City Wars by Palumbo Dennis

Author:Palumbo, Dennis [Palumbo, Dennis]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 0553129570
Publisher: Story Merchant Books
Published: 2012-11-25T22:00:00+00:00

Bowman listened to the quiet drone of machinery and the voices of men in the room. He told himself he would make it a point to find out how Meyerson had died. He knew in the same instant that he would make it a point not to.

Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing, Meyerson buying it. He was too old for soldiering, and too sick, and he didn’t know how to do anything else.

Had he left anyone, any family? Bowman tried to remember. The only person Meyerson ever spoke about with anything approaching tenderness was his friend Clemmie. Maybe somebody should get a transmit to her, before she heard the word from Media.

He got up from the com. He couldn’t deal with it now. He wondered at his own lack of grief. Surprise, yes, at the news. But no grief.

Then he knew.

It wasn’t Meyerson’s death. It was the realization that Meyerson had had little else but death to look forward to. What life he’d had was behind him, a sack of memories and old stories he carried with him from bar to bar. And almost any night you could find him opening the sack and emptying its contents on a table and sharing them with somebody like Bowman.

It wasn’t Meyerson’s death he’d seen when the com went black. It was the emptiness of the man’s life.

And what might yet come to be a similar life for him.

Jake Bowman tramped out of Communications feeling like the worst kind of duster, strung out past thought.

His analysis of the nature and probable origin of the attack on E Sector had been logged and presented to Government in the form of an audial communication from Records. The metallic voice came from the walls of the Tactics Room. Its message was received in silence by the ministers assembled there.

After which, the vote was taken.

Bowman listened as each minister made known his decision. He was only mildly surprised when Minister Weitzel abstained.

Cassandra stood by Gilcrest. The old man said nothing until the voting came around to him.

He didn’t look up.

“Retaliate,” he said.

The voting was concluded. The assembly was dismissed, each to see to his or her duties. Arrangements were made to mobilize Chicago Air and Land forces. Media would have to be informed of the decision, somewhat of a formality under the circumstances. A tactical timetable would have to be structured.

There was much to be done.

He stood alone in his newly assigned rooms. He wore the uniform of the Chicago Service, the insignia of Tactics, the rank of Colonel.

With an almost respectful slowness, Bowman buckled the tops of his boots and tucked his gloves inside the wide regulation belt. Then he withdrew his Service weapon and hefted its weight. Bornhauser 7xx5. Cartridge-loaded, limited range. A personal weapon.

In a few minutes, he was to meet with Amos Hadrian on the formation tracking of the five Air Service cruisers and the sixteen Land cruisers. With luck, cruisers would be in the air in two hours; landrovers and hovercrafts in their wake in another three.

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