Creative Approaches

Elliv, Ketha, Maris, and Lein crawl up to the edge of the bushes at a hilltop overlooking the eastern entrance to the town of Korben, while the cart and the medics wait back on snakebite road.

They would be dangerously close on an ordinary day, but the rain hasn’t let up all morning. They can barely even see ten Length ahead of them. The same goes for the enemy. Two white-coated sentinels stand guard by the wooden arch, while the Helbender crew lies on the ground watching. A patrol of two more sents comes to check in. They have a makeshift guard station, with a tarp suspended over their position. It’s not unreasonable to think the two under shelter could have dry powder in their guns.

“Four senties,” Maris says.

“Still, I’d give us a pretty big advantage,” Ketha says.

“Yeah, we can take two before the others get here,” Maris says.

“They won’t know what hit ‘em,” Ketha says. “What do you think, Elliv?”

“I think y’all talk like flatlanders. Ain’t no way there’s just four. Since after Razha and them got a little overexcited the other day, they’re scared of terrorists right now. The bulk of them will be focused on protecting the refinery, not far. We rush in like fools, we’ll be up to our necks in senties, I guarantee it.”

“Damn,” Maris says.

“We can’t just have Krev slip in either, since his cover was blown when one of the sents made it out of that chase alive,” Elliv says.

“Then we just can’t take the cart in through the gate is all,” Ketha says.

“How else you suggest hauling all this shit up the damn mountain?” Maris says.

“Not up. Down,” Ketha says.

“Yeah?” Elliv says.

“Leave it to me,” Ketha says. “Just give me a good distraction.”

Elliv’s eyes dart between Maris and Lein. “We can do that.”

Ketha taps Maris’s shoulder, on a tattoo of a bomb. “I’ll need a flare.”

The tall resistance fighter pulls a leather pouch from his bandolier. “Don’t burn yourself again.”

“And watch out for blight-plants,” Elliv says.

“Relax, I’ll be fine,” Ketha says.