and me. Nobody finds out. Understand?"
Kuzyk nodded hesitantly.
"Where is she?"
"I'm here," said a small voice. Janice peeked around a corner behind Kuzyk. "Thank you, Jim."
He waved that away. "Where's your cabin, Kuzyk?"
They hurried to the cabin without meeting anyone along the way. It was a tiny room, the floor not quite as wide as the sleeping pod. All three of them crowded in, leaning against the wall because it was almost impossible not to.
"We take off in about fourteen hours," Carruthers said. "You'll have to stay here until then. Kuzyk will bring you coveralls and a cap. Wear them if you have to use the head." He jerked a thumb to the left. "It's that way."
Janice nodded, wide-eyed.
"Once you're off-planet you'll be …" He let his voice taper off. "Actually, 'safe' isn't the word. You'll be on a warship headed for Naxos. Maybe you'd be better off staying here and facing-"
"No," Janice interrupted, her face going pale. "No, you can't leave me here."
"All right." He frowned. "They backed down," he said. He was piecing together his thoughts as he spoke. "I'm a captain, and it's a military facility. Plus I'm one of the heroes of the Alexander . I fought the aliens. So they can't accuse me of treason." He snorted. "Well, they can accuse me. They did. But they can't make it stick."
Kuzyk and Janice watched him, silent.
"What's it like for everyone else?" he said. "With over half the Gate network down, most people can't even leave Earth."
"The EDF has chapters in the colonies," Janice said. "They're worst on Earth, though."
There was a moment of gloomy silence.
"I'm suddenly pretty glad we get to leave," Carruthers said. "I wonder what kind of world we'll come back to."
Chapter 9 – Nicholson
Lieutenant Derek Nicholson checked the magazine in his blast rifle, tugged at the bottom of his light body armor, took a deep breath, and nodded to the sailor at the ramp controls. The ramp dropped, and a wave of humid air swept in, scented by vegetation. It was a strange smell to Nicholson, who had lived his entire life in large cities, and he wanted to stop while he got used to it. Instead he made a "come along" gesture to his team and headed down the ramp at a trot.
The Achilles sat in a forest. Trees stretched away in every direction, and Nicholson felt his heart speed up until he thought it might hammer its way out of his chest. He couldn't see very far in any direction. Anything could be hiding in these trees, and his imagination wasted no time in conjuring up a buffet of dangers. He broke into a run, curving around the side of the ship, the others hurrying behind him.
He headed into the trees, then changed his mind and jogged back toward the ship. With the bulk of the corvette behind him and a thick wing stretched overhead he felt slightly safer. He dropped to one knee, lifted his rifle, and scanned the trees.
A blonde woman dropped to one knee beside him. She scanned the trees like he did, and spoke without taking her eyes from the forest. "What is it, Sir? Did you see something?"
Nicholson glanced around. There were four in the party. The other two, Hudson and Parrish, stood slightly behind him and Adria Gillett. "No," he said. "It's just this forest. It puts me on edge." He glanced at her, expecting to see the same stress on her face.
Instead, she stared at him, her face perplexed. She lowered her rifle. "Forest, Sir?"
He gestured at the trees that surrounded the ship on all sides. "This forest here." He felt himself flush. "Or is it more of a jungle?" He wasn't sure what the difference was.
Gillett spoke hesitantly, almost as if she thought he might be kidding. "It's an orchard, Sir."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
She stared at him for a long moment, blinked, then said, "It's an orchard. Not a forest. All these trees were planted here. They aren't growing wild."
"How can you tell?"
Again she stared at him before speaking. "There's a tree every, what, fifteen meters? They're all the same size. All
Kuzyk nodded hesitantly.
"Where is she?"
"I'm here," said a small voice. Janice peeked around a corner behind Kuzyk. "Thank you, Jim."
He waved that away. "Where's your cabin, Kuzyk?"
They hurried to the cabin without meeting anyone along the way. It was a tiny room, the floor not quite as wide as the sleeping pod. All three of them crowded in, leaning against the wall because it was almost impossible not to.
"We take off in about fourteen hours," Carruthers said. "You'll have to stay here until then. Kuzyk will bring you coveralls and a cap. Wear them if you have to use the head." He jerked a thumb to the left. "It's that way."
Janice nodded, wide-eyed.
"Once you're off-planet you'll be …" He let his voice taper off. "Actually, 'safe' isn't the word. You'll be on a warship headed for Naxos. Maybe you'd be better off staying here and facing-"
"No," Janice interrupted, her face going pale. "No, you can't leave me here."
"All right." He frowned. "They backed down," he said. He was piecing together his thoughts as he spoke. "I'm a captain, and it's a military facility. Plus I'm one of the heroes of the Alexander . I fought the aliens. So they can't accuse me of treason." He snorted. "Well, they can accuse me. They did. But they can't make it stick."
Kuzyk and Janice watched him, silent.
"What's it like for everyone else?" he said. "With over half the Gate network down, most people can't even leave Earth."
"The EDF has chapters in the colonies," Janice said. "They're worst on Earth, though."
There was a moment of gloomy silence.
"I'm suddenly pretty glad we get to leave," Carruthers said. "I wonder what kind of world we'll come back to."
Chapter 9 – Nicholson
Lieutenant Derek Nicholson checked the magazine in his blast rifle, tugged at the bottom of his light body armor, took a deep breath, and nodded to the sailor at the ramp controls. The ramp dropped, and a wave of humid air swept in, scented by vegetation. It was a strange smell to Nicholson, who had lived his entire life in large cities, and he wanted to stop while he got used to it. Instead he made a "come along" gesture to his team and headed down the ramp at a trot.
The Achilles sat in a forest. Trees stretched away in every direction, and Nicholson felt his heart speed up until he thought it might hammer its way out of his chest. He couldn't see very far in any direction. Anything could be hiding in these trees, and his imagination wasted no time in conjuring up a buffet of dangers. He broke into a run, curving around the side of the ship, the others hurrying behind him.
He headed into the trees, then changed his mind and jogged back toward the ship. With the bulk of the corvette behind him and a thick wing stretched overhead he felt slightly safer. He dropped to one knee, lifted his rifle, and scanned the trees.
A blonde woman dropped to one knee beside him. She scanned the trees like he did, and spoke without taking her eyes from the forest. "What is it, Sir? Did you see something?"
Nicholson glanced around. There were four in the party. The other two, Hudson and Parrish, stood slightly behind him and Adria Gillett. "No," he said. "It's just this forest. It puts me on edge." He glanced at her, expecting to see the same stress on her face.
Instead, she stared at him, her face perplexed. She lowered her rifle. "Forest, Sir?"
He gestured at the trees that surrounded the ship on all sides. "This forest here." He felt himself flush. "Or is it more of a jungle?" He wasn't sure what the difference was.
Gillett spoke hesitantly, almost as if she thought he might be kidding. "It's an orchard, Sir."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
She stared at him for a long moment, blinked, then said, "It's an orchard. Not a forest. All these trees were planted here. They aren't growing wild."
"How can you tell?"
Again she stared at him before speaking. "There's a tree every, what, fifteen meters? They're all the same size. All
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