Beyond the Imperium by Laumer Keith

Author:Laumer, Keith [Laumer, Keith]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780812543810
Publisher: Tor Books
Published: 1981-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

It took us twenty minutes to cover the twelve kilometers to the edge of the city. For the last hundred yards, we slowed, steered a course among bodies lying in the street, pulled up at a rough barricade of automobiles turned on their sides and blackened by fire, bright tongues of flame still licking over the smouldering tires. A church tower clock was tolling midnight—a merry sound to accompany the cheery picture.

I looked at the dark towers of the city behind the barrier, the dark streets. There were at least a dozen men in sight, sprawled in the unlovely attitudes of violent death. None was in uniform or armed; they were bystanders, caught in the clouds of poison that had rolled out from the city’s streets. There were no Hagroon in sight. The streets were as still as a grave-yard.

There was a sound to the left. I brought my carbine up, saw a hatless man in a white shirt.

“Thank God you’ve got here at last,” he choked. “I got a whiff—sick as a dog. Pulled a couple back, but . . .” he coughed, retched, bending double. “Too late. All dead. Gas is gone now, blown away . . .”

“Get farther back,” I said. “Spread the word not to try to attack the barricades.” There was another man behind him, and a woman, her face soot-streaked.

“What do you want us to do?” someone called. They clustered around the car, a dozen battered survivors, thinking we were the police, and ready to do whatever had to be done to help us.

“Just stay back, keep out of harms’ way. We’re going to try something—”

Someone yelled then, pointing at Dzok. A cry went through the crowd.

“Everybody out—fast!” I barked to the men in the rear of the truck. Then: “This is a friend!” I yelled to the crowd. I jumped down, ran around to the side where the man had raised his first outcry, caught him by the arm as he jerked at the shattered door handle.

“Listen to me! This isn’t the enemy! He’s an ally of the Imperium! He’s here to help! These are his troops!” I waved at the ten costumed soldiers who had formed a rough circle around the truck. The headlights of the second truck swung into view then. It growled up beside the first, chugged to a stop and stalled out. The doors flew open and men swarmed out.

“He’s got hair on his face—just like the others—”

“You saw them?”

“No—but I heard—from the man I pulled back from the barricade—before he died—”

“Well, I don’t have hair on my face—unless you want to count three day’s beard. This is Commander Dzok! He’s on our side. Now, spread the word! I don’t want any accidents!”

“Who’re you?”

“I’m Colonel Bayard, Imperial Intelligence. I’m here to do what I can—”

“What can we do?” several voices called. I repeated my instructions to stay back.

“What about you?” the man who had spotted Dzok asked me. “What’s your plan, Colonel?”

Dzok was out of the car now. He handed the modified S-suit to me, turned and bowed in courtly fashion to the crowd.

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