“I don’t like it”.

Loomie sat in the pilot’s chair, frowning at the commlink speaker box on the left side of the pilot’s console. Almost three hours had passed since Gerrin and Reilly had loaded up McMillan and left for the spider hole hideout.

“He said three hours”, her bother Aldous, the ship’s mechanic, reminded her. “Give him a little more time”.

“Hmpf”. Loomie looked at the barely readable lights of the pilot’s chronometer, smacking the console below it. The lights brightened somewhat. “Ten more minutes”, she decided, “Then I’m going after him”.

“You don’t even know if you can land out there”, Aldous objected. “You think of that?”

“Guess we’ll find out”. Loomie straightened in the pilot’s chair. “Get us ready to go”.

Aldous looked at her for a second. “Whatever you say, cap’n”. Reaching up to grab the comm handset he called out “Park. You near the engine room?”

After a second Park’s voice came back “Outside the galley. What’s up?”

“Remember that startup routine I taught you?”

For a moment there was silence. “Yeah”.

“Go down and get it started, I’ll be there in a minute”. Aldous placed the handset in its cradle. “You know,” he opined, “Nick ain’t gonna be too happy if he shows up here and finds us gone”.

“He won’t,” Loomie mused. “Something here ain’t shiny”.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

“Well, this is charming”, Reilly mused.

Gerrin and Reilly paused their horses on the road just outside of town and surveyed the view of the main street: a typical settlement of wooden buildings with horses and a few wheeled vehicles in the street. Here and there a tree grew at random. Looking over the town, Reilly opined flatly “We shoulda waited by the loader”.

Gerrin responded “And who’d find us first? Loomie or our friends’ friends?”

Reilly shook his head. “They don’t have any. If they did, we’d have seen them by now”.

Gerrin looked at him. “Well, wherever they are, we’re here now. Let’s go”. Gerrin urged his horse forward.

As they entered the town and moved down the main street they discreetly noticed the townspeople on the sides of the main road watching as they passed. Trying not to draw undue attention they moved to a hitching post in front of what appeared to be a store and dismounted the horses. Tying them in front of a water trough Gerrin and Reilly walked casually into the store. A short, stodgy man, presumably the owner, looked up from the counter as they entered. “You got a restroom?” Gerrin asked.

“Restroom’s for payin’ customers”, The owner grunted.

Gerrin jerked his head toward Reilly. “He’s buying”.

Reilly snapped his head in Gerrin’s direction. Gerrin gestured toward the owner.

“Fine”, Reilly sighed. “I’m lookin’ at some foodstuffs. You mind showin’ him the bathroom? He can’t hold his juices”.

The owner jerked his thumb toward the rear of the store. “Last door on the right”.

“Thanks”. Gerrin followed the hallway toward the back of the building. Passing the bathroom, he continued to a door that opened up to the area behind the building. Gerrin carefully pulled on the lock release. With a barely audible click the door slowly opened.

“You’re not done yet?”

Gerrin jumped at Reillys inquiry. “What’re you doing back here? You’re supposed to distract the storekeep”.

“I did”. Handing Gerrin a small package he said “Here’s lunch”.

Gerrin sighed as he took the package. Pulling the door open cautiously he peered out into the alley behind the store: all clear. “Let’s go”.

“You gonna eat?”, Reilly queried as they turned and started in the direction of the landing pads.

“Soon”, Gerrin brushed him off as they passed behind several buildings, checking cautiously down the alleys and behind them to make sure they weren’t being followed.

Clearing the buildings they looked out toward the landing field. “I don’t see the Troll anywhere”, Reilly mused.

“Probably on their way now”, Gerrin guessed. Looking around, he decided “Okay, we just lay low in town for now and wait for them to get here”.

“Yeah, we might want to work on that right now”.

“Huh?”

Reilly pointed. Gerrin turned to look where Reilly was gesturing. In front of the store where the horses were tied up two men had untied the horses while two others started down the street in different directions. “Yeah, let’s move”, he agreed.

