The only thing they have left is their artillery, and they're pretty well out of rockets for that. "Where's the signal coming from?"
"Up on the ridge, where they overran the Brotherhood outpost."
"Hah. Get me Mace."
"Scouts, Captain Mace."
"Jamey, have a hard look at Ridge 503. Figure out how you'd retreat from there toward the enemy artillery base. Put one of your best SAS teams in a good position, and stand by weapons. I think theyll have targets to designate soon enough. And watch for vehicles, someone claiming to be their top leader is up there and they may send something for him."
"You got it."
"Andy, when we put the rebel commander on, I want you to listen. Patch Barton in too. Private comments to me if indicated."
"Yes, sir. Helot field commander, I have the Colonel. Go ahead."
A woman's voice answered, astonishingly enough. Blurred by an antivoiceprint device, otherwise a clear contralto with a lilting Caribbean accent.
"This Spartan Liberation Army Field Prime, proposin' a mutual withdrawal under terms, with temporary armistice," she said.
Owensford felt his lips turn in a snarl. "Interesting. What are you offering in exchange for letting you get away?"
A laugh, cool and amused. "You can't stop us, merc. We get out of here when we want. Look, up there, we gots threes north and south of you. You attack one way, we come the other."
"I see." Peter thumbed the command set. "Get a good fix on that position, and tell Jamey to get his scouts moving."
"And you come both north and south, and we bugs out," she said reasonably. "One part of the Dales just about like another to us, mon. We got enough firepower left to keep you heads down while we be going, too. And you notice something? All your mules be dead, mon. No transport, nohows; hell, you goan have to hunt for the pot. You got visual from your river base?"
"Yes," he said, switching on a screen with an overhead view.
"Watch this. See the second mortar on the right?"
A few seconds later something like a very quick firefly darted into the spyeye's view, did a double loop and slammed neatly into the steel cover over the mortar's hatch.
"These things got a range of better than thirty klicks," the voice went on. "So you relief force not going to land here. Gots to land downstream, fight they way through thick woods we holding and have mined, by the time they get here we gone. You want to chase us through the woods, booby traps and ambush for a thousand klicks? All right with me, mon. No satellites for you, now, either."
"Thank you," Sastri said on the private channel. "We have located the source of that rocket. Out of our range, I fear. I will notify Captain Mace."
"Another thing," the rebel leader said. "We got, oh, two-fifty prisoners up there, another eighty-so in your Firebase One we overrun, and here at the river. You don't agree, we kill them all."
"Typical," Jesus Alana said. Hah, Owensford thought. Andy must have the entire staff listening to this.
Good.
"Typical terrorists," Alana continued. "When things go wrong they threaten hostages."
"I will hold you personally responsible for any violation of the Laws of War," Peter Owensford said.
Laughter "Responsible? Mon, me head in a noose already if we lose! What you do, hang me twice? This no gentlemon war, dis de Revolution. All or nothing.
"Too, we figure you got maybe fifteen percent casualties, lots of gas-wounded what die if they doan get regenn soon. We run away, you kill a few more of us, but not much left of pretty-mon army, hey?"
"I'm listening."
"You talk sensible, we let you fly them out."
That could be crucial; the time between injury and treatment was the single most important factor in survival rates. Particularly for the ones with lungs burned by the desiccants.
"Field Prime moves a company or so out into the open, they hostages. Doan expect you to trust we. You wounded, they me hostages."
Owensford changed channels. "Get me Kicker Six. Fast." He switched back. "I don't have authority to make deals with you. I'll have to get a political leader."
"Mon you damn well better hurry doin' it."
"That's as may be," Owensford said. "But until I get political authorization, the answer to your request is no."
"How long it take?"
"Depends on my communications," Owensford said.
"I give you fifteen minutes. Then no deal. I call you back."
"Headquarters calling, Prince," Harv said. He held out the handset.
I don't have time, there are a million things happening all at once and I can't keep track of them- He took the instrument. "Kicker Six here."
"I need to speak to Prince Lysander."
"Sir?"
"Political decision time," Owensford said. "The enemy is offering a truce. The bait is about four hundred Brotherhood soldiers, plus letting us fly out the wounded. They'll release their hostages in exchange for a cease-fire. Otherwise they kill them."
"Will-will they do that?"
"They're terrorists. Of course they will."
"What do we lose if we take them up on it?" Lysander asked.
"Pursuit. I've got the SAS teams moving into place, and a new supply of Thoth. We have an overextended enemy, nearly exhausted, with their elite forces strung out in exposed places. They claim they can always get more troops, but that's exactly what they can't do. It takes time to train lunatics out of the illiterates they start with. We're the ones who can turn Citizens into soldiers in short order."
"Four hundred Brothers."
"Or Candidates. About half in half would be my guess. If they have that many. They may be lying."
"But you don't know."
"No. Our communications haven't been that good. The figure is possible." Owensford paused. "I'm more concerned about our wounded. Some were gassed. They'll survive with prompt treatment, otherwise not."
"What would you do if they were your troops?" Lysander asked.
"I don't have to say. Every mercenary hates decisions like that. Our troops are our capital."
"What is it, Prince?" Harv demanded. "What's wrong?"
Lysander shook him off. "Colonel, you don't have to decide, but you do have to advise me. What would you do?"
"I'd win the battle. Every one of their elites we let get away is a new hero, someone to train more. But there's something else. Our troops are exhausted. I can harass the enemy as he pulls out, but what we really need is to break past their rear guards and have a real pursuit. That means more hard fighting, maybe desperate fighting. More casualties, maybe a lot more casualties, and the way the troops are placed, most of that will fall on Spartans. Not just regulars, the Brotherhood militia. I can't kid you, if we refuse the truce you'll lose men. The hostages, lots of the wounded, and more."
Lysander swallowed hard. He could hear the fighting around him. The Prince Royal's Own were still moving forward, slowed now, but still moving.
"They planned it this way," Lysander said.
"Something like that," Owensford agreed. "They had their plan, this elaborate scheme to destroy us.
When that didn't work they thought to try this."
"We lose a lot if we turn them down," Lysander said. "And our men are tired too." He felt as if his head had been filled with cotton batting, then set on fire. Mostly he wanted to lie down and sleep. "Will they fight if we do? Will the Legion support us?"
"Yes."
Yes. Not maybe. No hesitation, no excuses. Yes. Lysander looked around the command post. Men dead and dying, but men doing their jobs too. And outside. Troops fought. Fought and died, but every one of them, alive or dead, was facing the enemy. He looked at Harv, who stood relaxed, but eager to move on.
Well at least one of them will follow me. And every one of those bastards we kill now is one fewer to kill our women and children, raid our ranches- And then he knew.
"Colonel Owensford, please patch me through to the Helot commander. When I have finished speaking with him, I would be pleased if you would connect me to the command link so that I can address the troops directly."