Aton-War On Mars by E. C. Tubb

Author:E. C. Tubb
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hamilton Ltd
Published: 1952-05-17T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight: Discovered

It felt good to wear uniform again, to feel the weight of a weapon dragging at his belt, to be called "sir," and to have men saluting. John breathed deeply, his chest swelling against the red and silver of a general of the Martian space fleet.

He surveyed the bustle of activity with a professional eye, noting the smooth response to snapped commands, the easy coordination of teams of men working as a unit. Before him the red sand of Mars stretched to the horizon. Behind him, the hangars where the new fleet was building,, sprawled their ungainly length.

A ground car came racing across the sand, its tracks throwing up plumes of the fine red dust. Wharton, haggard looking, red eyed, worn from sleepless nights, climbed wearily from the vehicle.

"What do you think of it, John?"

"Good enough. I could wish for tighter discipline, though."

Wharton smiled tiredly. "Don't confuse implicit obedience with good discipline. You'll find that these boys will stand up to things that your over-regimented soldiers would crack under. Better than that, they are able to fight on their own volition. Shoot the commander of one of Earth's regiments, and the men are like an animal without a head. They are too used to obeying orders. They never stop to think for themselves."

"Maybe," John said dubiously. He looked at Wharton. "How are my ships coming?"

"They're not," Wharton said grimly. "I've rebuilt the hulls, altered the gun turrets, simplified the controls. All we need is to fit the impeller tubes, but we haven't yet got the tubes."

"I see." John dug the toe of one boot into the ground. "Why can't I see Merrill? Maybe I could help him, suggest something. After all, I've had officer training and I should supervise the drive units for the ships."

"No."

"Why not?"

Wharton took a deep breath, glanced around to make sure that they were alone. "Look, John, I like you. I think that what you did in following us proved that you've got the kind of spirit that we need on Mars, but I don't trust you."

"You don't trust me?" John kept all emotion from his features. "I hardly understand. If you don't trust me, then why make me an officer?"

"Because we can use you," Wharton said bluntly. "I'm not a fool. I never believed for a moment that you were what you made out to be. You were useful, but you can be dangerous. I prefer to take no chances. Incidentally, Merrill doesn't know that I abandoned you; he thinks that you volunteered to stay behind."

"Were you ashamed to tell him?"

"Are you ashamed for trying to kill me?"

"No. I did what I had to do."

"You betrayed yourself in a dozen little ways. The mannerisms of the officer class. Your ignorance of the fundamental principles of liberty. A lot of other things. I knew that you were no ordinary prisoner, and when you babbled in your delirium I was sure of it. Do you think for a moment that I would have left a comrade as I left you? No.

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