pressed the gun against his neck and injected the adrenergen soldiers had nicknamed “nitro” directly into his carotid artery.
“Christ!” Finn shouted as the “nitro” hammered into his brain. He jerked violently in his chair. His eyes rolled and he shivered as if with St. Vitus’s Dance.
The orderly approached Lucas with the hypogun, but Forrester stopped him, saying, “That’s all right, Corporal Fleming. As long as he can stand up on his own, he’s sober enough for me. Just bring the major some more coffee.”
“Yes, sir.” The corporal looked disappointed.
“Delaney?” Forrester said.
“Sir!”
“I swear, I think you’re starting to like that stuff. Do you think we can proceed now?”
“Fuck, yes!”
“A simple ‘yes, sir’ would have been sufficient.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Sit down and shut up, Delaney. And try not to shake like a monkey on a stick. It’s most distracting.”
Delaney sat back down, holding the arms of his chair with a death grip. He tried to control the flow of energy, but he still continued to vibrate like an epileptic.
Forrester glanced at Andre and smiled. “Glad you’ve joined us, Private Cross. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Think you’re ready for a mission?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear it. This one should provide a decent shakedown for you. I shouldn’t think you’d have much trouble, after the Timekeeper affair. This one should be quite simple compared to that.”
“I’ll do my very best, sir.”
Fob nodded. “Priest, you all right?”
“Just a bit hung over, sir.”
“That must have been some celebration last night,” said Forrester. “I’m sorry I missed it.”
“We’ll give you a rain check on another one as soon as we get back, sir,” Lucas said. “I’d sort of like to see you and Private Cross hoist a few together. She drinks Red Eye as if it were iced tea.”
“Really? Well, it’s nice to know that there’s at least one person in this unit who can hold her liquor. How much did you lose?”
“I’d rather not say, sir.”
“That bad?” Forrester chuckled. “You and I will have to sit down to some serious elbow-bending, Cross. I don’t think that these two amateurs are in our class “
“Anytime, sir,” said Andre. “It will be my pleasure.”
“Good, it’s a date. Now let’s get down to business, shall we?” Forrester went up to the podium console and leaned against it. “You people will be happy to know that you’ll be fairly autonomous on this mission,” he said, “meaning that you won’t have the Temporal Intelligence Agency to contend with.”
“Goddamn spooks,” Delaney said, his shaking beginning to subside a little.
“Keep your opinions to yourself, Delaney,” Forrester said. “In any case, you might be interested to know that after that last mission, the Referee Corps has seen fit to grant the army eminent domain regarding temporal adjustment missions, which means that the TIA is back to its intelligence-gathering role under the aegis of the Observer Corps. That didn’t sit very well with Darrow, so he resigned and there’s a new agency director now, brought in from the Observer Corps. I hope this will end the rivalry between our two branches of the service. I also checked on agent Mongoose, in case you should be curious how things turned out with him He was critical for while, but he’s recovered nicely and his features have been reconstructed. He’s also been demoted from field operations director to intelligence evaluation and it’s my guess that it will be a long time before he’s trusted with another field assignment. Considering how badly he botched that mission, it’s nothing but a slap on the wrist, if you ask me, but that’s none of my concern. By the way, Delaney, I am given to understand that the two of you had some differences of opinion that you had intended to resolve privately, between yourselves. Needless to say, I don’t want to hear about any breach of regulations, but I would not be displeased to learn that agent Mongoose had been temporarily removed from the TIA active-duty roster for the purposes of further medical attention. In this regard, I trust that any ‘discussions’ between the two of you will be handled with discretion.”
“I’ll see to it, sir,” Delaney said. He was only twitching now.
“You can see to it on your own time,” said Forrester. “Right now, there’s more pressing business requiring our attention. We have an adjustment on our hands and you’ll be clocking out immediately following this briefing.” He pressed a button on the console, activating the computer. “Forrester, code 321-G, clearance blue,” he said.
“Clearance confirmed,” said the computer. “How may I assist you, Colonel?”
“Request general background information on the French Revolution, circa 1789 to 1799,” said Forrester.
“Working,” said the computer. “Do you require visuals?”
“I’ll specify visuals if need be,” Forrester said. “Proceed when ready.”
“French Revolution, immediate causes,” said the computer. “Rapid growth of French industry and commerce in the late 1700s leading to growth of the middle class; inequitable taxation-many cases exempting aristocrats and members of the clergy; weakening of the old regime by the Treaty of Paris in 1763, which gave French possessions in India and North America to the British; consequent loss of revenues to the government; further depletion of the treasury due to expenditures incurred in giving aid to the Americans in their revolt against the British; bankruptcy of the king’s treasury in 1787; refusal of King Louis XVI to institute needed social reforms growth of the philosophe movement leading to-”
“That’s enough,” said Forrester. “Proceed.”
“May 5, 1789,” said the computer. “King Louis XVI summoned a meeting of the Estates-General at Versailles in order to raise money for the treasury. Representation consisted of 300 aristocrats; 300 clergy; and 600 commons, tiers etat, or third estate. Immediate debate concerning voting powers led to the members of the third estate assuming the title of the National Assembly, June 17, 1789. June 20, meetings were suspended and members of the Assembly took the Tennis Court Oath, so named after their place of informal meeting, resolving to draft a constitution. The Assembly was joined by members of the clergy and aristocratic classes. The Comte de Mirabeau rose to prominence as principal orator of the third estate. Dismissal of chief minister Jacques Neckar by Louis XVI on July 11 and threatened dismissal of the Assembly precipitated the storming of the Bastille by a mob on July 14, the murder of Governor Launay, and the freeing of political prisoners. Neckar was recalled, the Marquis de Lafayette was appointed commander of new National Guard, adoption of the tricolor and the beginning of emigration by members of the aristocratic class followed. Mass uprisings took place throughout France. On August 4, 1789, aristocratic representatives surrendered all feudal rights and privileges, titles were abolished, sales of offices prohibited, guilds were dissolved. August 27, 1789, the Assembly accepted the Declaration of the Rights of Man, drawn from English and American precedents and theories of the philosophes. October 5, 1789, an outbreak of mob violence in Paris culminated in a mob consisting primarily of women invading the royal palace at Versailles. The royal family was rescued by the Marquis de Lafayette. The National Assembly adopted a constitution creating a monarchy answerable to a one-house Legislature. The property of the church and of emigrated nobles was seized by the government to provide public funds. The state assumed the support of the clergy. July 1790 saw the abolition of old provinces and governments; France was divided into 83 departments, subdivided into 374 districts and cantons, each with a local assembly. Voting or active citizens paid taxes equivalent to three days’ labor wages; nonvoting or passive citizens paid no taxes or a sum less than the three days’ minimum. The old judicial constitution was abolished. Civil organization of the clergy, with priests and bishops chosen by popular vote, accompanied the growth of the political power of the Jacobin Club under the leadership of Robespierre, and of the Cordeliers under the leadership of Georges Jacques Danton and Jean Paul Marat. King Louis XVI attempted to flee France with his family on June 20, 1791, was captured at Varennes, and was brought back to Paris. Dissolution of the National Assembly by vote of the membership occurred on September 30, 1791 and election of the Legislative Assembly took place on October 1, 1791, with 745 members elected by active citizens and divided into a Right faction, consisting of constitutionalists and Royalists, and a Left faction, consisting of Girondists, Jacobins and Cordeliers. August 27, 1791, the Declaration of Pillnitz by Frederick William II of Prussia and Leopold II of Austria resulted in the alliance of Austria and Prussia against France in February of 1792 and the War of the First Coalition.”
