He paused.
“What’s the matter, Jeff? Got the jitters?”
“I guess so.”
“Why? It seems to me the operation is proceeding according to plan.”
“Well, yes — maybe. Major, you said this would be a long war.”
“Yes?”
“Well, it can’t be. If it’s a long war, we’ll lose it.” “But it’s got to be. We don’t dare move until we have enough trusted people to strike all over the country at once.”
“Yes, yes, but that’s got to be the shortest possible time. What would you say was the greatest danger that faces us?”
“Huh? Why the chance that someone might give us away, either accidentally or on purpose.”
“I don’t agree, sir — not at all. That’s your opinion because you see it from the Citadel. From here I see an entirely different danger — and it worries me all the time.”
“Well, what is it, Jeff? Give.”
“The worst danger — and it hangs like a sword over our heads all the time — is that the PanAsian authorities may grow suspicious of us. They may decide that we can’t be what we pretend to be — just another phony western religion, good to keep the slaves quiet. If they once get that idea before we are ready, we’re finished.”
“Don’t let it get you nervy, Jeff: In a pinch, you’ve got enough stuff to fight your way back to base. They can’t use an atom bomb on you in one of their own capitals — and Calhoun says that the new shield on the Citadel will stop even an atom bomb.”
“I doubt it. But what good would it do us if it did? Suppose we could hole up there until we died of old age: if we don’t dare stick our noses out we can’t win back the country!”
“Mmm…no — but it might give us time to think of something else.”
“Don’t kid yourself, Major. If they catch on, we’re licked — and the American people lose their last chance this generation, at least. There are still too few of us, no matter what weapons Calhoun and Wilkie can cook up.”
“Suppose I concede your point: you knew all this when you went out. Why the panic? Battle fatigue?”
“You can call it that. But I want to discuss the dangers as I see them here in the field. If we really were a religious sect, with no military power, they’d leave us alone till hell froze. Right?”
“Check. ”
“Then the danger lies in the things we have to do to cover up the fact that we’ve got a lot of stuff we aren’t supposed to have. Those dangers are all out here in the field. First — ” Thomas ticked them off on his fingers, oblivious to the fact that his commanding officer could not see him. ” — is the shield of the temple. We’ve got to have it; this place can’t stand a search. But it would be almost as bad if we had to use it.
If any senior PanAsian gets the notion to inspect in spite of our immunity, school is out for sure; I don’t dare kill him and I don’t dare let him come in. So far, by the grace of God, a lot of doubletalk, and the liberal use of bribes, I’ve been able to turn them away.”
“They already know that we’ve got the temple shields, Jeff; they’ve known it from the first day we made contact here.”
“Do they, now? I don’t think so. Thinking back over my interview with the Hand I’m convinced that that officer who tried to force his way into the mother temple wasn’t believed when he made his report. And you can bet your last cookie he is dead now; that’s the way they work. The common soldiers that were there don’t count. The second hazard is the personal shield that we ‘priests’ carry. I’ve used mine just once and I’m sorry I did. Fortunately he was just a common soldier, too. He wouldn’t report it; he wouldn’t be believed and he would lose face.”
“But, Jeff, the ‘priests’ have got to wear shields; we can’t let a staff fall into enemy hands — not to mention the fact that the monkeys might be able to drug an unshielded ‘priest’ before he could suicide.”