“No, sir.” I had good reason to know that Deane’s lads could do some great shooting. After the support they gave me at the roadblock below Beersheba, I was ready to believe they could do anything. “I hadn’t thought about it, sir, but now that you ask—well, it was easy. A couple of exchanges and their guns are quiet.”
Falkenberg was nodding. “Knocked out, or merely taken out of action? Looking at this map, I’d say you aren’t ready for the second alternative.”
“I—”
“You’ve done well, Lieutenant. It’s my nasty suspicious mind. I don’t like surprises. Furthermore, why hasn’t the Governor asked to be evacuated by water? Why is he sitting there in Allansport?”
“Sir—”
He wouldn’t let me finish. “I presume you’ve reported your positions and plans to the Governor?”
“Certainly, sir.”
“And we took the pass with very little effort. Next to no casualties. Yet the Association is certainly aware that we hold it. Why haven’t their town forces done something? Run, storm the bluffs and take the Governor for a hostage—something!” He straightened in decision. “Sergeant Major!”
“Sir!”
“I want a message taken to Centurion Ardwain. I don’t want any possibility of it being intercepted.”
“Sir.”
“He’s to hold up on the envelopment. Send a couple of patrols forward to dig in where they can observe, but keep our forces out of Allansport. He can move around out there and make a lot of noise. I want them to think we’ve continued the envelopment, but, in fact, Ardwain is to take his troops northwest and dig in no closer than two klicks to the town. They’re to do that as quietly and invisibly as possible.”
“Yes, sir.” Ogilvie went out.
“Insurance, Mr. Slater,” Falkenberg said. “Insurance. We didn’t need your envelopment.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Confused, Mister?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Just preserving options, Lieutenant. I don’t like to commit my forces until I’m certain of my objectives.”
“But the objective is to trap the Association forces and neutralize them,” I said. “The envelopment would have done that. We wouldn’t have to trust to the ranchers to keep them from escaping to the south.”
“I understood that, Lieutenant. Now, if you’ll excuse me, we’ve both got work to do.”
“Yes, sir.” I left the caravan to find another place to work. There was plenty to do. I set up shop in one of the farmhouse rooms and went back to shuffling papers. About an hour later Deane Knowles came in.
“I got the change of orders,” he said. “What’s up?”
“Damfino. Have a seat? Coffee’s over there.”
“I’ll have some, thanks.” He poured himself a cup and sat across from me. The room had a big wooden table, rough-hewn from a single tree. That table would have been worth a fortune on Earth. Except for a few protected redwoods, I doubted there was a tree that size in the United States.
“Don’t you think I ought to know what’s going on?” Deane asked. His voice was friendly, but there was a touch of sarcasm in it.
“Bug Falkenberg if you really want answers,” I said. “He doesn’t tell me anything, either. All I know is he’s sent A Company out into the boonies, and when I asked him to let me join my company, he said I was needed here.”
“Tell me about it,” Deane said.
I described what had happened.
Deane blew on the hot coffee, then took a sip. “You’re telling me that Falkenberg thinks we’ve put our heads in a trap.”
“Yes. What do you think?”
“Good point about the artillery. I thought things were going too well myself. Let’s adopt his theory and see where it leads.”
“You do understand there’s only one person who could have set this theoretical trap,” I said.
“Yes.”
“What possible motive could he have?” I demanded.
Deane shrugged. “Even so, let’s see where it leads. We assume for the purposes of discussion that Governor Hugo Swale has entered into a conspiracy with a criminal gang to inflict anything from a defeat to a disaster on the 501st—”
“And you see how silly it sounds,” I said. “Too silly to discuss.”
“Assume it,” Deane insisted. “That means that the Protective Association is fully aware of our positions and our plans. What could they do with that information?”
“That’s why it’s so stupid,” I said. “So what if they know where we are? If they come out and fight, they’ll still get a licking. They can’t possibly expect to grind up professional troops! They may be great against ranchers and women and children, but this is a battalion of Line Marines.”
“A provisional battalion.”
“Same thing.”
