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tiny washbasin, shower, and wardrobe lay opposite. Almost every part of the little room was a shade of grey, and there was no decoration of any kind.
    "Are these the quarters they gave you?"
    "I'm lucky to have gotten this much. You know what premium there is on quarters on Ares 4? I'm surprised I wasn't tossed in with the ORs."
    "So when are you coming home?" she asked, sitting down beside him.
    He looked confused. "What do you mean?"
    "You came out here to serve aboard the Bulwark. She's a wreck right now, and you just barely survived the experience. There's nothing left for you here."
    "You're wrong. I have worked all my life to get here. I want to be there when we make history. I want to be a pioneer and a part of something great."
    She shook her head in disbelief.
    "This is about your family again."
    He didn't deny it.
    "I know you come from a proud family with a lot of history, but dying in the service of the colonies is not doing service to that name."
    "Then what, my ancestors who fought and died for us to be here today, that meant nothing?"
    "You know that's not what I meant," she quickly snapped back.
    He opened his mouth to speak but realised he was heading for a fight he didn't want or need.
    "Let's just see where this takes us okay?" he asked.
    She nodded in agreement.
    "You really think it is a new race you found?"
    "Has to be."
    "Meeting the Cholans was one of the best things that ever happened in our lifetimes. Maybe there is hope for peace yet? Who knows what we could learn from such an advanced race?"
    Jones stayed silent.
    "We can't just accept that this is war," she continued, "We've never known war, and neither did our parents or theirs. The Human race was almost made extinct to win the peace we enjoy today. Are you ready to throw that away so quickly?"
    Jones could no longer hold his tongue. He was getting more and more angry as she went on.
    "You think I want war? Not that it even matters. If this new race wants war, then it's war. We can't ask them nicely to stop and just all get along. They fired the first shots, and they weren't fired as a warning. They hit hard, and they didn't stop."
    "But we don't know that yet. This was one incident. It could be isolated. They could have just felt threatened. I hear some kind of machines attacked you. Maybe it was a programmed response or defence mechanism."
    "Where did you hear that?"
    "Rumours are rife through the fleet, Will. It's all anyone has talked about these last two days."
    "And what do those rumours say?"
    "All kinds of things, so nobody really knows what is going on. All we know for sure is the fleet you went out on came back in pieces, and with a lot of dead and wounded. A lot of people are asking a lot of questions and not getting any answers from the fleet. People are getting pretty anxious."
    "Anxious? Well, yeah, they should be. We've got big trouble coming our way."
    "I wish you would just tell me more about what happened out there. I can't stand being in the dark."
    Dark? he thought.
    It cast his memory back to the ominous eyes they had seen on screen when the alien vessel made contact with them. It sent a shiver down his spine to think of what kind of monster he was looking at. His imagination was going wild with what sinister or terrifying beast they were dealing with. Cynara could see the horror in his eyes now, and her tone changed completely.
    "Maybe you should get some rest?" she asked sympathetically.
    It broke Jones out of his dream-like state, but it took him a moment to be fully aware of his surroundings and take in what she had said.
    "No...no," he said quietly, "I've been sleeping for two days. Right now, I need information."
    He looked at the console on the wall to check the time and sighed impatiently, knowing he should leave for his meeting with Jafar.
    "You really should rest, nonetheless," added Cynara.
    But he jumped to his feet.
    "No, I've got to get to a meeting."
    "So soon? I just got here?" she pleaded.
    "And I am glad you