“You’ve accomplished a great deal, sir,” Riggs assured him. “A lot more than anyone else could have, guaranteed.”
Adar waved his hand. “Captain Reddy did most of the ‘accomplishing,’ I’m afraid. I am merely a ’Cat wrangler.” He chuckled. “What a delightful term! I have never seen one of these small cats that inspired your diminutive of my people, but I gather from descriptions that, in addition to a barely measurable level of intelligence, they are extremely independent, maniacally self-centered, and virtually incapable of concerted action. Not so?”
Letts, Riggs, and Brister couldn’t help chuckling in reply. “I assure you, Mr. Chairman, the diminutive was never meant as an insult, but you know that. It had more to do with what your people looked like to us than how they act.”
“Well, then,” Adar said, “imagine how coincidental it seems to me to discover how like your ‘cats’ my people actually are!”
“More trouble in the Allied Council?” Brister asked.
Adar sighed and his ears flicked back irritably. “Of course. What else? More and more of the ‘runaways’ return all the time, now that it is ‘safe,’ and they somehow manage to get themselves selected to the People’s Assembly of Baalkpan regardless of their past behavior. They are but an irritating minority for now, and have no real voice, but our allies fear they may subvert Baalkpan’s commitment to the cause.” He shook his head and blinked again in a series most of the humans had learned represented reluctant acceptance. “The People do grow weary of war and all the demands it makes upon them. When we fought here, to defend our Home, the war was much easier for them to understand. But now we are raising and equipping armies and navies for expeditionary campaigns. You would think that would reassure them, but all it does is make them feel that the war has become distant enough for them to safely ignore it.”
Adar had learned enough about human face moving to recognize the concern his words brought, and he raised a placating hand. “Oh, don’t worry. I apologize if I have alarmed you unduly. As I said, the elements that believe thus are still few, but the longer it takes to defeat the Grik, the more difficult that task becomes-not only militarily but politically.” He sighed again. “That filthy Billingsley creature could not have struck at a worse strategic time. He caused us to divert Captain Reddy and Walker -two of our most precious assets-in an entirely different direction. I do not begrudge the mission they have undertaken. I still blame myself for its necessity. I also believe it may be essential for our long-term success. I just can’t help thinking, however, that it has delayed our offensive in the West.”
“So,” Letts asked carefully, “why exactly have you come here? Is there something you’d have us do differently?”
Adar chuckled. “Of course not! This little room is part of my residence after all, but it is the one room that is secure from office- and favor-seekers and petty, self-interested functionaries.”
“Like Laney used to do,” Riggs said, rolling his eyes.
“Well, yes,” Adar confirmed, “but he was not the only one, nor the worst. He sought advancement, but he did contribute to the greater good in his own way. He still does. He may even be happier on this trip with Major Mallory.” There were chuckles. Riggs would certainly be happier without Laney and Chief Electrician’s Mate Ronson Rodriguez feuding over resources and personnel all the time. With Spanky gone, Riggs had been feeling singularly picked on. “No, it is the others,” Adar continued, actually showing his sharp white teeth in a grin, “that have sent me scurrying here to hide among trusted friends!”
When the relieved laughter died down, Adar asked a serious question. “So, what is the latest news? I assume Mr. Riggs has brought you the most recent communications?”
“Yes, Mr. Chairman,” Letts replied. “We were just going over the message forms. Do you want east or west first?”
“I admit I am most anxious to hear the latest from Captain Reddy,” Adar replied.
“Very well. As you know, Walker, Achilles, and their ‘prizes’ safely arrived at an uncharted atoll. They’re completing repairs. Captain Reddy says he has sufficient fuel to reach Respite; that’s the first Imperial possession they’re heading for. We have the coordinates and he intends to await the arrival of the squadron of tankers Saan-Kakja has dispatched before pushing on into the heart of the Empire. That squadron is making good progress, by the way, and should reach Respite within a month of the Skipper. They’re taking a more direct, northerly route, and should be able to expand the search for Ajax, in case she stopped anywhere along the way.” He frowned. “The Skipper hasn’t seen any sign of her yet and assumes she’s still ahead of them. Anyway, the Y guns are scaring off the mountain fish, and the big brutes haven’t been much of a problem for the tankers. I wish we had something better because I still worry about nighttime encounters and the crews have to be able to see the devils before Y guns can do any good.” He shrugged.
