In the end, it was the business of humans to survive this occupation, and he was busy trying to do just that. All he and the rest of the people on this conquered planet had was now. Humanity’s tomorrow would have to take care of itself.
He pulled up at the barracks and realized Tully, seated next to him, had not said a single word. Kralik could sense a deep sullenness in the man, but Tully was apparently being very careful to keep his emotions hidden. As soon as he set the brake, the other man hopped out and waited silently as Aille and his fraghta opened their own doors and stood blinking in the bright Oklahoma sun.
The buildings before them had, at one time, been part of Tinker Air Force Base, back when the United States had possessed its own air force. These days, the Jao didn’t distinguish between different branches of service, except as immediate practical arrangements. Fighting, whether on land, sea, air or space, were all of a piece to them. A Jao soldier might move from one to the next, in a matter of a few days, if he or she had a suitable skill.
These barracks, rundown as they were, had been delegated to the jinau. Kralik ducked through the door and was met by a young woman in sweat-soaked jinau blues, sitting behind a battered desk. Her hair was buzz-cut blond, her eyes framed in sun-wrinkles. She rose and saluted.
“At ease, Lieutenant Hawkins,” he said, returning the salute. “I’ve brought the new Subcommandant to review the company. Are they ready?”
“Yes, sir!” She dragged a hand back over her sweat-sheened forehead and picked up the phone.
Five short minutes later, Aille and his entourage went to inspect the company. The unit stood outside under the sweltering August sun, formed into precise rows, their captain at the very front. Despite being furred, for all intents and purposes, the Jao looked cool and unflappable.
Aille tapped his ceremonial stick, what the Jao called a “bau,” against the heel of his free hand as he walked along the rows. His eyes flickered green and then went black and unfathomable. His right ear twitched. “Have these troops seen combat?”
“Some of them, sir. Less than a fourth, though, at a guess. Most are too young.”
Sweat rolled down the assembled jinau faces, and Kralik could almost see the wheels turning inside their heads. What did the Subcommandant want? Was he already displeased? Jao could be notoriously fey, by human standards. There were even a few unsubstantiated tales of entire companies being “put down,” as Jao termed it, after failing to meet some esoteric standard humans could not comprehend.
His own uniform was already plastered to his back with sweat, but he was determined not to show his discomfort. “Would you like to see them drill, sir?” he asked, hoping to break the tension.
” ‘Drill’?” Aille said. “That means ‘march about in patterns,’ does it not?”
“Yes, sir.” Kralik took care to keep his hands down, his chin up, his voice neutral.
“I do not see how execution of meaningless patterns translates into fighting skill,” Aille said. “Though perhaps there is some purpose to it which you could explain to me later. For the moment, however, I am not interested in such demonstrations.”
“Yes, sir.”
Aille raised his voice. “However, I do wish to speak to those who fought when the Jao first arrived on this planet. Especially any who had experience with human tanks or artillery, or successfully defended against Jao laser technology.”
Kralik nodded to the captain, who immediately bellowed out the order. “You heard the Subcommandant! Those of you with combat experience during the conquest, form a line to the right. The rest, return to quarters.”
Without fuss or discussion, the unit split into two contingents. The much larger portion moved toward the barracks again, eyes front, mouths tightly shut, obviously pleased to escape further notice. The smaller contingent, trying to hide their uneasiness, stepped forward and hastily assembled new ranks.
The Subcommandant glanced up at the cloudless sky, his eyes dark inside the unique black mask of his vai camiti. The sun blazed down out of a sky as hard and reflective as diamond. Kralik knew that although the heat did not cause distress, Jao found the brightness of midday uncomfortable. Still, they rarely gave in and wore filtering goggles. He suspected that was the Jao equivalent of “saving face,” not that they would ever admit it to a human.