He shrugged. "I didn't say I was experienced, that's just what I've heard and read. Now stop worrying. These are my friends. Yes, Mr. Strain will probably have his gun-sorry, his rifle-but he'll trust me."

Shelby snorted. "All the more reason I should have mine!"

"This was your idea," he reminded her.

She kicked a small rock out of her way as they walked and said, "It seemed a lot safer and smarter back in your residence."

Krys chuckled. "Don't worry, these are good people. Kind people. Angry and bitter, but they aren't monsters or savages."

She sighed but stayed quiet as they walked down the first road towards the irrigation pump. Krys didn't see anyone yet, but he was sure his friends would be hiding nearby. They made it to the machinery before Krys felt Shelby stiffen beside him. A heartbeat later, he heard someone clear their throat behind him.

Krys turned and saw Mr. Strain standing with his rifle in his hands, although he held it across his body and pointed at the ground instead of at them. "Mr. Strain!"

"Krys, what's this about? And who's this?"

"Mr. Strain?" Shelby asked before Krys could respond. "You were a rancher here before, right?"

Mig's eyes narrowed. "Krys?"

"This is Shelby-sorry, First Lieutenant Shelby Riggs. She's in charge of Sierra-12 now."

"Can't say that I expected this when I got your note," Mig admitted. He shifted his rifle in his grip and added, "It kind of feels like a trap. Any soldiers hiding over the hill ready to charge in on us?"

"No, sir!" Krys rushed to say.

"Mr. Strain, please," Shelby said. "Krys trusted me enough to tell me about you-I'm asking you to trust me enough to believe I'm not trying to have you captured or killed."

"You're asking a lot," he growled.

Krys glanced at his girlfriend, worried about how she'd handle the glowering rancher. He saw that she was standing tall but didn't look imposing or angry at all. He felt the muscles in his neck loosen up and realized she knew what she was doing. He wasn't sure he knew, but he'd trust her just like she'd trusted him.

"No soldiers, I promise. Just me. I am in charge here and I've been able to make it possible for Krys to be accepted into our society. I'd like to think I can negotiate something that will allow you all to return as well."

"After you killed our families and stole our children?" Mig growled.

Shelby held his angry gaze for a long moment and then nodded. "Frankly, yes. I'm sorry about what happened, but none of us can change that. I'm shorthanded and, simply put, we could use the help to increase our output. Krys is buried with keeping everything running and the men and women I have who are doing the farming and ranching are doing their best, but they could really benefit from the experience you and your friends have."

He looked at Krys and then back to Shelby. "Why wasn't anyone thinking about this before you came in shooting three years back?"

"Nobody's thinking about it now," she said. "At least nobody other than me. Fact is, if you agree to this, I can bring you in, but you'll need to lay low. You won't be in the system; that's something I have to work at slowly. I'm hoping production increases offset the losses I won't be able to officially account for."

"What losses?"

"Clothing, food, and housing," she said. "As it is, I've been fudging the reports to account for what Krys has been providing."

Krys turned to her and gasped, "You what? You knew?"

She nodded. "For a while now. We keep records for a reason."

"Why didn't you say something sooner?"

Mig chuckled. "Better watch yourself, Krys. You've got yourself a cunning one there."

Shelby spun head back to face him. "Excuse me?"

"You're smart. You're trying to exploit a resource to help yourself out. Several resources now. And unless I miss my guess, the two of you are a lot more friendly than you're letting on."

Krys felt his eyes widen and his face heat up. He glanced away and then looked over to see Shelby had a tinge of red in her cheeks. That made him feel better and confirmed that she cared for him. Or she was an excellent actress. He pushed the stray thought away and turned his attention back to Mr. Strain.

"She took care of me," Krys said. "She'll stick to her word. I believe her."

Mig snorted. "It's not about believing her, Krys. It's about the risks."

"What risks are there?"

Shelby nodded. "There are risks. Until I can figure out a way to get you registered in our society, you won't be able to go anywhere or do anything. We'll have to provide everything you need and hide the data trails. If we're visited by anyone else, you'll have to stay out of sight."

"Doesn't sound promising," Mig responded.

"It's better than the alternative," she argued. "Living in the wild, no power, no food or water you can rely on. Not to mention the threat of being discovered by patrols."

"Only time soldiers have come for us, we got away," Mig said. He glanced at Krys and winced. "Well, most of us."

Krys opened his mouth but a sharp look from Shelby stayed his voice. He clamped his lips together and waited for her to respond.

"What?" Mig asked. He looked between the two of them. "What do you know that she doesn't want you telling me?"

Krys groaned and looked to Shelby. She sighed and answered for him. "Other colonies are having problems with troublemakers. Supply convoys have been ambushed and destroyed."

"Wasn't us," Mig said.

She nodded. "I know. Unfortunately, that doesn't matter. The guerilla tactics have gone on long enough and become significant enough to attract attention off-world. Last reports indicate we only have a little time left until reinforcements arrive."

"Reinforcements?"

Krys blurted out, "Lots. Tanks and biomechs. You know, the big robots?"

Mig grimaced. He turned and looked to the east. "We could run and hide. Tanks and robots probably won't do well in the mountains."

"Neither will you," Shelby said. "Unless you've managed to store away supplies and find a way to keep food from spoiling?"

He frowned and didn't respond right away.

"Mr. Strain, Shel-Lieutenant Riggs and I have talked about this a lot. This really is the best thing we could come up with."

Mig nodded. "I'm seeing that, but I don't like it. There's a lot of hard feelings to get over and a lot of trust that hasn't been earned."

"I'm here, with Krys, and without any backup or even a gun," Shelby said. "What more do you need to believe me?"

Mig stared at her a long moment and nodded. "Wait here."

"What?"