“Is it? Be realistic, Hal. We’ve had one campaign, a short one. Otherwise, we’re still what came here—a random assortment of troops, half of them recruits, another quarter scraped out of guardhouses, commanded by three newlie lieutenants and the youngest captain in the Fleet. Our colonel’s a superannuated military policeman, and we’ve not a quarter of the equipment a regular line battalion carries.”
“We’re a match for anything a criminal gang can put in the field—”
“A well-armed criminal gang,” Deane said. “Hold onto your regimental pride, Hal. I’m not downgrading the 501st. The point is that we may know we’re a damned good outfit, but there’s not much reason for anyone else to believe it.”
“They’ll soon have reason to think differently.”
“Maybe.” Deane continued to study the maps. “Maybe.”
XVI
The night was quiet. I went on patrol about midnight, not to inspect the guard—we could depend on the NCOs for all that—but mostly to see what it was like out there. The troops were cheerful, looking forward to the next day’s battles. Even the recruits grinned wolfishly. They were facing a disorganized mob, and we had artillery superiority. They’d pitched tents by maniples, and inside each tent they’d set up their tiny field stoves so there was hot coffee and chicken stew—and they’d found wine in some of the farmhouses. Our bivouac had more the atmosphere of a campout than an army just before a battle.
Underneath it all was the edge that men have when they’re going to fight, but it was well hidden. You’re sure it’s the other guy who’ll buy the farm. Never you. Deep down you know better, but you never talk about that.
* * *
An hour before dawn every house along the southern edge of Allansport exploded in red fire. In almost the next instant a time-on-target salvo fell just outside the walls. The bombardment continued, sharp thunder in the night, with red flashes barely visible through the thick mist rising up off the river. I ran to the command caravan.
Falkenberg was already there, of course. I doubt if he’d ever gone to bed. Sergeant Jaski had gotten communications with one of the forward patrols.
“Corporal Levine, sir. I’m dug in about five hundred meters outside the walls. Looks like it was mines in the houses, Captain. Then they dropped a hell of a load onto where we’d have been if we’d moved up last night.”
“What’s your situation, Levine?” Falkenberg demanded.
“Dug in deep, sir. They killed a couple of my squad even so. It’s thick out here, sir. Big stuff. Not just mortars.”
That was obvious from the sound, even as far away as we were. No light artillery makes that kind of booming sound.
“A moment, Captain,” Levine said. There was a long silence. “Can’t keep my head up long, Captain. They’re still pounding the area. I see movement in the town. Looks like assault troops coming out the gate. The fire’s lifting now. Yeah, those are assault troops. A lot of ’em.”
“Sergeant Major, put the battalion on alert for immediate advance,” Falkenberg said. “Jaski, when’s the next daylight pass of the spy satellite over this area?”
“Seventy minutes after daylight, sir.”
“Thank you. Levine, you still there?”
“Yes, Captain. There’s more troops moving out of Allansport. Goddamn, there’s a couple of tanks. Medium jobs. Suslov class, I’d say. I didn’t know them bastards had tanks! Where’d they get them?”
“Good question. Levine, keep your head down and stay out of sight. I want you to stay alive.”
“Won’t fight over those orders, Captain.”
“They’re breaking out toward the south,” Falkenberg said. “Jaski, get me Lieutenant Bonneyman.”
“Sir.”
“While you’re at it, see if you can raise Centurion Cernan at the pass.”
“Aye, aye, sir.” Jaski worked at the radio for a moment. “No answer from Mr. Bonneyman, sir. Here’s Cernan.”
“Thank you.” Falkenberg paused. “Mr. Slater, stay here for a moment. You’ll need instructions. Centurion Cernan, report.”
“Not much to report, Captain. Some movement up above us.”
“Above you. Hostiles coming down the pass?”
“Could be, Captain, but I don’t know. I have patrols up that way, but they haven’t reported yet.”
“Dig in, Cernan,” Falkenberg said. “I’ll try to send you some reinforcements. You’ve got to hold that pass no matter which direction it’s attacked from.”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
Falkenberg nodded. The map board was crawling with symbols and lights as reports came in to Jaski’s people and they were programmed onto the display. “Wish I had some satellite pix,” Falkenberg said. “There’s only one logical move the Association can be making at this point.”