“Only two, sir. It doesn’t look as though they’re going o make it back. The other patrols were badly mauled. One of them lost every man except a single sergeant.”
Aikens got up from his chair and crossed the tiny compartment in three restless strides. Though the dreadnaught was huge for a land-going vehicle, all the compartments inside had to be as compact as humanly possible.
“Surrounded,” he muttered, “trapped in this valley by a horde of barbarians.”
“They don’t fight like barbarians, sir.” the exec murmured.
“What’s that?”
The officer flushed. “I only meant, sir, that they have been using modem weapons—very effectively, sir.”
Aikens nodded. “I know, I know.” He returned to his desk and sat down again. “I’ve led my men into a trap. Now I’ve got to lead them out of it.” The brigadier stared at the stereomap for a long moment while his aide stood motionless, listening to the faint whir of the airconditioning system.
The exec was in his prime middle years, tall and darkhaired. A long stretch of desk duty, as part of the original garrison of Oran VI, had filled out his midsection and softened his face somewhat.
Aikens, although older by at least a dozen years, was straight-backed and flat-stomachedThe brigadier had picked his aide on the strength of the younger man’s first-hand knowledge of the planet.
Finally Aikens looked up. “Well, we’ll hold our ground tonight. Double the guard around our perimeter.”
“Yes sir.”
“They can maul foot patrols, can they?” the brigadier muttered. “Tomorrow morning we’ll see what they can do against some solid armor.” He looked at the map on his desk again”All right, you may go. Make certain you get a verbal report from all the company commanders after the guard Is changed, and tell my staff I will meet them here in two hours.”