She paused as she looked them, one by one, in the eyes, then said, “Now, given the grim reality of this planet, you might wonder why Ashanti wasn’t packed with people desperate to get back to Solar System. Why anyone, given a choice, would stay. We’re here, I’m here because, for all of its dangers and privations, Donovan is a fabulous opportunity for all of us. I came with the intention of using Donovan as a stepping-stone to catapult myself onto the Board. Maybe I still will one of these days.”

She gave them a grin, knowing how it stretched her scars. “So, can you picture that? Boardmember Kalico Aguila, striding into the Board, scars on my face, quetzal-hide cape over my shoulders, and one hand on my pistol.”

She struck a pose, adding, “Bet those white-assed candy-dicked bastards wouldn’t sleep for a week.”

That got her uneasy laughs. And, as she’d hoped, it broke the tension. “Some people stay on Donovan to become rich. Some stay because Donovan has seduced them with its challenges and beauty. Others, like you, are here for the science. You all want to be the first to discover and catalog new species, be the first to understand an entirely new ecosystem. Write that pivotal paper. Make full professor. Or just fulfill your contract so you can go back to Solar System on a full-ride retirement. Whatever. That’s your business.”

She had their full attention. Even the children. Well, all but the infants, one of whom kept making “goooo goooo” sounds.

“We told you all of this at orientation, but I’m telling you again. Here’s the way it lines out: This planet was named for the first man to set foot on it. You saw his grave when you disembarked on the shuttle field. What was left of him was buried under that stone cairn up on the rise. Within two hours, good old Donovan was eaten by a quetzal. He wasn’t the last. And there’s no telling what’s in the oceans.”

Kalico watched them shift nervously.

“Barring a miracle, which rarely happens here, some of you are going to die. Maybe a lot of you. This place plays for keeps, and we don’t have a clue about the rules out here on the water. Be smart. Think. Take no chances. Do not assume that anything here follows the same rules of behavior as creatures or plants do on Earth. Never consider anything that looks like it’s harmless, to be harmless. Treat everything like it will kill you, and you have a chance.”

The air conditioning kicked on, the soft hum of fans almost loud in the still cafeteria.