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mean…”
    His mate stiffened suddenly and stood to
attention. “Huh! Watch out!” he whispered hoarsely. “Sergeant’s
comin’.”
    The cold-eyed stare of the sergeant came to a
halt in front of the two sentries. His well-buffed comb morion
shone like Trion’s suns and his highly polished buttons flashed.
His portly frame tested the stitches of his black uniform
trousers.
    He was, in fact, what every good sergeant
should look like.
    “Hmm! I’ve been watching you two.” The NCO
said quietly. There were too many fine guests nearby for his parade
ground bellow. “Right pair of old gossips, aren’t you?” He leaned
forward confidentially. “Come on then. You can tell me. What was
all the chatter?”
    “Oh, weren’t nothin’ really, Sarge,” the
first soldier replied easily. “Just saying how pleased we were to
be volunteered for sentry duty at the governor’s garden party.
    The sergeant nodded. “I should think so too,”
he said. “Chance to see a decent bit of skirt for a change, like
the Lady Caroline over there. Now don’t she fill that dress out
something lovely? Nice colour that yella. Suits her, don’t it?”
    The two young men grinned in answer.
    He glared at them. “Well, don’t it?”
    The soldiers nodded vigorously, their wide
grins still apparent.
    The sergeant’s gaze narrowed. “Now, what are
you two smirking at?” he queried. “Did I say something funny?”
    “No Sarge. Just agreein’ with you,” the
soldiers chorused.
    The sergeant gave a curt nod. “Good! And
keep that smile on your faces, because you’re both on a charge
– gossipin’ on duty .” His ruddy round cheeks rose in a grin. “Have a nice day,
lads.”
    “You and your big mouth,” the second soldier
growled as soon as the sergeant was out of earshot.
    “Ain’t my fault,” the other protested. “The
sergeant liked looking at her, too.”
    “Yeah? Well he can afford to, we can’t. Now
we’ll be confined to barracks all weekend. When are you gonna to
learn to keep your big mouth shut?”
    “Aw, give it a rest,” the first soldier
began. “What’s done is…” His voice trailed away. “Hey!” he
exclaimed suddenly.
    “What now?” the second soldier groaned.
    “ Over there – looks like smoke,” the other
said, bobbing his head in the direction he was looking. “By the
bones… Vegar’s on fire !”
    “Freeze the stars…” his companion began. But
if he said more, it was drowned out by a sudden roar of air and the
brutal crump and thump of explosions.
    A spilt second later, the ground erupted and
leapt up to meet them…

Chapter 7
     
    Planet TRION – Vegar Township
     
    Greenwich date: January 30,
2175 – 16:10
hours
     
     
    “ Well Helen, looks like we needn’t have
worried at all,” Lars’s tone sounded more reassuring than he truly
felt. “There it is, Gossip City , with its population of 8,749 busybodies looking
as normal as ever.”
    Brother and sister had brought their ploughs
to a stop atop a rise and now sat looking down upon the town of
Vegar set out like an architect’s model on a desktop patchwork of
green and gold. They had made the journey to the town’s outskirts
as fast as their ploughs would go. It had taken them nearly an hour
and a half.
    “The smoke’s just about gone,” Lars
continued. “Whatever caused it is probably under control by
now.”
    The wind’s breath made soft waves in the
growing squares of crops around the town. There was nothing else
moving that they could see.
    “ Y-e-s,” Helen replied cautiously. “It does
look almost normal, I agree, but I still think we should be very
careful if we go down there. It’s altogether too quiet for
me.”
     
    * * *
     
    Vegar, the capital of Trion and the
administrative seat for the planet, had been built in the shape of
a square to make it easier to defend. The outer buildings of the
town formed the walls of the square, their foundations going deep
into the solid black stone of the planet, so that they