March Upcountry

“No,” Gulyas agreed. “By exact calculation, we need two hundred and thirty precisely balanced kilos for six months with no casualties. If we take no casualties. And if we stay six months. Neither of those is likely, so we probably need less. But what about waste? And we don’t have the precise supplements we need. And what about a trooper’s opening up his kit and finding that mold has eaten his stash overnight? If we don’t have enough supplements, we’re all dead. So we’ve gotta have all the supplements we can hump; it’s that simple.”

“We’re overloaded!” Jasco snapped, waving the pad. “It’s that simple!”

“Can I be of assistance, gentlemen?” Sergeant Major Kosutic appeared as if by magic between the two lieutenants. “I only ask because some of the troops seemed to be interested in this discussion, as well.”

Gulyas looked around the shuttle bay and noticed that work had almost stopped as the troopers slowed down to watch the two lieutenants argue. He turned back to the sergeant major.

“No, I think we have it under control.” He looked at Jasco. “Don’t we, Aziz?”

“No, we don’t,” the junior lieutenant said stubbornly. “We’re running out of room for the loading. We can’t afford three hundred kilos of supplements.”

“Is that all we’re taking?” Kosutic sounded surprised. “That doesn’t sound like enough. Hang on.” She keyed her throat mike, and used her toot to bring the two lieutenants into the circuit. “Captain Pahner?”

“Yes?” came the growled response.

“Priority. Supplements, or trade goods?” she asked.

“Supplements,” Pahner said instantly. “We can raid instead of trade if we have to, but all the trade goods in the ship won’t keep us alive without supplements. The order of priority is fuel, supplements, food, the suits for Third Platoon, power, ammo, trade goods. Each person may bring ten kilos of personal gear. How many kilos of supplements do we have?”

“Only three hundred,” Kosutic answered.

“Damn. I’d hoped for more. We’ll have to eke it out with rations. We go on short rations from the moment we board the shuttles. And confiscate all the pogie bait. Most of it won’t have much in the way of nutritional value, but it’s something. No more than one ration per day, and we hope we have one a day all the way through.”

“Understood,” Kosutic said. “Out here.” She raised her eyebrows at the lieutenants. “Does that clear the air, Sirs?”

“Yes, Sergeant Major, it does,” Jasco said. “I still don’t think we’re going to run out, though.”

“Sir, may I make an observation?” the sergeant major asked, and Lieutenant Jasco nodded.

“Of course, Sergeant Major.” He was an Academy graduate, with a previous stint as a platoon leader and four years in the IMC under his belt, but the sergeant major had been beating around the Fleet long before he was born. He might be stubborn, but he wasn’t stupid.

“In a situation this screwed up, Sir, planning for the worst is just good sense. For example, I would strongly suggest that you not put all the supplements on one bird. Or any other point failure source, such as spare ammo or power. Spread it across the shuttles. When the shit hits the fan, there’s no such thing as being overparanoid.”

She nodded and stepped lightly out of the shuttle bay, and Jasco stood shaking his head as he looked at the pad in his hand.

“Do you think she was looking at the load plan?” he asked Gulyas.

“I dunno. Why?”

“Because I had all the spare food, ammo, and power on Shuttle Four!” the logistics lieutenant said angrily, and shut the pad with a snap. “It would have carried the heavy weapons platoon in a standard drop, and since it was empty . . . What a cherry mistake! Damn, damn, damn it to hell! Time to start cross-loading.”

“And that, Your Highness,” Pahner said, gesturing towards the memo pad, “is why I don’t consider it advisable for you to bring the three cartons of personal gear.”

The wardroom was empty, except for the two of them, although Doctor O’Casey was expected soon.

“But what am I going to wear?” the aghast prince asked. He pulled at the chameleon fabric of the uniform he’d changed into. “You can’t expect me to go through each day every day in this? . . . Can you?”

“Your Highness,” Pahner said calmly, “each of the military personnel will be carrying on his own back six spare pairs of socks, a spare uniform, personal hygiene equipment, five kilos of proteins and vitamin supplements, rations, additional ammunition and power packs for their weapons, additional ammunition for squad and company level weaponry, a bivy tent, his multitool, a rucksack fluid pouch with six kilos of water, and up to ten kilos of personal gear. The load will total out at between fifty and sixty kilos. In addition, the entire Company will be switching off carrying powered armor and additional trade goods, ammunition, and powerpacks.”

He cocked his head and regarded his nominal commander steadily.

“If you order the Company, in addition to all these necessities, to carry your spare pajamas, morning clothes, evening clothes, and a dress uniform in case there’s a parade, they will.” The company commander smiled thinly. “But I find the idea extremely . . . ill advised.”

The prince looked at the officer in shock and shook his head.

“But who’s going to be carrying all that stuff for me?”

Pahner’s face became closed and set as he leaned back in the station chair.

“Your Highness, I’ve already made arrangements for the support material for Doctor O’Casey to be distributed and field gear to be issued for Doctor O’Casey and Valet Matsugae.” The captain regarded the prince steadily. “Am I to assume from that question that I should make the same arrangements for your personal gear?”

Before Roger could even think of a proper reply, he found his mouth, as usual, running away with itself.

“Of course you should!” he half-snapped, then nearly quailed as Pahner’s face darkened. But he’d already climbed out on the limb; might as well saw with abandon. “I’m a prince, Captain. Surely you don’t expect me to carry my own bags?”

Pahner stood and placed his hands flat on the tabletop. Then he drew a deep, calming breath, and let it out.

“Very well, Your Highness. I need to go make those arrangements. By your leave?”

For just a moment, the prince appeared to be about to say something, but finally he made a small moue of distaste and waved a hand in dismissal. Pahner gazed at him silently, then gave a jerky nod and strode around the table and out the hatch, leaving the prince to contemplate his “victory.”

CHAPTER NINE

Captain Krasnitsky leaned back in his command chair and rotated his shoulders in his skin suit.

“All right. Let’s bring the ship back to General Quarters, if you please, Commander Talcott.”

The captain hadn’t slept in thirty-six hours. He’d had a sonic shower before climbing back into the stinking skin suit, but the only thing keeping him going at this point was Narcon and stimulants. The Narcon was to keep him from going to sleep. The stimulants were to keep him thinking straight, since the only thing the Narcon did was prevent sleep.

Even with the combination, his brain felt wrapped in steel wool.

“Wait until they open fire, Commander,” he repeated, for what seemed the thousandth time. “I want to get as close as possible.”

“Aye, Sir,” Talcott said, with rather less exasperation than Krasnitsky thought he would probably have shown in the commander’s position.

The captain’s mouth tried to quirk a smile, but his amusement was fleeting, and his mind flickered back over his options with a sort of feverish monotony.