on my feet in about a week. Then Madam Bequin suddenly took a turn for the worse.'
'She stroked out/ growled Harlon. A really bad whassit called-'
'Cerebrovascular ischemia/ Ravenor said quietly.
'It was beyond the abilities or resources of the hall's medicae, so we rushed her to Sandus Sedar Municipal General for surgery/ said Kara. 'We knew you wouldn't want us to leave her there alone, so we stayed with her in shifts. I took one watch, and alternated with Nayl. On the night the hall was raided, I had just started my shift/
'And I was on my way back to spire eleven in an air cab/ finished Harlon.
'So neither of you were there?'
'No/
'You two… and Alizebeth… all survived?'
'Lucky us, eh?' said Harlon.
'Where is she?' I asked. And how is she?'
'Never regained consciousness. She's on vital support in my ship's infirmary/ Ravenor replied. 'My personal physician is tending her/ I knew Doctor Antribus, Gideon's medicae. Bequin couldn't be in more experienced hands.
I looked back at Harlon and Kara. I could tell the Loki-bom ex-bounty hunter was enjoying stringing this tale out. He'd probably been rehearsing it for weeks.
'So… go on/
'We went to ground. Me and Kara. We couldn't move Madam B, so we signed her in under a fake identity so she couldn't be linked to your operation. Then me and Kara went hunting. We caught up with the hit squad at a shanty town lift-port down in the suburbs. Thirty of them. Vessorine janissaries, no less. Never tangled with those brothers before, though I'd heard of them, of course. Now, could they fight like bastards/
'I've seen them up close/
'Then you'll appreciate that two against thirty, even with the drop to us, was hard ball. I smoked three of them-'
Two/ corrected Kara. 'It was two/
'Okay, two definites and a probable. Kara, may the Emperor bless her, took out six of the pigs. Blam blam blam!'