Never Surrender (The Empire's Corps Book 10) by Christopher Nuttall

along in a few minutes,” Darrin said.  “I think he finally received word from higher up the chain.”
     
    Jasmine nodded.  She wasn't surprised that there was more than one resistance cell on the planet - and that the lines of communication were rather vague.  The Empire had plenty of experience in cracking resistance networks that were strictly hierarchical, simply by capturing one member and then working their way up the chain.  A diffuse network had more chance of remaining intact, once the counter-intelligence goons got to work.
     
    But they might also have differences of opinion , she thought, sardonically.  The Crackers had split after the peace talks, with some factions deciding to fight on rather than accept a share in power.  One cell might want to go in one direction, while another might have different ideas. 
     
    “That’s good to hear,” Stewart said.  “And Kailee?”
     
    “She’s recovering, very slowly,” Darrin said.  “She didn't have an easy time of it here.”
     
    Jasmine was mildly surprised.  In her experience, the Earth-born tended to be immensely selfish and utterly lacking in empathy.  For Darrin to concede that someone had had a hard time ... it said good things about him, she decided.  But then, if half of Kailee’s story was true, he and his friends had all had to grow up in a hurry.  And one of them hadn't made it.
     
    “Being trapped for so long couldn't have been good for her,” Stewart agreed.  “Make sure she gets plenty of support and encouragement.”
     
    The door opened again.  Clarence stepped into the room, looking tired.  “There was some disagreement on how to proceed,” he said.  “The short and final answer was that you could proceed, as long as we are not implicated in your scheme.  We won’t risk the planet just to get you and your fellows home.”
     
    “You have a choice between helping us and having the Wolves breathing down your necks for the rest of your lives,” Watson said, sharply.
     
    Clarence gave him a sharp look.  “When your side has a fleet of starships in the system, you can talk to us,” he said.  “Until then, I am disinclined to risk my family and friends on a mad scheme to break us free of an interstellar power.”
     
    Jasmine nodded.  “We understand,” she said, shooting Watson a warning glance.  No matter what they did, Wolfbane would eventually notice that something was wrong and send a ship to investigate.   At that point, if the Wolves decided to blame the planet’s settlers, Meridian would be hammered into rubble from orbit.  “We will make them think we were acting alone.”
     
    “Good,” Clarence said.  “It’s a minimum of five days from here to Sabre, assuming we stay away from the main roads.  We’ll escort you down to the city and then let you sort out your own plans.”
     
    “We will need Kailee’s help,” Jasmine said, after a moment.  There was just too much to learn in too little time.  “And her boyfriend too.”
     
    “If they are willing to help, they can,” Clarence said.  “But again, we cannot risk being implicated in your actions.”
     
    “Blame everything on the Earthers,” Darrin said.
     
    “I intend to,” Clarence said.  “And I am sorry.”
     
    He looked back at Jasmine.  “We have food, drinks and packs for you,” he said.  “I think you should depart as soon as possible.”
     
    Jasmine nodded.  They hadn't seen the sun since they’d been asked to stay in the hut, but she was fairly sure it was early morning.  Good; they could make a solid start on the march before they holed up for the night.  It wouldn't be anything like as bad as route marches and death trails on the Slaughterhouse, she was sure.  They’d need tents to keep the rain off their heads while they slept, but they had practice in carrying plenty of weight. 
     
    “I’ll get them organised,” Darrin said.  He smiled at Jasmine.  “Kailee and I will be coming back to