“Our communications with Lieutenant Laumer on Talaud Island are still intermittent, even though they’ve got a new transmitter up and running.” He shook his head. “It’s got to be atmospheric interference from that damn volcano they’re sitting on top of. Laumer’s still confident they can get that old sub off the beach, but as much as I’d like to have it, I almost wish Captain Reddy would order Laumer and his people out of there.” He looked at Adar. “Maybe you should do it,” he suggested hesitantly.
Adar shook his head. “I will not second-guess Captain Reddy or Lieutenant Laumer. Mr. Laumer is ‘on the spot,’ as you would say, and believes he can accomplish his task. Captain Reddy must trust his judgment or he would have ordered him to abandon the project. I too worry about Mr. Laumer and his people. The smoking mountain on Talaud Island has long been known to be irritable, but when the world grumbles, not even Sky Priests can divine the reasons for its complaint. Apparently Talaud is complaining most bitterly about something, but there is no way to tell what it will do. It might return to sleep as it has often done, or it might bellow its rage as the scrolls record it has also done before. Mr. Laumer is there. He must decide.”
He leaned forward. “Now, tell me what Colonel Shinya has to report. How go things in Maa-ni-la?”
“Swell,” Letts said. “As you know, the first thing he did when he got there was turn that goof ball Jap, Commander Okada, loose, and see to it he had passage to Honshu-you know, Jaapan?”
“I still do not understand why he wanted to go there,” Adar said. “He could have been of much assistance had he chosen.”
“No telling,” Riggs replied. “He did tell us quite a lot about the Grik and that damn Kurokawa. A hell of a lot more than we would’ve known otherwise. Shinya’s a Jap too, but he’s gotten to know us. He’s a friend. He also spent time in the U.S. before the war, in California, so he might be more prune picker than Jap nowadays, anyway.”
“I doubt that,” Brister said. “But he’s a good guy, and he isn’t nuts. He knows what this fight is about. Okada just doesn’t seem to get it. Shinya said he even recruited some oddball ’Cats and started teaching them a bunch of crazy samurai stuff!”
Letts sighed. “Not much we can do about that, and according to Shinya, it’s probably not a bad idea. The Fil-pin colonists on Honshu aren’t soldiers. There are some pretty strange creatures there that can be really dangerous. That’s where the me-naaks, or ‘meanies’ originally come from, as I understand it, and there’s a lot worse stuff there too. Manila has always had trouble getting folks to move there. They actually need soldiers, and who knows? If a Grik probe or scout ever penetrated that far…”
“Yeah,” agreed Brister, “and besides, it gives us a place to ship the Jap prisoners we ‘rescued’ from the Grik on Singapore. A couple of them want to help us out, and that’s swell, but what were we going to do with the other ones? I don’t think Okada’ll rebuild the Japanese Empire with a handful of Japs and a few kooky ’Cats.”
“I’m sure you are right,” Adar said. “I hope they may find happiness there. But what else h
as our illustrious Colonel Shinya been up to?”
“Training Saan-Kakja’s army, mostly. We left a few Marines to begin the process before we went looking for the sub in the first place, and judging by the quality of the troops Saan-Kakja has already sent, they’ve done a pretty good job with the basics. Shinya’s been training them in larger unit tactics so they’ll be more prepared to step right into line as fully formed, independent regiments once they get here. That’s what’s taken the most time in the past; they show up with excellent basic infantry skills such as those we’ve taught our own troops, but their officers and NCOs don’t have any experience. In other words, Shinya’s trying to teach them all the stuff we’ve had to learn the hard way.”
“What of the Fil-pin industry? How does their shipbuilding proceed?” Adar asked anxiously.
“It’s not up to our level yet,” Alan Letts replied, “but I expect it will be pretty soon. No offense, but the Fil-pin Lands had already outstripped Baalkpan as an industrial trading center before the war even started.”
“You certainly do not offend me.” Adar chuckled. “Remember, I was but a lowly Sky Priest when this war began. I had no notion or concern regarding the relative industrial capacity of Baalkpan or Maa-ni-la. Any disparity may have troubled the great Nakja-Mur, but my only interest lies in what our combined capabilities might accomplish.”
