[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
counter-
attack going; the priests cabled that more forces ought to be deployed to stop
the advance of the two Imperial divisions on the capital. He ignored them.
There was barely enough left of the two tattered divisions to make one whole
one, and they were being gradually eroded further all the time. It was
possible they might make it to the city, but after that they would have
nowhere to go. He thought it might be satisfying to accept their eventual
surrender per-sonally.
The rains came on the far side of the mountains, and as the bedraggled
Imperial forces made their way through the dripping forests, their Air Force
was all too often grounded by bad weather, while the Hegemonarchy's planes
bombed and strafed then with impunity.
People fled to the city; artillery duels thundered nearby. The remnants of the
two divisions that had broken through the mountains fought desperately on
towards their goal. On the distant plains on the far side of the mountains,
the rest of the
Imperial Army was retreating as fast as it could. The divisions trapped in
Shenastri
Province, unable to retreat through the quagmire behind them, surrendered en
masse.
The Imperial Court signalled its desire for peace the day what was left of its
two divisions entered Balzeit City. They had a dozen tanks and a thousand men,
Page 202
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
but they left their artillery in the fields, bereft of ammunition. The few
thousand people left in the city sought refuge in the wide parade grounds of
the citadel. He watched them stream in through the gates in the high walls,
far in the distance.
He'd been going to quit the citadel that day - the priests had been screaming
at him to do so for days, and most of the general staff had already left - but
now he held the transcript of the message they'd just received from the
Imperial Court.
Two Hegemonarchy divisions were, anyway, on their way out of the mountains,
coming to the aid of the city.
He radioed the priests. They decided to accept a truce; fighting would stop
immediately, if the Imperial Army with-drew to the positions it had held
before the war. There were a few more radio exchanges; he left the priests and
the Imperial
Court to sort it all out. He took off his uniform and for the first time since
he'd arrived, dressed as a civilian. He went to a high tower with some field
glasses, and watched the tiny specks that were enemy tanks as they rolled down
a street, far away. The citadel gates were closed.
file:///F|/rah/Iain%20Banks/Banks,%20Iain%20-%20Use%20of%20Weapons.html (316
of 371) [5/21/03 1:54:11 AM]
Iain M. Banks - Use of Weapons
A truce was declared at midday. The weary Imperial soldiers outside the
citadel gates billeted themselves in the bars and hotels nearby.
He stood in the long gallery and faced into the light. The tall white curtains
billowed softly around him, quiet in the warm breeze. His long black hair was
lifted only slightly by the gentle wind. His hands were clasped behind his
back. He looked pensive. The silent, lightly clouded skies over the mountains,
beyond the fortress and the city, threw a blank, pervasive light across his
face, and standing there like that, in plain dark clothes, he looked
insubstantial, like some statue, or a dead man propped against the battlements
to fool the foe.
'Zakalwe?'
He turned. His eyes widened in surprise. 'Skaffen-Amtiskaw! This is an
unexpected honour. Sma letting you out alone these days, or is she about too?'
He looked the length of the citadel's long gallery.
'Good day, Cheradenine,' the drone said, floating towards him. 'Ms Sma is on
her way, in a module.'
'And how is Dizzy?' He sat down on a small bench set against the wall which
faced the long line of white-curtained windows. 'What's the news?'
'I believe it is mostly good,' Skaffen-Amtiskaw said, floating level with his
face. 'Mr
Beychae is on his way to the Impren Habitats, where a summit conference
between the Cluster's two main tendencies is to be held. It would appear the
danger of war is lessening.'
'Well, isn't this all very wonderful,' he said, sitting back with his hands
behind his neck. 'Peace here; peace out there.' He squinted at the drone, his
head to one side.
'And yet, drone, somehow you do not seem to be overflowing with joy and
happiness. You seem - dare I say it? - positively sombre. What's the matter?
Batteries low?'
The machine was silent for a second or two. Then it said, 'I believe Ms Sma's
module is about to land; shall we go to the roof?'
He looked puzzled for a moment, then nodded, stooa smartly and clapped his
hands once, indicating the way forward. 'Certainly; let's go.'
file:///F|/rah/Iain%20Banks/Banks,%20Iain%20-%20Use%20of%20Weapons.html (317
of 371) [5/21/03 1:54:11 AM]
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Iain M. Banks - Use of Weapons
They went to his apartments. He thought Sma seemed rather subdued, too. He'd
imagined she'd be bubbling over with excite-ment because the Cluster looked
like it wasn't going to go to war after all.
'What's the problem, Dizzy?' he asked, pouring her a drink. She was pacing up
and down in front of the room's shuttered windows. She took the drink from
him, but didn't seem inter-ested in it. She turned to face him, her long, oval
face looking...
he wasn't sure. But there was a cold feeling somewhere in his guts.
'You have to leave, Cheradenine,' she told him.
'Leave? When?'
'Now; tonight. Tomorrow morning at the latest.'
He looked confused, then laughed. 'Okay; I confess; the catamites were
starting to look attractive, but...'
'No,' Sma said. 'I'm serious, Cheradenine. You have to go.'
He shook his head. 'I can't. There's no guarantee the truce will hold. They
might need me.'
'The truce isn't going to hold,' Sma told him, looking away. 'Not on one side,
anyway.' She put her glass down on a shelf.
'Eh?' he said. He glanced at the drone, which was looking non-committal.
'Diziet, what are you talking about?'
'Zakalwe,' she said, eyes blinking rapidly; she tried to look at him, 'A
deal's been done; you have to leave.'
He stared at her.
'What's the deal, Dizzy?' he said softly.
'There was some... fairly low-level help being given to the Empire by the
Humanist faction,' she told him, walking towards one wall, then returning,
talking not to him [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl freetocraft.keep.pl
counter-
attack going; the priests cabled that more forces ought to be deployed to stop
the advance of the two Imperial divisions on the capital. He ignored them.
