The mayor gasped. “You mean that we should allow them to take half the Greater City? But the factories, the business district, the homes …”
“They have no military value,” Aikens snapped. “You’re fighting for time, with untrained rabble facing tough, battle-tested troops. You can’t hold the entire city. You’ve got to pick out the-part that you must defend, and let the Komani have the rest, temporarily.”
“But they’ll loot it … destroy everything.”
Aikens planted his fists on his hips. “Listen! I’m here to save your necks and to defeat the Komani. I’m not going to worry about real estate values.”
Vorgens added, more softly, “If all goes well, the Komani won’t have much time for looting. Besides, the buildings would be damaged much more severely if heavy fighting took place in them,”
The mayor shook his head. “I suppose so.”
“All right then,” Aikens resumed, turning slightly away from the Watchman. “The warehouses will be defended. We’ll set up a firm tine of resistance a few blocks in front of them. And we’ll also set up a flanking line along the river.”
“The river is no barrier to Komani mounted on flyers,” Vorgens pointed out.
Aikens smiled icily, and with an obvious patience, explained, “No, but it’s a moderately wide open space, with no buildings to provide shelter. If they try to fly across the river, they’ll be putting themselves in the middle of a firing range.”
“Good,” Clanthas said, sensing the hostility between the two men and trying to change the subject before it broke out into the open. “What else?”