Brute Force Betrayals

Let's face itif a controller wants one of us dead, we're dead. Accidents happenwell, sometimes they happen on purpose. Legman, from a speech given during the Operatives' Rebellion, intercepted by intel "Is that bonded armor?" The voice barely registered over the noise the shuttle was making as it hit the upper atmosphere. If Tex hadn't known better, he would have sworn the entire ship was going to shake apart. He had used these ten-seater corporate shuttles before. They were fast, they could land just about anywhere either on a runway or in vertical mode, and no military bothered with them, since they usually carried the rich and powerful. They were perfect for getting on and off planet without attracting attention. This particular shuttle sported leather seats, a bathroom that Tex had no trouble fitting intoeven with his statureand carpet that was far too thick. He had tripped twice getting on board with his gear. And just about now the shuttle was bouncing hard as it headed down toward the surface of Dower. At first glance it didn't seem the sort of planet a corporate jet might be heading to visit. Dower was covered with more rock and sand than should be allowed in one location. It had no real plant or animal life, but it boasted a human base, half of which was hidden beneath the surface. When Tex and his team finished with that base, it would vanish into the next sandstorm. The planet had no official name. It was nothing but a number on the star charts; that's how valueless it was. But Seton, their controller, had taken to calling it after the name of their target, the Dowers, and it had stuck for Tex. Dower itself wasn't actually a name; it was an acronym for the five men who founded this particular group of troublemakers. Only the pilot and the three operatives were on board the flight. No operative ever paid a pilot much attention, even though they were a very critical part of almost every mission. They weren't going to be involved with the fighting, so operatives simply tended to call them "pilot" and leave it at that. They didn't even bother to learn their code names. Tex had made his way to the back of the cabin, and sat facing away from the main cockpit, taking up the entire last group of four facing seats with his large body and his equipment. Conversations had been minimal during the six-hour flight from their launch point in the Decker star system, and he had spent most of that time checking and double-checking, making sure everything about his weapons and armor was ready to go. "That bonded armor?" The question came again. Tex glanced up over his shoulder at Rees, the scout on this mission, who stood with one hand on the back of a seat, riding out the bumps like this was a slow boat on a calm ocean. He stepped closer when Tex looked at him, so Rees stood more in Tex's line of sight. Compared with Tex's massive frame, Rees was no more than a stick that looked as if it could be easily broken. But Tex knew Rees was much stronger and more dangerous than his short blond hair, deep blue eyes, and long, bony fingers would lead someone to believe. On their last mission, Tex had seen Rees poke one of his armored fingers right through the heart of a small-time crook who had given him some back talk. He was one of the best scouts Tex had ever worked with. And the most cold-blooded. Tex respected him, and Rees knew it. "Yeah, bonded," Tex said, patting the armor on the seat beside him. "And reflective." "Yeah, mine, too," Rees said. "Spent more than I should for it, though." Tex only nodded at that. Bonded armor was basicaSmith, Dean Wesley is the author of 'Brute Force Betrayals' with ISBN 9780345458506 and ISBN 0345458508.