There was barely enough left of the two tattered divisions to make one whole
one, and they were being gradually eroded further all the time. It was
possible they might make it to the city, but after that they would have
nowhere to go. He thought it might be satisfying to accept their eventual
surrender per-sonally.
The rains came on the far side of the mountains, and as the bedraggled
Imperial forces made their way through the dripping forests, their Air Force
was all too often grounded by bad weather, while the Hegemonarchy's planes
bombed and strafed then with impunity.
People fled to the city; artillery duels thundered nearby. The remnants of the
two divisions that had broken through the mountains fought desperately on
towards their goal. On the distant plains on the far side of the mountains,
the rest of the
Imperial Army was retreating as fast as it could. The divisions trapped in
Shenastri
Province, unable to retreat through the quagmire behind them, surrendered en
masse.
The Imperial Court signalled its desire for peace the day what was left of its
two divisions entered Balzeit City. They had a dozen tanks and a thousand men,
Page 202
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
but they left their artillery in the fields, bereft of ammunition. The few
thousand people left in the city sought refuge in the wide parade grounds of
the citadel. He watched them stream in through the gates in the high walls,
far in the distance.
He'd been going to quit the citadel that day - the priests had been screaming
at him to do so for days, and most of the general staff had already left - but
now he held the transcript of the message they'd just received from the
Imperial Court.
Two Hegemonarchy divisions were, anyway, on their way out of the mountains,
coming to the aid of the city.
He radioed the priests. They decided to accept a truce; fighting would stop
immediately, if the Imperial Army with-drew to the positions it had held
before the war. There were a few more radio exchanges; he left the priests and
the Imperial
Court to sort it all out. He took off his uniform and for the first time since
he'd arrived, dressed as a civilian. He went to a high tower with some field
glasses, and watched the tiny specks that were enemy tanks as they rolled down
a street, far away. The citadel gates were closed.
file:///F|/rah/Iain%20Banks/Banks,%20Iain%20-%20Use%20of%20Weapons.html (316
of 371) [5/21/03 1:54:11 AM]
Iain M. Banks - Use of Weapons
A truce was declared at midday. The weary Imperial soldiers outside the
citadel gates billeted themselves in the bars and hotels nearby.
He stood in the long gallery and faced into the light. The tall white curtains
billowed softly around him, quiet in the warm breeze. His long black hair was
lifted only slightly by the gentle wind. His hands were clasped behind his
back. He looked pensive. The silent, lightly clouded skies over the mountains,
beyond the fortress and the city, threw a blank, pervasive light across his
face, and standing there like that, in plain dark clothes, he looked
insubstantial, like some statue, or a dead man propped against the battlements
to fool the foe.
'Zakalwe?'
He turned. His eyes widened in surprise. 'Skaffen-Amtiskaw! This is an
unexpected honour. Sma letting you out alone these days, or is she about too?'
He looked the length of the citadel's long gallery.
'Good day, Cheradenine,' the drone said, floating towards him. 'Ms Sma is on
her way, in a module.'
'And how is Dizzy?' He sat down on a small bench set against the wall which
faced the long line of white-curtained windows. 'What's the news?'
'I believe it is mostly good,' Skaffen-Amtiskaw said, floating level with his
face. 'Mr
Beychae is on his way to the Impren Habitats, where a summit conference
between the Cluster's two main tendencies is to be held. It would appear the
danger of war is lessening.'
'Well, isn't this all very wonderful,' he said, sitting back with his hands
behind his neck. 'Peace here; peace out there.' He squinted at the drone, his
head to one side.
'And yet, drone, somehow you do not seem to be overflowing with joy and
happiness. You seem - dare I say it? - positively sombre. What's the matter?
Batteries low?'
The machine was silent for a second or two. Then it said, 'I believe Ms Sma's
module is about to land; shall we go to the roof?'
He looked puzzled for a moment, then nodded, stooa smartly and clapped his
hands once, indicating the way forward. 'Certainly; let's go.'
file:///F|/rah/Iain%20Banks/Banks,%20Iain%20-%20Use%20of%20Weapons.html (317
of 371) [5/21/03 1:54:11 AM]
Page 203
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Iain M. Banks - Use of Weapons
They went to his apartments. He thought Sma seemed rather subdued, too. He'd
imagined she'd be bubbling over with excite-ment because the Cluster looked
like it wasn't going to go to war after all.
'What's the problem, Dizzy?' he asked, pouring her a drink. She was pacing up
and down in front of the room's shuttered windows. She took the drink from
him, but didn't seem inter-ested in it. She turned to face him, her long, oval
face looking...
he wasn't sure. But there was a cold feeling somewhere in his guts.
'You have to leave, Cheradenine,' she told him.
'Leave? When?'
'Now; tonight. Tomorrow morning at the latest.'
He looked confused, then laughed. 'Okay; I confess; the catamites were
starting to look attractive, but...'
'No,' Sma said. 'I'm serious, Cheradenine. You have to go.'
He shook his head. 'I can't. There's no guarantee the truce will hold. They
might need me.'
'The truce isn't going to hold,' Sma told him, looking away. 'Not on one side,
anyway.' She put her glass down on a shelf.
'Eh?' he said. He glanced at the drone, which was looking non-committal.
'Diziet, what are you talking about?'
'Zakalwe,' she said, eyes blinking rapidly; she tried to look at him, 'A
deal's been done; you have to leave.'
He stared at her.
'What's the deal, Dizzy?' he said softly.
'There was some... fairly low-level help being given to the Empire by the
Humanist faction,' she told him, walking towards one wall, then returning,
talking not to him [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]