“What then?”

  He was still holding onto my front zipper, but I didn’t take offense. Old Graves had special privileges in situations like this. Almost any other man might have found himself doing a facer after demonstrating such a lack of respect—but I liked Graves too much for that.

  “Sir, I’m going to put them into Mogwa fighting machines. They fit in real good, and they’re naturals on the field of battle.”

  I tried to show him a few highlights of the action we’d fought during the Rigellian advance, but he slapped my tapper away.

  “All right… that worked before… Whatever. Do your worst, it hardly matters. The whole city is on fire. We’re reeling back on every front. I’m surprised it hasn’t all fallen apart yet.”

  I frowned. “Why would that be, exactly, sir?” I asked. “Why are these bears slowing down?”

  “Two reasons. For one thing, this city goes deeper underground than it does on the surface. The bears are invading the lower levels as well, and that takes time. The other reason… it’s too grim to talk about.”

  “Uh… can you give me a hint, sir?”

  He looked up, and he looked troubled. The gremlins kept streaming by, led by Jink into the vaults to mount-up and undergo an extremely short training session. Graves was no longer able to see this spectacle, however. His mind was on other horrors.

  “You know these bears are predators, right?”

  “Of course. We are as well.”

  He shook his head. “Not like these little monsters. They’re eating the Mogwa as they go. They seem to have a real taste for them. Dead, alive, young or old.”

  I stared at him for a second, and it was my turn for my jaw to sag to my chest. “Seriously? They’re cannibals? They never seemed to be into that sort of thing when they were fighting on human worlds.”

  “No… I suspect the Mogwa taste better. At least they do to these bastards. No wonder the Galactics call us all barbarians.”

  He walked off, and I found myself being tapped on the back of my knee. Looking down, I saw Jink. He was grinning, and he waved with a flourish.

  “Big man, it’s time to fight! You promised us blood, and my people very much want to indulge themselves.”

  “Right. Let’s go.”

  We didn’t waste any time. After a few hours of organizing them into groups and giving every living one of the gremlins a very basic training course, we were ready to move out. I commandeered a fleet of skimmers from the Mogwa, who were dead and slumped over in their pilot seats.

  Graves gave me more pilots, and together we glided slowly over the streets. Looking at the tacticals, I discovered Graves was right. A lot of the heaviest fighting was going on underground now.

  We found a dark tunnel entrance, and it reminded me of those big tubes that crisscross the bottom of the oceans back on Earth. We entered the first one we found, and it didn’t take long to find the enemy.

  A few cohorts of humans came with us to offer support. It was a strange army, mixed with all kinds of humans and near humans. The only reason it worked was because Jink and I worked together.

  When we met up with the bears, we had about a thousand humans and another thousand gremlins in Mogwa tanks. At first, we crushed everyone we met up with. Taken by surprise, the bears were destroyed in small groups.

  Our tactics were simple. We used humans to recon and skirmish—then deployed the gremlins to do the serious killing.

  The bears seemed to be sluggish and shocked whenever we appeared. I suspected they’d figured they already won this battle, and they’d lost some of their discipline. I’d seen this before, and I’d capitalized on it back on Ice World. The bears weren’t really very well organized. They didn’t march in ranks, they didn’t fight like a pack under tight control.

  They were really warriors, rather than soldiers. Back in Roman times, that simple reality had often won the day for the original legions. Thousands of skilled tribesmen would assault the legions, often with superior numbers. Even their gear and skill was excellent.

  But the Gauls, the Celts, Germanic tribesmen and others weren’t versed in the use of formations and tight control of their troops. They would usually just charge in a mad rush, attempting to break their enemy with sheer ferocity and numbers. If that initial charge didn’t work, their armies fell apart.

  Legion Varus troops combined with gremlins in their power-armor weren’t perfect, either. We earthmen were well trained and disciplined. The gremlins were neither, but when we unleashed them, they did their grim work with glee.

  Self-control was the main element we humans brought to the table. We’d fought and died for more years than any of these others had even been alive. With our help, the gremlins had at least a dash of discipline and organization.

