As she lay in her bed—the night chime barely audible through the duraplast walls—Kalico continued to line out her defense. Cataloging the actions she’d taken, the compromises necessary, the reasoning behind each decision.

Pulling up the regs from her implants, she carefully added mental notes. Trying to anticipate which ones Soukup would cite. That he no longer had his Four made it so much easier. Nevertheless, she’d played fast and free with the rules. And thank God the inquest would be here. In front of a mob of Donovanians. Better yet that it was Abibi and her first officer, though Kalico didn’t know Tadeo Chin. Creamer was a write-off, but she only needed two votes for acquittal. Would there be questions back in Solar System?

Damn straight.

But that reckoning was down the road, and once rendered, a verdict of acquittal would be difficult to overturn.

Abibi and Tadeo Chin would pronounce judgment here, on the planet, where reality wouldn’t be the academic abstract it would be back on Transluna. It might even influence Creamer.

No. That was silly. The man wasn’t smart enough to recognize when he was face-to-face with disaster. He remained what he was: a Corps martinet.

In the process of running through the various charges Soukup was sure to level against her, Kalico heard the thumping as Privates Firiiki and Asana crossed her living room, marched down the short hall, and into Kalico’s bedroom. At their entry, the light sensors triggered, casting dim illumination across the room.

Firiiki looked nervous, Asana, expressionless.

“Ma’am?” Firiiki said. “Orders. You’re to dress and come with us.”

Kalico sat up in her bed, pulled her thick hair back. “It’s the middle of the night. A little past two.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Firiiki glanced uneasily at Asana, the Nigerian woman’s face stiff as a mask. “Will you please comply? If not, you’ll have to go as you are.”

“Where are we going? Surely you’re at liberty to give me that information.”

“Our orders are to answer no questions, ma’am,” Asana told her in clipped tones. “Now, will you come peacefully? Or do we need to incapacitate you to ensure your cooperation?”

“Bit harsh, don’t you think?” Kalico asked as she dressed.

When she reached for her utility belt with its pouches, pistol, and knife, Asana snapped, “No, ma’am. Our orders are to bring you unarmed. The Colonel was quite specific on that.”

“Ah,” Kalico told her. “Funny thing. I was just having a conversation in my head about the Colonel’s mental capabilities. I didn’t rank them very high.”

Again, the marines shared that uneasy glance.

Kalico wrapped her quetzal-hide cloak around her shoulders, then donned her hat. “Very well, let’s go see what kind of lunacy Creamer has cooked up now.”