“At least, I’m glad it wasn’t you ignoring me like that,” said Jennie Higgins. Then she stopped and peered at Phule more closely. “It wasn’t you, now, was it?”
“On my word as a gentleman and an officer,” said Phule, holding up his hand as if taking a pledge.
Jennie feigned a pout. “Coming from you, I’m not sure how much that’s worth.”
“Oh, coming from me, it’s worth a great deal,” said Phule.
“And he’s got the Dilithium Express card to prove it,” said Rembrandt, winking.
Before anyone could reply to that, Brandy pointed out into the desert and said, “Something’s coming, Captain.”
“Ah, that may be what we’re waiting for,” said Phule. “The Nanoids coming to finalize their agreement.”
“Movin’ mighty fast,” said Chocolate Harry. “They on a bike or somethin’?”
“Conceivably, yes,” said Beeker. “They evidently have the ability to form themselves into aggregations for special purposes, so perhaps they’ve adopted a form not dissimilar to one of your hovercycles.”
“Whatever you say, man,” said Chocolate Harry, shading his eyes with a huge hand. “Still comin’ in fast. Are y’ sure this is all cool, Cap’n? We can still get a couple antitank lasers zeroed in on it ‘fore it gets too close.”
“I doubt they’d hurt it any,” said Sushi. “It’d do about as much damage as shooting a rifle at a swarm of ripners.”
“I just hope it has good brakes,” said Armstrong. “Shouldn’t we stand out of its direct line of approach?”
“That’s actually not a bad idea,” said Phule, stepping off a half-dozen paces to one side. The group of legionnaires followed him and watched as the cloud of dust came closer, eerily quiet for something so fast-moving. At last, just as it seemed it would inevitably crash into the camp, the oncoming entity came to a pinpoint stop a few meters away from the group of officers who, observing Phule’s cool unconcern, stood quietly waiting for it. Only when the dust began to settle did anyone react to what had arrived in their midst.