said, "or you'll lose the chance, for good. Say yes now, and follow through, or the chance is gone. Well?"
"General," said Amanda. "I've listened to you. Now, you listen to me. You're the one who's dreaming.
It's not us who are already dead and gone—it's you and your men. You're already defeated. You just don't know it."
"Mrs. Morgan,'* said Amorine, heavily, "you're a fool. There's no way you can defeat Earth."
"Yes," said Amanda, bleakly. Another gust of rain came and rattled against the window, like the tapping of the fingers of dead children. "Believe me, there is."
He stood up.
"All right," he said. "I tried. We'll do it our own way from now on. You can go."
Amanda also stood up.
"One thing, however," she said. "I want to see Cletus when he lands."
"Cletus? Cletus Grahame, you mean?" Amorine stared at her. "What makes you think he's going to land?"
"Don't talk nonsense, General," Amanda said. "You know as well as I do, he's due in by early after-noon."
"Who told you that?"
"Everyone knows it." He stared at her.
"Damn!" he said, softly. "No, you cannot see Grahame—now or in the future."
"I've got to be able to report to the local people that he's well and agreeable to being in your custody,"
Amanda said. "Or do you want the district to rise in arms spontaneously?"
He stared at her balefully. Staring, he began to cough again. When the fit was over, he nodded.
"Hell be down in a little over an hour. Shall we find you a place to wait?"
"If it's an hour, I'll go into town and get some things done. Will you leave word at the airpad, so I can get past your soldiers?"
He nodded.
"Ask for Lieutenant Estrange," he said.
She went out.
Back in town she found Ekram's skimmer still parked behind the house of Marie Bureaux. She parked her own skimmer beside his and let herself in the back door, into the kitchen.
Ekram was there, washing his hands at the sink He looked back over his shoulder at her at the sound of her entrance.
"Marie?" Amanda said.
"Marie's dead." He turned his head back to the sink
"And you're still in town here."
He finished washing and turned to face her, wiping his hands on a dishtowel.
"Berthe Haugsrud's dead," he said. "Bhaktabahadur Rais is dead. Fifteen more are dying. Young Marte Haugsrud's sick There's five dead soldiers in the cantonments, thirty more dying and most of the rest sick."
"So you leave," she said.
"Leave? How can I leave? Their medical officer knows something's going on. There's just nothing he can do about it. He'd be an absolute, incompetent idiot not to know that something's going on, particularly since they've been getting word from other occupation units—not from many, but even a few's enough—
where the same thing's happening. All that's kept them blind this long is the fact it started hitting our people first. If I run, now—"
He broke off His face was lean with weariness, stubbled with beard.
"You go," Amanda said. "That's an order."
"To hell with orders!"
"Cletus is due to land in an hour. You've had three hours in town here during daylight hours. In three more hours we're going to have open war. Get out of here, get up in those hills and get ready to handle casualties."
"The kids…" he swayed a little on his feet. "Kids, kids and guns…"
"Will you go?"
"Yes." His voice was dull. He walked stiffjointedly past her and out the back door. Following him, she saw him climb, still with the awkwardness of exhaustion, on to his skimmer, lift it, and head it out of town.
Amanda went back inside to see whether there was anything she could do for the remains of Marie. But there was nothing. She left and went to the Haugsrud house to see if Marte could be brought to leave town with her, now that Berthe was dead. But the doors were locked and Marte refused to answer, though Amanda could see her through a window, sitting on the living room couch. Amanda tried several ways to force her way in, but time began to grow short. She turned away at last and
"General," said Amanda. "I've listened to you. Now, you listen to me. You're the one who's dreaming.
It's not us who are already dead and gone—it's you and your men. You're already defeated. You just don't know it."
"Mrs. Morgan,'* said Amorine, heavily, "you're a fool. There's no way you can defeat Earth."
"Yes," said Amanda, bleakly. Another gust of rain came and rattled against the window, like the tapping of the fingers of dead children. "Believe me, there is."
He stood up.
"All right," he said. "I tried. We'll do it our own way from now on. You can go."
Amanda also stood up.
"One thing, however," she said. "I want to see Cletus when he lands."
"Cletus? Cletus Grahame, you mean?" Amorine stared at her. "What makes you think he's going to land?"
"Don't talk nonsense, General," Amanda said. "You know as well as I do, he's due in by early after-noon."
"Who told you that?"
"Everyone knows it." He stared at her.
"Damn!" he said, softly. "No, you cannot see Grahame—now or in the future."
"I've got to be able to report to the local people that he's well and agreeable to being in your custody,"
Amanda said. "Or do you want the district to rise in arms spontaneously?"
He stared at her balefully. Staring, he began to cough again. When the fit was over, he nodded.
"Hell be down in a little over an hour. Shall we find you a place to wait?"
"If it's an hour, I'll go into town and get some things done. Will you leave word at the airpad, so I can get past your soldiers?"
He nodded.
"Ask for Lieutenant Estrange," he said.
She went out.
Back in town she found Ekram's skimmer still parked behind the house of Marie Bureaux. She parked her own skimmer beside his and let herself in the back door, into the kitchen.
Ekram was there, washing his hands at the sink He looked back over his shoulder at her at the sound of her entrance.
"Marie?" Amanda said.
"Marie's dead." He turned his head back to the sink
"And you're still in town here."
He finished washing and turned to face her, wiping his hands on a dishtowel.
"Berthe Haugsrud's dead," he said. "Bhaktabahadur Rais is dead. Fifteen more are dying. Young Marte Haugsrud's sick There's five dead soldiers in the cantonments, thirty more dying and most of the rest sick."
"So you leave," she said.
"Leave? How can I leave? Their medical officer knows something's going on. There's just nothing he can do about it. He'd be an absolute, incompetent idiot not to know that something's going on, particularly since they've been getting word from other occupation units—not from many, but even a few's enough—
where the same thing's happening. All that's kept them blind this long is the fact it started hitting our people first. If I run, now—"
He broke off His face was lean with weariness, stubbled with beard.
"You go," Amanda said. "That's an order."
"To hell with orders!"
"Cletus is due to land in an hour. You've had three hours in town here during daylight hours. In three more hours we're going to have open war. Get out of here, get up in those hills and get ready to handle casualties."
"The kids…" he swayed a little on his feet. "Kids, kids and guns…"
"Will you go?"
"Yes." His voice was dull. He walked stiffjointedly past her and out the back door. Following him, she saw him climb, still with the awkwardness of exhaustion, on to his skimmer, lift it, and head it out of town.
Amanda went back inside to see whether there was anything she could do for the remains of Marie. But there was nothing. She left and went to the Haugsrud house to see if Marte could be brought to leave town with her, now that Berthe was dead. But the doors were locked and Marte refused to answer, though Amanda could see her through a window, sitting on the living room couch. Amanda tried several ways to force her way in, but time began to grow short. She turned away at last and
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