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command structure at best.
Usually there would be at least four layers of superiors, above
these gun-jockeys.
    The female guard shrugged.
    The man on Nova's left looked up. "Alaina.
Do you really think he should be the one talking to her?"
    The woman glanced at him and responded in
another language. It was Confederacian, which was supposed to be a
secret language, an inside code. Of course, it had taken less than
a week for the translation files to leak to the bounty hunter
networks.
    "The General put him in charge before he
left. What choice do we have?" Alaina said.
    "Worst thing the General's ever done," the
man replied.
    She shrugged. "It's an exploratory mission,
and not our job to question."
    "Maybe not, but there was no point taking
the bitch's weapons off her. She's a hunter, she could probably
break the old-man's neck with her little finger."
    "That's his problem," Alaina said, pulling a
black communicator the size of her palm from her leather utility
belt.
    Nova watched the ground through the whole
conversation, pretending she couldn't understand what they were
saying. Their words only proved what she already knew; there was
dissent in this Confederacy project.
    Alaina spoke into her communicator,
switching back to common tongue. "Sir, we've got a hunter on the
planet surface. Says she's got some information and wants to see
you,"
    A wavering voice replied, "Oh um, ok."
    "I'm bringing her up," she said. She turned
and walked in front of Nova, gesturing for her to follow. The other
two soldiers fell into step at Nova's sides.
    She kept her lips pursed and her eyes
straight ahead. At least these Confederacy soldiers seemed like the
law-abiding kind. There were many who would have tried to kill her
and save themselves the hassle.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER FOUR
     
     
    Nova and the soldiers marched past the collection of ships
and scurrying workers. Most were so engrossed in their tasks that
they didn't notice the small party. The trees and shrubs
disappeared as they left the strange oasis.
    Rising behind the rows of single-person
ships was a silver monstrosity the likes of which Nova had never
seen. The command ship stretched in all directions, taking up a
huge section of the horizon. It was bigger than some asteroids and
shaped like a sleek bullet. The silver metal of its outer hull
gleamed in the sunlight and its streamlined sides defied the harsh
desert.
    The shadow of the command ship engulfed them
as they drew closer. Nova craned her neck to look up and take it
all in. How such a thing got into space was a miracle in
itself.
    She was marched to a set of stairs which
rose up into the hull. Alaina took the lead, her boots clinking on
the metal steps. Nova and the second guard followed behind. The
third stayed at the base of the stairs.
    Nova laid her hand on the railing. The
silver metal was cool to the touch even in the harsh afternoon
sun.
    Alaina called out as soon as she reached the
top of the stairs. "Sir, the hunter is here to see you."
    A second voice replied from deeper inside
the ship. "What the hell is a hunter doing here?"
    "She's talking about an explosion."
    The door at the top of the stairs swung
open. Nova marvelled at the sheer opulence. All of the lights were
clean and perfectly positioned to show off the best of the ship.
Plush lounges that looked like fluffy blue clouds rested against
the walls. A statue of a small chubby angel rose out of the floor
in the centre of the room. Massive bolts held everything in
place.
    Everything about the ship was in direct
opposition to Crusader. The metal walls were clean and smooth where
Crusader's were covered in rust and scrapes. The decorations were
tasteful and elegant, Crusader didn't have decorations. But the
real difference was in what lay beneath. The life-support systems
purred noiselessly, keeping the temperature at a smooth twenty-five
degrees. The lights glowed warmly, reaching every corner, and there
wasn't one broken bulb.
    The lush ambience