“Well, as I said, their production of ships, weapons, and heavy equipment hasn’t quite matched ours just yet, but their fundamental industrial base and capacity is greater. Baalkpan had one large foundry when we arrived. It was mostly devoted to casting huge anchors or ‘feet’ for your humongous floating homes, but we turned it to pouring large cannons easily enough. We have upwards of half a dozen even larger foundries now, some pouring iron, but Manila had that many to start with. Once they hit their stride, I think we’ll be in pretty good shape. They’ve already blown us away as far as leather implements, canvas, grain production, even leather body armor are concerned. They had a bigger labor pool to begin with, and when everybody began fleeing there in the face of the Grik, that labor pool grew even more.” Letts’s expression was philosophical. “We’ll catch back up to some degree as people continue returning. In the long term, Baalkpan has much greater potential than Manila. Borno is a big island. Lots of space and raw materials. There’s no reason why Baalkpan and Manila ever need to become rivals, if any of your people are worried about that.”
Adar waved his hand. “That is the least of my worries, although I must admit the possibility is a concern to some. As you know, I ultimately seek a greater, more permanent union than our presently strong but potentially fragile Grand Alliance represents.”
“I think he was asking ‘How many ships have the Maa-ni-los built so far?’” Riggs supplied, sotto voce.
“Oh! I’m sorry, Mr. Chairman.” Letts shook his head. “I guess I’m a little preoccupied today.”
“Quite understandable under the circumstances,” Adar allowed. “Our people share far more similarities than one might ever imagine just by
… looking at us. There are profound differences, of course, but our unity and friendship feed upon a number of fundamental commonalities.” He grinned. “Such as our devotion to mates and younglings, it would appear. I have watched how the mid-age younglings you rescued from the Talaud submarine behave, and that behavior is somewhat consistent with that of our own young of like age. Your mate’s youngling is due to arrive at any time, I understand, and I am most anxious to observe the behavior of a human infant!”
“Trust me,” Riggs jabbed, “the behavior of the human parents is far more bizarre!”
“Say-” Letts grinned. “Steve’s probably right. Anyway, Shinya reports that the Maa-ni-los have only finished two steamers, but they’re close on a couple more, and they have ten that’ll be in the water within a month. He says the wood isn’t as good-they weren’t drying it like we were-but they’ve set up kilns. Hopefully, that’ll work. Their hardwoods are a little different than those around here too.”
“Maa-ni-lo-built Homes and feluccas last just as long as those built here,” Adar mused. “As in all things, ‘different’ may not mean ‘not as good.’ ”
“Of course, Mr. Chairman,” Letts replied. “I think he meant it wasn’t as good in the sense that it wasn’t as ‘ready.’ Maa-ni-la was building two or so Homes a year, and their hardwood supply has moved away from the city. It takes them longer to cut it, move it to the construction area, and lay it up for drying. That’s why they’re setting up kilns. Aside from the hardwood we’d already laid up when we cleared the jungle away from the city, the people here only used to build a Home once every couple of years, so there was a lot more suitable wood nearby. A Home takes at least ten times as much wood as one of our new frigates. Don’t worry,” he said soothingly, “they’ll catch up pretty quick, and probably surpass us in shipbuilding.”
“How is our dear Saan-Kakja holding out?” Adar asked. Saan-Kakja was a remarkable High Chief in many ways. Like so many of the “youngling rulers” or commanders this war had created or “brought of age,” Saan-Kakja had “stepped up to the plate” with poise, resolve, and a singular dedication to “the cause.” They’d been fortunate in her, and others as well: Tassana-Ay-Aracca, Safir Maraan, Chack-Sab-At, Princess Rebecca-arguably even Matthew Reddy himself. He was no “youngling” at thirty-three, but he was awfully young for the responsibilities heaped upon him. So was Pete Alden. He’d been just a sergeant in USS Houston ’s Marine contingent, and now he was General of the Armies and Marines. Alan Letts himself had been a lazy, freckled kid from Idaho, marking time as Walker ’s supply officer. Now he was Adar’s and Captain Reddy’s chief of staff. It was like that for most of the men and women who’d ridden Walker, Mahan, and S-19 through the Squall that brought them here.
