II

If only they didn't have this towering independency and conceit, Ward

thought. They used to fight as individual ships. Then they weren't

the least surprised if a lonely frigate was blown to splinters by an

overwhelming Grimnal force. In fact, it was a thing of joy and beauty

forever.

It was only by the very fiercest thundering had he gotten this fleet

together under Tahn, and only Tahn's high position had kept it

together. And God only knew how much longer it would hold together. The

Grimnal had shown remarkable organization. Ward had pointed that out,

and that was a gross mistake.

The Kali wanted nothing to do with what the Grimnal did.

A sharp rap sounded on the cabin door and a Kali slipped in. He made

the casual motion that could be a salute, a greeting or a wave good-by,

depending on circumstances.

"Two gliders return," he said happily. "In the bay are two

first-liners, four second-liners, five frigates and some corvettes. All

at anchor. Just waiting for us."

Ward nodded.

"How many corvettes?"

The Kali's face wrinkled in dismay.

"Fifty-six," he said softly.

Ward smiled to himself, and ran the Kali fleet by in his mind.

Eighteen first-liners mounting a hundred-twenty guns apiece. Eleven

second-liners mounting eighty to ninety guns. Twenty-four frigates

mounting fifty to sixty guns. Fifty-two corvettes mounting ten

to twenty guns. A strong force, but not as strong as the Grimnal

potential. Firmly, he said:

"We will run down almost to Anda Passage--then wait."

The Kali glanced at each other. Tahn coughed.

"Not to go in?"

"No!"

"Why?"

Ward took a deep breath and told himself to stay calm.

"We know there are land guns along the Passage. We know that even

without them three first-liners could hold it against anything. We know

that those ships in the bay are not the whole fleet. Where are the

rest?"

Double cough. Double head bob. Two helpless expressions.

"We outnumber," Tahn said hopefully.

Ward muffled a smile. At least they were learning something.

"We cannot go in, Tahn. It's a trap."

Tahn was quiet, his whole body slowly coming to what Ward knew was hurt

pride and anger.

"Then we wait?"

"We wait."

Tahn was nearly rigid, his voice fighting its cage of control.

"We wait like before?"

* * * * *

It was Ward's turn to let a tingling moment pass. This was the first

overt mention of his past actions. He must walk softly. Kali temper was

like nitroglycerine; one touch the wrong way....

"We wait only to learn of the other Grimnal ships," he said evenly. "We

let them make the first move in order to see what they are doing. Then

we strike--hard!"

After a long, breathless moment, Tahn coughed. It was one that Ward

never heard before, but judging by sound, it was not meant to be

pleasant. Ward stood up, stared directly at Tahn and said quietly "I

charge you with honesty, Tahn."

It was a serious phrase. Tahn made the equivalent of a nod.

"There is much talk," he began, his voice higher pitched. "We ask

ourselves why we do not fight. The Grimnal takes many islands; land

that is ours. He does not defeat us, but we do not stop him. We wait as

you tell us. We wait and see our islands lost.

"The Kali are ashamed, and the Grimnal laughs. We cannot go home and

face our women and children.

"You come to show us how to fight, you say. But we do not fight. We

wait. You tell us things that will make us win, but we do not fight. We

wait. You hold us back. We ask ourselves why."

He straightened, obviously grabbing a big piece of Kali courage.

"There is an answer why. Perhaps you help other Gods than ours.

Or--perhaps you are afraid."

There it was. Stark and ugly. Ward looked at Tahn for a long time, then

straightened to his full five-eleven.

"As a God Helper I am charged with honesty at all times," he said, and

let it sink in for a second.

"I see many more things than the surface of the sea and the direction

of the wind. What I do for the Kali is for the good of the Kali. If

you follow me, you go to victory. If you do not follow, you go to the

bottom."

The Kali glared with glittering eyes. Tahn's cough was a bark.

"Perhaps some will follow."

Their parting salute was crisp as they spun and left.

Ward eased himself back to the chair and stared at the door. This was

the ragged edge. They fight the one coming, or else.... And if they

lost it, the Confederation could mark off the Kali, John Ward and the

planet.

He remembered all too clearly the other engagements, if you would

call them that. And he remembered too the disappointment, chagrin and

outright anger of the Kali, and his own frustration.