  Sometimes, they lost their minds and charged in when they shouldn’t. Like old fashioned knights, they were hard to control, but Jink helped me maintain our lines. He backed me up in every disagreement. Now and then, he even had a gremlin pulled from his power-armor and torn apart by his fellows.

  “That’s a lesson for the others,” he said.

  I didn’t argue with him. It was his show to run, and as long as he took my tactical advice I figured we’d do well.

  We took the first level directly under the city streets within a day. Then things became too big for me to handle alone. There was too much territory, too many gremlins—I had to call for help.

  Getting Graves on the line proved to be impossible, so I contacted Sateekas instead.

  “Sir? Grand Admiral, sir?”

  “What is it, McGill? I’m very busy losing this desperate war. There are signs of hope from below, with reports of Mogwa marines pushing the enemy back. But I’m not fooled by rumors of victory. They always come when defeat is inevitable.”

  “Uh…” I said, giving the situation a hard think. I finally decided to show him the battlefield I was standing upon, but I angled my tapper so the camera only saw the rear of the marching machines.

  “The rumors are true, sir! I’m fighting alongside a brave company of your combatants right now. We’re kicking ass!”

  Sateekas boggled at the dead bears and the advancing forces as they streamed by me. They whirred and the turrets swiveled ceaselessly, searching for fresh game. Humans walked between the marching gremlin-drive machines on both sides.

  “What miracle is this, McGill? How is this possible?”

  “It’s real simple, sir. When humans fight alongside your marines, they both do better.”

  Sateekas marveled. “Indeed, I see these reports from the lower levels in a new light… it’s amazing. If only this could be repeated.”

  “It can be, sir,” I insisted. “Give me access to every armory you have. Order Graves to send several units of human troops to every one of these locations. I’ll send volunteers to man the power-armor. Together, we’ve got a chance.”

  Sateekas narrowed a half-dozen eyes in my direction. “Where are you getting these volunteers? How are they being trained so quickly? My own marine commanders—”

  “Sateekas,” I said seriously. “Listen to me for one moment please, sir. Do you really want to know how the sausage is made?”

  “What? Is that some kind of idiom?”

  “Yessir. It sure is. What it means is that if things are going your way, don’t ask too many questions.”

  Again, he gave me that strange look. He knew something was up. He knew his people, and he knew they’d never step up like this. Not even when they were being overrun and slaughtered. Heroism just wasn’t in their DNA. They needed to be conditioned or forced to fight bravely.

  Despite all this, he also knew his situation was dire. He came to a quick decision.

  “I will order Graves to release all his reserves as you suggest. May the countless suns at the Core bless us this day.”

  With that cryptic comment, he signed off. I turned to Jink, and I had a little argument with him.

  “We’ve fought hard and long. I’m tired of the killing,” he complained.

  “That’s as may be,” I said. “But we’re not done yet. This world can be saved, and you’ll get your rewards only then.”

  “Floramel? A thousand fresh machines with ammo, fuel and spare parts?”

  “Uh…” I said, blinking. I’d never really mentioned anything about ammo and spare parts. I’d kind of envisioned the gremlins would take a few banged-up machines back to Blood World and have fun jousting with them or something until they broke down.

  Apparently, Jink had much bigger ideas.

  I thought about laughing off his wild plans, but I knew I couldn’t do it. Without the gremlins, we would lose in the end.

  Sure, the bears were sated on Mogwa-meat and victory, but they were going to figure out pretty damned quick that someone was kicking their butts. The war had a long way to go yet, and we needed to press our advantage while we could.

  Chewing on my lower lip for just a second, I nodded my head. “You’ve got it. The whole kit-and-caboodle. Floramel, a thousand machines—take some bear ears too, for trophies.”

  Jink gave me that freaky grin of his, and it was bigger than ever. I recalled countless admonishments about being careful when you dealt with the devil, and I knew I was ignoring that ancient wisdom today.