They moved quickly and carefully behind the buildings while keeping an eye behind them to make sure they weren’t being followed.

Ducking behind a building they stumbled across several old tarps strung between the walls of the building and old barrels. Some of the tarps were anchored to the ground by old boxes, rocks, anything that provided weight.

Reilly lifted the edge of one tarp and peeked inside. “This should do for now”, he announced.

He and Gerrin started to duck inside when a voice said gruffly “Whaddaya think yer doin’ in my tent?”

Crouching, Gerrin answered “Dui bu tchi (Sorry). Didn’t know it was occupied”.

“You lookin’ for somethin’?”

“Just tryin’ to avoid some trouble”.

“Hmph”, the old man snorted. “Anything to do with those guys just came into town?”

Gerrin and Reilly peeked over the top of the makeshift tent. “Yeah, that’d be them”, Reilly answered, ducking.

The old man looked them over carefully before saying “Well, just lay low here for a spell and you can be on your way when they’re gone”.

“Thanks”. Gerrin and Reilly squatted down in front of the tent. “How long you been here?” Reilly asked.

“Few years”, he answered. “Wound up out here after the war”.

“You fought?”

He nodded “Yup. Signed up for the war and went off to fight for king and country”. He paused before adding “For all the good it did”.

“Alliance?”

“Mm-hmm”.

“And these guys?” Gerrin waved his hand.

The old man looked. “Yeah”, he admitted, “They’re good guys, most of ‘em vets”.

“What happened?”

The old man sighed “Came home to find home didn’t want us no more. See, we got used to a certain way of doing things, and the rest of ‘em didn’t like things done that way”.

“Oh, I know that feeling”, Gerrrin mused sourly, handing him what was left of his lunch.

“Out there you had each others’ backs”, he continued, “but back here, they get what they want and they’re done with you. So we all just sort of took up here and looked out for each other”.

“What about the government?” Reilly asked.

The old man shrugged grimly “Didn’t care. We got all kinds of fancy excuses, though”.

“So now they just want you to go away and die quietly?” Reilly guessed.

“It’s not an original story”, Gerrin frowned.

“That’s why we look after our own back here”, the old man continued. “Rule 303”.

“Huh?”

“’If you have the means at hand’”, Gerrin recited, “’you have the responsibility to act’”.

The old man smiled. “You served, didn’t you?”

“Long story”. Looking up over the tarp, Gerrin observed “I think they’re gone, now”.

“If you guys need to stay a spell, that’s fine”, the old man offered, “bein’ as you’re one of us”.

Gerrin stood. “Thanks, but our ride’s coming soon”. Turning back to the old man, he asked “You guys need anything? We could swing back by before we leave”.

The old man waved him off. “We been managin’ for a long time, we’ll be fine. You just be careful out there”.

Gerrin seemed unsure. “Okay”. Turning to Reilly he said “Let’s go”.

The two of them started out from the alleyway they’d been hiding in. As they emerged on to the street they heard the old man call after them “Watch you six”.

Gerrin tossed a thumbs-up before he and Reilly rounded the corner. “We oughta get them some food if we can”.

“After we save our own selves, first”, Reilly reminded him. “And weren’t we supposed to contact someone about that packet we’re still carrying?”

“First we gotta get clear of our little friends out there”, Gerrin answered. “For all we know that contact saw the trouble and scatted out of here anyways”.

They stepped out into the street. “I don’t see ‘em”, Reilly mused.

Gerrin looked around. “Yep, all clear. Let’s go. Fast”. He turned toward the landing pads.

They had taken a dozen steps before Gerrin heard a dull crack behind him. Turning toward Reilly he felt the blow to his head and then everything went black.

He had no idea how much time had passed before the darkness behind his eyes grew light again and everything slowly came into focus. Turning his head painfully to one side he focused on Reilly, who said groggily “Found ‘em”.

Gerrin looked at Reilly harshly. “If they had friends we’d’ve seen ‘em by now, eh?”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . To Be Continued . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .