Zach Hughes: Closed System

powder."

Corinne was waiting for him. She was already inuniform, although there was still plenty of time towait before going to the parade grounds. Pat sug­gested that there was, indeed, time for a littletaste of

something to give them energy for the longceremony. He went to the bar and mixed.

"I'd just as soon call off the review," she said.

"No, I think the gunners are looking forward toit," he said.

"Yes, I'm sure you're right." She seemed slightlyagitated. When he remarked on it she said, "I was

thinking of what happened yesterday. You're right,Pat, they won't give up easily."

"We'll come through all right," he said. "Drinkup. It'll make you feel better."

"I am so sleepy all of a sudden," she said, notten minutes later, as she cuddled in his arms on thesofa. He

smoothed her glorious auburn hair.

"Take a little nap," he said. "I'll wake you whenit's time."

"Don't know why I'm so . . ." she said. Then,after a long pause, she tried to say "sleepy," man­aged only

"sleeee . .."

He carried her to her bed, covered her with alight sheet, looked down into that beautiful facewhich seemed so innocent. "I hope it won't giveyou as bad a hangover as I had the first time," he said.

He experimented with trying to wake her. Noth­ing, not even lifting her and shaking her, would dothe job. He had just under thirty minutes before the first of the troops would begin to form on theparade ground. He went back to the Skimmer tomake his preparations, walked around the temple,wearing a long greatcoat which was much too warm for the climate, took his place on the review stand,standing quite alone and straight, the greatcoatcovering the uniform of Fleet Admiral Torga Bluntz. He would not have to find a way to sneak into thevillages to talk with Gorben and a few of the others.He would have them all assembled before him within a half hour.

The handsome, well-formed, blond young menof Dorchlunt marched in company-size formationsonto the field, feet moving in perfect unison, eyessnapping right as they passed the review stand,where, to their initial puzzlement, one man in agreatcoat stood to watch them. Gorben and a few of the others recognized Pat, and for Gorben it wasa special thrill to know that his friend had the sole honor of the final review before glory.

The voices of the officers and the drill sergeants rang out in the still, warm air. The sound of feet inunison thudded on hard-packed ground. And thenthey stood before him, two thousand strong, asfine a group of young men as Pat had ever seen.For a moment, terrible doubt came to him, but heforced himself to picture a massive UP fleet dying, and then the march of the Brenden's form of gov­ernment, with its hard-eyed security police, acrossthe populated galaxy.

The gunners stood at attention. Pat had beenstanding with his hands behind his back. He raisedone hand, placed the. admiral's cap on his head,shrugged out of the greatcoat and let it fall, andtook two steps forward.

A gasping moan of surprise came from two thou­sand young throats. Military stance forgotten, the gunners made three quick bows, some of them soconfused by the sight of the god in the flesh thatthey at first tried to turn to face the temple andthe god's shrine.

"Stand at ease," Pat roared.

Discipline returned. Feet moved in unison. Armsshot behind backs.

The God Fleet Admiral Torga Bluntz, Gorbenrealized with a thrill of pride, had been among them for some time, and had actually favored him,Gorben, with his friendship. He stood at ease, hisyoung chest thrust forward, his eyes adoringly upon the resplendent figure on the stand. The God Bluntzhad returned, just as he had promised he would,and was there to lead them back to their rightful place in Zede and in glory. And the god had oncetold him, had he not, that soon all would be ableto speak his name openly.

"Warriors of Zede," Pat said, using a hailer so that his voice carried to the last man in the rear ranks and reverberated into the distance. "I com­mend you on your work, and on your readiness."

The God Bluntz had more to say, much more,and when he had finished the young gunners stood,stunned with surprise and happiness. Then, as from one throat, their voices rose to the skies in a thunderous cheer. The God Bluntz raised his hands.

"I will speak, here, with Gunner Gorben," hesaid.

Gorben felt that he would burst with pride as hemarched to the stand.

"My friend," Pat said, moved almost to tears by the look of pride and happiness on Gorben's face, "call here the gunner who will be with me on theflagship of the goddess."

"Sir," Gorben barked. He made a precise about-face. "Gunner Werner, front and center."

A tall young man broke from the ranks anddouble-timed forward.

"Tell the officers," Pat said, "to move the troopsand dismiss them. You two come up here withme."

The God Bluntz had special instructions for thegunners Gorben and Werner. His instructions tothe troops had fired the hearts of all with glad­ness. His words to the two on the stand—whiledrill sergeants and officers bawled orders and thetroops marched off—had a different effect, althoughboth young men tried to hide it.

Pat was not proud of himself. He knew that hewould always remember the almost hysterical cheerof sheer joy which two thousand young men had given him.

Nor was he proud of his actions with Corinne.When he returned to her apartment, after stowingthe admiral's uniform in Skimmer, she was stillsleeping. When she awoke, well past eleven that night—Brenden had sent word that he would not,after all, be able to join them for dinner—she was astounded to learn that she'd slept the day away.

"I don't know why," she said. "I just don't know."

"Reaction, I guess," Pat said. "Now that the end is so near all the work and tension is catching upwith you."

"Don't leave me, Pat. Not tonight."

He didn't. She fell asleep again, and he sat therebeside her bed, dozing now and then, until wellafter dawn.

THIRTEEN

The Taratwo fleet, the most devastating instrumentof destruction ever assembled, blinked as a unit to the area of operations. Aboard Corinne's flagship,Pat was in command. He had suggested to theBrenden that the first engagement should be ac­cording to existing naval strategy, based on the massed firepower of huge fleets. Later, he wouldtry to come up with some variations to entertainthe gunners of the Brenden's half of the fleet.

Everyone knew in advance the outcome of thefirst engagement. The previous exercises had proved beyond doubt that the disrupters could score atleast one deadly hit on each enemy ship before conventional weapons began to take a toll.

Corinne seemed to be thinking of other things asPat positioned his fleet in a traditional grid. Fromthat formation the central-fire-control computerwould direct the fire of small groups of ships onindividual targets, the massed power of the laserscutting through the shield of the targeted shipwithin less than two minutes. Ordinarily, it wouldhave been a deadly strategy, for the fleet of overtwo thousand ships, firing in units of ten, wouldtake out two hundred enemy ships in the first twominutes. The Brenden, seeing Pat's formation onthe screens, arrayed his fleet in a long, thin bankwhich, as the range closed, began to adjust into ahalf crescent, so that the ships on the flanks couldencircle Pat's formation and rake enfilading fire down the straight ranks of ships.

Pat walked forward to stand beside the gunner, Werner. Although Pat was dressed in the uniformof the Taratwo navy, Werner bowed his headquickly three times and looked at him adoringly.

"All is well?" Pat asked.

"Yes, Holiness," Werner said. Pat put his hand on the ugly yet graceful snout of the disrupter tofeel its warmth. The secondary power was on. Theweapon was alive, and the beam of power whichcame from the snout would not be that harmlessstream of electrons which had been used previouslyin the exercises to allow the target ship's computerto register a hit.