Antagonist - Childe Cycle 11 by Gordon R. Dickson, David W Wixon Page B

enemy?" Bleys asked.
    "My sergeant is out scouting right now," the lieutenant said.
    "Have you taken many casualties?" Toni asked.
    "Yes," the officer said, his face tightening and turning a little pale. There was a sort of longing in his eyes as he looked at Bleys, as if he were wishing that the uncomfortable questions were coming from a superior officer rather than a female civilian. "They took out the lead armored car with some sort of rocket, and another one took off the back half of the other troop carrier. Sergeant Lemoyne got out of it, along with about a dozen men, a couple of them wounded. One of your staff people got out, too, but I'm afraid he ran right into the sights of the cone rifles." "Oh, no ...," Toni said softly.
    "What do you suggest we do?" Bleys felt he had to ask, despite being unsure of how much he could trust this young officer's judgment.
    "Your party will get inside the armored car immediately," the lieutenant said. "We can get some, possibly all, of the wounded in with you. We'll have to take a chance and send the car off in whatever direction seems to be safest in light of my sergeant's report."
    "And the rest of you?" Toni asked.
    "That will depend on the situation." The lieutenant was evading her question, Bleys thought. His estimate of the young man began to rise a little.
    "Meaning you intend to leave some of your force—including yourself, I suspect—behind," Toni said flatly.
    "They may be needed to provide cover," the lieutenant said. "And the car would have to be slowed to a walking pace if it tried to stay with us. Speed is your best defense, I think."
    "He's right, Toni," Dahno said. She looked dissatisfied, but had no response.
    "Sergeant Lemoyne is coming back, sir," a soldier yelled down from above the gulley.
    "In any case, let's get you up to the car," the officer said. As they scrambled out of the hatch he directed a couple of his men to help them climb the gulley side, using a narrow, less steep, connecting ravine.
    Their escort, making use of power pistols to blast a series of shallow steps in the steeper parts of the slanting walls, soon had them up on the rolling grassy surface from which they had fallen. As Bleys, the last one up, came over the edge, he could see the smoldering wrecks of the two ruined vehicles, as well as several sprawled bodies. He also saw the lieutenant return a salute from his sergeant, who turned away and began organizing the nearby soldiers.
    "If you would all get in the armored car, please?" the lieutenant said.
    "What did your scouts find?" Bleys asked, ignoring the order for the moment while waving Toni and Dahno forward.
    "The enemy seem to be in force back the way we came," the officer replied. "And we expect they'll be looking for us to continue on the shortest line toward protection—the way we were going, I mean."
    "That's to be expected," Bleys nodded.
    "Yes, sir," the lieutenant said. "So I'm sending the armored car on a perpendicular axis to the right of our line of travel. That will take you over the rise there—please don't look in that direction."
    "You think someone might be watching us?" Bleys said.
    "Frankly, I don't," the officer said. "But I'd rather not take chances."
    Bleys nodded, impressed.
    "Please continue," he said.
    "This area was fought over last year," the lieutenant said. "That was before I was activated, but the sergeant went through this area during that campaign, and he believes there were some light fortifications in that direction. There might be a chance of finding some landlines we can tap into and call for help; and if nothing else, it might give us a place where those of us on foot can be under cover while the car moves on to send back help."
    "All right, Lieutenant," Bleys said. "Tell us what you want us to do."
    "Get into the car, please," the officer said.
    "Are you coming with us?" Bleys said. He was pretty sure he knew the answer by now.
    "No," the young man said. "I'll stay with my men."
    "Aren't you