"Stonewall?" Joe was turning to resume his chair and magazine. "He's
supposed to be a student of a top general back in the American Civil
War. Uses some of the original Stonewall's tactics."
Max was out of his depth. "American Civil War? Was that much of a
fracas, captain? It musta been before my time."
"It was quite a fracas," Joe said dryly. "Lot of good lads died. A
hundred years after it was fought, the _reasons_ it was fought seemed
about as valid as those we fight fracases for today. Personally I--"
He had to cut it short. They were calling him on the address system. His
aircraft was ready. Joe made his way to the hangars, followed by Max
Mainz. He was going to pilot the airplane himself and old Stonewall
Cogswell would have been surprised at what Joe Mauser was looking for.
V
By the time they had returned to quarters, there was a message waiting
for Captain Mauser. He was to report to the officer commanding
reconnaissance.
Joe redressed in the Haer kilts and proceeded to headquarters.
The officer commanding reconnaissance turned out to be none other than
Balt Haer, natty as ever, and, as ever, arrogantly tapping his swagger
stick against his leg.
"Zen! Captain," he complained. "Where have you been? Off on a trank
kick? We've got to get organized."
Joe Mauser snapped him a salute. "No, sir. I rented an aircraft to scout
out the terrain over which we'll be fighting."
"Indeed. And what were your impressions, captain?" There was an overtone
which suggested that it made little difference what impressions a
captain of cavalry might have gained.
Joe shrugged. "Largely mountains, hills, woods. Good reconnaissance is
going to make the difference in this one. And in the fracas itself
cavalry is going to be more important than either artillery or infantry.
A Nathan Forrest fracas, sir. A matter of getting there fustest with the
mostest."
Balt Haer said amusedly. "Thanks for your opinion, captain. Fortunately,
our staff has already come largely to the same conclusions. Undoubtedly,
they'll be glad to hear your wide experience bears them out."
Joe said evenly, "It's a rather obvious conclusion, of course." He took
this as it came, having been through it before. The dilettante amateur's
dislike of the old pro. The amateur in command who knew full well he was
less capable than many of those below him in rank.
"Of course, captain," Balt Haer flicked his swagger stick against his
leg. "But to the point. Your squadron is to be deployed as scouts under
my overall command. You've had cavalry experience, I assume."
"Yes, sir. In various fracases over the past fifteen years."
"Very well. Now then, to get to the reason I have summoned you.
Yesterday in my father's office you intimated that you had some
grandiose scheme which would bring victory to the Haer colors. But then,
on some thin excuse, refused to divulge just what the scheme might be."
Joe Mauser looked at him unblinkingly.
Balt Haer said: "Now I'd like to have your opinion on just how Vacuum
Tube Transport can extract itself from what would seem a poor position
at best."
In all there were four others in the office, two women clerks
fluttering away at typers, and two of Balt Haer's junior officers. They
seemed only mildly interested in the conversation between Balt and Joe.
Joe wet his lips carefully. The Haer scion was his commanding officer.
He said, "Sir, what I had in mind is a new gimmick. At this stage, if I
told anybody and it leaked, it'd never be effective, not even this first
time."
Haer observed him coldly. "And you think me incapable of keeping your
secret, ah, _gimmick_, I believe is the idiomatic term you used."
Joe Mauser's eyes shifted around the room, taking in the other four, who
were now looking at him.
Bait Haer rapped, "These members of my staff are all trusted Haer
employees, Captain Mauser. They are not fly-by-night freelancers hired
for a week or two."
Joe said, "Yes, sir. But it's been my experience that one person can
hold a secret. It's twice as hard for two, and from there on it's a
decreasing probability in a geometric ratio."
The younger Haer's stick rapped the side of his leg, impatiently.
"Suppose I inform you that this is a command, captain? I have little
confidence in a supposed gimmick that will rescue our forces from
disaster and I rather dislike the idea of a captain of one of my
squadrons dashing about with such a bee in his bonnet when he should be
obeying my commands."
Joe kept his voice respectful. "Then, sir, I'd request that we take the
matter to the Commander in Chief, your father."
"Indeed!"
Joe said, "Sir, I've been working on this a long time. I can't afford to
risk throwing the idea away."
Bait Haer glared at him. "Very well, captain. I'll call your bluff, come
along." He turned on his heel and headed from the room.
Joe Mauser shrugged in resignation and followed him.
