Intrepid

''I have nothing like this in my database,'' Nelly said.

Kris edged around the tree, so she was upwind of it from the still-burning settlement. ''Nelly, modify some of those nano drifters. Up their power and turn them loose on this tree's roots. Something is keeping it burning. Is air being blown out from underneath it, or is it being sucked down past it?''

''Doing it, Kris. I have launched two. Damn, I lost one of them to the homestead fire.''

''Nelly, I will not have my computer cussing. Clean up your language. You work for a princess.''

''Yes, ma'am. I am sorry.'' And she really sounded it. About as much as a computer could.

''You are picking up bad habits, Nelly. Habits I suspect you are getting from the company you keep. If you want me to let you keep hanging around with Cara, you need to watch yourself. And you might let Cara know that she needs to clean up her act. She is, after all, living next door to a princess these days.''

With luck, Kris might solve one of her problems. If the computer and the twelve-year-old really wanted to stay together, maybe Kris could at least get some leverage in this kid-adult relationship. Little things like pirates and filibusterers aside, Kris had the odd feeling that all the adults on the Wasp were outnumbered by one little girl. Oh, and a computer that was forgetting who wore it around her neck.

''Kris, I will be more decorous. And I will teach Cara to be more proper as well. And one of my nanos has found a vent and is diving into it. The airflow is from belowground. Should I send more nanos in? The vent is just a single path, but it may branch at any time.''

Kris was once more back to juggling that which could merely kill her rather than that which really bothered her.

Question for later consideration. Might Nelly be taking lessons from Abby on how to avoid getting talked to?

Kris got down to business.

''Lieutenant Troy, Gunny, I've found evidence that folks are underground.'' Kris yelled. It felt weird to be shouting her commands for anyone and everyone to hear. Still, it had been good enough for Alexander and Caesar. Why shouldn't it be good enough for one Princess Kris?

''You want us to form on you?'' the LT asked.

''No, stay scattered. I'm just following an air vent right now. Don't know where it will lead, but I'm betting it will be closer to the house.''

The LT and Gunny began moving the troops, still in scattered formation, but oriented toward the still-burning home.

Now Kris took a good, hard look at the lay of the land before her. It had seemed level. And it certainly was from orbit. But during the walk up from the lake, the land had taken on a rolling character. It wasn't really hilly, but the bottom of one roll might leave you looking up at the feet of a trooper fifty meters away. And the low points were usually cut deeper a half meter or more by some creek or meandering brook.

Good ambush territory.

It had been a while since Kris lugged a gun over such ground. She gritted her teeth and called up a rarely used part of her tactical training. She should have been more on the ball. She couldn't afford to be slow at this business.

''Kris, the nanos are branching off,'' Nelly reported. ''I've set up a communication line so they can use a tight, low-power communication beam. I think one of them is doubling back.''

''Where?'' Kris snapped.

''It is under that low hillock,'' Nelly said, sending a small laser pointer at the rise ahead of Kris. ''I think it is coming out the other end.''

''Andy,'' Kris shouted. ''We may be making contact soon. You might want to be with me when we do.''

With a shout, the young man took off running for Kris. In full battle armor, he kind of lumbered along. But there was no question about his enthusiasm to see someone from home.

From the top of the rise, Kris had a good view of the homestead, now pretty much burned-out but still smoking. Nelly's light led her down the hill, halfway to the wash below … and right to a low rock that might have offered a couple of proud owners a good view of their holdings if they wanted to sit there on a cooling summer evening. Kris suspected she knew why it had not been dug up and lugged away.

''The nano just slipped out a view slot under the rock.'' Nelly reported. ''There is someone down there on watch.''

Kris considered having the tech folks come over and rip the rock out. She nixed that idea. There'd be the devil's own time covering that up before Thorpe was back in the sky.

So Kris plopped herself belly down on the ground and stared at the situation from that viewpoint.

Clearly, you don't dig up the ground directly under a heavy rock. Not unless you have a very hard head. Kris spotted a clump of weeds to the right of the rock and reached over with both hands. In a second, she had worked them aside.

To find herself facing a very freckled, redheaded young man about her own age.

He was clearly startled to find himself face-to-face with her, but not slow to react. He jammed a long-barreled, slug-throwing rifle in her face.