He nodded at the pump. "Stay here. I have to go talk to my people. I can't speak for them, but I'll see what I can do."

"How many do you have?"

He smiled and shook his head. "You can count the ones who come back yourself."

Shelby sighed. "All right, but please hurry. I need to get back. Things are heating up and if I'm gone too long, people will start asking questions."

Mig stared at her and said, "I don't see how you trying to stay out of trouble is my problem."

Shelby raised an eyebrow. "Really? You are the problem here and I'm trying to help you. So I'd say that makes my problems your problems."

Mig's nostrils flared. He slung his rifle over his shoulder and turned to Krys. "Watch her close, son; she's crafty."

Krys grinned and nodded. Mig turned away and wandered into the rows of pineapple trees to consult with his friends. Shelby turned back to Krys, her lips opening to ask a question. Krys shook his head. "They'll come around," he assured her. "You did a good thing here. Reminds me of a soldier who shoved a kid in a hole to save him."

Shelby stiffened and smiled. She glanced around and then followed him to the shadowed side of the pump. "For being young and inexperienced, sometimes you know exactly the right things to say."

Krys grinned. "Sometimes I get lucky."

"Not yet, you haven't," she said with a wink. She laughed when Krys's eyes widened and his jaw fell open.

Chapter 37.

Lily studied the myrmidon class biomech as she climbed up the gantry to the open cockpit. She glanced, picking up places where hand and foot holds had been worked into the armor so it could be mounted or dismounted in the field.

"This is incredible," Palla whispered behind her.

Lily couldn't stop herself from grinning.

"Are you ready for this?"

"I feel like my entire life has been leading to this," Lily admitted.

Palla blinked and looked away. She laughed and turned back to her. "Three years. I've only known you three years but I know what you mean. This is your moment."

"I might not be here without your help," Lily said.

"Aw, thank you," Palla said. "But come on, you're the prodigy here."

"You're no slouch."

Palla shrugged. "We can stand here and stroke each other's egos all day, but you've got a biomech to pilot and I've got a ride to catch."

Lily grinned and caught Palla's arm as she turned away. She twisted her friend back around and pulled her into a hug. Palla stiffened and then relaxed and squeezed her back. "Thanks," Lily whispered. "For everything!"

"Good luck, Lil!" Palla responded in a choked voice.

Lily let her go and watched as Palla scampered across the gantry and back to the secure door of the drop bay. She ducked through the door and left Lily alone with the mechanics and other biomech pilots. All of them were focused on their own biomechs, leaving Lily a rare moment of respite. It was a calm before the storm and she knew it. Movement and chaos was coming, even if it was only trying to mobilize two brigades of armor.

Lily's part was keeping the five biomechs and support staff in her platoon together. In the simulators, they'd gotten themselves together quite well. Everyone kept telling her how different things would be when it was real, but she couldn't imagine it would be much harder. The sims were so realistic already: how much more difficult could it be?

She pushed her thoughts away and climbed into the cockpit of her biomech. She settled into the armored cocoon and felt the cool padded material below her regulation blue shorts. She picked the helmet up and slipped it over her head and then fitted the breathing apparatus over her mouth and nose. Fully enclosed above her neck, Lily breathed in the first of the controlled air and tasted the faint metallic tint to it. She leaned back into the cocoon and shivered as the cool material chilled her through her t-shirt.

"Myrmidon Delta-two-seven, initiate startup," Lily said. "Authorization Captain Lily Evans."

"Authorization confirmed, pilot," the smooth female voice of the biomech responded. "Ready for neural interface."

Lily took a deep breath and reached up to the side of her helmet. She could interface with the biomech automatically but for her first time she wanted to feel like it was completely her control. Her decision. Her desire. "Manual integration in three, two, one, inter-"

Lily's voice faded as she pressed the button on the side of her helmet that told the helmet to connect the cable to her implant. Her entire body stiffened as it felt like electricity was coursing through her veins and making her tingle all over. Then it burst through her and left her breathless and so completely relaxed she couldn't feel her fingers or toes.

Colors flashed in her vision that didn't make sense until she focused on them. There on the right of her field of view, she could see a number. It read zero point zero kph. It was her speed! She focused on the other flickers and read off status screens of her biomech's systems. Fuel cell capacity, charge rate, local sensors, ammunition levels, damage indicators, solid propellant, and other gauges and screens were available.

After an eternity of time spent examining the screens and quickly practicing which was where and how she could find them when she needed them, Lily remembered her voice. "Myrmidon Delta-two-seven, establish new private designation."

"Awaiting designation, Captain."

"Sunshine."

"Private designation Sunshine confirmed, Captain. Thank you."

Lily felt like she was grinning. She didn't know if her face was smiling or not, but she hoped so. Now she could speak to her biomech and call it Sunshine instead of Myrmidon Delta-two-seven. It was a trick her trainers had recommended to speed up the process and make the biomech more personal to her. Scoping it to a private designation meant her biomech wouldn't respond to anyone else using the term, nor would it refer to itself as that way in any reports or communications to anyone else.

"All systems optimal, Captain. Ammunition levels maximized. Would you like to load and charge weapons?"

"Confirmed, Sunshine," Lily said. "Load weapon systems but do not arm."

"Acknowledged. Loading weapon systems."

Lily faintly heard the whirring of machinery as her shoulder launchers cycled their first of four volley of rockets into the tubes. She checked and saw that her primary weapon, the eighty-mm electromagnetic rifle in Sunshine's right hand, charged its coils up so it was ready to fire. A moment later, the magnetic feed link from the railgun to the biomech's ammo bin flashed green.

"Sunshine, open control comms."

"Acknowledged. Control comm circuit activated."

"Command, this is Captain Lily Evans, of Omega Platoon. Reporting systems green."