Chapter 78

Dear Will

Don't try to take too much responsibility. It won't work. One of Major Fabio's concubines was a regular attendee of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. One day while many of the concubines were gathered in the lagoon and chatting I overheard her talking to one of the concubines of Jerome, one of the replacement tankers. I didn't hear what inspired her to speak, but she clearly said.

"You can't try to do it all. If it seems overwhelming just think of this. Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Erica and I had been relaxing on our deck, teasing the babies, so we heard those words clearly. We've talked to Louisa about it and the woman laughed. She said that while it was not originally meant as a prayer to cheer up concubines it would work perfectly. We even repeated it to Bree and Violet only for the two ladies to giggle.

They then told us that the only thing they wanted to change was that they wanted babies where somehow we were the father's. God, I love Violet so much. She's pretty, sweet, loving and loyal. I told you she was writing poems while pregnant. Well, she's now working with Katya, Alexis and Jennifer on turning the poems into upbeat pop songs. She is even working on some music videos and we might allow her to do a concert tour on Wadi.

But that will have to wait. Erica and I are actually on Darling Downs now. We boosted more than a week ago, and what we found when we arrived worries us.

First, this time we absolutely won't be kicking the Sa'arm off easily. They landed a full hive sphere, one of the massive ones that is more like a small moon than a ship. Estimates put the current population at nearly two million.

Worse, Darling Downs isn't Wadi. This planet doesn't have oceans that cover eighty percent of the surface. In fact, this planet is water poor in many ways. Estimates say that due to the amount of techtonic activity as well as the low amount of water on the planet, only about forty-eight percent of the surface is covered by water. Some of the oceans are deep, but they tend to be narrow seas rather than expansive oceans.

Then there is the spin of the planet and the weather. The wind blows constantly, and I'm not talking gentle breezes, but gales. There are no standing structures on the planet and a human can't walk on the surface without protection against wind blown particles. They showed a video from when the sent a special manikin out. It was covered in ballistic gel and other substances so it would have the same characteristics as human flesh. The constant wind stripped the clothing and then the flesh from the manikin in less than an hour.

So the marines we brought from Wadi are being fitted with armor, and even Erica and I have to wear special suits that are resistant to the winds, so that should our tank be disabled we can escape.

And our home is a cave. Actually it appears to be a dormant volcano. We actually descended through the caldera when we arrived on the planet. The volcano has several lava tubes that open out onto the wind-torn hills.

The wind also keeps the vegetation down. No plant grows more than three feet off the ground and nothing grows on a ridge line. There are few sharp cliffs or mountain peaks. Everything is worn down by the constant wind storms. There will be little cover for a tank.

I'm worried, as is Erica. This planet is in many ways the worst possible place for tanks. We will obey orders, but we're already talking with Major Fabio about alternative strategies. The wind is going to limit most of the tanks accuracy. Erica should be fine since we have the heavy cannon on our tank, but the rest of the tanks carry a light cannon. Their shots won't have the velocity necessary to be accurate for more than a few hundred yards as the wind will blow them off course. Erica is already trying to work out ways to adjust the aim of her shots to take the wind into account.

Your terrified sister

Staff Sergeant Willow Murphy.

(Yes, I've been promoted twice since my pickup, Erica is now a Sergeant. Poor little Phoebe is still only a Lance Corporal.)