Of them all, however, Saan-Kakja was burdened with the greatest responsibility for her age. While in Baalkpan, she’d passed her fourteenth season and, as High Chief of all the Fil-pin Lands, she ruled over the largest single territory claimed by any one High Chief. Even Adar didn’t claim all of Borno. He ruled only the inhabited settlements thereon, and then only until they were independent. Most of the many islands of the Fil-pin Lands were populated to some degree or other, and all were “daughters” of Ma-ni-la. Only her brother’s settlement on southwestern Mindanao, Paga-Daan, had been close to independence, and now that brother was dead-killed by Walter Billingsley and the HNBC.
In addition to the difficulties of overseeing a painful and somewhat resentful industrial revolution in a land that was rapidly becoming the “arsenal of freedom,” Saan-Kakja had to deal with an even larger population of malcontents and antiwar “runaways.” The guilds were more entrenched there, and she hadn’t even had the support of her own Sky Priest, Meksnaak, at first. Her iron will had finally co-opted Meksnaak and the council members she hadn’t fired, and with Shinya’s help and the devotion of her army and the majority of her people, she’d steamrolled the guilds. Adar-and most of the chiefs of the allied Homes and cities-worried most about the “runaway” faction. With Maa-ni-la firmly in the Alliance, they had nowhere left to flee, and it is always remarkable how violent some “pacifists” can become in order to maintain their status.
Adar worried for Saan-Kakja, with her mesmerizing golden eyes. He worried for Matt and Walker. He worried about the fate of Princess Rebecca, Sandra Tucker, and even Dennis Silva. He feared for the safety of his own new realm and the exposed distance of the 2nd Allied Expeditionary Force. He couldn’t help it. All were beyond his help and all were people he cared about a great deal.
He glanced through the small shutter at the world beyond the War Room. The rain that had come with the dawn was over, and as though the Heavens had exhausted themselves early that day, the sky was suddenly clear and bright.
“I am, of course, well informed regarding those events that have transpired in Baalkpan today,” he began. That was certainly true. He’d been at the docks himself when his old Home,
Big Sal, finally rebuilt and completed as the allies’ first “aircraft carrier,” or more appropriately, “seaplane tender,” got underway and steamed slowly out of the bay under the command of his oldest friend, Keje-Fris-Ar.
Watching that had been a bittersweet experience. His old Home had risen from near destruction to become the most powerful warship known to exist, but she was no longer his Home. Baalkpan was his Home now; he’d made that choice. But Salissa epitomized the changes his society-his world-was undergoing at such inexorable speed. No longer did she stand to sea under her lofty, mighty, beautiful wings. Instead, she belched smoke, and two massive engines turned a single giant screw propeller. She would never be fast, like Walker, but she would always be faster than she’d ever been, and in any direction.
Adar knew Salissa ’s conversion was the only way she would ever survive this new kind of war. It was the only way she could really contribute. Other High Chiefs had volunteered their Homes as well: Tassana had offered Aracca, with the consent of all her people. Geran-Eras’s Humfra-Dar was in the dry dock, with work already begun. Still, it made him sad.
“But what news is there from the AEF?” he asked. “I noticed the messenger from the telegraph office seemed more heavily burdened than usual. Has there been a major action?”
“No, sir,” Letts replied. “If there had been, that would’ve been the first thing I told you when you came in.” He shook his head. “No, it’s mostly just a bunch of logistical stuff. Alden and Mr. Ellis are gearing up to jump on that Grik force at Rangoon.” He stood and paced to a map on the wall. “Mr. Ellis was inclined to bypass it at first, but General Alden changed his mind. He thinks a bunch of the Grik that abandoned Singapore might have wound up there by now. Some didn’t break. We still don’t know what to make of that. We’ve got those Grik ‘guards’ Rasik-Alcas had, and I wish we could understand them. They seem to understand’Cat but can’t speak it. You ask me, I think they’re too young. They act crazy to please, like dogs, but don’t seem to really know what’s up.” He scratched his nose. “I sure wish Lawrence was here.”
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