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Sime extracted a leather-bound notepad and wrote the name down. "She's with?"
"A judge with the JAG."
"Very well. Thank you for your time, Major."
"I have nothing but time."
"Don't be so sure. Take my deal." Sime looked up and waved to Young.
* * * *
The next day rain tamped down the dust on the exercise yard. The shooters and the looters stayed on opposite sides of the pie slice between the frowning brown wings D and E, trying to keep their pannikins full of lukewarm lentils out of the rain as they sat on long, baseball-dugout-style benches.
"Anyone got an offer from a civilian named Sime?" Valentine asked.
Farland and Thrush exchanged looks and shrugged. Roderick sucked soup out of his tin.
"We're getting pushed back again," Farland said. "God, it's like getting a shot when the doctor keeps picking up and putting down the big-bore needle."
Roderick stopped eating and stared. "I had rabies shots. Harpy bite."
"He said all this is more or less of a show. To convince some gulag Quislings that Southern Command won't just shoot them dead if they join us."
"News to me," Thrush said. He returned his pannikin to the slop bin and returned, twitching up his trousers with his deft little hands before he sat. It took Valentine a moment to remember when he'd last seen that gesture-Malia Carrasca's grandfather in Jamaica would go through that same motion when he sat. "You know, they might be firing smoke to get you to plead out."
"They've tried murderers before," Farland said. "My uncle served with Keek's raiders before they hung Dave Keck. But he killed women and children."
"And Lieutenant Luella Parsons," Roderick said. "When was that, fifty-nine?"
"She shot the mayor of Russelville," Farland put in. He wiped raindrops from his glasses and resettled them.
"Yeah, but she claimed he was working for them. Said she saw him talking to a Reaper."
"I heard they tried General Martinez himself for shooting a couple of Grogs," Roderick said.
"That makes sense," Thrush said. "If you ask me, it's a crime not to shoot 'em."
"Actually it was," Valentine said. "I was there. The two Grogs he shot were on our side."
"First I've heard of it. Were the charges dropped?" Farland asked.
Valentine shook his head.
"You made a powerful enemy, Major," Thrush said. "Martinez had a lot of friends in Mountain Home. He had the sort of command you'd send your son or daughter off to if you wanted to keep 'em out of the fight."
"Technically I was under him during Archangel. His charges are why I'm here, or that's what my counsel says."
"Bastard. Heard he didn't do much," Farland said.
"I wouldn't know. I was over in Little Rock."
Roderick grew animated. "Heard that was a hot one. You really threw some sand in their gears. What was her name, Colonel . . ."
"Kessey," Valentine put in. "She was killed early on in the fighting. Bad luck."
"What are you going to plead, Valentine?" Thrush said.
"Five minutes, gentlemen," a guard yelled, standing up from his seat next to the door.
