The trip to Nusora took about five hours. We had sneaked off of the Patriot, through a bit of the trees, and to Mayor Spencer's hidden pod. It flew us to the HyperZipline port where we boarded the vessel. Luckily there was water facilities on board so we were able to wash up. When we finished, Byrne had a bag with her and waited for us to give her our attention.

     "If our plan of staying under the radar in the hope of keeping that ghost off of our trail is to remain, we can't go parading around in our Patriot-issued uniforms." She pulled out a swath of fabric that I wrinkled my nose at. "I've procured us neques."

     I despised the idea but knew it had to be done. We reluctantly each took one and spent a good while trying to figure out how to put them on. All of them were a shade of grey, similar to the General's. Byrne informed us that each color of neque held a purpose – grey meant military. It would keep people from interfering with us.

     It looked just like a swath of fabric wrapped around the body, but I discovered that there were hidden clasps and buckles that kept it on. I grumbled the whole while, annoyed, but wore it anyway. The only advantage was that I was able to hide more weapons on my person.

     The HyperZipline pilot called over the speakers some time later. "We're five minutes from landing." I checked the aquarius in my sleeve and addressed the Captain. "How close is the landing site to Vilara?"

     "Relatively."

     "And the plan?"

    "Peterson and I will visit Dr. Tase, and the rest of the crew will be guard. I suspect that if that man actually got off of Satov and he thinks we live, he might be guarding Dr. Tase or lingering nearby."

    "And there's an easy chance he got there before we even boarded the HyperZipline," I muttered. "We spent so long on the Patriot."

    "It was absolutely worth the time," replied Captain Thorn firmly. I didn't disagree. The ship shuddered as it landed in the HyperZipline port and steam hissed as the doors began to open. A smell wafted in of which I wrinkled my nose. It was like sulfur. Bird actually coughed slightly and waved his hand in front of his nose.

    Finally, the door opened. The first I saw was the sky. It wasn't anything like Earth's blue or Zoel's blue-green. This sky was an odd shade of brown. It was a mixture of orange. I stared, aghast. Byrne already had the answer from her data. "It's the atmosphere. Each planet has a different mixture of gases. Our eyes can see certain wavelength lights better than others. With Earth's atmosphere mostly nitrogen and our eyes better adapted for blue, that's why it's that color. Zoel's atmosphere had a slightly different composition. However Nusora's composition is entirely different. The nearby sun also gives off different wavelength colors. For the people that have lived here for a long time, the sky looks closer to green."

    "It feels like the planet is on fire," said Decker, awed.

    "This has created atmospheric storms, too," Byrne read aloud. "The native flora and fauna here are going to be different. Especially with naturally-occurring storms. I'd highly suggest we stay away from things we don't recognize. The life here is going to be adapted for a harsher life and will likely have better defenses than a cactus's thorns or a skunk's smell."

    "Good to know," muttered Peterson. He looked at the sky outside with a bit more apprehension.

    "Why did the Venture come here, then?" I inquired. "If this planet is dangerous?"

    Byrne shook her head. "I have no idea, First Officer."

    Captain Thorn exhaled. "So don't engage any native animals. The population must have adapted for life here or there wouldn't be any. So stick to populated areas." He was the first to walk down the exit ramp. The grass itself was tinged yellow, but not with a dead feel. More like a neon yellow. I carefully exited after the rest of the crew, hand on the gun on my hip.

    I didn't like this. Another puzzle piece wasn't making any sense. Why would we dare land on a dangerous planet, much less populate it? I knew from ISGC training that there were several planets that were far less dangerous that the ISGC had vetoed landing on. Yet why put a population here? It made absolutely no sense.

    I wasn't given time to think any more about it. Captain Thorn addressed us, "we're on foot from here. Traveling in a pod will be too attention-catching. Peterson and I will lead the way since we're the ones talking to Dr. Tase. The rest of you will be the guard. Byrne, I take it you have the directions ready?"

    "Yes, Captain."

    Captain Thorn looked toward me and waved two fingers. Recognizing the signal, I nodded and slowed my steps. As part of training, we had learned our own tactical signals. That one ordered me to work as background cover. Captain Thorn sent the same to Officer Bird. Bird fell back and split off in a different direction.

    We were approaching a large wall, made of solid sekrite. That didn't bode well. We had built walls around a settlement using the strongest substance known to this side of the galaxy. The doors consisted of some sort of scanner. It let Captain Thorn through right away, likely due to our pass from the Planetary Court. The moment I passed through behind the rest of the crew, I jogged away from them.

    The inside of Settlement Vilara was similar to Settlement Mirah's. The buildings got taller the further toward the center of the settlement. The tops were rounded or half-circles, where I saw solar panels. The walls reflected most around them. The way the streets were set up were strategic, suggesting the roads had been build first, similar to how the ancient Romans had constructed their cities.

    What looked like the pod-version of buses roamed down the center of the streets. On the sidewalks, both on ground and in air, hurried citizens. To my surprise, not all of them wore the neques – just most of them. Two different railways wound their way through the settlement. One moved through the taller section, and the other the smaller section.

    Captain Thorn and Officer Peterson went straight down the sidewalk. I went one block to the side and followed parallel, moving through walking and riding bystanders with my eyes focused on keeping track of the two of them. I could see Bird doing the same on the other side. Byrne lingered far behind the two, but on the same street. Edwards and Decker stuck closer to one another, Edwards watching his surroundings warily.

    "Left up here," said Byrne. Captain Thorn and Peterson turned down that side of the street. I did the same and accidentally knocked into someone. I caught her wrist just as it moved for my hip. My eyes narrowed as I held up her wrist with a dangerous expression. The woman looked up, about to mutter an apology, but when her eyes found me they widened. Her mouth opened. "Y-You're here." "How is this possible?! They're supposed to be locked up--"

    It was the last thing I'd expected from a would-be pickpocketer. Suspicion reared its head. "And who are you?"

    She tugged on my grip on her wrist. Her hair was askew, the strands brown with silver spattered through. My eyes found the grey roots. Her hair's silver but she dyes it . . . she can't be older than twenty-five. "Shit," the woman hissed. "She can't be alone – they'll be with her. Got to warn them!"

    "I said," I growled, pulling her wrist closer. "Who are you?" She knew I wasn't alone and I had a nasty suspicion who she was working with.

    "No one you care enough to know about," she snarled. "Isn't that right, Genevieve Autumn?" My hand tightened on her wrist. "That's right, First Officer. You're too high and mighty to know about me. About us. But that's your own undoing, Autumn."

   "First Officer?" Bird inquired, concerned. "I can't see you. Have you been delayed?"

    "Figures she doesn't know me," the woman thought irritably. "Just more proof what we're doing is justice."

    My mind churned and I clenched my other fist. "I don't know who you think you are," I hissed at her, "but you've got a choice. Either explain who you are and who that man was on Satov, or I'll figure it out for myself. And if it's the latter, you won't like how I'll do it."

    She laughed dryly. "Ever so fierce, Genevieve. Always so threatening. Too bad I'm not scared." Then she jerked on her wrist and twisted, wrenching it from my grasp. I jerked my elbow back into her gut before she could move behind me and drew the aquarius from my sleeve. I slashed it directly for her wrist but met air. My eyes widened and I turned in a full circle. A few people around me muttered and backed away from the weapon in my hand.

    "First Officer, do you copy?"

   I growled under my breath and addressed the whole crew. "We've got a problem. I just ran into some woman. She knew exactly who I am and unless I'm sorely mistaken, she's working with the man from Satov. And if that's the case, she knows we're here. We have to hurry."