Victory

MP3 Audio CD. Victory

I


From above came the sound of men singing. Captain Duke O'Neill stopped
clipping his heavy black beard to listen. It had been a long time since
he'd heard such a sound--longer than the time since he'd last had a
bath or seen a woman. It had never been the singing type of war. Yet
now even the high tenor of old Teroini, who lay on a pad with neither
legs nor arms, was mixed into the chorus. It could mean only one thing!

As if to confirm his thoughts, Burke Thompson hobbled past the cabin,
stopping just long enough to shout. "Duke, we're home! They've sighted
Meloa!"

"Thanks," Duke called after him, but the man was hobbling out of sight,
eager to carry the good news to others.

Fourteen years, Duke thought as he dragged out his hoarded bottle of
water and began shaving. Five since he'd seen Ronda on his last leave.
Now the battered old wreck that was left of the flagship was less than
an hour from home base, and the two other survivors of the original
fleet of eight hundred were limping along behind. Three out of eight
hundred--but they'd won! Meloa had her victory.

And far away, Earth could rest in unearned safety for a while.

Duke grimaced bitterly. It was no time to think of Earth now. He
shucked off his patched and filthy clothes and reached for the dress
grays he had laid out in advance; at least they were still in good
condition, almost unused. He dressed slowly, savoring the luxury of
clean clothes. The buttons gave him trouble; his left hand looked and
behaved almost like a real one, but in the three years since he got it,
there had been no chance to handle buttons.