"I don't like it," Gasper says. "These fellows aren't acting like any rescue party I've ever heard of. And isn't Omega supposed to have an independent government?"
"Yeah," agrees a burly man called Taylor. "So how come they're wearing His Lordship's uniforms?"
"Maybe I'd better explain something," Tita says. "I'm not a colonist. . . not really. I'm a rebel."
A murmur of astonishment circulates through the nearby crowd. "She's the one they're after!" cries a woman. "Let's give her up and get ourselves rescued!" A chorus of agreement runs through the crowd, and a few people tentatively move in Tita's direction.
"Please!" she screams. "Let me finish! Then you can turn me over to Banshire's apes, if you still want to."
Taylor and Gasper step between Tita and the crowd, pushing the mote aggressive people away. "Let her finish!" Gasper orders.
The murmur dies and Tita continues. "The Saretta wasn't a colonist ship."
"Then what are we, canned sardines?" calls a man near the rear of the crowd.
Tita ignores the man and continues. "Banshire and his ancestors have known about Omega for at least a hundred years. They've been bleeding it dry to maintain their position back on Terra. About ten years ago, a group of rebels discovered the planet and blackmailed Banshire into opening the planet to colonization. He had no choice but to agree, but he's not a good loser.
"He's determined to destroy the government of Omega and take it over himself. To that end, he's been smuggling marines to the planet aboard merchant ships for several years. But he hasn't been able to equip them yet. That's where the Saretta fits in. Banshire hid eight hovertanks and enough small arms to equip a battalion of men aboard her and used the colonists as a cover for a heavy transport mission to Omega.
"The rebels found out about his plan. My mission is to make sure that those weapons don't reach Banshire's goons."
"It's a pretty story!" calls the man in the rear again. "But I say we turn her over to the marines. How do we know she's telling the truth?"
"Do you really think forty marines came here to rescue five thousand colonists in twenty lousy air-cars and two hovertanks?" Tita yells. "They're here to get the weapons and they couldn't care less about you."
"It's none of our concern!" says the woman in front.
"You're wrong!" responds Taylor. "I came here to start a new life, not to continue the old one under Banshire's boot. There aren't supposed to be any marines here on Omega, and I say we get rid of them!"
A mutter of agreement runs through the crowd. Gasper holds his arms up, signaling the crowd to be quiet. "I think Tita's telling the truth," he says. "And that means that, at best, these marines will leave us here to starve. The question is, what are we going to do about it?"
"Rush 'em!" calls the man in the rear again. "Kill the bloodsuckers!"
"That's very noble," calls Taylor. "But they have hovertanks and heavy machine guns. We'd better rely on stealth and skill, and take out those hovertanks before we try anything else."
"There's only forty of them!" objects the woman. "Why wait for them to make the first move? What guarantee do we have that they won't open fire before we can do anything?"
"We have no guarantee at all," yells Tita, "except the fact that the ship is still missing. They probably won't execute us until they find the ship."
Study the situation map.
• Gasper gives the order to rush the marines.
• Gasper gathers a smaller strike force to attack the hovertanks using stealth and surprise.