  “You have a bargain, big-man. Let’s win back this planet as quickly as we can.”

  We worked like thieves in the night after that. Jink sent back to Blood World for even more Gremlins, and we unlocked more Mogwa bunkers. Sateekas had indicated these spots, and they were full of power-armor suits that stood empty and waiting in vaults.

  Graves did his part too, dispatching handfuls of weary Victrix soldiers from the revival chambers to march with us. They seemed confused and disgusted by the gremlins, but they were disciplined to the last. They followed their orders.

  There was trouble in paradise when the Victrix folk reported in, however. Crazy stories about hordes of gremlins eagerly piloting Mogwa equipment got back to headquarters.

  Graves called me up, and he was in a foul mood.

  “Have you gone mad, McGill?”

  “Probably,” I admitted.

  “Do you know that more gremlins keep bubbling out of our cohort’s lifter? The pilots are panicked, and they’re telling me the gremlins won’t let them anywhere near the science lab on their own ship. They plan to disengage the fusion core on their ship to cut the power.”

  “Really? Hmm…” I gave myself a scratch. “Uh… do you have a count on the total number of gremlins that have come through, sir?”

  “You mean you don’t know that number yourself? You’ve lost control, McGill. These creatures aren’t trustworthy.”

  I laughed weakly. “That’s a hoot, sir. They’re helping us. They’re pushing the bears back all over.”

  “Even if they do beat the bears, they’ll end up taking over the planet or something. That won’t go over well with the Mogwa back on Trantor. They’ll blame Earth in the end.”

  “Yeah… maybe…”

  He gave me a hard look, and his ire came through my tapper like my own angry dad’s temper used to do. “You have to get a handle on these gremlins. Tell them anything. Stop this new invasion.”

  I signed off, and I turned toward Jink. He had been watching me closely. I suspected he’d heard every word.

  “Hey Jink,” I said in a cheery tone. “My boss wants you to know how thrilled he is about your enthusiastic support. Did you know that among all the brands of near-humans that were cooked up out on Blood World, your kind was held in the lowest regard? That’s right, that’s the sad history of it. But today, you’ve changed all that. Earth is forever in your debt.”

  Jink had been looking bored, but now he perked up. “In our debt? Forever?”

  “That’s a figure of speech. It’s high praise.”

  He flapped a hand at me and went back to looking bored.

  “Hmm…” I said, not knowing how to breach the next topic on my list. “What are your plans, exactly, after this is all over and done with?”

  “Assuming we win?”

  “Naturally.”

  Jink eyed me thoughtfully. “McGill, you are fast becoming my favorite man-puppet.”

  “Uh… what?”

  “Just as I said. You are a thing that entertains and yet is useful. Best of all, you never think too hard about the fingers manipulating your innards.”

  “Huh… well, that’s a mighty nice thing to say… I suppose.”

  “In your case, it is,” he went on. “I want to make you an offer. This is a strange moment for one of my kind. I now see the magical spark buried in your servitude. The thing that possibly Gytha and Floramel once saw as well.”

  “Um…”

  “Yes. I do not exaggerate. You’re a servant of excellent quality. Knowledgeable, effective, but still an imbecile. Perfect, in a way. I will therefore make you an unprecedented offer.”

  “How’s that?” I asked.

  My hand had already crept down to my belt, and my fingers touched the butt of my service pistol. I hadn’t drawn it yet, mind you, but I was quick with a gun. I knew I could draw and put a bolt through Jink’s brainpan before he could spring off and run.

  The trouble was I didn’t trust my gremlin comrade. Never yet, in all my years of dealing with them, had I found them to be worthy of trust. As a convenience, sure, they could be levered into helping a man out, but they were like a wild animal sleeping in a cradle. There was always a worry in the back of any thinking man’s mind.

  Jink seemed oblivious to my thoughts. He prattled on in a high-falutin way. “Here’s my offer. I will take you back to Blood World with me, after we own this planet. You may service Gytha as an added incentive—something she still wants, I believe. You will become a uniting figurehead on my homeworld. With your help, I think I might manage to do the unthinkable.”

  “Huh… really?” I said, having no idea what he was talking about, but the idea of “servicing” Gytha did sound tempting. The girl was quite a looker. “Uh… what’s unthinkable about all this?”

  “You may be able to unite my world and all its peoples. Remember, when Earth conquered my homeworld, you were the one we swore to follow. The more idiotic members of my brethren still recall and respect that distant day. Now they serve Earth, but with you in our midst, we’ll bite that hand. We’ll finally achieve the great awakening we’ve always been denied!”

  I could tell he meant whatever he was talking about. There was a real light of excitement, madness and wild greed in his eyes.

  “That all sounds nine kinds of fantastic, Jink,” I said, touching my right hand to my chest. “I mean that from the bottom of my heart. But… isn’t all this premature? We still have a battle to win. Can we have this talk later, when the fight here on City World is finished up and victory is in our hands?”

  Jink thought it over. I could see the mad glee of success had gone to his head. But he managed to fight his sinister urges, to choke it all down. He nodded at last.

  “Yes, yes. You’re right. You are wise, if very stupid. We must finish one deal before contemplating the next. Let us march.”

  Our roles changed after that day. Instead of fighting in the broad tunnels and vast, lit-up caverns, we gave orders and coordinated troops from the rear lines. Jink was good at the work, but it kind of bored me.

  The bears finally woke up to what was happening after the second full day of fighting. By then, however, we were coming on hard. There was so much territory, they couldn’t defend it all. When they tried, it just meant we were locating small garrisons and destroying them with our superior force.

  Like any army that’s taken too much land all in a rush, the bears found themselves unable to defend it all. Sometimes, a small army can win a war too quickly. That was the problem the bears had. They were unable to support or supply their scattered troops on the countless battlefields of the multi-level city.

  Realizing the danger, the bears tried to retreat and regroup, but we trapped them underground, destroying them in small formations. The bears had no organized front, and our troops moved faster and hit harder than theirs did. This scenario had destroyed countless armies and conquerors in the past, and today it was happening to Rigel.

  On the eleventh sub-level of the great City, we found six companies of bears abusing Mogwa in a massive underground living complex. Rather than rushing in, we encircled them and waited until they’d gorged themselves on helpless Mogwa citizens. That part of the plan was Jink’s idea, and although I didn’t like it, I had to admit it was effective.

  When the false sun on the ceiling panels began to fade, we drove in from every angle, slaughtering the enemy without mercy. The living complexes were set ablaze, and choking smoke filled the passages—but not a single bear escaped us.

  After that sickening battle, we found there weren’t any more bears below us—so we turned upward, back toward the surface. We became unstoppable.

  We took two more levels, driving the bears before us, when I noticed a change. When we arrived, the bears stared at us in what could only be called fear. Rather than face us, they tried to retreat—but we didn’t let them. In the increasingly capable hands of the gremlins, the Mogwa machines ran faster than infantry could on foot and were more deadly. We ran the bears down and killed all we could catch.

  When we returned to the surface, the other Blood Worlder troops joined our ranks and helped out as well. Heavy troopers, slavers—every variety of man yet created marched together. We fought with the gremlins in the lead, and together we threw the bears out of the center of the city.

  The struggle continued as we pressed into the outer neighborhoods. The bears mounted counterattacks, and they had some wins, destroying three lifters owned by Victrix. But in the end, the story was the same. They were overwhelmed by our core army. They couldn’t stand up to it.

  Nearly a week after I’d gotten Jink to join me, the enemy seemed to vanish. They’d decided to rush aboard their invasion ships and retreat back up into space.

  How had this happened? I think it was partly due to our more stubborn nature. We, the various kinds of men who made up Earth’s legions, we were more determined than the bears. We were accustomed to dying down to a handful of troops—but after reprinting these lost souls by the thousands, we could come back. The revival machines provided a limitless trickle of reinforcements that often won tight battles.