She removed a long case from the back seat of the Jeep before waving the porters imperiously toward the vehicle. "Careful not to drop anything, all right? About half of it explodes if you annoy it, and it`s all been sanctioned by Imagine, so no 'accidentally' forgetting to carry my grenades."
The nearest porter stopped in the act of reaching for the box. "Which one has the grenades?" he asked, in a strained tone.
The woman flashed a gregarious smile. "Not telling," she said. "If you don`t drop anything, it shouldn`t matter."
The porter blanched and grabbed the box, scurrying away. The woman laughed as the man gave her a reproachful look.
"Now, Michi, what did we say about torturing the hired help?"
"That it`s damned funny, and I`m not going to stop unless I`m given a solid reason to do so."
The man opened his mouth like he was going to say something. Then he stopped and grinned. "Oh, right," he said. "That`s exactly what we said. Let`s go meet the locals." Together, they turned and started toward the Melusine, leaving the porters to carry their things. They had enough weapons on them to survive until they were settled. They always did.