* * * * *

Engagement One: Taley Point. They had surprised a small Grimnal force

close in to shore on the leeward side. After trading shots at extreme

range. Ward gave the order to withdraw. Reasons? Shallows, reefs, a

raising wind, and nightfall. The Grimnal was gone in the morning. The

Kali had been stunned. It was the first time they had ever withdrawn

with whole ships.

Engagement Two: Gola Island. They had chased a smaller force into port,

but Ward had held off because of intense shore fire. The Kali did not

sing for three days.

Engagement Three: Bari Sea. They were closing with a nearly equal

force, yet out of range, when a large wind devil, one of the freak,

contrary winds, had slashed across both fleets; shredding sails,

splintering masts, effectively crippling both forces. Ward gave the

order to heave to and repair damages, as the Grimnal did the same. The

Kali were astonished. Such a thought was madness with the enemy in

sight. But they followed orders, and did not smile when he appeared any

more.

Engagement Four: Darel Sea. (Oh, the Darel Sea!) They were closing at

glider range when a lucky Grimnal had sneaked in and managed to fire

bomb a first-liner. Without that ship they were greatly out-gunned

and, leaving a frigate to take off the crew, they slipped off downwind.

It was a near rebellion, but Tahn had held them. Then the wind came

up, bringing the Grimnal force with it. And both the frigate and the

burning first went down fighting. The Kali had cried, probably, Ward

thought, more in admiration than in sadness.

And now, as a result of a vote of ships' captains, they were headed

straight for the Grimnal's heart; and Ward wondered if he was anything

more than a passenger. He knew he had been tactically right in each

case, but the Kali knew he was morally wrong. So who had it, the head

or the heart?

And what about this thing of being afraid? That hurt. He didn't believe

he was afraid. Honestly, he really couldn't say. He had, as a fact,

never fought a battle in his life.

* * * * *

He used to play a game in the scouts. What did they call it? Capture

the Flag, or something like that. Each side had a hidden flag and the

other tried to get it. He was always the planner. How'll we do it,

John? And he would tell them, and keep away from the rough stuff, and

they nearly always won.

But violence fascinated him as a spectator. Later his reading took him

in that direction, and later still his studies. In the middle of his

life he found he was one of the leading historical naval tacticians in

the world. He started writing historical novels, under a pseudonym, of

course, and soon became the world's authority.

Then someone blundered into Aqua.

For a couple hundred years the Terran Confederation and the United

Peace Worlds had been at war. Not an open, honest, stand-up-and-get-it

war; but an undercover, half ignored, let's-get-the-kids-to-fight war.

A galaxywide game, played for planets, using local cultures. And always

according to the rules. No new technologies. No new weapons. Use what

you have at hand. Play it fair. Because if you do not, neither will

we--and together we will eliminate the universe.

Aqua was a natural. It had a war already underway. Deep in the

secretmost catacombs of Confederation Central a voice said: "Find a man

who knows ancient naval tactics. Find a man who knows sailing. Find a

man who knows combustion firearms. Find a man. Now!"

And the order went rattle-rattle, click-click, wink, blink ... and

reached out and touched Doctor John Ward.

Although _Colonel_ Ward's training had filled three straight days,

there was one thing they forgot to tell him--what do you think about,

really, when someone fires a cannon in your face?

A knock came at the door. Ward rubbed his face back into an expression

of awareness.

"Come."

Tahn entered briskly and strode to the opposite side of the table. His

eyes held a level, challenging look.

"Gliders say there are Grimnal coming up behind us along the coast.

About--uh--two hours distant."

"How many?"

"There are four firsts, five seconds, twelve frigates and some

corvettes."

Ward patiently tapped the table.

"How many corvettes?"

"Twenty-three."

Ward was thoughtful for a moment.

"We still have them. But it still is not their whole force."

"We hit them?"

I'd better answer this one right, he told himself. They were now just

below Pelo Break, about two hours from the Passage. There was about an

hour of daylight left.

"After the sun dies," he said, avoiding the word "wait," "we will swing

to meet this new force. If the wind holds straight and steady, we will

come across to them like sharks in the night."

"Sharks?"

Ward grinned.

"A very savage deep sea fish of my world."

Tahn relaxed, and a twisted smile came over his narrow face.

"It will be a short fight," he said softly.