Intrepid

''This place looks good,'' Kris called out to her platoon. ''Let's spread out the netting. It's nap time, crew.''

She could see lips but did not actually hear anyone say, ''Yes, Your Highness.'' They were a good team.

Hopefully, they'd be alive five minutes from now.

* * *

''Where is she?'' Thorpe demanded as soon as his ship, the Golden Hind, rose above the horizon of the human-settled area of Pandemonium. ''They didn't kill our communication and observation satellites just to announce they were here. A Longknife would need to make a big splash, and do it quickly.''

''They also took out our radar at Bluebird Landing,'' Sensors reported.

''Did they pick up anything first?''

''Something coming in from the northwest, but it was masked by mountains for all but a second. Colonel Cortez reports they spotted an incoming pair of missiles and went silent. However it must have been fire-and-forget as well as antiradiation. It went right through the radar emitter.''

''Our investors should have provided something better than that old crap,'' Thorpe said with a scowl he was sure to turn toward Mr. Whitebred. The man was back on the bridge though otherwise well behaved.

He was, however, one of those blind optimists among the investors who had been sure they'd be facing nothing but farmers with squirrel rifles. He had the good sense to blush and keep his mouth shut now.

''Well, they wouldn't be throwing missiles at our radars if they weren't bringing in troop transports behind them. Sensors, find their landing sites. I'm sure Colonel Cortez and his gravel crunchers would be most happy if we blasted this nosy princess from orbit. Let's make it happen.''

Two minutes later, with only moments before the Golden Hind lost any line of fire at a target in the settlement area, Thorpe was ready to pull his hair out.

''They've got to be down there somewhere,'' he said, glaring at both his sensors and weapons leads.

''Yes, sir. The problem, as it has been with the farmers, is where?''

''We seem not to have surprised them,'' Thorpe said.

''The ones we have captured don't claim to have been warned. They haven't seen a ship in nearly a year.''

''Save this for later. I want Longknife now. Her ships just landed. Where?''

''We've searched every inch of the settlement. They didn't land on any of what they call roads. No landing runs on any fields. They could not have landed in the trees. We'd see wrecks all over the place. Could they have jumped and their landers recovered back aboard their ship?'' the young man on sensors said helpfully.

''Colonel Cortez reported no such sonic booms,'' Weapons interjected. ''Booms when they came in. Nothing going out.''

''Let's stick to the likely, shall we,'' Thorpe said. ''Longknife likes water landing for her LAC, at least she did when I knew her. What have you got along rivers and lakes?''

''Nothing, sir,'' reported Sensors. ''Those landers should be hotter than two-dollar pistols. We've got nothing on infrared either pulled up on the beach, or floating. Even if they did cool them, we show nothing on visuals. If she landed, the earth has swallowed them up.''

''Like it has the rest of these people,'' Thorpe muttered. He was tired of hearing that line.

''There is one thing, sir,'' Weapons said.

''What?'' Thorpe demanded.

''Well, sir, we know that they have to be carrying a lot of heat from reentry. Nobody, not even a Longknife, can do a reentry and stay calm and cool.'' She risked a smile at her own joke.

Thorpe allowed a thin one to encourage her. She, at least, was using her head.

''There are two heat anomalies,'' Weapons began.

''Anomalies is right,'' Sensors cut in. ''Easily explained by natural causes.''

''Two,'' Thorpe said.

''As if she had split her forces, sir, one out on the fringe in a lake, the other closer to the center but spread all over. Maybe a strike force and a reserve?''

''You're setting up a straw enemy to fit nothing but a bit of sun-warmed lake.''

''Where?'' Thorpe demanded.

The forward screen was replaced with a map of the settled areas. Weapons highlighted a section of the screen. ''This river suddenly warms here, but is cool again five klicks downriver. This lake is snowmelt cool, but down here near the river that empties it, it's warmer.''

''Less than a tenth of a degree. It could just be sun warming shallow water,'' Sensors pointed out.

''Radar says that lake is deep, a hundred meters or more. And it rises quickly at the shore,'' Weapons said softly.

''Who owns this homestead?'' Thorpe asked.

''Ah, just a moment, sir,'' Sensors stuttered. ''A Robert Fronour, sir.''

''Isn't he the original settler of this planet?'' Weapons said, her voice rising. ''Didn't that Longknife girl claim to have someone of his family and cargo for him?''