enemy of Conrad Diebel. “And you’ve wound up in a situation you don’t understand. You’re being careful and trying to watch out for these other guys. I get that. But in a way, we’re still fighting the same war here that we left behind. Sure, we’ve got a few good Japs on our side, and Shinya, at least, is a swell guy. Another Jap named Okada took the ship that brought you here up against the tin can that was with her.” He lowered his voice and looked around. “That’s the last we heard. Chances are, he’s dead now and that ship’s on the bottom of the sea, but he was on our side, fighting bad Japs. And most of the Japs that made it here have wound up with the Grik-and the Grik are much worse than Japs!
“The Grik keep people… Lemurians, anybody they catch, I guess, in the holds of their ships as rations. I’ve seen that, the aftermath, so I can kind of imagine what it looked like in the hold of Mizuki Maru. That said, I can only guess what it was like to be a prisoner of the Japs. I’m sure it was hell, sir, and the Japs who put you there belong in hell. With all due respect, though, Commander, you can’t have any idea what it was like for us when we first wound up here, all alone and practically sinking.” He gestured around. “It seems like we’ve done pretty well for ourselves, and I guess we have, but at first it was only us and we had less idea where we were or what had happened to us than you do.” He shrugged. “That hasn’t changed, really, besides some wild-assed guesses, but where we are isn’t the all-consuming question it once was, and at least we’ve lived long enough for some of us to kick it around a little.
“Now, if you think you’re going to just show up out of the blue and pull rank, there’s something you better know.” He held his thumb and forefinger about a quarter inch apart. “When we got here, we were that close to coming completely unwrapped, and only two things kept that from happening: the Skipper and the ’Cats. Captain Reddy never gave us a chance to wring our hands and worry and never allowed us to fall apart. He just kept doing his duty and expecting us to do ours… and we did. Not because of any oath or for a country we’ll probably never see again, but for each other.” He looked hard at Herring. “And for the skipper.” He lowered his voice. “It never even occurred to anyone until later that maybe we weren’t in the Navy anymore, but by then, it didn’t matter. The skipper was still the skipper, and Walker was the Navy.” He sighed and scratched his nose. “So the Navy’s a lot bigger now, and there aren’t many of us guys from Walker and Mahan and S-19 left, but, by God we did the right thing, the only thing, and Captain Reddy deserves most of the credit.
“As for the ’Cats, we never would’ve made it without them, and, of course, all the ones here at least would be dead by now if we hadn’t become friends. We’ve been through a hell of a lot together, side by side, so you’ll have to excuse me if I’m sort of fond of the little guys. These ’Cats…” He paused and shook his head. “We just like each other. It’s hard to explain. They had their ways and we had ours, but compared to the fix we were all in together, the differences that cause separate drinking fountains back home just never mattered, see? We-us and them-never let it matter much, and when trouble came up over various things, it got squared away fast.” He chuckled. “Eventually, the little differences started going away. You’ve probably noticed how many of our ways most of them have taken on, particularly Navy and Marine ’Cats, and most of us probably seem a little weird to you too. I think, in all the ways that matter, we were a lot alike to start with.”
He stopped again, and his smile turned downward. “One thing we have in common is that we’ve got ourselves one hell of a war. I’ve seen things… done things…” He gestured helplessly at the others. “All of us have… I’m sorry, sir, you just had to be here. This war is downright modern now compared to what it was. We’ve got guns and steamships and airplanes, for crying out loud, but it started with spears! I’ve heard it got pretty old-fashioned against the Japs in the Philippines, so maybe you can imagine a little of what I’m talking about, but this is a real war, a big war, and it’s mean as hell. It’s also for the whole enchilada: we win or die. It’s that simple.”
“What Commander Letts is getting at, Commander Herring,” Ben Mallory interjected, “is that despite the fact that Captain Reddy’s done his best to uphold the traditions and organization of the Navy here, for a lot of reasons, you really don’t want to make a fuss about your seniority. That can only cause distractions that might cost lives. Right now, you’re not senior to anybody. Captain Reddy might see it different because that’s the kind of guy he is, but you won’t find another soul who thinks this is still your Navy. The U.S. Navy on this world belongs to Captain Reddy.”
