)))))

[fandaal]

What the hell was that?' the old man, Aviger, said, and laughed nervously. The shuttle began some hard manoeuvring, throwing first one half of the group on their backs while the people on the other side were suspended by their seat webbing, then flipping in the other direction and reversing the postures. Grunts and curses came over the open channel into Horza's helmet. The shuttle dipped, making Horza's stomach feel empty, floating, then the craft steadied again.

'Bit of hostile fire,' Kraiklyn's clipped tones announced, and all the suited heads started to look from side to side.

'What?'

'Hostile fire ?'

'I knew it.'

'Oh-oh.'

'Fuck.'

'Why did I think as soon as I heard those fateful words, "easy in, easy out", that this was going-' began Jandraligeli in a bored, knowing drawl, only to be cut off by Lamm.

'Hostile fucking fire. That's all we need. Hostile fucking fire.'

'They are gunned up,' Lenipobra said.

'Shit, who isn't these days?' Yalson said.

'Chicel-Horhava, sweet lady; save us all,' muttered Dorolow, speeding up the tracings of the Circle over her visor.

'Shut the fuck up,' Lamm told her.

'Let's hope Mipp can distract them without getting his ass blown off,' Yalson said.

'Maybe we should call it off,' Rava Gamdol said. 'Think we ought to call it off? Do you think we should call it off? Does anybody-'

'NO!' 'YES!' 'NO!' shouted three voices, almost in unison. Everybody looked at the three Bratsilakins. The two outer Bratsilakins turned their helmets to look at the one in the middle, as the shuttle swooped again. The middle Bratsilakin's helmet turned briefly to each side. 'Oh, shit,' a voice said over the open channel, 'all right: NO!'