Part 39 (1/2)
, ”A message from Megan?” Robert sounded breathless ashe looked down at the recording.
”Yesser. Petri says she's well, and sends her best.”
”But-but that's great!” Robert whooped. ”We're in contact again! We aren't alone anymore!”
”Yesser. That's true enough. In fact...” Athaclena watched Benjamin struggle to find the right words. ”In fact, Petri brought more than a message. There are five people waitingfor you, back at the caves.”
Both Robert and Athaclena blinked. ”Five humans?”
Benjamin nodded, but with a look that implied he wasn't exactly sure that term was the most applicable. ”Terragens Marines, ser.”
”Oh,” Robert said. Athaclena merely maintained her silence, kenning more closely than she was listening.
Benjamin nodded. ”Professionals, ser. Five humans. I swear, it's incredible how it feels after all this time without-I mean, with only th' two of you until now. It's made the chims pretty hyper right at the moment. I think it might be best if you both came on back as quick as possible.”
Robert and Athaclena spoke almost at once.
”Of course.”
”Yes, let's go at once.”
Almost imperceptibly, the closeness between Athaclena and Robert altered. They had been holding hands when Benjamin ran up. Now they did not renew that grasp. It seemed inappropriate as they marched along the narrow trail. A new unknown factor had slipped in between them. They did not have to look at each other to know what the other was thinking.
For better or for worse, things had changed.
58 Robert Major Prathachulthorn pored over the readouts that lay like blown leaves spread across the plotting table. The chaos was only apparent, Robert realized as he watched the small, dark man work, for Prathachulthorn never needed to search for anything. Whatever it was he wanted, somehow he found it with barely a flick of his shadowed eyes and a quick grasp of his callused hands.
At intervals the Marine officer glanced over to a holo-tank and muttered subvocally into his throat microphone. Data whirled in the tank, s.h.i.+fting and turning in subtle rearrangements at his command.
Robert waited, standing at ease in front of the table of rough-cut logs. It was the fourth time Prathachulthorn had summoned him to answer tersely phrased questions. Each time Robert grew more awed by the man's obvious precision and skill.
Clearly, Major Prathachulthorn was a professional. In only a day he and his small staff had started to bring order to the partisans' makes.h.i.+ft tactical programs, rearranging data, sifting out patterns and insights the amateur insurgents had never even imagined.
Prathachulthorn was everything their movement had needed. He was exactly what they had been praying for.
No question about it. Robert hated the man's guts. Now he was trying to figure out exactly why.
I mean, besides the fact that he's making, me stand here in silence until he's good and ready. Robert recognized that for a simple way of reinforcing the message of who was boss. Knowing that helped him take it with good grace, mostly.
The major looked every inch the compleat Terragens commando, even though his sole military adornment was an insignia of rank at his left shoulder. Not even in full dress uniform would Robert ever look as much a soldier as Prathachulthorn did right now, draped in ill-fitting cloth woven by gorillas under a sulfrous volcano.
The Earthman spent some time drumming his fingers on the table. The repet.i.tious thumping reminded Robert of the headache he'd been trying to fight off with biofeedback for an hour or more. For some reason the technique wasn't working this time. He felt closed in, claustrophobic, short of breath. And seemed to be getting worse.
At last Prathachulthorn looked up. To Robert's surprise the man's first remark could be taken as something distantly akin to a compliment.
”Well, Captain Oneagle,” Prathachulthorn said. ”I confess to having feared things would be much, much worse than I find them here.'
”I'm relieved to hear it, sir.”
Prathachulthorn's eyes narrowed, as if he suspected an ever-so-thin veneer of sarcasm in Robert's voice. ”To be precise,” he went on, ”I feared I would discover that you had lied in your report to the Council in Exile, and that I would have to shoot you.”
Robert suppressed an impulse to swallow and managed to maintain an impa.s.sive expression. ”I'm glad that did not turn out to be necessary, sir.”
”So am I. I'm sure your mother would have been irritated, for one thing. As it is, and bearing in mind that yours was a strictly amateur enterprise, I'm willing to credit you with a good effort here.”
