The Federal gun emplacements were nearby. The Fed gunners had easily been the best of the local troops. They'd hauled three howitzers up from the gun pits to meet the Republican assault with canister and short-fused high explosive.
That hadn't been enough.Buzzbombs and grenades had disabled the howitzers, and a long line of bodies lay beside the damaged hardware.
"You know, Sergeant?" Steuben resumed unexpectedly. "Colonel Hammer found the relief force's progress a bit leisurely for his taste also. So he sent me to take command . . . and a platoon of Alpha Company, you know. To encourage the others."
He giggled. It was a terrible sound, like gas bubbling through the throat of a distended corpse.
"We were about to take Hill 541 South," Steuben continued. "In twenty-four hours we would have relieved the position here with minimal casualties. The Reps knew that, so they made a desperation assault . . . which couldn't possibly have succeeded against a bunker line backed up by four of our tanks."
Joachim's eyes looked blankly through Des Grieux.
"That's why," the delicate little man said softly, "I really think I ought to kill you now, before you cause other trouble."
"Sir," said Broglie. "Slick cleared our left flank. That had to be done."
Major Steuben's eyes focused again, this time on Broglie. "Did it?" the major said."Not from outside the prepared defenses, I think.And certainly not against orders from a superior officer, who was—"
The cold stare again at Des Grieux. No more emotion in the eyes than there would be in the muzzle of the pistol which might appear with magical speed in Joachim's hand.
"Who was, as I say," the major continued, "passing on
"But . . ." Des Grieux whispered. "I
"No," Steuben said in a crisply businesslike voice. Moods seemed to drift over the dapper officer's mind like clouds across the sun."You ran, Sergeant.I had to make an emergency night advance with the only troops I could fully trust—"
He smiled with cold affection at the nearest of his White Mice.
"In order to prevent Hill 541 North from being overrun.And even then I would have failed, were it not for the actions of Mister Broglie."
"Broglie?" Des Grieux blurted in amazement.
