Johnny had braced himself, of course, but the rest of us lurched forward. Varly hit his head on the windshield, and complained volubly. Nobody got out. We waited for them to explain. A man came forward and peered into the Maiden. It was David Holcomb. He seemed surprised to see so many people crammed into such a small space. ‘You’d better back up a hundred yards,’ said Holcomb, as Johnny wound down both sets of windows. Everything in the Maiden was airlocked—it wasn’t designed to be a pleasure cruiser. ‘Why?’ asked Johnny. ‘Just back up,’ repeated the Aegis man. I began to wrestle with the door, and finally contrived to get it open. I stepped out, and let Charlot out. Eve and Nick followed in turn. ‘We don’t want any trouble,’ said Holcomb, redirecting his attention to Titus Charlot. ‘Why won’t you let us pass?’ asked Charlot.