Major Prathachulthorn shook his head. ”No, that's unfairly restrained. Let me put it this way. There is much I'd have done otherwise, had I been here. But in light of how poorly the official forces have fared, you and your chims have performed very well indeed.”
Robert felt a hollowness in his chest begin to relax. ”I'm sure the chims will be glad to hear it, sir. I'd like to point out, though, that I was not sole leader here. The Tymbrimi Athaclena carried a good part of that burden.”
Major Prathachulthorn's expression turned sour. Robert wasn't sure if it was because Athaclena was a Galactic, or because Robert, as a militia officer, should have retained all authority himself.
”Ah, yes. The 'General.' ” His indulgent smile was patronizing, at the very least. He nodded. ”I will mention her a.s.sistance in my report. Amba.s.sador Uthacalthing's daughter is clearly a resourceful young alien. I hope she is willing to continue helping us, in some capacity.”
”The chims wors.h.i.+p her, sir,” Robert pointed out.
Major Prathachulthorn nodded. As he looked over toward the wall, his voice took on a thoughtful tone. ”The Tymbrimi mystique, I know. Sometimes I wonder if the media knows what the h.e.l.l it's doing, creating such ideas. Allies or no allies, our people have got to understand that Earthclan will always be fundamentally alone. We'll never be able to fully trust anything Galactic. ”- Then, as if he felt he might have said too much, Prathachulthorn shook his head and changed the subject. ”Now about future operations against the enemy-”
”We've been thinking about that, sir. Their mysterious surge of activity in the mountains seems to have ended, though for how long we don't know. Still, there are some ideas we've been batting around. Things we might use against them when and if they come back.”
”Good.” Prathachulthorn nodded. ”But you must understand that in the future we'll have to coordinate all actions in the Mulun with other planetary forces. Irregulars are simply incapable of hurting the enemy where his real a.s.sets are. That was demonstrated when the city chim insurrectionists were wiped out trying to attack the s.p.a.ce batteries near Port Helenia.”
Robert saw Prathachulthorn's point. ”Yessir. Although since then we have captured some munitions which could be useful.”
”A few missiles, yes. They might be handy, if we can figure out how to use them. And especially if we have the right information about where to point them.
”We have altogether too little data,” the major went on. ”I want to gather more and report back to the Council. After that, our task will be to prepare to support any action they choose to undertake.”
Robert finally asked the question that he had put off since returning to find Prathachulthorn and his small group of human officers here, turning the cave refuge upside down, poking into everything, taking over. ”What will be done with our organization, sir? Athaclena and I, we've given a number of chims working officer status. But except for me n.o.body here has a real colonial commission.”
Prathachulthorn pursed his lips. ”Well, you're the simplest case, captain. Clearly you deserve a rest. You can escort Amba.s.sador Uthacalthing's daughter back to the Refuge with our next report, along with my recommendation for a promotion and a medal. I know the Coordinator would like that. You can fill them in on how you made your fine discovery about the Gubru resonance tracking technique.”
From his tone of voice, the major made it quite clear what he would think of Robert if he took up the offer. ”On the other hand, I'd be pleased to have you join my staff, with a brevet marine status of first lieutenant in addition to your colonial commission. We could use your experience.”
”Thank you, sir. I think I'll remain here, if it's all right with you.”
”Fine. Then we'll a.s.sign someone else to escort-”
”I'm sure Athaclena will want to stay as well,” Robert hurriedly added.
”Hmm. Well, yes. I am certain she could be helpful for a while. Tell you what, captain. I'll put the matter to the Council in my next letter. But we must be sure of one thing. Her status is no longer military. The chims are to cease referring to her as a command officer. Is that clear?”
”Yessir, quite clear.” Robert only wondered how one enforced that sort of order on civilian neo-chimpanzees, who tended to call anybody and anything whatever they pleased.
”Good. Now, as for those formerly under your command ... I do happen to have brought with me a few blank colonial commissions which we can a.s.sign to chims who have shown notable initiative. I have no doubt you'll recommend names.”
Robert nodded. ”I will, sir'.”
He recalled that one other member of their ”army” besides himself had already been in the militia. The thought of Fiben-certainly dead for a long time, now-made him suddenly even more depressed. These caves! They're driving me nuts. It's getting harder and harder to bear the time I must spend down here.