29After the drop ship had landed and the squad had donned its armor, Scott ran down the gangway in his Battlenaut, first to leave the ship. He was dying to charge straight into the heart of the action...at least until Perseid's voice blared from the cockpit speaker. "Corporal, wait!"
Scott told Frank the A.I. to stop running, and his Battlenaut came to a halt in the powdery orange sand at the base of the gangway. The whole time, all Scott could think about was Bern, fighting for her life among the desert dunes of Oberon. The clock in his head was ticking louder than ever now, almost loud enough to drown out Perseid's voice.
But not quite. "We are sticking to a tight formation with you in the middle," said Perseid. "Protecting you is still a priority--especially until we see how wel
