Oberheim (Voices): A Chronicle of War

iness, like a man walking steeply uphill, with death drawing nearer behind him. He sat bolt upright, his jaw set and eyes squinting f

, running through his mind as he did so the business of the day, and recalling with discip

But his political enemies, the weak-hearted opposition who hold the majority in Congress, needing to make themselves feel important, have delayed a vote on the formal Declaration of War. They have attempted to sabotage the m

eaders against their own people, as well as the armed strength of our great nation--and he has assigned US to give it to them." Expressions of satisfaction and approval. "To us th

usly expressing his own desires and expectations of it, he had unwittingly imparted into their image of the President a courage and forthrightn

ary phrases of shock and disbelief at Stone's treachery and sudden reversal. He dressed briskly

yeoman to have my breakfast sent there." His expression changed slightly as he looked into

atter to him, he would serve his General as he had always done, but that if Hayes wished to tell him he would be honored to listen. He was

eved that this was what Stone had done. "He said that to view the matter harshly, I had committed treason..... He ordered me to return home with my tail between my legs and maybe, MAYBE he would forgive me." Without turning he knew that Calder's face had assumed its charact

turned, rekindled, as always, b

. "But you needed to know that things could get a little rough. The Pre

anything," stammered Cal

leet must take up the sword alone." His temper had been quite restored. "But." He raised a ster

ess of the

are honor. "Have you eaten yet today?" And

he had been summoned at odd hours by high personages before. But remembering his blunder the day before, so innocent, and yet looke

He tried to shave, cut himself, realized that this would look bad, placed a skin pad over the area, forgetting to wipe away the blood first, ripped it off, toweled his face and did it again. By now his agitation

y reputation Hayes' fanaticism concerning time. Needing something to occupy his mind, he mused for perhaps the thousandth time that everything in the military was capital letters and even numbers: black and

ainst the adjacent wall, gazed at him with the blank, somewhat hostile expression of an off-duty drill sergeant. Hayes place

or. Since yesterday I've checked your re

of confidence did not comfort him. "I'm so

othing more." He placed a strange emphasis on 'lapse.' "Y

iculty his rigid posture and straight-ahead gaze. It h

Stone, and deliver it to him personally. I'm having a Clipper specially prepared. She'll fly mainly on auto-pilot, with extra

Bullet-pouches were three times faster, and with

ain in your quarters till then, and speak of this to no one. I'll have the flight-suit brought to

him quickly. There

aluted and showed himself the door. As his footstep

?" His second nodded

he Main Intercommunications studio to prepare his pre-battle address to the subcommanders. NO, ON SECOND THOUGHT I'D BETTER MAKE IT THE ENTIRE CREW. WE'VE G

nd was less than sixteen hours away from his projected time of Intercept. H

hout some loss of rationality. Dorfman, a seasoned veteran, had been on tough, grueling m

own life or death was now secondary to the success or failure of the mission and, truly believing this, his fears had not been able to engulf him. His life had been full: his wife was a soldier's wife, and his son was now fourteen

ng, let alone the bulbous, softly glowing scope before him, was next to impossible. But to take a stimulant, he knew, would be worse. He could ill afford to compound the demands on mi

and of sexual violence toward nameless, faceless women were particularly prevalent, but not nearly so painful as the occasional outbursts of groundless hatred toward his wife and son. He knew these for

his fist against the screen. He stood up and put his hands together behind him, craning both neck and back, them pumped his

military clock. On the dark side of Goethe there was no time, only

ighting sure to follow, would not occur until the next morning. He would not eat or sleep until then, concentrating all his energies and attention on the slightest details of preparation. By seven o'clock the next morning he would be transformed into the atavistic frame of mind where decisions were not tainted by conscience

wenty seconds. Ten. The man in the boo

ird Fleet. We stand on the eve of a gre

nd fired his missile, and broke off again into e-light. The automated batteries aboard the Dreadnought picked up and analyzed his presence, aimed a ruby lase

t even the emptiness of Space could not diffuse, pene

s of the studio went out; and when they returned Hayes saw that his speech was ruined. A pitcher of water had spilled across it, and the liquid inside blurred ink and paper together into

is no game." He himself hastened to the uppermost bridge, furious at this

en and equipment that scrambled with sudden activity

g," said a voice, ca

one," ca

ojectile, then broke off again just as fast." This last

the robot-gu

rcept. With so many Alliance ships i

e corrected T

d I've warned the

had taken to calling the Belgians 'French', and the Swiss 'Krauts

rt," came th

hell are you

of the discharging chutes and one of the lower batteries out for twelve to t

aps it was for the best after all. . .so long as no more of them got through.

x on where he came from?" The Fleet Commander was im

berus. We've trained the First and Fourth Robot Artillery to

t see to it that the

ARE NO FOOLS, THOUGH.

up into the bubble f

, keep us

e, the Secretary turned to Frank, and unexpectedly put his arm around his smaller compatriot's shoulder. Though i

with words. "I'm sorry, General. Not going into full Intercept was a

a chair, remained standing himself. "It may even be to our advantage in the long run. Sometimes there's nothing better for a cocky fighter

fter the D.G. Provinces. They can't know where we plan to hit them, of course (the last three digits of the attack coordinates were only now being relayed to

an?" Frank's lo

than I first let on. He's got the authority and resources to supply the Third Flee

h just the Third Fleet." For a moment Hayes stopped his pacing, and unconsciously ground his teeth.

sible, keep losses to a minimum. And that means the launch-pil

. One battle at a time! For now we've got the best men, the best equipment, AND the best leadership." He

and Hayes offered, and bo

he could fire; beat the damn computer, too." The man, facing the controls of

e soldier whirled in his chair, and for a moment his face register

edo-ships, Admiral. Neutr

officer. Frank started to say someth

lebrating? I assure you, you'll have no time for games tomorrow. And to be sure that I make my point, I'm going to assign you

cer as for support. But aware of Frank's eyes upon him, t

TWELVE, YOU OVERSTUFFED SON OF A BITCH. Such were his thoughts all that morning, and the th

the assembly again, this time in different tone and with strong

all of t

l, rather than symbolic damage. And when his lead signal bounced back to him the image of Goethe, still some distance away, along with the outward-bound trail of the supercarri

ual parts horribly distorted: almost physical the effect of their ugliness upon him. His spirit had given up all hope of survival: strange voices. His tortured neck and back fused with the paroxysms of a migraine to form the single and in

f his thirtieth hour, w

his mind were no longe

it off like the partin

d but his missi

ouse himself mentally for the last decisive

s now. Not

in sight, mi

Locke

WHAT THE HE

light. PROJECTI

Manual disen

tteries aboard Drea

n-burst of ruby lasers

e a

t the ceiling of the inner hull. He

sun, Athena. Slowing further still, he places himself directly in line with sun a

he. The time arrives. With the last of his e-light capacity and deep-s

drawing near. Slows to sub-light and raises entry sh

increases. Aware that he is being tracked and pursued by Alliance fighters, he makes j

crash-landing into the dark, heaving waters. The pursuit ships hover for a time

up coded recovery signal, makes toward the j

an pilot, returns to a safer depth and

nta Island. Vessel enters, continues forward, then slowly rises to the surface of a vast, un

ed. Major Janson brought her to a safe distance from the mother ship, double-checked coordin

least I'll get to see

nd turned the controls over to the computer. Seven minutes later

God did nothin

.......................