West of Honor by Jerry Pournelle Read Free Book Online Page A

ma'am," Donnelley said. He went over to the bar and began looking at bottles.

    "We were just wondering what to do," Deane said. "You've rescued us from terminal ennui."

    She smiled at that, but there was a shadow behind the smile. She didn't seem offended by us, but she wasn't really very amused. I wondered what she wanted.

    Donnelley brought over a bottle and a wineglass. "Is this it, ma'am?"

    "Yes. Thank you."

    He put the glass on the table and poured. "If you'll excuse me a moment, Lieutenant Knowles?"

    "Sure, Donnelley. Don't leave us alone too long, or we'll raid your bar."

    "Yes, sir." Donnelley went out into the hall.

    "Cheers," Deane said. "Tell us about the night life on Arrarat."

    "It's not very pleasant," Irina said.

    "Rather dull. Well, I guess we expected that—"

    "It's not so much dull as horrible," Irina said. "I'm sorry. It's just that . . . I feel guilty when I think about my own problems. They're so petty. Tell me, when are the others coming?"

    Deane and I exchanged glances. I started to say something, but Deane spoke first. "They don't tell us very much, you know."

    "Then it's true—you're the only ones coming," she said.

    "Now, I didn't say that," Deane protested. "I said I didn't know—"

    "You needn't lie," she said. "I'm hardly a spy. You're all they sent, aren't you? No warship, and no regiment. Just a few hundred men and some junior officers."

    "I'd have thought you'd know more than we do," I said.

    "I just don't give up hope quite as quickly as my father does."

    "I don't understand any of this," I said. "The Governor sent for a regiment, but nobody's told us what that regiment was supposed to do."

    "Clean up the mess we've made of this planet," Irina said. "And I really thought they'd do something. The CoDominium has turned Arrarat into sheer hell, and I thought they'd have enough . . . what? Pride? Shame? Enough elementary decency to put things right before we pull out entirely. I see I was wrong."

    "I take it things are pretty bad outside the walls," Deane said.

    "Bad? They're horrible!" Irina said. "You can't even imagine what's happening out there. Criminal gangs setting themselves up as governments. And my father recognizes them as governments! We make treaties with them. And the colonists are ground to pieces. Murder's the least of it. A whole planet going to barbarism, and we don't even try to help them."

    "But surely your militia can do something," Deane said.

    "Not really." She shook her head, slowly, and stared into the empty wineglass. "In the first place, the militia won't go outside the walls. I don't suppose I blame them. They aren't soldiers. Shopkeepers, mostly. Once in a while they'll go as far as the big river bend, or down to the nearest farmlands, but that doesn't do any good. We tried doing something more permanent, but it didn't work. We couldn't protect the colonists from the convict gangs. And now we recognize convict gangsters as legal governments!"

    Donnelley came back in and went to the bar. Deane signaled for refills.

    "I noticed people came out to cheer us as we marched through the city," I said.

    Irina's smile was bitter. "Yes. They think you're going to open up trade with the interior, rescue their relatives out there. I wish you could."

    Before we could say anything else, Captain Falkenberg came in. "Good afternoon," he said. "May I join you?"

    "Certainly, sir," Deane said. "This is Captain Falkenberg. Irina Swale, Captain, the Governor's daughter."

    "I see. Good afternoon. Brandy, please, Donnelley. And will the rest of you join me? Excellent. Another round, please. Incidentally, my name is John. First names in the mess, Deane—except for the colonel."

    "Yes, sir. Excuse me. John. Miss Swale has been telling us about conditions outside the walls. They're pretty bad."

    "I gather. I've just spent the afternoon with the colonel. Perhaps we can do something, Miss Swale."

    "Irina. First names in the mess." She laughed. It was a very nice