Free Cobra Guardian: Cobra War: Book Two by Timothy Zahn

questioningly at Geoff. The other just shrugged. "He used to name his lab equipment back at school, too," he said. "Don't worry, it's harmless. So like I was saying, Freylan and I will carry Snouts, and you, Jody will carry all the packs."
    "She'll carry two of them," Paul corrected. "I'll carry the others."
    "Sorry, but you're the sole defense of this little expedition," Geoff said, shaking his head. "That means you need to be free and unencumbered at all times."
    "I think you're underestimating my abilities," Paul said mildly. "Besides, with a little luck, I'll be able to hear or see any trouble coming long before I need to use any of my combat reflexes."
    Geoff snorted. "If we had any luck, we wouldn't be sitting in the middle of a Troft invasion."
    "No, he's right, Dad," Jody said reluctantly, eyeing the four bulging backpacks. "I guess we shouldn't have wasted time dividing up the kit."
    "Not at all," Geoff soothed. "It'll be easier to distribute the weight around your shoulders and hips this way."
    Jody narrowed her eyes slightly at him. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she challenged.
    "As much as I've enjoyed anything in the past ten minutes, pretty much," he agreed. He smiled, the old confident Geoff smile that had won the group so much of their corporate funding over the past few months. "If it helps any," he added, "and should the need arise, I'll also be available to do all the cooking."
    "Oh, yeah," Jody said, nodding. "You're enjoying this."
    "Probably not for long," Freylan said, reaching to the seat beside him and picking up a pair of stun sticks. "Here--you should probably carry one of these. Geoff, you want the other one?"
    "Just a minute," Paul said as Jody gingerly took the two weapons and started to hand one to Geoff. "Do any of you know how to use one of those?"
    "We all took the intro course aboard the Freedom's Fire ," Jody reminded him.
    "Yes, I sat in on that," Paul said. "Let me rephrase: has any of you ever actually used anything like those?"
    "I had a fencing unit in high school," Jody offered.
    "Did the foils generate current in the half-megavolt range?" Paul asked pointedly.
    "Well, no," Jody conceded.
    "Then your answer would be no," Paul told her. "Either of you?"
    "No," Geoff said as Freylan shook his head.
    "Then they stay in the bag," Paul said firmly. "Unless you've had actual training--and that shipboard lecture doesn't qualify--they'll be more of a danger to you than to anything you're likely to meet out there."
    "Yes, but--" Geoff began.
    "They stay in the packs," Paul said firmly. "Trust me. Some of the animals here are big enough to take a jolt that would kill you outright."
    "Maybe we should just leave them here, then," Freylan suggested. "They're pretty heavy for something we can't use."
    "No, let's take them," Paul said. "They may be useful in setting up a perimeter wherever we wind up spending the night. Just make sure they're locked in the off position before you put them back in the bags."
    "They are," Jody confirmed as she handed the weapons back to Freylan. "Anyway, don't worry about the weight," she added. " I'll be the one carrying them, remember?"
    "So let's grab everything and get going," Paul said, opening his door. "Time to hit trail."
    "Just no hiking songs," Jody warned. "I've heard you sing, and this planet hates us enough as it is."

Chapter Five
    At Lorne's direction, Treakness led the group down a back stairway, out of sight of the Troft warship, which would hopefully also allow them to bypass the nervous residents Lorne and Nissa had left in the lobby.
    They reached the back door to find that a smaller group was likewise milling around the smaller area there. But everyone seemed preoccupied with his or her own thoughts and concerns, and none of them challenged the intentions of four people foolish enough to venture out into the streets of a freshly occupied city. Certainly none of them asked to come along. Lorne opened the door a crack, confirmed that nothing