The Highlander touched down on the landing pad with a gentle metallic clunk. Even so small a noise was enough to wake screams and gasps from the villager packed into the hold like so many animals headed for slaughter. Junebug supposed she couldn't blame them. The villages were small enough that they would have all known victims of the Xenos attack, some would be morning lost family. It had been years since she had spoken to her own family. Her mother was a religious woman who hadn't approved of her daughters career choices and her father was the sort of died in the wool alcoholic that drove people to religion. In the whole universe there were few people other than old comrades who cared if she lived or died.

The ramps came down with a hiss of hydralic jacks and the pesants rushed out, carrying bundles of food and personal possessions. The remaining knights led by Astrador began unloading the provisions they had salvaged as quickly as possible. Junebug unsnapped her crash webbing and stretched. There was still some pain, but hours in the auto-doc had healed the most serious of her injuries and she only had a very small load of pain killers on board now. That was good, it was always better to be clear headed if you could. Sometimes booze or pills were the only way you got through, but both those things had a habit of taking more of a piece of you than you might wish.

"Captain, prepare your ship for the next evacuation run," Astrador said as he strode up the ramp, apparently having unloaded the supplies and chivied the last of the civilians off to the Gooddess knew where. Junebug sighed and squred her shoulders.

"No," she said simply but firmly.

"How soon can..." Astrador trailed of in confusion and then his voice rose in anger.

"Did you just say no to me Captain?" he asked in a deadly quiet voice. The modulation from his helmet gave an odd serpentine quality to his voice.

"I believe so," she responded calmly folding her arms.

"How dare you..." he began his voice rising in genuine anger. He closed the distance between them in several large strides but Junebug, having been dressed down many times by less armored, but equally terrifying sergeant majors held her ground.

"I dare, if that is the word, because this is my ship. Those spores are everywhere and you already lost what five guys holding them off."

"We are not afraid to lay down our..." Junebug cut in over the top of him.

"Five men who would have been invaluable to the defence of the city dead for fifty villagers and a handful of suplies, you dont need to be the unifer to see that is a bad bargain. I'm not putting my ship or my crew at risk because you think its noble to do so."

Astrador bristled.

"The Duke will hear of this, he will order that we commandeer the ship!" the Knight snapped and turned and stalked away.

"Yeah, good luck with that."

"Pardon ma fer jumpin in Capt'n but you have a message requesting your presence at the Level, sender unknown," Loney broke in.

"Suffering Saints what now?"

[@POOHEAD189]