a vine.”
Roland chuckled, pushing the case back a little more so it snugged against the base of the turret.
“I just think we should’ve avoided those guys, not gone sneaking up to their camp, and … and just …” Cal’s voice trailed off.
What he really wanted to say was,
I want my mom and dad, I want to be back home
. But he couldn’t say that to Roland.
He was still in shock, after what he’d seen. He’d carried out the deception easily enough—he’d always fallen intoplayacting with ease—but watching Roland execute those three …
Roland looked at him, his expression hardening. “Anyhow, kid—don’t make sense to sugarcoat the truth, not out here. My guess is … you’re gonna have to learn to survive right here on the planet Pandora—maybe for longer than you expect. No settlement’s really safe, they’re always getting raided—you got to be ready to defend yourself anytime.”
“But I’ll be able to go up to the Study Station from Fyrestone—won’t I?”
“Will you? Who knows when the next starship’ll be stopping by—besides, a supply ship wouldn’t take you on. Got to be one that takes passengers. And orbit personnel, kid,
never
come down here. They only watch from the safety of
up there.
From what I saw at that lifeboat site of yours, no one’s been there looking for you. And from what you told me—that starship is burned up and gone. So no help there. The corporations only send help if you pay ’em good money in advance. A lotta money neither of us has. Look—I’m gonna tell you straight up: there’s a good chance your folks didn’t make it. Which means you’re gonna have to learn how to make it down here on your own. I can’t be babysitting you all the time. If there’s no one looking for you at Fyrestone, no sign of your folks, why, I’ll get you to New Haven. The boss lady of the town—Helena Pierce is her name—she’s a good sort. Seems to give a damn. I figure she’d take care of you. But even in New Haven—it’s never really safe …”
There’s a good chance your folks didn’t make it.
Those words rang in Cal’s mind, over and over. Theyburned in his belly. They made him want to crawl under the outrunner and hide, and he felt his eyes stinging with tears. “You … you don’t have a right to say that … what you said about my parents. That they didn’t make it. You don’t
know
that! They’ll find me! If they’re alive they’ll never give up looking for me.”
Roland sighed. “Yeah, if they’re alive. But chances are … And kid, we don’t have grief counselors around here, okay?”
That’s when they heard engines revving and tires screeching.
They looked up to see two outriders driving out of the passage, right toward them, about thirty-five meters away. The bandit vehicles were similar to the outrunner but sleeker, lower to the ground, a dull dusty blue color. Skag skulls had been attached in place of fenders over the wheels. The driver seemed hidden in a tanklike turret under the machine guns.
“Uh-oh—looks like the buddies of the Bruiser we took down. I thought there was a couple others around here … that’s what we get for gabbing when we should be moving.”
“What’ll we do? They’re coming fast!”
Scrambling up to the outrunner’s turret gun, Roland yelled, “Kid—you really think you could drive this thing? Then you need to do it!”
Impelled by sheer terror—as the outriders bore down on them, strafing bullets already whistling through the air overhead—Cal ran for the driver’s seat, jumped in, and put the vehicle in gear. He slammed his foot on the accelerator—and the outrunner roared into action, wheelssquealing, heading randomly out into the desert. He was jerked back by the acceleration, and had trouble holding on to the steering wheel, as if it were trying to spin out of his grip, vibrating with the jolting of the outrunner across the rugged ground.
“Hold on to that wheel, kid!” Roland shouted.
Roland chuckled, pushing the case back a little more so it snugged against the base of the turret.
“I just think we should’ve avoided those guys, not gone sneaking up to their camp, and … and just …” Cal’s voice trailed off.
What he really wanted to say was,
I want my mom and dad, I want to be back home
. But he couldn’t say that to Roland.
He was still in shock, after what he’d seen. He’d carried out the deception easily enough—he’d always fallen intoplayacting with ease—but watching Roland execute those three …
Roland looked at him, his expression hardening. “Anyhow, kid—don’t make sense to sugarcoat the truth, not out here. My guess is … you’re gonna have to learn to survive right here on the planet Pandora—maybe for longer than you expect. No settlement’s really safe, they’re always getting raided—you got to be ready to defend yourself anytime.”
“But I’ll be able to go up to the Study Station from Fyrestone—won’t I?”
“Will you? Who knows when the next starship’ll be stopping by—besides, a supply ship wouldn’t take you on. Got to be one that takes passengers. And orbit personnel, kid,
never
come down here. They only watch from the safety of
up there.
From what I saw at that lifeboat site of yours, no one’s been there looking for you. And from what you told me—that starship is burned up and gone. So no help there. The corporations only send help if you pay ’em good money in advance. A lotta money neither of us has. Look—I’m gonna tell you straight up: there’s a good chance your folks didn’t make it. Which means you’re gonna have to learn how to make it down here on your own. I can’t be babysitting you all the time. If there’s no one looking for you at Fyrestone, no sign of your folks, why, I’ll get you to New Haven. The boss lady of the town—Helena Pierce is her name—she’s a good sort. Seems to give a damn. I figure she’d take care of you. But even in New Haven—it’s never really safe …”
There’s a good chance your folks didn’t make it.
Those words rang in Cal’s mind, over and over. Theyburned in his belly. They made him want to crawl under the outrunner and hide, and he felt his eyes stinging with tears. “You … you don’t have a right to say that … what you said about my parents. That they didn’t make it. You don’t
know
that! They’ll find me! If they’re alive they’ll never give up looking for me.”
Roland sighed. “Yeah, if they’re alive. But chances are … And kid, we don’t have grief counselors around here, okay?”
That’s when they heard engines revving and tires screeching.
They looked up to see two outriders driving out of the passage, right toward them, about thirty-five meters away. The bandit vehicles were similar to the outrunner but sleeker, lower to the ground, a dull dusty blue color. Skag skulls had been attached in place of fenders over the wheels. The driver seemed hidden in a tanklike turret under the machine guns.
“Uh-oh—looks like the buddies of the Bruiser we took down. I thought there was a couple others around here … that’s what we get for gabbing when we should be moving.”
“What’ll we do? They’re coming fast!”
Scrambling up to the outrunner’s turret gun, Roland yelled, “Kid—you really think you could drive this thing? Then you need to do it!”
Impelled by sheer terror—as the outriders bore down on them, strafing bullets already whistling through the air overhead—Cal ran for the driver’s seat, jumped in, and put the vehicle in gear. He slammed his foot on the accelerator—and the outrunner roared into action, wheelssquealing, heading randomly out into the desert. He was jerked back by the acceleration, and had trouble holding on to the steering wheel, as if it were trying to spin out of his grip, vibrating with the jolting of the outrunner across the rugged ground.
“Hold on to that wheel, kid!” Roland shouted.
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