* * * * *
The old Baron wasn't much happier about Joe Mauser's secrets than was
his son. It had only been the day before that he had taken Joe on, but
already he had seemed to have aged in appearance. Evidently, each hour
that went by made it increasingly clear just how perilous a position he
had assumed. Vacuum Tube Transport had elbowed, buffaloed, bluffed and
edged itself up to the outskirts of the really big time. The Baron's
ability, his aggressiveness, his flair, his political pull, had all
helped, but now the chips were down. He was up against one of the
biggies, and this particular biggy was tired of ambitious little Vacuum
Tube Transport.
He listened to his son's words, listened to Joe's defense.
He said, looking at Joe, "If I understand this, you have some scheme
which you think will bring victory in spite of what seems a disastrous
situation."
"Yes, sir."
The two Haers looked at him, one impatiently, the other in weariness.
Joe said, "I'm gambling everything on this, sir. I'm no Rank Private in
his first fracas. I deserve to be given some leeway."
Balt Haer snorted. "Gambling everything! What in Zen would _you_ have to
gamble, captain? The whole Haer family fortunes are tied up. Hovercraft
is out for blood. They won't be satisfied with a token victory and a
negotiated compromise. They'll devastate us. Thousands of mercenaries
killed, with all that means in indemnities; millions upon million in
expensive military equipment, most of which we've had to hire and will
have to recompensate for. Can you imagine the value of our stock after
Stonewall Cogswell has finished with us? Why, every two by four trucking
outfit in North America will be challenging us, and we won't have the
forces to meet a minor skirmish."
Joe reached into an inner pocket and laid a sheaf of documents on the
desk of Baron Malcolm Haer. The Baron scowled down at them.
Joe said simply, "I've been accumulating stock since before I was
eighteen and I've taken good care of my portfolio in spite of taxes and
the various other pitfalls which make the accumulation of capital
practically impossible. Yesterday, I sold all of my portfolio I was
legally allowed to sell and converted to Vacuum Tube Transport." He
added, dryly, "Getting it at an excellent rate, by the way."
Balt Haer mulled through the papers, unbelievingly. "Zen!" he
ejaculated. "The fool really did it. He's sunk a small fortune into our
stock."
Baron Haer growled at his son, "You seem considerably more convinced of
our defeat than the captain, here. Perhaps I should reverse your
positions of command."
His son grunted, but said nothing.
Old Malcolm Haer's eyes came back to Joe. "Admittedly, I thought you on
the romantic side yesterday, with your hints of some scheme which would
lead us out of the wilderness, so to speak. Now I wonder if you might
not really have something. Very well, I respect your claimed need for
secrecy. Espionage is not exactly an antiquated military field."
"Thank you, sir."
But the Baron was still staring at him. "However, there's more to it
than that. Why not take this great scheme to Marshal Cogswell? And
yesterday you mentioned that the Telly sets of the nation would be tuned
in on this fracas, and obviously you are correct. The question becomes,
what of it?"
The fat was in the fire now. Joe Mauser avoided the haughty stare of
young Balt Haer and addressed himself to the older man. "You have
political pull, sir. Oh, I know you don't make and break presidents. You
couldn't even pull enough wires to keep Hovercraft from making this a
divisional magnitude fracas--but you have pull enough for my needs."
Baron Haer leaned back in his chair, his barrel-like body causing that
article of furniture to creak. He crossed his hands over his stomach.
"And what are your needs, Captain Mauser?"
Joe said evenly, "If I can bring this off, I'll be a fracas buff
celebrity. I don't have any illusions about the fickleness of the Telly
fans, but for a day or two I'll be on top. If at the same time I had
your all out support, pulling what strings you could reach--"
"Why then, you'd be promoted to Upper, wouldn't you, captain?" Balt Haer
finished for him, amusement in his voice.
"That's what I'm gambling on," Joe said evenly.
The younger Haer grinned at his father superciliously. "So our captain
says he will defeat Stonewall Cogswell in return for you sponsoring his
becoming a member of the nation's elite."
* * * * *
"Good Heavens, is the supposed cream of the nation now selected on no
higher a level than this?" There was sarcasm in the words.
The three men turned. It was the girl Joe had bumped into the day
before. The Haers didn't seem surprised at her entrance.
"Nadine," the older man growled. "Captain Joseph Mauser who has been
given a commission in our forces."
Joe went through the routine of a Middle of officer's rank being
introduced to a lady of Upper caste. She smiled at him, somewhat
mockingly, and failed to make standard response.
Nadine Haer said, "I repeat, what is this service the captain can render
the house of Haer so important that pressure should be brought to raise
him to Upper caste? It would seem unlikely that he is a noted scientist,
an outstanding artist, a great teacher--"