She clumped down the aisle behind Munasinghe in her weighted boots, reaching up to check the minicam she had attached to her helmet. It would show whatever she looked at. If it worked right.

When at last the outer airlock hatch opened, Edith could see that it was brilliant daylight out there. Harsh unfiltered sunshine glared off the rocks and Alphonsus's dusty floor. The Peacekeeper troops were spreading out across the pockmarked floor of the huge crater, moving slowly, cautiously toward the tractors that seemed to be scattered haphazardly across the ground. She noticed a partially-built Clippership sitting out there, too.

"They thought that they would prevent us from landing by placing their machines on the landing pads," Munasinghe said, his voice sounding higher-pitched in her earphones than it had previously. "All they have done is to give us cover from any fire they might aim at us."

Indeed, the farthest troopers had stopped at the parked tractors, huddling behind them as if expecting to be shot at.

"Your troops are afraid of being fired on?" Edith asked, flicking on the backup recorder at her waist. It was patched in to her suit radio's circuitry.

"We are taking all the necessary precautions," Munasinghe said. "There is no sense taking chances when we face an enemy of unknown capabilities."

"But I thought there weren't any weapons in Moonbase," she prodded.

That is what our intelligence reports have indicated," Munasinghe admitted. "But nevertheless, it is better to be cautious than surprised."

"What on earth are they doing?" Brudnoy asked, genuine puzzlement in his voice.

Doug turned to Gordette and motioned the black man to his side.

"They're acting as if they expect us to shoot at them, aren't they?" Doug said, half-questioningly.

Gordette nodded solemnly. "They're also setting up fields of fire so they can sweep the area if they have to."

"Absolute nonsense," Joanna huffed.

"They know we don't even have spitballs to throw at 'em," said Anson.

With a tight smile, Gordette replied, "They think you don't have anything to throw at them. But they're not taking any chances. Standard operating procedure."

"Their guns can fire in vacuum?" Zimmerman asked.

"No problem. Cartridges' powder is like a solid rocket propellant. They'll fire in vacuum, all right."

"And their impact velocity will be higher than on Earth," Doug added, "because there's no air resistance to slow down the bullet."

"H'mph," Zimmerman grumped.

"Well, are they gonna come in here or just stand outside and have a cookout?" Anson asked.

"They'll be here," Gordette said. "Don't think they won't be."

TOUCHDOWN PLUS 23 MINUTES

Munasinghe saw that his troops were well positioned. Better still, there had been no sign of opposition from Moonbase. The base might just as well be abandoned and empty, for all the resistance they had offered so far.

Good, he thought. The troops had been most vulnerable when they were coming out of the spacecraft. If Moonbase could do us any real harm, that was the moment for it. Now we are on the ground, deployed well, and ready to advance.