The Long View by Busby F. M

Author:Busby, F. M. [Busby, F. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 9780425071182
Amazon: 0425071189
Goodreads: 2523134
Publisher: Berkley
Published: 1984-07-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

When the Academy cadets were released to their barracks and the Committee’s appointees confined in their places, Tregare questioned Arden Craistell.

“I won’t pretend to you,” she said. “I spaced twice and hoped for Escape—but nothing happened, so I settled down to what I could do. If you hadn’t come, I’d keep on working for UET and hope to stay out of trouble. But I’m glad you’re here.”

Tregare nodded. “I’ll settle for that, the truth field willing. But you don’t necessarily get permanent command. Depends on who else I happen to find.”

“I don’t need command; I’ve never had it. I’ll settle for what I can get.”

And afterward, Rissa said, “Tregare—they beat the strong down, into less than they could be.”

With his free arm, the other hand punching data into the terminal, he hugged her. “Yeah. But you notice? Like it or not, some of us they push into more.”

At mid-afternoon, back on Hagenau’s ship, they had a belated lunch. “Or early dinner, maybe,” said Tregare. “I lose track.”

“So that you keep control of essentials, Bran, it is well. Your men, groundside—can they contain this vast enterprise? It must have resources we have not seen.”

“Just barely, they can—working shifts to cover all the key bottleneck spots. But the string’s loose. Whatever resistance is here—and I bet there’s plenty yet, nobody’d put all their money on that fool Archifal—they won’t try to buck this ship. Especially since—well, how do they know how many scouts we’re carrying?”

“And I do not know either, Bran. How many?”

“None—they’re both out working for Kile Ressider, helping civilize the Police. But what UET doesn’t know, won’t hurt us.”

Not until the next day did they return groundside. After meeting with Arden Craistell, Tregare suggested a walking inspection tour. “You won’t like this, Rissa—but maybe you’ll have some good ideas, how to change it.” She agreed, and they began.

In the first barracks they entered, filled with young boys in their early teens, she felt wrongness. Not relief, as she might have expected, but tension. “Bran? I do not like this.”

“I told you, you wouldn’t. You don’t have to continue if you don’t want to.”

“I do not mean that. Something is wrong.”

“With UET, something always is. You coming?” She nodded and followed him, six of Tregare’s men bringing up the rear. They entered the next building. Older boys here—about twenty of them—suddenly moved to surround the small group. And then the knives appeared.

“Tregare! They shall not kill us!” She moved without thought; time slowed. Adrenaline shock took speech away; she screamed a battle cry. Almost calm, while her mind watched avidly—she grasped a knife hand and brushed it across the wrist of another—both knives dropped. A gun—she pushed it into the face of the wielder and did not pause to see if it had fired. A guard’s gun spat, and space before her was clear.

Tregare! One attacker fell away from his thrusting arm; now two more came at him, one from behind. With another great scream, Rissa launched herself—she missed the first but it did not matter—her foot caught the second squarely in the throat.

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