A fountain, the basin carved into a lotus, tinkled in the middle of the plaza. Flowering trees stood around it. The plaza was defined on three sides by massive buildings that could be for storage. On the fourth side rose a smaller temple-like with a graceful cupola, obviously headquarters and meeting house. On its lowest step were ranked half a dozen blue-robed men, five of them husky youths. The sixth was middle-aged, the Yang and Yin on his breast. His features, ordinary in themselves, held an implacable calm.
Mackenzie and Speyer drew rein. The colonel flipped a soft salute. “Philosopher Gaines? I’m Mackenzie, here’s Major Speyer.” He swore at himself for being so awkward about it and wondered what to do with his hands. The young fellows he understood, more or less; they watched him with badly concealed hostility. But he had some trouble meeting Gaines eyes.
The settlement leader inclined his head. “Welcome, gentlemen. Won’t you come in?”
Mackenzie dismounted, hitched his horse to a post and removed his helmet. His worn reddish-brown uniform felt shabbier yet in these surroundings. “Thanks. Uh, I’ll have to make this quick.”
“To be sure. Follow me, please.”
Stiff-backed, the young men trailed after their elders, through an entry chamber and down a short hall. Speyer looked around at the mosaics. “Why, this is lovely,” he murmured.
“Thank you,” said Gaines. “Here’s my office.” He opened a door of superbly grained walnut and gestured the visitors through. When he closed it behind himself, the acolytes waited outside.
The room was austere, whitewashed walls enclosing little more than a desk, a shelf of books, and some backless chairs. A window opened on a garden. Gaines sat down. Mackenzie and Speyer followed suit, uncomfortable on this furniture.
“We’d better get right to business,” the colonel blurted. Gaines said nothing. At last Mackenzie must plow ahead:
“Here’s the situation.. Our force is to occupy Calistoga, with detachments on either side of the hills. That way we’ll control both the Napa Valley and the Valley of the Moon, from the northern ends, at least. The best place to station our eastern wing is here. We plan to establish a fortified camp in the field yonder. I’m sorry about the damage to your crops, but you’ll be compensated once the proper government has been restored. And food, medicine—you understand this army has to requisition such items, but we won’t let anybody suffer undue hardship and we’ll give receipts. Uh, as a precaution we’ll need to quarter a few men in this community, to sort of keep an eye on things. They’ll interfere as little as possible. Okay?”
“The charter, of the Order guarantees exemption from military requirements,” Gaines answered evenly. “In fact, no armed man is supposed to cross the boundary of any land by an Esper settlement. I cannot be a party to a violation of the law, Colonel.”
“If you want to split legal hairs, Philosopher,” Speyer said, “then I’ll remind you that both Fallon and Judge Brodsky have declared martial law. Ordinary rules are suspended.”
Gaines smiled. “Since only one government can be legitmate,” he said, “the proclamations of the other are necessarily null and void. To a disinterested observer, it would appear that Judge Fallon’s title is the stronger, especially when his side controls a large continuous area rather some scattered bossdoms.”
“Not any more, it doesn’t,” Mackenzie snapped.
Speyer gestured him back. “Perhaps you haven’t followed the developments of the last few weeks, Philosopher,” he said. “Allow me to recapitulate. The Sierra Command stole a march on the Fallonites and came down out of the mountains. There was almost nothing left in the middle part of California to oppose us, so we took over rapidiy. By occupying Sacramento, we control river and rail traffic. Our bases extend south below Bakersfield, with Yosemite and Kink’s Canyon not far away to provide sites for extremely strong positions. When we’ve consolidated this northern end of our gains, the Fallonite forces around Redding will be trap between us and the powerful bossmen who still hold out in the Trinity, Shasta, and Lassen regions. The very fact of our being here has forced the enemy to evacuate the Columbia Valley, so that San Francisco may be defended. It’s an open question which side today has the last word in larger territory.”
“What about the army that went into the Sierra against you?” Gaines inquired shrewdly. “Have you contained them?”
Mackenzie scowled. “No. That’s no secret. They got through the Mother Lode country and went around us. They’re down in Los Angeles and San Diego now.”
“A formidable host. Do you expect to stand them off definitely?”
“We’re going to make a hell of a good try,” Mackenzie said. “Where we are, we’ve got the advantage of interior communications. And most of the freeholders are glad to slip us word about whatever they observe. We can concentrate at any point the enemy starts to attack.”
“Pity that this rich land, must also be torn apart by war.”
“Yeah. Isn’t it?”
“Our strategic objective is obvious enough,” Speyer said. “We have cut enemy communications across the middle, except by sea, which is not very satisfactory for troops operating this far inland. We deny him access to a good part of his food and manufactured supplies, and most especially to the bulk of his fuel alcohol. The backbone of our own side is the bossdoms, which are almost self-contained economic and social units. Before long they’ll be in better shape than the foodless army they face. I think Judge Brodsky will be back in San Francisco before fall.”
“If your plans succeed,” Gaines said.
“That’s our worry.” Mackenzie leaned forward, one fist doubled on his knee. “Okay, Philosopher. I know you’d rather see Fallon come out on top, but I expect you’ve got more sense than to sign up in a lost cause. Will you cooperate with us?”
“The Order takes no part in political affairs, Colonel, except when its own existence is endangered.”
“Oh, pipe down. By ‘cooperate’ I don’t mean anything but keeping out from under our feet.”
“I am afraid that would still count as cooperation. We cannot have military establishments on our lands.”
Mackenzie stared at Gaines’ face, which had set into granite lines, and wondered if he had heard aright “Are you ordering us off?” a stranger asked with his voice.
“Yes,” the Philosopher said.
“With our artillery zeroed in on your town?”
“Would you really shell women and children, Colonel?”
O Nora—“We don’t need to. Our men can walk right in.”
“Against psi blasts? I beg you not to have those poor boys destroyed.” Gaines paused, then: “I might also point out that losing your regiment you imperil your whole cause. You are free to march around our holdings and proceed to Calistoga.”
Leaving a Fallonite nest at my back, spang across my communications southward. The teeth grated together in Mackenzie’s mouth.
Gaines rose. “The discussion is at an end, gentlemen,” he said. “You have one hour to get off our lands.”
Mackenzie and Speyer stood up too. “We’re not done yet,” the major said. Sweat studded his forehead and the long nose. “I want to make some further explanations.”
Gaines crossed the room and opened the door, “Show these gentlemen, out,” he said to the five acolytes.
“No, by God!” Mackenzie shouted. He clapped a hand to his sidearm.
“Inform the adepts,” Gaines said.
One of the young men turned. Mackenzie heard the slap of his sandals, running down the hall. Gaines nodded. “I think you had better go,” he said.
Speyer grew rigid. His eyes shut. They flew open and he breathed, “Inform the adepts?”