We were back on the road for less than half an hour before the column ahead halted, and I stopped a quarter mile behind them. Rivers called me on the zPhone I'd borrowed. "Command says to wait here, sir, they're sending a Buzzard." Why, Command didn't say. One Buzzard wasn't enough to evac all of us, and I couldn't imagine UNEF wanting to abandon functioning hamvees. Maybe the situation ahead was bad enough that Command was bringing us reinforcements with heavier weapons? I tried calling myself, but my zPhone could only connect to Rivers. That's what happened when another species controlled all your comms. We shouldn't have let that happen.

Of course, another species controlled all our food and other supplies, and the high ground, and Earth, so comms on Paradise might be the least of our problems.

A Buzzard escorted by a Chicken roared in circled us, and landed on the road ahead of the column. I saw Rivers walk ahead to talk to the soldiers. My zPhone rang, it was Rivers. "Sir, they want you up here." There was a note of warning in his voice. I left my M4 in the truck and broke into a trot. As I passed hamvees, soldiers stood and saluted me, some had tears in their eyes, they all looked angry. What the hell was going on? I reached the group gathered around the Buzzard and saluted a Captain Randolph. The Buzzard was US Army, along with all the troops it carried.

"Captain Randolph."

He saluted me, looked me quickly in the eye but didn't hold his gaze. Whatever was going on, it made him uncomfortable. "Colonel Bishop, I have orders to place you under arrest. Surrender your sidearm, please." He held out his hand, almost apologetically.

"Arrest?" I was genuinely shocked. "On what charges?" I demanded.

"Refusing orders from a superior officer, sir."

"Refusing to carry out illegal orders, Captain."

"Sir, that's above my pay grade." He said lamely. "Colonel, you're not the only person UNEF HQ has ordered arrested, word is a lot of units refused those orders. We hear," he lowered his voice, "the Kristang hit some units from orbit then they refused orders directly from, uh," he pointed toward the sky with his thumb. "Please, sir, I can't risk my men's lives by failing to arrest you." The implication was the lizards were watching, and would kill all of us if I didn't surrender.

"Colonel," Rivers started to say, meaningfully glancing at his finger on the safety of his M4.

"Captain Rivers, you're in command here. Get these people back to base safely, avoid trouble along the way." I ordered. Holding my sidearm with two fingers, I handed it to Randolph. "You're taking me to UNEF HQ?"

"No sir," his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, nervously "all prisoners are going to a liz-, a Kristang base. I'm sorry, sir."

CHAPTER NINE    JAIL