Cobra Alliance

'All the more reason to stay here.'

'—not just soldiers, but civilians, too,' he continued doggedly. 'I just think—well, Dader said today that there wasn't anything I could do to help.' He shifted his attention to Pearce. 'Maybe not... but maybe I shouldn't give up to statistical generalities quite so quickly.'

A smile twitched briefly at Pearce's lip without touching the rest of his face. 'I remember when the full gist of your arguments could be boiled down to 'because I said so, that's why.' '

'Must be college that's doing it,' Jame murmured from the kitchen door. 'I think they're also teaching him a little about fixing computers in between the argument seminars.'

Jonny sent a quick frown in his brother's direction, annoyed at the apparent attempt to sidetrack the discussion. But Irena wasn't about to be distracted. 'What about college, now that we're on that topic?' she asked. 'You've got a year to go before you get your certificate. You'd at least stay that long, wouldn't you?'

Jonny shook his head. 'I don't see how I can. A whole year—look at what the Trofts have done in just three months.'

'But your education is important, too—'

'All right, Jonny,' Pearce cut off his wife quietly. 'Go to HorizonCity if you'd like and talk to the recruiters.'

'Pearce!' Irena turned stunned eyes on him.

Pearce shook his head heavily. 'We can't stand in his way,' he told her. 'Can't you hear how he's talking? He's already ninety percent decided on this. He's an adult now, with the right and responsibility of his own decisions.' He shifted his gaze to Jonny. 'Go see the recruiters; but promise me you'll talk with us again before you make your final decision. Deal?'

'Deal,' Jonny nodded, feeling the tension within him draining away. Volunteering to go fight a war was one thing: scary, but on a remote and almost abstract level. The battle for his family's support had loomed far more terrifyingly before him, with potential costs he hadn't wanted to contemplate. 'I'll be back in a few hours,' he said, taking the keys from his father and heading for the door.

The Joint Military Command recruiting office had been in the same city hall office for over three decades, and it occurred to Jonny as he approached it that he was likely following the same path his father had taken to his own enlistment some twenty-eight years previously. Then, the enemy had been the Minthisti, and Pearce Moreau had fought from the torpedo deck of a Star Force dreadnaught.

This war was different, though; and while Jonny had always admired the romance of the Star Forces, he had already decided to choose a less glamorous—but perhaps more effective—position.

'Army, eh?' the recruiter repeated, cocking an eyebrow as she studied Jonny from behind her desk. 'Excuse my surprise, but we don't get a lot of volunteers for Army service here. Most kids your age would rather fly around in star ships or air fighters. Mind if I ask your reasons?'

Jonny nodded, trying not to let the recruiter's faintly condescending manner get to him. Chances were good it was a standard part of the interview, designed to get a first approximation of the applicant's irritation threshold. 'It seems to me that if the Troft advance continues to push the Star Forces back, we're going to lose more planets to them. That's going to leave the civilians there pretty much at their mercy... unless the Army already has guerrilla units in place to coordinate resistance. That's the sort of thing I'm hoping to do.'

The recruiter nodded thoughtfully. 'So you want to be a guerrilla fighter?'

'I want to help the people,' Jonny corrected.

'Um.' Reaching for her terminal, she tapped in Jonny's name and ID code; and as she skimmed the information that printed out, she again cocked an eyebrow. 'Impressive,' she said, without any sarcasm Jonny could hear. 'Grade point high school, grade point college, personality index... you have any interest in officer training?'

Jonny shrugged. 'Not that much, but I'll take it if that's where I can do the most good. I don't mind just being an ordinary soldier, though, if that's what you're getting at.'

Her eyes studied his face for a moment. 'Uh-huh. Well, I'll tell you what, Moreau.' Her fingers jabbed buttons and she swiveled the plate around for his scrutiny. 'As far as I know, there aren't any specific plans at present to set up guerrilla networks on threatened planets. But if that is done—and I agree it's a reasonable move—then one or more of these special units will probably be spearheading it.'

Jonny studied the list. Alpha Command, Interrorum, Marines, Rangers—names familiar and highly respected. 'How do I sign up for one of these?'

'You don't. You sign up for the Army and take a small mountain of tests—and if you show the qualities they want they'll issue you an invitation.'

'And if not, I'm still in the Army?'

'Provided you don't crusk out of normal basic training, yes.'

Jonny glanced around the room, the colorful holosim posters seeming to leap out at him with their star ships, atmosphere fighters, and missile tanks; their green, blue, and black uniforms. 'Thank you for your time,' he told the recruiter, fingering the information magcard he'd been given. 'I'll be back when I've made up my mind.'

He expected to return home to a dark house, but found his parents and Jame waiting quietly for him in the living room. Their discussion lasted long into the night, and when it was over Jonny had convinced both himself and them of what he had to do.

The next evening, after dinner, they all drove to HorizonCity and watched as Jonny signed the necessary magforms.

'So... tomorrow's the big day.'

Jonny glanced up from his packing to meet his brother's eyes. Jame, lounging on his bed across the room, was making a reasonably good effort to look calm and relaxed. But his restless fiddling with a corner of the blanket gave away his underlying tension. 'Yep,' Jonny nodded. 'HorizonCityPort, Skylark Lines 407 to Aerie, military transport to Asgard. Nothing like travel to give you a real perspective on the universe.'

Jame smiled faintly. 'I hope to get down to New Persius some day myself. A hundred twenty whole kilometers.