"He can do that?" Dave asked.

"We'll have to go through their security first, but yeah. We just have to be off the ship before they set sail."

"When's that?" Chloe asked.

"0500 hours. Five AM."

"And when can we go?" Chloe asked eagerly.

"They are docking now." Mike said. "Then they have to let all the civies off. There's a big rush at the gates for a couple hours, so... how about we have lunch here first, then we'll anchor outside the port and take the dinghy to shore?"

Chloe was too excited to wait. She prepared lunch for everyone by eleven, and Mike relented to her eager pleas,...