Page 84 of Dark Island: Rescue
"Can we focus?" Kian shot them both a look. "Turner, how soon can the sub reach Safe Harbor?"
Turner consulted his notes. "It can be there by Tuesday if they leave immediately. Wednesday at the latest."
"That gives us time to finalize logistics." Kian looked around the table. "Let's run through the sequence."
For the next hour, they worked through the plan in painstaking detail. The submarine would approach under the cover of darkness, staying outside Navuh's detection range. A smaller craft—probably a Zodiac—would ferry the Guardian team closer to the island. Okidu would make the climb first and attach the rope.
Hopefully, this time hewouldn't fall.
"Tula's partner will be devastated," Carol said. "He'll blame himself."
"I know," Kian said. "Regrettably, that can't be avoided."
"We can't extract all four." Turner's voice was firm. "I've run every scenario I can think of. There's no plausible explanation for four people vanishing simultaneously that doesn't trigger an investigation. And any investigation eventually leads back to inside help—which means Areana."
"So, we're abandoning them," Carol said.
"We're making a difficult choice," Kian corrected. "We save who we can save without compromising everyone else. Tamira and Elias stay for now. Maybe in a few years, after scrutiny dies down, we can extract Tamira using a similar method."
Onegus nodded. "It's the right tactical decision. Doesn't make it feel any less shitty."
"No, it doesn't," Kian agreed. "But it's the decision we're making."
Turner cleared his throat. "We should discuss contingencies in case something goes wrong during the extraction."
"Like what?" Carol asked.
"Like Tula panics and can't go through with it. Like the weather turns bad. Like a guard spots something suspicious, like Okidu falling again, or worse, someone else." Turner pulled out a fresh sheet of paper. "We need backup plans for every scenario."
They spent another hour working through contingencies. If Tula couldn't go through with it, they'dabort and try again another night. If weather was a problem, they'd wait for a clear window. If immortal guards were spotted, they would need to abort because Yamanu couldn't shroud against immortals. If anything else went wrong, they might need more Guardians on hand.
"You should take Drova instead of me," Yamanu suggested. "She can't shroud, but she can compel everyone to stand down, including the immortal guards. She can also carry Tula down." He snorted. "She could probably also scale the cliff with her bare fingers and attach the rope."
It was possible that she could, but compulsion wasn't the skill needed for this operation. Shrouding was.
"Navuh could potentially override Drova's compulsion and get the information out of the guards. This entire plan hinges on Navuh never suspecting clan involvement. One hint that we were there, and he'll tear his island apart looking for accomplices. Areana would be his first suspect. Also, our goal is to extract Tula without starting a war with Navuh."
The words tasted bitter on his tongue, especially since they were building a base in Safe Harbor so they could one day flip that script and take on Navuh without having to nuke his island and kill everyone there. But they were not ready to do that yet, and Tula needed extraction now.
"I'm surprised that Tula is willing to leave Areana," Carol said. "Or that Areana is willing to let her go. They are very close to each other."
"According to my mother, Areana loves Tula like adaughter and is willing to accept whatever consequences come. She's made her choice."
"That's incredibly brave." Carol's eyes misted with unshed tears.
"It's also incredibly dangerous," Yamanu added. "Navuh isn't known for mercy, even to those he loves."
"Which is why we have to make sure that this extraction is flawless," Kian said. "No mistakes, no traces, nothing that leads back to Areana, or the clan. We get Tula out, make it look like a suicide, and disappear without a trace."
Turner made a note. "I'll need Areana's help with timing. We need to choose a night when Navuh is occupied elsewhere on the island."
"I'll relay that to my mother," Kian said. "She can pass it on to Areana during their next call."
"Speaking of which." Onegus checked his watch. "When is Areana expected to call?"
"Today, potentially. Mother said Areana might risk an off-schedule call, but it's more likely that she will call on Wednesday, which is their regular day."
"Either way, we need to be ready to move quickly once we have confirmation," Turner said. "The submarine will be in position by Tuesday. Our Guardian team needs to be on Safe Harbor by Monday, which means that they need to leave today or tomorrow at the latest."
