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upside down.”
    She huffed and tried it the other way, fumbling with the fastener, but got it after a few attempts.
    Torian grinned, “Good thing you’re about the same size as Chang.”
    “What does the shield do?”
    “It protects you from projectiles, mostly from fragmentation munitions. It switches on and off extremely fast, otherwise you would not be able to breathe. The prox shield is invisible and has a detection radius of about two meters so it will activate if something fast enters your space.”
    “Will it stop arrows?”
    “Yeah, but not plasma or …” he held up a survival knife, “this in close quarters. The shields the marines use are far better, but I’m hoping to avoid any fights.”
    “Are there a lot of battles going on?”
    “It’s really just one big war between the rebels and us.”
    “I’m not a rebel,” she reminded him, then peered over at the young military specialist and asked quietly, “How many have you been in?”
    “A few.” Chang had been jealous of the red and gold striped combat ribbon above the right breast pocket of his flight suit. “Now look, if you’re going to come along we have to get a few things straight.”
    “I’m listening.”
    He pointed his finger at her, “You do exactly as I say, no arguments! I don’t need a liability.”
    “I’m in good shape and a fast runner.”
    “I saw that. Look, I don’t know what is in orbit, but if it is a rebel Imperium fleet, we’re in a world of hurt. Their marines are mutated somehow or messed up so that they fight like animals. They will rape anything that looks or smells female, and when they take prisoners …” suddenly he choked on his words and looked away.      
    In a flash his composure returned, his look hardened and with quiet authority, he ordered her to, “Do exactly as I do.”
    She nodded with out a word.
    Then he checked his Con, decided on a route, and motioned her to follow.
     
     

Chapter 4: Callisto
    The city had been devoid of population for over a century EST and the cracked concrete streets and sidewalks sprouted weeds and underbrush. Trees crowded everywhere so that the steel and glass skyscrapers protruded above a canopy of green. Since man had ventured out of the solar system, all of the planets he colonized had shown no signs of intelligent indigenous life. Each world had to meet certain requirements before certification for human population, including specific minimums for size, gravity, day and year cycles. On the other hand, atmosphere and ecology could be adapted, and like many other worlds, transplanted flora and fauna from earth made up Selunia’s ecosystem.
    Whatever killed off the population of over two hundred thousand left no signs of mass destruction on the streets or skyscrapers, but skeletal remains were evident everywhere. Fossilized bones littered the ground; death captured in twisted agony, many locked together in eternal combat. Torian walked cautiously holding his Con in his right hand, one eye scouting ahead and the other monitoring the holo display. He knew the dense bushes and trees were ideal for ambushes, either by animals or by humans, yet the birdcalls and occasional howls from wildlife made their trek almost seem like an outing in an animal preserve.
    Glancing around at the tall apartments that made up a residential square, the soldier suddenly halted and reached for his pistol. Siiri came up close behind him for protection.
    “See?” he held out the Con with a holo outlining an object flashing red.
    “What is it?”
    Torian pointed up to a window up two stories and to their left, “A leopard is watching us from that window.”
    She gasped in wonder, “Oh, its beautiful! I’ve never seen one in the wild!”
    “… and deadly, if the wolves hadn’t got to you first. Anyway, we’ll keep our distance.”
    “I never thought of the old city as so full of nature.”
    “It is unique. On earth there are some large cities with entire neighborhoods