“I see,” Herring replied thoughtfully. “Do you agree with… Colonel Mallory’s assessment, Mr. Letts?”
“I do, and as he said, I think you’ll find the sentiment universal.”
“What will become of us, then? What if we decide this isn’t our war?” Herring actually chuckled. “If this isn’t my Navy, then its suspension of discharges for the duration can hardly apply.” The growing tension ebbed a notch.
“That’s true. We’d love to have you-we need you-as long as you’ve got your heads straight about the setup around here. But your old oath doesn’t bind you, not to us. Captain Reddy made that clear when he asked the guys-all the humans in military service-to voluntarily reaffirm their oaths.” Letts eyed Herring closely, then glanced at the others. “Nobody backed out. This is a good cause, Commander. And what else would we do?”
“Forgive me for asking, but what exactly is your cause… besides survival?”
Alan suddenly realized that wasn’t a bad question.
“Well… it started out as just survival, but it’s way beyond that now. Believe it or not, this isn’t a bad setup. Lots of growing pains, but we’re trying to build a kind of, well, republic, I guess, along the lines of the constitution we all swore to defend. I know it seems weird, and it is weird to the ’Cats. Some of their ‘states’ are those aircraft carrier-size ships.” He shrugged. “I guess if something as small as Rhode Island could be a state back home… Anyway, it’s kind of screwy, but in the end I guess we’re fighting for the same things we always have. Freedom, security, the principles we stand for… and each other.”
Herring was silent a long moment. He too was looking at the graves now and the plaques. His companions were watching him, but by their expressions, Letts thought Gunny Horn and the Australian sailor had heard enough.
“You make a compelling argument, Commander,” Herring said at last. “And yes, you’ve clearly earned your rank. To inspire such loyalty and confidence, your Captain Reddy surely has as well.” He paused again. “I need to think, to get up to speed, but I’m a quick learner. If I decide to join you, to ‘ship over,’ as it were, perhaps you might have need of an officer with intelligence training?”
“I’ll say!” Letts and Brister chorused.
Herring looked at his fellows. “I presume we could find civilian employment, but what are the terms of enlistment?”
“It’s voluntary, but it’s for the duration,” Letts replied. “The ’Cats don’t have many rules, but they’re serious about the ones they have. All military personnel are governed by Rocks and Shoals. We’re still sorting out the pay scales-they didn’t even use money here before-but I think you’ll find the wages sufficient. In your cases, you’d go in with your current ranks or ratings, and we’d put you where we need you most.”
“Sounds fair,” Herring said softly, looking at his comrades. “Well, men, I hate to break up the gang, but it’s up to you. It is nice to be able to choose our fates for a change.”
“I have only one question,” Conrad Diebel said, pointing at another pair of P-40s sporting over the bay. “Can I fly one of those?”
“You’ll have to earn one of those,” Ben answered immediately, “but you’ll fly.”
“Then I’m in.”
“How’s the chow?” Gunny Horn asked abruptly.
“Weird,” Alan confessed, “but good, I guess-and regular.”
“Hmm. Well, hand over the enlistment papers, Commander Letts. We’ll ship over,” Horn said, speaking for himself and Lance Corporal Miles, while looking at Commander Herring as if for permission. Miles didn’t speak, but he frowned.
Herring nodded. “Thanks for… everything, Gunny.”
“No thanks necessary, sir.” He looked at Letts. “You’ve got a lot of these ’Cats running around calling themselves Marines. Maybe I could help with their training?”
“Maybe so, Gunny,” Letts said thoughtfully. “But I think you’ll find they know their business pretty well. I may have another, more independent assignment for you.”
“I’ll join,” said Leading Seaman Henry Stokes; then he hesitated. “But only if Commander Herring does. Even then, I’d like to stick with him. He might need a hand.”
“Glad to have you, Stokes,” Herring said, glancing at Alan. “ If I join. Like I said, I’ve got some thinking to do… And I believe I will go down and observe those Grik captives you mentioned. Have I your permission to talk to others? In the various industries and military commands as well?”
