Rene jolted awake with the instinct of a hundred 'stand to' drills he had gone through in his training. Before he was concious of what he was doing he was up, snatching up the gun belt some part of his subconscious recalled he had looped over the back of one of the cabins two chairs. It wasn't until his pistol was in his hand and he was scanning for a target that the world resolved itself into something more definite than a blur of motion and shapes that seemed classified as 'safe' or 'threat' in his mind. In a rush of self knowledge he realised he was naked and holding a gun while Solae was screaming and sobbing. He cursed himself mentally. Time in the marines had made him both physically and mentally into something other than what he had once been. He wondered if he would really fit into any society if, by some chance, he survived all of this. Setting the gun down on a cabinet he climbed back into bed and gathered Solae up into his arms. She felt very frail as he held her against his chest, feeling her sobs against the beat of his heart.

"I'm here," he told her quietly, knowing better than to indulge in platitudes like 'it is ok' or 'there is nothing to worry about. The truth was that being buried alive and waking up in a medical computer were only today's portion of what had been a long and horrifying series of events, begining with the destruction of everything and everyone she knew. Little wonder she had nightmares. Rene felt the bitter sting of helplessness, aware that while he could guard her physically, there was little he could do to lift the weight of a sector that had been thrust onto her shoulders.

"I'm here," he repeated again, holding her close.