They put the carrier down in a valley in the foothills of the cave-riddled Thuriot mountains. These mountains were not like any mountains he had imagined; they were the slabbed and laminated masses he had seen from the runcible facility. Perhaps it was the case that on a heavier-gravity planet like Earth such strange formations could not exist. He sited the camp a short distance from where the blue oaks and chequer trees of the Magadar forest petered out, on level ground thick with Arctic lichens and the chewed sprouts of new trees.

‘If they come on foot, they’ll come from the forest,’ Cormac told Thorn. ‘Sergeant, I want someone at the turret gun at all times. Organize a shift if necessary. I want you in there at the command console, co-ordinating all scan input. We’ll keep channels open so you can relay everything you get.’

‘So too.’

‘Your gunner must take out anything airborne. Anything that even hints at being a surveillance drone, I want hit. Obviously if we get any AGCs coming in without ID, I want them hit as well. Go there now. I’ll relay any further orders.’

As the sergeant moved on, Thorn said, ‘The other lot came in on foot. They didn’t risk coming in airborne. I doubt this Pelter chap will, either.’

‘I don’t believe in taking chances. Now, there are two autoguns in the carrier. Set them up in the trees and put the men either side. Between them and the trees I want weaknesses.’

‘Is that a good idea?’

‘We’ll have Aiden and Cento in there as spotters. Anything comes through, and we’ll hit it on this open ground.’

‘Not much cover for us here,’ said Thorn, looking speculatively at the single tilted slab behind the carrier.

‘Wrong, we dig in.’

‘Ah . . .’

Cormac nodded to the slab and the land beyond it. ‘I want holes dug over there as well, but I don’t want them occupied. I just want them to look like they are. You I want at that slab with your proton gun.’ Thorn nodded to this and Cormac went on. ‘When it’s all set up, I want everyone to get some rest before nightfall.’

‘And if there’s no attack? We do have another mission.’

‘The Maker can wait. We’ll stay here for days if necessary. As I said, I want Pelter off my back.’