Intrepid

''Yes, Your Highness,'' Gunny agreed, ''but our folks will be under cover, not be out in the open when the shooting starts.''

Peter Tzu just looked more worried by the minute.

''Captain Drago, could you send us a picture of Cortez's troop layout.'' He did.

''Nelly, could you overlay his troop array on the ground before us.''

In a moment, a heliograph appeared in front of them, showing troops in white smocks scattered over the hill in front of them and the rice paddies. Coming up behind them was a main column of armored infantry and wagons. Trailing them were several herd guards wielding long poles as they tried to keep farm stock together. Still, they had rifles slung over their shoulders.

''Do you think they'll stay as spread out? I can't see someone choosing to wade through a rice paddy when he can walk along the dikes.''

''But how do people in the dikes shoot at people on the dikes,'' the farmer asked.

Kris again formed her hands into a right angle. Tzu nodded but still didn't seem convinced.

''We'll need to put rifles in the second, third, and fourth lines of dikes,'' Jack said. Gunny nodded.

''But those hand grenades,'' Tzu repeated.

''If we stack bales of hay or grain at the ends of the tunnels …'' Gunny said.

''They'll catch fire,'' Tzu said.

''But if they absorb the explosion and fragments …'' Kris said.

''It should cut down on the casualties,'' Jack said.

Kris also wanted to examine options for deploying her Marines, but having a civilian in her war council was not going as well as she had hoped. They started down the hill to do what needed doing. She'd talk about the Marines later.

How many battles had she gotten herself into since she joined the Navy?

Too many, a small voice said.

And none went anything like the battles she read about in the history books. Would some professor, from the safety of his dusty ivory tower, match this battle up against historical precedent and make its conclusion look easy and foregone?

Of course, he'd know what Kris and her troops had done. And what had worked. And what hadn't work.

Matters weren't that easy under a hot sun with dust rising from digging shovels. Hindsight was easy. Foresight wasn't.

And the two of them were separated by an agony of distance.

* * *

Cortez had come to hate these little talks with the starship captain who rode so comfortably above it all. The colonel had cut Thorpe off in midresponse when he passed over after they took the ditches. Thorpe hadn't even bothered to call down the next two passes as the troops ate the fruits of their victory.

But now Cortez was moving to what had to be contact. Only after he asked Thorpe for coverage of the next likely ambush point did the starship send down the photos and map.

And Cortez hadn't gotten around to mentioning that the Longknife ship was passing over sooner and sooner after Thorpe's ship. Let him and his ship sensors find out for himself.

Cortez examined the strange arrangement in the swamps ahead of him. Captain Sawyer had identified them as rice paddies.

''People could lurk under the water and come up out of it to shoot at us as we go by,'' Major Zhukov observed.

''And shoot at us from this hill,'' Cortez added.

''It's obviously a good place for an ambush,'' the major agreed, ''but will this Longknife girl do something that obvious? Will her Marine leaders let her?''

''All good questions,'' Cortez agreed. ''That first ambush was an obvious one … and she got away with it. Our breakfast stop was obvious … and she passed on it. She's got to engage us sooner or later. Have you spotted any good ground up ahead?''

Zhukov shook his head. Sawyer shrugged.

''So,'' Cortez concluded, ''she either gives up the last good ambush site, or she doesn't. Either way, I intend to walk into the damn fox trap loaded for bear.''

Cortez studied his map. ''We'll take a break here, a good mile shy of their ambush.'' He thought for a moment. ''Sawyer, your company has handled the vanguard position fine, but I think I want to replace you there with another bunch.''

''Who?''

Cortez knew his grin was pure evil, but he loved it at the moment. ''The gift they gave us. What else?''

* * *

Kris licked her dry lips. It was hot … and she was nervous. She'd done all she could. Now she was just waiting for Cortez to show up.

The Marines had added several refinements to her plan. The sticky net was laid out, ready to take down a chunk of the van. A half dozen of the fastest Marine sharpshooters had been distributed to leaven the local riflemen and -women. They were stationed close to the road and loaded with sleepy darts. Their orders were to concentrate on the light infantry.

The rest of the Marines were held in three reserves. She'd use them to counter whatever surprises Cortez came up with. She expected some good ones from him. That still left her nervously licking her lips. Was she making a mistake—trying to fight this thing to a surrender? Only time would tell.