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upright without his prosthetics, but he could creep-and-crawl as well as any other adult. Amanda was about to work her way up to the ridge, herself staying low so that any instruments in the cantonment below would not discover her, when a rustle in the shadows warned her of people returning. A few moments later, Ramon, Lexy and Tim all rose from the ground at arms-length from her.
"Sorry," said Amanda, "I should have been here earlier."
"It wasn't necessary," said Ramon. His powerful arms hauled him up on to his own skimmer and he sat upright there.
"Yes, it was," said Amanda. "You didn't let these two go in until things were shut down—"
"They didn't go down until full dark," said Ramon. "Not until the last of the patrols had left and the manufactory was shut down. The townsfolk were all inside and the troops were all in their cantonment area. Tim stayed beyond the perimeter there and Lexy went up to just outside the outer line of huts, close enough so she could hear them talking, but with plenty of room to leave if she needed to."
Amanda transferred her attention to Lexy.
"What were they talking about?"
"Usual stuff," said Lexy. "The officers, and the equipment, how long they'd be here before they'd ship off again. Regular soldier off-duty talk"
"Did they talk about when deCastries would be leaving for Foralie?"
"First thing in the morning. They'd stalled about getting ready, so he couldn't get off today," said Lexy.
"They don't think much of those of our people who're left here; but still none of them I heard talking felt much like starting out with night coming on."
"What do they think of their officers?"
"Nothing great. There's a major they all like, but he's not on the general's staff. They really draw the line between enlisted and officer."
"Now, you see for yourself, how that is with Old World troops," commented Ramon to the two young ones.
"It's a pretty stupid way for them to be, all the same, out here in hostile territory," said Lexy. "But they've got a good pool of light vehicles. No armor. Vehicle-mounted light weapons and handweapons. I could have brought you one of their cone rifles—"
"Oh, could you?"
There was a little silence in the darkness, that betrayed Lexy's recognition of her slip of the tongue.
"The whole line of huts was empty. All I did was look in the last one in the line," said Lexy. "These Earth troops—they're worse than elephants. I could have gone in and picked their pockets and got out without their knowing about it."
The moon came from behind a cloud that had been hiding it, and in the pale light Amanda could see Lexy's face… tightmouthed.
"Ramon," said Amanda. "Didn't you tell them specifically not to go into the cantonment area?"
"I'm sorry, Amanda," said Ramon. "I didn't. Not specifically."
"Lexy, under no conditions, now or in the future, do you or anyone else go beyond the outer line of huts."
Exasperation took her suddenly. "And don't bristle! If you have to resent an order, try to keep the fact to yourself."
Another cloud obscured the moon. Lexy's voice came unexpectedly out of the darkness.
"Why?"
"For one reason, because an hour later you may wish you had. For another, learn never to challenge automatically. No one's that good. Sit on your impulse until you know everything that's likely to happen when you act on it."
Silence out of the darkness. Amanda wondered whether Lexy was filing the information she had just received in the automatic discard file of her mind, or —just possibly—tucking it away for future reference.
"Now," Amanda said. "Anything else? Any talk of plans? Any talk of Cletus being on the way here?"
"No," said Lexy. "They did talk about relocation, after Cletus is tried back on Earth. And they even said something about changing the name of our planet. That doesn't make sense."
Amanda breathed deeply.
"I'm afraid it does," she said.
"Amanda?" It was Ramon asking. "I'm not sure I follow you."
"DeCastries tried to give me the
"Sorry," said Amanda, "I should have been here earlier."
"It wasn't necessary," said Ramon. His powerful arms hauled him up on to his own skimmer and he sat upright there.
"Yes, it was," said Amanda. "You didn't let these two go in until things were shut down—"
"They didn't go down until full dark," said Ramon. "Not until the last of the patrols had left and the manufactory was shut down. The townsfolk were all inside and the troops were all in their cantonment area. Tim stayed beyond the perimeter there and Lexy went up to just outside the outer line of huts, close enough so she could hear them talking, but with plenty of room to leave if she needed to."
Amanda transferred her attention to Lexy.
"What were they talking about?"
"Usual stuff," said Lexy. "The officers, and the equipment, how long they'd be here before they'd ship off again. Regular soldier off-duty talk"
"Did they talk about when deCastries would be leaving for Foralie?"
"First thing in the morning. They'd stalled about getting ready, so he couldn't get off today," said Lexy.
"They don't think much of those of our people who're left here; but still none of them I heard talking felt much like starting out with night coming on."
"What do they think of their officers?"
"Nothing great. There's a major they all like, but he's not on the general's staff. They really draw the line between enlisted and officer."
"Now, you see for yourself, how that is with Old World troops," commented Ramon to the two young ones.
"It's a pretty stupid way for them to be, all the same, out here in hostile territory," said Lexy. "But they've got a good pool of light vehicles. No armor. Vehicle-mounted light weapons and handweapons. I could have brought you one of their cone rifles—"
"Oh, could you?"
There was a little silence in the darkness, that betrayed Lexy's recognition of her slip of the tongue.
"The whole line of huts was empty. All I did was look in the last one in the line," said Lexy. "These Earth troops—they're worse than elephants. I could have gone in and picked their pockets and got out without their knowing about it."
The moon came from behind a cloud that had been hiding it, and in the pale light Amanda could see Lexy's face… tightmouthed.
"Ramon," said Amanda. "Didn't you tell them specifically not to go into the cantonment area?"
"I'm sorry, Amanda," said Ramon. "I didn't. Not specifically."
"Lexy, under no conditions, now or in the future, do you or anyone else go beyond the outer line of huts."
Exasperation took her suddenly. "And don't bristle! If you have to resent an order, try to keep the fact to yourself."
Another cloud obscured the moon. Lexy's voice came unexpectedly out of the darkness.
"Why?"
"For one reason, because an hour later you may wish you had. For another, learn never to challenge automatically. No one's that good. Sit on your impulse until you know everything that's likely to happen when you act on it."
Silence out of the darkness. Amanda wondered whether Lexy was filing the information she had just received in the automatic discard file of her mind, or —just possibly—tucking it away for future reference.
"Now," Amanda said. "Anything else? Any talk of plans? Any talk of Cletus being on the way here?"
"No," said Lexy. "They did talk about relocation, after Cletus is tried back on Earth. And they even said something about changing the name of our planet. That doesn't make sense."
Amanda breathed deeply.
"I'm afraid it does," she said.
"Amanda?" It was Ramon asking. "I'm not sure I follow you."
"DeCastries tried to give me the
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