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Page 76
Chapter 76
Brutus: “Neither fear nor courage saves us.”
He walked out of the hospital room, concealing his bandage under a Stetson. His head still throbbed when he exerted himself, as he was doing now, climbing the stairs to the Honcho's offices.
He tried not to think of the cause of it, that damned Rado wizard who'd snuck up behind him at the rail-banger station, No time for that now. He would let the rage simmer out of sight, like a blacksmith's forge banked for the night, the ash-covered coals lying in wait for another day's work. The rage would be there when he needed it. He'd teach the bastard what real pain was.
Martinez was waiting for him with a shot of bourbon. “How's your head?” the Honcho asked him, after he'd taken a swig and seated himself in front of the leader's desk. “Ready for some payback?”
“What you got in mind?” Brutus asked, tossing down the rest of his drink. He couldn't see the point of sipping the stuff, not when its best work was done in the gut, not the nose.
“We need to try out the new motorized weapons in Abilene. By now, Rado knows about them, but they're counting on us to wait until spring before we attack.”
“And you're not going to.” Brutus allowed himself a smile.
“Hell no. Not giving them that long to prepare. If we give them enough time, who knows what that wizard of theirs might come up with. We're not going to find out, because we're not waiting. But the boys need some practice, I'm sure, and with all that we're expecting from them, I think it would be better to have a seasoned officer in charge.”
He looked at his empty glass. “Not sending your son?”
The Honcho grimaced. “I need him there too, and that's another thing we need to talk about. I know you two don't get along.”
Brutus's face twisted. “That's putting it mildly. The word I heard is, he wanted to bring me up on charges. Me! How am I supposed to do my job with him behind me worrying about every farmer we run into?”
Martinez looked at the bottle, then back at Brutus. “We both know he's young and full of opinions about how things should be done. He hasn't seen the things you and I have, so I won't deny he gets himself worked up about things that don't bother old soldiers like us.” He paused, as if weighing his words. “But he's still my son, and someday he'll be sitting at this desk. I need you to make peace with him, Colonel. Maybe he doesn't know it yet, but he'll need you when that time comes.”
“He's a hothead, that one. What do you expect me to do if he loses his temper and draws his sword? I know technically he outranks me, but even so, I can't let him push me around too much in front of the troops. You know that. Bad for discipline.”
Martinez sighed and poured them both another glass of the bourbon. “No one said it was going to be easy,” he said, after they both swallowed. “You're my best field commander...but he's my only son. I need you you to make it work. I don't expect you two to be friends, but I can't have you fighting in front of the troops. No good will come of it. Keep the peace.”
“How?”
Here the Honcho shrugged. “Distract him. He thinks the two of us are obsolete, so let him play with something that isn't. Put him in charge of one of the tank crews. That should give him plenty to learn and focus on.”
Brutus finished the second glass. “It might,” he granted.
“It has to, for now. Once the invasion starts, he'll have enough to keep him busy. Let him get a couple of real battles under his belt, and you two might not be so far apart in viewpoints any more. War has a way of putting personal squabbles in perspective, once the arrows start flying.”
Brutus set his glass down. “I won't be the one to start trouble,” he said. “I can be in Abilene in two days, unless you need me to really push the horses.”
“That's fine. There's no rush, yet. And I'll be having a talk with Jeffrey before you leave, Colonel. I'll make it clear to him that you're in charge of the men. His job will be to learn how to use the new weapons, so he can pass it on to the junior officers.”
“What do you want us to do with 'em?”
Peter appeared to relax, now that they could talk soldiering and not personal shit. His finger came down on a spot on the map on his desk, and Brutus leaned forward to get a better look.
“This town's abandoned, but most of the buildings are still standing. You'll be using them for target practice. Leave nothing standing.”
Brutus frowned. “One of our own towns? Shouldn't we head over the border into Zona and take out one of theirs, instead?”
“No.” The Honcho's voice was flat. “Rado's first on the list. And I don't want anyone but our own troops knowing what we can do, until we do it. Zona can wait.”
“What if squatters have moved into the abandoned buildings? “
The Honcho met his gaze. “Then too bad for them. If they're not willing to move, don't let them keep you from doing your job. Flatten it...and don't leave any witnesses that could talk to Rado spies.”