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"Goodbye, Raja Thoot him A Dasher would’ve ended it quickly"

"What do the hylighters do to you?" Legata asked

Before Oakes could answer, Lewis turned to the rooht, everybody Show’s over Back to work"

"We only have evidence from some demon carcasses," Oakes said "They were sucked dry"

" e could’ve saved him," she said

"He took his chances and he lost"

Oakes reached out to the controls, his finger poised over the scan progra the whole screen into view The hylighter carrying Tho bags now danced on the air, underlighted by the orange glow of the suns, their sail ata sahat had stopped Oakes More hylighters were co in the sky

"Ship’s eyes!" another voice behind the out the suns!"

"Split screen," Oakes said "Activate all periata to realize he was addressing her She flipped the switches and the screen went gray, then reformed in measured squares of the different views, a locator nulobed the sky all around the Redoubt - over the sea, over the land

"Look there" It was Lewis pointing to a screen showing the base of the inland cliffs "Demons"

They became aware then that the entire rim of cliffs, as far as the sensors could reach, writhed with life Legata felt certain that never before had such a s assembled in one place on the face of Pandora

"What are they doing?" Oakes asked, and his voice tre for so for orders to attack," Lewis said

"Check security!" Oakes barked

Legata keyed for the proper sensors and the screens flickered to re-fore left by the E-clone revolt Orders from whom? she wondered Creere busy in every screen, uarded by armed normals Some worked in the open courtyard where the Nerve Runners had left nothing alive; others toiled along the shattered sections of the perimeter where temporary barriers had been erected There were even sohters interfered

"Why aren’t they attacking?" Legata asked

"We seem to be at a stand-off," Lewis said

"We’re saving our energy," Oakes said "My orders are not to shoot them at random We cook them now only if they come within twenty-five meters of our people or equipment"

"They can think," Lewis said "They think and plan"

"But what are they planning?" Legata asked She noticed that Oakes was going paler by the blink

Oakes turned "Jesus, we’d better do so of our own Coata did not notice She reh the outside sensors The whole landscape had turned into a golden dazzle of suns and hylighters, black cliffs as ith de sea capped hite foaata turned, realized that Oakes and Lewis no longer were in the Comht And I have to be ready

She worked her way through the activity in the Center, opened a main corridor hatch and hurried toward her own quarters