The inner gate opened as the convoy reached the yard.
"Pull it clear!"
Two soldiers hauled the heavy gate aside while the engines grew louder outside.
The Light APC crossed first once the opening was wide enough.
Its tires crunched over the gravel, and the machine gunner laughed over the crew channel at whatever the driver had done on the final approach.
The Commander's armored SUV came next, followed by the civilian vehicles Dmitri's platoon had brought back from Pandora.
They were cleaner, taller, and far more expensive than anything normally parked inside the Colony.
Guards lined the route with rifles lowered but ready while workers stopped long enough to watch the unfamiliar convoy pass.
Whispers followed the civilian vehicles. Some people wondered where the cars had come from; others were more interested in the strangers visible through the windows.
The questions quieted when Hans appeared near the receiving yard.
He was already waiting by the time the convoy stopped.
