Jay jumped up and ran to a closet for a jacket. He looked at Jean as he pulled it on. “Yes, Mother, I’ll be careful.”
Jean forced a smile. “Just remember that,” she said.
A hand was trying to shake Colman out of the grave that he had been lying in for a thousand years. “Sarge, wake up,” the Voice of Judgment boomed from above, sounding uncannily like Stanislau. “Hanlon wants you over at the main gate.”
“Wha-huh? … Who? Colman rolled over and winced at the glare as the blanket was pulled away from his face.
The Angel Stanislau descended from the radiance and assumed Earthly form beside the cot. “Hanlon’s got some-
one over at the main gate who wants to talk to you. Says it’s urgent.”
Colman sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Why didn’t he put a call through?”
“Regular comm channels are all down, to the ship everywhere. They have been for over an hour,” Stanislau said. “Emergency channels are restricted to priority military traffic.” Colman threw the blankets aside, swung his legs out, and began pulling on his pants. “Strange things happening everywhere,” Stanislau told him, handing him his boots. “Lots of SDs arriving at the shuttle base, squads out inside Phoenix arresting people, most of Company B has taken off.. . I don’t know what it’s all about.”
“Is Sirocco around?” Colman moved over to the washbasin to rinse his face.
“In the Orderly Room. Hanlon got him up earlier.
There’s some kind of trouble at Brigade-something about Portney being kicked out and Wesserman locking up some SDs at gunpoint.”
Colman swiped his face with a towel, tossed the towel to Stanislau, and snatched a shirt from a closet. “Do me a favor and straighten out this mess,” he said. He put on his cap as he walked out the door, and still buttoning his blouse, hurried away toward the Orderly Room,
The Orderly Room was chaotic as Sirocco, Maddock and Sergeant Armley from First platoon were trying to put out what looked like a fire of flashing lamps on the emergency companel when Colman stuck his head round the door less than half a minute later. “What the hell’s going on?” he asked them.
“Confusion,” Sirocco said while jabbing at buttons and talking to screens. “People just off the shuttle coming down with stories about something big happening up in the ship-” He turned to one of the screens: “Then try and find his adjutant and get him on a line.” Then back to Colman:
“I’m trying to find someone to confirm the rumors.”
“Hanlon wants me at the gate for something,” Colman said. “Talk to you in a few minutes.”
“Okay. Get back here when you’re through.”
Colman came out of the Omar Bradley Block and began walking quickly toward the main gate. Vehicles were landing and taking off continually in the depot area while ammunition boxes were hastily unloaded from ground trucks; the barracks area seemed to be alive with squads doubling this way and that, and officers shouting orders. Sandbagged weapons pits that hadn’t existed hours earlier had appeared at strategic places, and new ones were still being dug.
The guard had been doubled at the main gate. Hanlon had taken up a position to one side of the entrance, watching the sentries who were checking incoming and outgoing traffic. Jay Fallows was standing just outside, by the wall of the sentry post. Hanlon saw Colman approaching and sauntered across to meet him. “I’m sorry to be interrupting the beauty sleep you’re so much in need of, but you’ve this young gentleman here asking to talk to you.” Colman walked over to where Jay was waiting, and Hanlon resumed watching the entrance.
Jay began speaking earnestly and in a low voice. “My father asked me to find you. It’s urgent. One of the people the SDs are looking for is at the house. Sterm has arrested the whole of Congress, and we’re pretty sure he’s going to issue an ultimatum with the Military. If they do the Chironians will take out the whole ship. Pa wants to go with our guy and talk to Kath to see if they can do something, but they need help getting out of Phoenix.”