Then the fifth star, which Stryke had entrusted to Coilla, was stolen from a resistance safe house. The presumption was that it, too, had fallen into Jennesta's hands.
As the comet made its appearance, dim but unmistakable, the Wolverines faced the prospect of being stranded in an alien world.
1
Only five of them were left alive.
They were four privates and an officer, the latter a female. Several bore wounds. All were close to panic.
The defence had been tough and bloody. But the company's ranks had finally broken under the onslaught, forcing the handful of survivors to retreat. They fell back from the breached gates and dashed for refuge. Behind them, the savage creatures poured in on a wave of fear and destruction.
Sprinting across the parade ground the five headed for a barracks block, a building of wood and stone, windowless and with a single door. They piled in and frantically barricaded the entrance with cots and lockers. Outside, the commotion carried on.
"This is one hell of a bolt-hole," an infantrymen complained. "There's no way out of here." He was near the edge and, like the others, sweat-sheened and breathing hard.
"I don't get it," a comrade said. "These animals are supposed to be docile."
" Docile? " another retorted. "Like hell!"
"What we going to do?" the fourth wanted to know.
" Get a grip," their captain told them, doing her best to sound calm. "There'll be support. We just need to sit tight."