Footfall by Niven Larry & Pournelle Jerry

Author:Niven, Larry & Pournelle, Jerry [Niven, Larry & Pournelle, Jerry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, General, sf, Speculative Fiction, Space Opera, War, Short Stories
ISBN: 0575036907
Publisher: Del Rey
Published: 1985-01-02T07:00:00+00:00

During the fifty years since its first construction, the underground complex east of Moscow had been decorated, air conditioned, carpeted, and enlarged. There were swimming pools, barbershops, and fine restaurants; the reinforced concrete walls were covered by tapestries and paintings; and everything had been done to disguise the fact that it was, at bottom, a bomb shelter.

Party First Secretary Narovchatov strode on parquet wooden floors to the Chairman’s office, and remembered another time long ago, when Stalin had reviewed a Guards division during the Great Patriotic War against Hitler. The Germans were so close that the Guards had marched across Red Square and walked directly to the front to take part in an attack.

From review to engagement with the enemy, he thought. That will not happen now. The enemy is not so close, but there are enough enemies.

Tartars, Hungarians, Poles, Latvians, Czechs, were in open revolt, and many others, even the Ukrainians, were restless. Narovchatov strode past the Chairman’s secretary.

“Halt, Comrade Narovchatov.”

Narovchatov looked up in surprise. A Guards Division colonel stood with three armed soldiers.

“I regret, Comrade Narovchatov, that we must search you—”

There was a roar of laughter from inside the office. Chairman Petrovskiy appeared in the doorway. He chuckled again. “It is well that you are alert, Comrade Colonel.” Petrovskiy said. “But I think you need not be so diligent with the First Secretary, who is, after all, my oldest friend. Come in, Nikolai Nikolayevich. My thanks. Comrade Colonel. Return to your duties.”

Nikolai Nbrovchatov closed the massive door behind him and stood against it. He had not had time to react. Now he thought of the situation outside and frowned.

“Da,” Chairman Petrovskiy said. “It can be that serious. Come and sit, I have much to tell you. Will you have vodka? Or whiskey?”

“I will join you in a cognac.” Narovchatov took the drink and sat in front of the massive desk.

“To humanity,” Petrovskiy said. “No idle toast.” They drank. “Not an idle toast at all,” the Chairman said. “I had a call today. From the American President.’

“Ah.”

“A very strange call,” Petrovskiy continued. “The Americans want our help.”

“As we need theirs,” Narovchatov said.

“Exactly.”

“Did you tell them this?”

“In part. I told them that unless they undertook to restrain the Germans, we would not be interested in talking with them.” Petrovskiy paused dramatically. “They agreed instantly. I heard the President give the orders.”

“But—”

“Of course I could not be certain,” Petrovskiy continued. “But I believe they were sincere. Nikolai Nikolayevich, they are truly desperate. The alien invasion is succeeding.”

Narovchatov shook his head in disbelief, as he had when he first heard that an alien army-of small elephants!-had landed in the American heartland.

“Succeeding?”

“Da. The enemy holds their breadbasket, the source of their grain-and the Americans have been unable to dislodge them. They have lost some of their best military units.”

For a moment Narovchatov felt triumph. Then his grin faded. “But Anatoliy Vladimirovich, if they cannot drive the aliens from the planet—”

“If they cannot, we certainly could not,” the Chairman said grimly. “Nikolai Nikolayevich, no matter who wins, we have lost.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.