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somewhere long enough to take some additional medication. She was afraid that
if she did she might miss something of value.
Though she continued to shake, she did not, somewhat to her surprise, go
catatonic. Years of training and conditioning were paying off. Straat-ien kept
staring at her. His stance and expression hinted at approval, appraisal& and
something more, something she couldn t quite define.
Then he was gone, whirling to rejoin the fight.
The Massood had a difficult time with their assailants. Not only was it
important for the command sled to maintain its position and function in the
greater conflict that was roiling the delta, those on board had to fight off
the harassing Crigolit as well.
It occurred to Lalelelang that if the sled s defenders were unable to defeat
the attacking enemy, it wouldn t matter whether she lost her shakes or not. No
doubt the Amplitur would be delighted to have her: they didn t see many Wais
prisoners.
The efficiency of the Humans in repelling the attackers was appalling to
observe. The distancing exercises she had devised received a strenuous
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workout. Repeated checks of the recorder helped her to half convince herself
that she was not witnessing actual fighting; merely recording a demonstration.
Lives were being lost all around her only in the abstract. Such practiced
self-delusion enabled her to maintain her emotional equilibrium amid hellish
conditions.
Halfway through the battle to retain control of the sled, a singular incident
ensued.
An entire squad of Massood, some limping, some otherwise wounded, was
retreating down the corridor in which she found herself when they were
confronted by a single Human noncommissioned officer: a slightly built,
dark-haired individual who addressed them sharply via his translator unit.
Being almost as fluent in Massoodai as she was in Huma, she understood both
his comments and the sibilant replies they provoked.
The Human s argument did not strike her as especially persuasive in light of
the apparent injuries several members of the squad had suffered. They halted
before him, staring rather vacuously. Then, one by one, they turned to retrace
their path. Clutching his own sidearm, the Human noncom started to follow,
when he suddenly noticed Lalelelang staring in his direction. Amid the chaos
and confusion of battle their eyes locked for an instant: hers wide and blue,
his small and black-pupiled. She wanted to look away but found that she
couldn t.
Then the Human was gone, back down the corridor.
Doing, her best to ignore the deafening screams and echoing explosions all
around she struggled to analyze what had just happened. The conversation she
had overheard had contained no semantic surprises that she could recall. It
had been straightforward, uncomplicated, and brief, and her knowledge of the
languages involved was at least the equal of that of any of the participants.
Nevertheless, the six Massood, hell-bent on retreating, had been convinced by
a single unimpressive Human to put aside all concern for their injuries and
return to combat. Their expressions had cogently reflected the fear and panic
they d been feeling. Yet a single Human had somehow helped them to brush all
that aside.
Something screamed past her head and she half ducked, quivering violently. The
incident was for pondering later, in surroundings more conducive to analytical
thought. It was all there on her recorder. That was the task of the moment: to
record, not to dissect.
Under the direction of Nevan, the sled s captain, and the Massood officers and
Human noncoms, the invading Crigolit were driven from the craft. Thus
repulsed, the surviving attackers stood clear on their floaters and resumed
their assault on the vehicle itself. At this critical moment, when the enemy
had finally decided that the taking of prisoners was not worth further
sacrifice and destruction therefore had become the order of the hour, a dozen
sliders crewed by fresh Massood arrived on the scene in response to the
command sled s ongoing omnidirectional cry for help.
Suddenly the Crigolit had their claws full defending themselves from attack
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