He waited until the cheering had died down before he continued. “The first scouts have gone down and report no resistance. As yet. But we must be wary because all of this could be a dodee to suck us into a trao of some kind. You all have your orders, you know what to do—so there is nothing more to be said. We touch down in two hours. Set your watches. So that is it. Except, boys—give ‘em hell!” More wild cheering followed before we hurried back to tell the troops what lay ahead.

“About time,” was Sergeant Blogh’s comment. “The troops get soft, lose their edge lying around on their chunks like they been. About time.”

“Get the noncoins and we’ll go over the attack thoroughly just once more,” I said, spreading out the now’ familiar map. With the lending this close I had their undivided attention.

“Here is where we are supposed to touch down,” I said, tapping the map. “Now how many of you believe that the military pilot flying this thing will actually land on the correct spot?” The silence was complete.

“Right. I feel the same way. We are supposed to touch down at dawn which ‘means it will probably be dark—or raining, or both. We will be first out because we got the longest way to go. I will lead in the command car which if it is dark and unless we are fired upon, will have its lights on so you can see it,”

Sergeant Blogh frowned and touched his clipboard full of papers. “A specific order here from the general states that no lights are to be used.”

“Correct. And the general will be the last one to leave the ship and we will be first, and we have to get clear at once because there are tanks right behindus.”

“Lights to be on!” the sergeant said, firmly.

“I will proceed to the nearest hill or highpoint to check the map and see if we have landed where planned. If not I shall determine just where the hell we are and where we are going. The lieutenant here will muster the troops and follow the command car. When I know where we are going we will go there. Here. To the dam. To the generating plant that supplies the unpronounceable city of Bellegarrique with electricity. Our job is to seize and secure. Any questions? Yes, corporal?”

TUB CT&INI RCC OTBRI DAT fiRTC nDABTBn

“Can we leave hotpup rations here and live off the countryside?”

“Yes and no. We take the hotpups in case we should run across the supply officer so we can stuff him with them. But we seize some native food soonest. It will be brought to me for testing before distribution. Anyone else?”

“Ammunition. When do we get the arnmo?”

“It’s on the disembarkation deck .now. You will be issued with it when we go down there. You will see that each man is issued his lot. You will also see that no weapons are loaded. We don’t want any guns going off inside this ship.”

“We load after we hit the ground?” the First Sergeant asked.

“You load when I tell you to. We do not expect any resistance. If there is no resistance we don’t need to shoot any of the locals. If we don’t shoot the locals the invasion will be an instant success. If the weapons aren’t loaded they cannot shoot. The weapons will not be loaded.” There was a murmur of protest at this and beetlebrowed Corporal Aspya expressed their mutual concern. “Can’t attack without loaded weapons.”

“Yes you can,” I said in my coldest voice. “You can do what you are ordered to do. One weapon will be loaded, My weapon will be loaded. And I will shoot any man—or officer—who disobeys orders. More questions? No. Dismissed. We proceed to landing positions in thirty minutes.”

“They are not happy about this ammunition thing,” Morton said when the others had gone.

“Tough cagal. I am not happy about this killing thing. No arnmo, no shooting. This will stop accidents happening.” He adjusted the straps on his pack, still worrying. “They should be able to defend themselves…”

“Morton!” I ordered. “Look in the mirror. What do you see? You see Lieutenant Hesk staring back and you are beginning to think like him. Remember, Morton—you are a draft dodger, a man of peace, a reluctant soldier. Have vou forgotten? Have vou ever seen anyone killed?”

“Not really. My aunt died and I saw her in the coffin, “

“A man of the world… I’ve seen them die and it is not a nice thing to watch. And when you are dead you are dead forever, Morton. Remember that when you listen to the men of violence, the dogs of war, the sellers of hate. Do you want to die?”

As I said this I placed the point of my knife against his throat. His eyebrows went up and up and he gasped out a No! My knife vanished as quickly as it had appeared and I nodded.

“You know what—neither do 1. And neither does any-

one else on that planet down there where we are landing with thousands of military numbskulls, and I wonder how I ever got involved in all this!” Morton sighed. “Like me, you got drafted.”

“And how we did! Like always, old men send young men to war. They ought to make the minimum draft age fifty-five. That would put an end to warfare pretty quickly let me tell you!”

An alarm sounded and all the lights biinked. I looked at my watch.

“This is it. Let’s go.”

The disembarkation hold was a red-lit hell of men, machines and equipment. I struggled between them to my command car which was poised at the top edge of the ramp. I kicked the shackles that held it down.

“They’re explosive,” Sergeant Blogh said. “They blow lobse as soon as the ramp drops.”

“Seeing is believing. It is going to be very hard to drive out of here if they don’t. Has all the gear been loaded on this car like I ordered?”

“Just as you ordered, sir. Extra ammo under the back seat.”

I looked in and nodded agreement. I had filled a number of canteens with our hundred proof orange juice and stowed them in this ammunition box. Also stowed in the box, under a false bottom, was that talking spy bird I had been lumbered with. I could not leave it lying about for someone to find.

The floor pushed up at me and I kept my legs bent. We were doing a slow two-G drop for the last part of the landing since we could not be lolling around on deceleration couches before going into combat. Except for superior officers, of course. I pushed hard and worked my way into the command car and sat down heavily next to the driver.

“Ignition on,” I ordered. “But don’t hit the starter until the ramp drops.”

The seat of the car came up and hit me just as the roar of the ship’s engines stopped. We bounced on the springs and there were loud explosions from ‘all sides. Hopefully the shackles blowing loose. With a great creaking the ramp moved—then dropped.

“Start her up!” I shouted as rain blew in from the darkness outside. “And turn on the lights so we can see where we are going!”

The command car roared down the ramp and hit the ground with a great crash and splash as we plowed through a puddle. Nothing was visible ahead except for the rain sheeting through the beams of the headlights. We churned on into the darkness. When I looked backward I could see the files of laden soldiers coming after us.

“There is an awful lot of water ahead, sir,” the driver said, slamming on his brakes.

“Well turn you idiot, don’t drown us. Turn right and move away from the transport.”

Lightning split the sky and thunder rolled dramatically. I pounded the driver on ‘the shoulder and pointed.

“There’s a hill there, a rise of some kind, beyond that row of trees. Get us to it.”

“That’s a fence there, captain!”

I sighed. “Ride us over it, driver, this is an armored combat vehicle not the little bicycle that you left at home with your mommy. Move it!”

When we ground to a halt on top of the low hill the rain was still just as fierce, but the sky was beginning to brighten with the first light of dawn. I moved the glowing map about to try and figure out where we were. At least I now knew where west was. Since, naturally, the sun on this planet rose in the west.