He adjusted the straps on his pack, still worrying.'They should be able to defend themselves…'
'Morton!' I ordered. 'Look in the mirror. What do you see? You see Lieutenant Hesk staring back and you are beginning to think like him. Remember, Morton - you are a draft dodger, a man of peace, a reluctant soldier. Have vou forgotten? Have vou ever seen anyone killed?'
'Not really. My aunt died and I saw her in the coffin.'
'A man of the world… I've seen them die and it is not a nice thing to watch. And when you are dead you are dead forever, Morton. Remember that when you listen to the men of violence, the dogs of war, the sellers of hate. Do you want to die?'
As I said this I placed the point of my knife against his throat. His eyebrows went up and up and he gasped out a No! My knife vanished as quickly as it had appeared and I nodded.
'You know what - neither do I. And neither does anyone else on that planet down there where we are landing with thousands of military numbskulls, and I wonder how I ever got involved in all this!'
Morton sighed. 'Like me, you got drafted.'
'And how we did! Like always, old men send young men to war. They ought to make the minimum draft age fifty-five. That would put an end to warfare pretty quickly let me tell you!'
An alarm sounded and all the lights blinked. I looked at my watch.
'This is it. Let's go.'
The disembarkation hold was a red-lit hell of men, machines and equipment. I struggled between them to my command car which was poised at the top edge of the ramp. I kicked the shackles that held it down.
'They're explosive,' Sergeant Blogh said. 'They blow loose as soon as the ramp drops.'
'Seeing is believing. It is going to be very hard to drive out of here if they don't. Has all the gear been loaded on this car like I ordered?'
'Just as you ordered, sir. Extra ammo under the back seat.'
I looked in and nodded agreement. I had filled a number of canteens with our hundred proof orange juice and stowed them in this ammunition box. Also stowed in the box, under a false bottom, was that talking spy bird I had been lumbered with. I could not leave it lying about for someone to find.
The floor pushed up at me and I kept my legs bent. We were doing a slow two-G drop for the last part of the landing since we could not be lolling around on deceleration couches before going into combat. Except for superior officers, of course. I pushed hard and worked my way into the command car and sat down heavily next to the driver.
'Ignition on,' I ordered. 'But don't hit the starter until the ramp drops.'
The seat of the car came up and hit me just as the roar of the ship's engines stopped. We bounced on the springs and there were loud explosions from all sides. Hopefully the shackles blowing loose. With a great creaking the ramp moved - then dropped.
'Start her up!' I shouted as rain blew in from the darkness outside. 'And turn on the lights so we can see where we are going!'
The command car roared down the ramp and hit the ground with a great crash and splash as we plowed through a puddle. Nothing was visible ahead except for the rain sheeting through the beams of the headlights. We churned on into the darkness. When I looked backward I could see the files of laden soldiers coming after us.
'There is an awful lot of water ahead, sir,' the driver said, slamming on his brakes.
'Well turn you idiot, don't drown us. Turn right and move away from the transport.'
Lightning split the sky and thunder rolled dramatically. I pounded the driver on the shoulder and pointed.
'There's a hill there, a rise of some kind, beyond that row of trees. Get us to it.'
'That's a fence there, captain!'
I sighed. 'Ride us over it, driver, this is an armored combat vehicle not the little bicycle that you left at home with your mommy. Move it!'
When we ground to a halt on top of the low hill the rain was still just as fierce, but the sky was beginning to brighten with the first light of dawn. I moved the glowing map about to try and figure out where we were. At least I now knew where west was. Since, naturally, the sun on this planet rose in the west.
The rest of the company had reached the hill by this time so I had the vehicle's lights turned off. I could see better now, but the only thing I could identic was the towering bulk of our transport behind us. Columns of men and machines were still pouring from it and rushing off into the rain. As the light grew I became aware of a range of hills on the horizon and I tried to find them on the map. It was broad daylight before I had our position pinned down.
'Right!' I said, climbing down and smiling at my damp troops. 'I know that you will all be pleased to hear that the pilot of our craft made an error in our favor. We are over hallway to our objective:' A ragged cheer followed and I held up the map.
'A close reading of this map also indicates that the rest of the troops that are now on their way to occupy the city of Bellegarrique have a very long way to go. Made longer by certain errors in navigation. If you will look after their disappearing ranks you will see that they are going in the opposite direction to the one they need.'
There was enthusiasm in their cheering now. Nothing builds the morale better than seeing someone else in the cagal. And the rain seemed to be lessening, changing to a sort of soupy mist. The rising sun touched this with red and revealed a distant white object above the trees. I climbed onto the hood to make sure. It was.
'All right, men. We are moving out. If you look in that direction you will see the dam which is our objective. The command car will follow. I shall lead you on foot as a good commander should.
'Advance!'
Chapter 16
Some celestial switch was thrown, just after sunrise, and the rain stopped. A light breeze blew away the clouds as we strolled on through the steaming landscape. We had been cutting across country, but came now to a paved road that appeared to lead toward the not-too-distant dam. I sent out scouts, who reported no enemy activity - or no enemy at all for that matter. We followed the road which meandered down a gentle hillside planted with trees on both sides.
'Report from one of the scouts,' Sergeant called out.
'He is in that orchard and says that the trees are covered with ripe aval-gwlanek.'
'Sounds repulsive. What are they?'
'A land of fruit they grow in Zemlija. Delicious.'
'Tell him to bring a sample for analysis and evaluation.' The scout quickly appeared with his helmet full of ripe peaches, or at least that is what we called awal-gwlanek on Bit O'Heaven. I picked one up and smelled it, then looked at the scout's streaked face.
'Well, private, I see that you have already done an analysis and evaluation. How was it?'
'Yummy, captain!'
I took a bite and nodded in agreement as the sweet juice washed the lingering taste of the last hotpup from my teeth. 'Fall out the troops, sergeant, take cover in that orchard, ten minute break.'
When we marched on the rumble of contented borbo-rygmus sounded loud above the tramping boots. The dam grew closer, as did the generating plant and grouped buildings at its base. Water gushed from great pipes, while pylons and wires marched away toward the distant city. It looked peaceful and productive and there was no one in sight. I signaled a halt and sent for the NCOs, 'I will now outline our plan of attack. But before I do we will have a weapons inspection. Starting with you, First Sergeant.'
His face was expressionless as he passed me his gun. I pressed the magazine release, saw that it was empty, looked into the equally empty chamber and passed it back. I did this with the others and was quite pleased with myself until I reached the hulking form of Corporal Aspya. Instead of handing me his gun he held it across his chest. 'I can save you looking, captain. It's loaded.'
'That was done despite my direct order, ex-corporal. Private, you will now hand me your weapon.'
'A soldier is not a soldier when he is unarmed, sir,' he said grimly, unmoving.
'That is true,' I said, going on to the next noncom. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him look around as
