Renchett looked mock rueful. "We lost the flyboys."
"How?"
"The headhunters came calling."
"And?"
"We told them that we'd been assigned here. These guys-" He pointed to the original troopers. "-didn't say anything to contradict us. The flyboys weren't as fast on their feet, so the headhunters took them away. They were muttering something about desertion."
"And you didn't do anything to help them?"
"What could we do? We'd come up with a plausible story. It wasn't our fault that they couldn't."
One of the topmen grunted. "I said that saucer crews weren't worth spit on the ground."
The other topmen started gathering up the men they'd brought with them. Dyrkin and Renchett looked ques-tioningly at Rance.
"What's going on?" Renchett asked.
"We're going to see the field police commandant."
Dacker scowled. "From where I'm standing, that sounds like a bloody silly idea. We just had a run-in with those pigs."
"We've got to start taking control around here."
The other troopers started joining the group by the dome. All had the battered equipment and closed faces that were the hallmarks of the hardened longtimer. They gathered silently; there was little unnecessary conversation. When everyone had emerged from shelter, there were eighteen in all. Benset nodded grimly.
"This should be enough to make an impression. You want to tell them, Rance? It was your idea."
Rance nodded.
"Okay, listen up," he said. "The object of the exercise is to get off this planet and back to the ship while we still can. What seems to be stopping us at the moment is that the headhunters are in practical control of the field. Our objective is to take that control for ourselves. Or at least enough of it to get us all onto an e-vac and off planet. You follow me so far?"
There were a number of reluctant nods. Nobody looked happy.
"The central police post is in a bunker across the area, due north. We've got the firepower of almost a full twenty and the experience of a whole combat group between us, and we have to demonstrate that no one can push us around. We'll go to the police bunker in force. When we get there, we'll give their commandant one chance to cooperate. After that, we start leaning. We are going to get off this planet, and nobody is going to stop us. You understand me? Nobody. If we have to, we'll use any force necessary. If we are forced to fire, we won't hesitate. A lot of men are going to be left behind for the Yal, and we are not going to be among them."
Though the men weren't exactly standing tall, tired but fatal belligerence had taken hold of them. They knew that they were an elite, and they were tired of being messed around. Rance wished that he were as confident as he sounded. There were enough headhunters crawling around the area to be a real problem.
They started across the area in a tight skirmish formation. Men actually came out of cover to look at them. Field police groups followed them at a distance, but none approached. Rance glanced across the cleared hilltop. There were storm clouds gathering in the east. There would be rain soon. The spectators ducked as a streamer exploded on the other side of the field. The troopers went right on walking.
The police bunker was almost completely under- ground. There was just a low hump where a buried dome had been covered with banked and fused earth. It was the standard practice for quickly creating a protected command center. The police commandant had taken much more care with his lair than anyone had with the actual evacuation center. Four armed guards stood at the top of the steps that led down into the bunker. They stiffened as the troopers approached but seemed unsure of how to respond. They were heavily outnumbered even though more of their kind were within shouting distance.
Rance continued to assume command.
"You troopers fan out and cover our backs; we don't want any of those cop units coming over here and interfering. Topmen, we'll go talk to the guards."
The troopers walked slowly backward, their guns pointed at the following police. The topmen marched directly up to the four bunker guards.
"Step aside, we're going in."
The center guard, the tallest of the four, shook his head. "I can't allow that. I have orders not to admit anyone but police personel."
Rance pushed his face very close to the guard's and stared into his visor.
"And I'm countermanding those orders. Do you know who I am, boy?"
"No, Topman, I don't know who you are."
"I'm your new commander, boy. Now that there are no officers left, we topmen are in charge."
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?" Rance roared in the man's face.
"I…" The guard faltered.
Rance gestured to the other topmen. "Disarm them." The guards hesitated for a fraction too long before they raised their weapons. That was more than enough for the topmen. They had the MEWs out of the head-hunters' hands in one smooth, concerted movement. Rance peered down the stairs.
"Kalgol, take ten men and secure this entrance. I don't want anyone getting in here."
"Check."
"The rest of you follow me inside. It'll be a classic bunker clearing. They've probably seen us coming, but I doubt they'll expect a frontal assault. Benset and Dyrkin, I want you both up here beside me. I'm taking the point."
Instantly they were a team. They exchanged glances and plunged down the stairs. They went into the bunker fast, peeling off in twos into each room and passage. The men inside were calmly going about their routine duties. Most were in shirtsleeves, totally unprepared for being suddenly engulfed by armored troopers who wouldn't take no for an answer. It was hot in the bunker; there had been no time to install a cooling system. Six head-hunters, clad only in their underwear, were actually hustled from their beds and lined up against the wall with their hands above their heads. The only token resistance came in the main control room when a subkapo tried to draw his sidearm. An MEW was thrust into his face before he could clear the weapon from its holster.
"Shall we all relax?"
Rance looked slowly around at the faces of the occupants. Most of the field police in the nerve center were bunched around the central plot dais. None of them seemed inclined to make trouble. He spoke into his communicator.
"Area secure. How are things on top, Kalgol?"
"Everything's quiet. The headhunters are keeping their distance. It looks like it's going to start to rain any minute."
"Just hang in there."
The field police commandant pushed his way to the front of the knot of men by the plot dais. He was a portly individual clearly not recently accustomed to action. His head was shaved, and a livid scar ran down his right cheek. A tag on his tabard stated that his name was Mai-tov.
"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.
"I'm Topman Rance from the Anah 5. I am one of a group of topmen who have assumed command of this e-vac area."
"On what authority?"
Rance was getting tired of telling the story.
"Simple chain of command. We're now the senior combat noncoms on this base and therefore in command. We have come here to see if we can count on your cooperation."
"You know damned well that in any withdrawal situation, the field police have jurisdiction. What you're doing is little more than armed insurrection."
"The most important thing is that we don't like the way this operation is being conducted." He motioned to the armed men behind him. "We do have the upper hand right now."
"I suppose you want to get e-vaced out."
"Not only that, but we also want to see the evacuation speeded up. We want to get off as many experienced fighting men as we can."