Part 3 (2/2)

Klasvik looked up abruptly, and found Gilmanuk already watching him.

'I'm sorry, Klasvik. I know you are in charge of the archaeology and you consider this to be your site just as Lannic considers it to be her expedition. It's all a question of degree, really.'

'Go on,' encouraged Bannahilk. He smiled, having no proprietorial feelings about anything but his uniform and the military equipment.

'Well, I'm sorry to get possessive, and I understand you feel the same about your own areas of interest, but the theatre the structure, the building itself is mine. At least, to me it is.' He broke off and picked at a fingernail. 'I just want you to be careful with it.'

For a moment n.o.body stirred. Then Bernice pulled herself upright and walked round the crates to where Gilmanuk still played with his nail. She put her hand on his shoulder and he looked up. 'I know what you mean,' she said. 'We all do. Of course this is Lannic's expedition and Klasvik's site and my artefacts, if we find any evidence of production or the things pertaining to it. And we are using Bannahilk's equipment. And it is your theatre.'

Gilmanuk put his hand up to his shoulder, covering Bernice's, and beamed. 'Thank you, my friends,' he nodded. Behind him Krayn grimaced at Tashman. And Tashman's answering smirk froze as Fortalexa hurried in, eyes dancing in search of Bannahilk.

The others watched as Fortalexa bent and whispered in his officer's ear for a moment. Bannahilk frowned and stood up, drawing Fortalexa away across the hold. Klasvik gestured to Bernice as he caught her eye, but she shook her head 'Don't know,' she mouthed across the crates, shrugging.

'Well, there's something going on.' Lannic was less worried about speaking aloud.

Bannahilk returned, Fortalexa following. There was a short silence as he stood stiffly in front of everyone. 'Gluvene has fallen,' he said, and the hold erupted with exclamations and questions. The archaeologists were all talking at once, Bannahilk and Fortalexa waiting quietly for them to finish. Eventually the noise died down enough for Bannahilk to have some hope of making himself heard. 'Fortalexa got it straight off the net I'm afraid there's no room for doubt.'

'What about Optron? we never heard the Rippeareans had even reached it, let alone moved on the Gluvene.' Gilmanuk was even more nervous than he had been earlier.

'That's right,' Fortalexa answered. 'Unfortunately, the Rippeareans never went near it. They came through the wings.'

'They what?' Lannic was as aghast as the others.

'They came round it. Optron is still held by the Seventh Armoured. But they're cut off, they have nowhere to fall back to now that Gluvene's fallen. They've been written out of the war surgically removed. All they can do is stay put.'

'Can't they break out retake Gluvene?'

'No, Klasvik, they cannot. They're a buffer force. They're equipped for defence, not attack. Their strength is in their fortifications, the battlement satellites and antis.p.a.ce missile systems. They can't rescript the satellites as ballistics and the ASMs would make lousy s.p.a.ce*attack weapons.'

For a moment n.o.body knew what to say. n.o.body except Tashman. 'S'blood!' he said from across the hold. Loudly. Everyone turned to look at him and he looked down at his feet. 'Sorry.'

'His brother's with the Seventh,' Krayn apologized.

'I shouldn't worry about him, then.'

Tashman swallowed, his eyes glazing.

'I'm serious,' Bannahilk went on quickly. 'When I said they'd been written out I meant it. They can't move from Optron, and the Rippeareans won't go in after them why should they bother attacking that fortress? All they have to do is keep going now till they reach Heletia. When the war is over, the Seventh will surrender, and Optron will cede back.'

Fortalexa smiled. 'If you want somebody to worry about, I should consider the sectors directly on the line of attack from the swing into Gluvene and on to Heletia The whole dynamic of the advance just changed completely.'

'From the manner in which you went out of your way to mention that, I guess this is probably a silly question, but Bernice paused, considering how best to phrase what she wanted to say. 'But are there any planets in particular which are directly in the attack line that you suggest we consider?'

Fortalexa looked at Bannahilk. His commander nodded for him to continue. 'Oh yes,' he said. 'This one.'

'And what do you suggest? We can't leave not without completing the expedition.' Lannic looked across at Klasvik as she spoke. He nodded he was not leaving now, not without some excavation at least.

'We can, and we will.'

'When? The danger can't be that imminent this has only just happened, right?'

'That's true, Klasvik,' said Bannahilk. 'You just outlined a plan to excavate the site in thirty*four days. The absolute maximum I can give you now is eight.'

'Eight?' Gilmanuk was appalled.

'Eight. And that a.s.sumes a steady advance by the Rippereans rather than a lightning strike directly at Heletia without worrying about pockets of resistance getting left behind.'

'In which case they wouldn't worry about us.' Cambri was picking at the plastic of a crate of dried foodstuffs at the far end of the hold. But her voice carried clearly.

Hannahilk rounded on her sternly. 'Want to bet your life on it?'

'a.s.sok Bannahilk.' Lannic's voice was just as sharp. The officer turned back to her. 'How long if the Rippeareans do make such a strike?'

'Four days at the outside.'

'And when would we know that's their intention.'

'Real soon now,' said Fortalexa. 'Today, anyway.'

'Is it likely?' Klasvik was already weighing up the alternatives, the risks of heavy*duty approaches to removing the top layers of ground.

'Likely? Who can say what their plans are now? But put yourself in their position. They have the choice of a steady advance to do things properly or a lightning strike and an almost certain quick victory. Given that choice in a war like this one, the choice between another few years and another few months of this carnage... Well, I know which one I'd go for.'

Bannahilk waited a moment for a response, and when none was forthcoming marched out of the hold, Fortalexa in close pursuit.

'Okay everyone,' Lannic was immediately poring over the maps and schedules rolled out on the crates in front of them. 'I want a workable plan to get in to the main theatre complex, a.s.suming a schedule of at most two days. That will leave us at least two days of real study, depending how generous the Rippeareans are and how many corners Bannahilk will cut for us. I want the plan and a risk a.s.sessment within an hour.'

Sitting on a crate swinging his legs and staring at an empty s.p.a.ce on the floor, Tashman decided his earlier comment had been relevant after all.

The distant sun was sinking very fast now. Its violet light diffused through the gaps between the mountain tops and reflected off the slopes of snow and ice. After another moment the light dimmed a little, the shadows dipped and lengthened, and the snowy mountains became black against the rim of the sun. Then it was gone.

Darkness.

'So what happens now?' asked Ace.

The Doctor turned slightly to look at her, his back resting against the pestigogo tree. He raised his hat slightly as if to see her properly, his dark eyes still shaded. 'We wait.'

They waited.

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