A Small Colonial War (Ark Royal Book 6) by Christopher Nuttall, Justin Adams Page B

well.
     
    “I’m expecting hard fighting,” he said, finally.  Was he planning to land on Clarke?  She didn't like the thought, but it was his job.  “You could get yourself killed out here.”
     
    “ You could get yourself killed out here,” Penny said.  She crossed her arms under her breasts, scowling at him.  “This isn't a refugee camp, Percy, and I’m not a teenager any longer.”
     
    “Thanks be to God,” Percy said.  “You were hellish as a teenager.”
     
    Penny smirked.  “I could tell Canella all sorts of stories about your teenage years ...”
     
    Percy’s expression darkened.  “She broke up with me.”
     
    “I’m sorry to hear that,” Penny said, sincerely.  She’d only met Canella once, but she’d liked the girl.  “Did the deployments get to her?”
     
    “Yeah,” Percy said.  “I think she must have had second thoughts from the moment I said goodbye to her.  Being on a starship is a far cry from serving on the other side of the world.”
     
    Penny nodded in agreement.  It only took seven hours to travel from one side of the world to the other - or it had, before the war.  The hypersonic jets that had once bound Earth together had largely been grounded, all services cancelled as the human race struggled to survive and rebuild.  Percy could have returned to Edinburgh every couple of months when he went on leave, if he wished; it was a great deal harder to travel between Earth and Vesy.  Canella hadn't seen him for over a year.
     
    “Well, I’m sure you will find someone else,” she said, briskly.  “Are there any young women on the ship you might like?”
     
    “If I have time,” Percy said.  “Do you know how hard it was to get a chance to come see you?”
     
    Penny gave him a sharp look.  “No,” she said.  “What are you doing?”
     
    “Training,” Percy said.  He held up one hand.  “And it’s classified, so please don’t ask about it.”
     
    “I won’t,” Penny said.  She had a feeling that she was right, that Percy was going to land on Clarke, but she kept that thought to herself.  “It’s good to see you again, even if it is ... here .”
     
    “I suppose,” Percy said.  “I'd be happier if you were safer, Pen-Pen.”
     
    Penny felt her cheeks heat.  “I’m not a child any longer, Percy,” she said.  “And is there anywhere safe these days?”
     
    It wasn't a pleasant thought.  They’d grown up in a safe environment; their father hadn't been wealthy, but he’d earned enough to give the family a security blanket and ensure that his children received a good education.  And then their father had gone off to war, their mother had vanished during the bombardment and they’d had to flee the onrushing waters in hopes of finding a safe place to rest.  She'd gone back to their home town later, after the area had been declared safe, only to discover that their home had been looted.  Everything they’d owned had been either stolen or destroyed by the waves.
     
    They’d been lucky, she knew.  Admiral Fitzwilliam had taken them in, after the war; they’d had a measure of safety that few others had enjoyed.   And yet, there had been no guarantees of anything.  They’d worked in the Reclamation Corps before Percy had gone into the Royal Marines and she’d found work as a reporter, but it could easily have been worse.  She’d seen the bodies recovered from the waters and known she could have died there too.
     
    “I suppose there isn't,” Percy said.  “But a war zone is even less safe than anywhere else.”
     
    Penny rolled her eyes.  “Like I said, I’m not a child any longer,” she said.  “I knew the job was dangerous when I signed up for it.”
     
    She cleared her throat.  “So ... do you have your eye on anyone?”
     
    “Not yet,” Percy said.  “Who’s the milksop in your cabin?”
     
    “A fellow reporter,” Penny said.  “He gets the sofa, I get the bed.”
     
    “What a fair