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.Once, the Nihilists had managed to take over a medium-sized planetary population.They’d managed, somehow, to worm their way into a more rational insurgency movement and take over, then seize supreme power after overthrowing the local government.And then, before the Imperial Navy had responded, they’d slaughtered over a million people directly and far more in the ensuing civil war, when saner factions had tried to take back power.But the Nihilists hadn't cared.All they’d wanted to do was kill people to prove the hopelessness of life.It was impossible to conceive of how many people would die on Terra Nova if they managed to take over.The files on precisely what had been captured were stored behind a firewall, she discovered with some irritation.She poked and prodded at the database, then decided she would need to either obtain more access codes or take the time necessary to crack through the security barriers.The longer she tried, she knew, the greater the chance of being detected, yet she had a feeling that anyone with access codes would be more careful than poor Julius.Bitch, she told herself.What you did to him was far from fair.Life isn’t fair, Pug’s voice mocked her.You should know that, sweetheart.“Shut up,” Belinda muttered, and sat upright.“Shit!”Belinda rubbed her face, tiredly.She hoped she wasn't being observed – or, if she was, her unseen watcher had assumed she’d woken from a nightmare.One of the other reports she’d seen on the datanet had stated that planetary prescriptions for tranquilisers, antidepressants and other drugs had skyrocketed over the last month, after the Fall of Earth had been confirmed.The drugs had always been freely available – a drugged population was a docile population – but even the civil service thought the new trend was alarming.For once, Belinda had to agree.A drugged population wouldn't be able to react to any sudden change in their status.She glanced at the clock and muttered another curse as she realised it was eight o’clock in the morning and that she hadn't slept a wink all night.Duty was definitely a harsh mistress, but she'd once gone several weeks without sleep, relying on her implants to cleanse her body of fatigue poisons.Now, she’d barely been awake for – she had to check her implants to be sure – forty-eight hours.And she wanted to go back to bed and sleep for the rest of the day.Still better than human norms, Doug’s voice said.Her former commander sounded pleasantly amused in her head.You should be proud of yourself.Belinda grabbed a towel, then walked out of the room and marched down towards the swimming pool.It wasn't anything like as big as the swimming pool on the Chesty Puller, nor did it have the various modifications designed to make life interesting for Marines practicing swimming against waves or strong currents.Belinda had always been a strong swimmer, but even she had struggled with the water phase of Boot Camp.It always surprised and depressed her just how many recruits washed out, sometimes literally, when they discovered what they were expected to do.The hotel had provided free swimwear, carefully branded with the hotel’s name.Belinda pulled on a swimsuit, discovering to her amusement that the swimwear was barely modest, then dived into the pool and swam as hard as she could.As she had hoped, the cold water woke her up, but the pool was nowhere near large enough for her to swim properly.She made a mental note to look up other swimming pools in the city – there was bound to be a number large enough to suit her – then cursed herself under her breath.The mission was to make sure the conference went ahead, not to waste time enjoying herself.You really need some leave, Pug’s voice said.The Commandant wouldn't begrudge you a few months holiday before you went back to duty.Belinda shook her head, feeling water running through her hair as she reached the end of the pool and swam back towards the far side [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]