Kalico gave them a grim smile. “Sorry to deliver that without any sweetener, let alone to keep harping on it, but that’s just the way Donovan is. You can see my scars.” She pointed to the ones on her face. “The first time the mobbers came, it was just dumb luck that I was standing next to a crate. When I jumped inside, I locked five of the little bastards in with me. Had to kill them with my bare hands. Three of my people weren’t that lucky. And that was inside the Corporate Mine fence, inside the compound. And from a known danger.”

Michaela Hailwood cleared her throat, breaking Kalico’s stride to say, “Director, don’t think we take your warning cavalierly, but remember that you’re addressing some of the most talented researchers in oceanography. We’ve worked with just about every dangerous species in Earth’s oceans. That includes great white sharks, orcas, sea snakes, and just about every poisonous species on the planet. You won’t catch us making any mistakes.” As if to make her point, Hailwood told her: “We know what we’re doing. We have all been trained in safety protocols. We’ll be damned careful.”

“See that you are,” Kalico insisted, aware that the men and women in the audience were smiling in that superior, almost bored, “yes I know my business” manner of specialists being lectured by an amateur.

God, I hope they’re right. But how many ways could she beat a dead horse?

She clapped her hands together to break the spell. “Now that I’ve reiterated my point, and you’ve been locked inside the Pod while you brought its systems and equipment online, I’m betting you’re wondering if this is all there is. Whether, like the Crew Deck on Ashanti, you’re locked into this one small universe.”

Sudden interest lit in their eyes. Looks of anticipation shot back and forth.

“Well, you’re not. You will be rotated out of the Pod to Port Authority at whatever interval you decide on. At Corporate Mine, my people work a ten-four. Ten days at the mine, four in PA. Our crews are staggered, so the mine runs constantly. Work it out with Scientific Director Hailwood. While you are in Port Authority, you must remember it is not Corporate. You are a guest in an independent and autonomous community. Now, for the few days you were there after disembarking Ashanti, you got a taste of the place. At the time, all the locals were going out of their way to keep you safe and out of trouble. You had a basic introduction to money. And yes, you have to pay for everything in PA.”

She could see the question reflected in their faces. “You wonder where you’ll get the PA SDRs? You will earn them.”