“Not everywhere.”
“But for the most part. There are governments, but they are small and weak. No standing armies, no secret police. For the most part.”
“For the most part, that’s true.”
“You can’t know what it’s like here. We weren’t so lucky last century. The invaders didn’t make it this far, there was no one to burn our capitols and break our shackles. That’s what the Colorados fight for.”
“Convincing me of your politics isn’t going to help us any, Sandra.”
She shrugged. “I’m not trying to convince you. You already know it. You know what things are good and worth dying for.”
“I also know that there are things worth living for,” he answered swiftly. “And I wish you weren’t so eager to die. Or to kill.”
An electronic warning tone sounded. Agnarsson swiveled to the tactical console, saw the radar screen flashing, and then several things happened almost simultaneously. The walls vibrated, shaken by the full-throated roar of the 30mm gun on the deck above them, and then a deafening report rang through the hull, rocking the refuge violently. The camera feed and radar from the deck gun went black.
“They’re shelling us!” Horacio shouted. He ran to shield his daughter and she clung to him.