"Yessir."
"Go there and report to Sergeant Fossberg. They'll just be starting to show the cube now. You'll see most of it." He clapped his hands. "Now RUN!"
Vernon turned and fled, barely taking time to close the door behind him. Mulvaney grinned at the others. " `Just up and quit!' Hmph! I hope he makes it through. I like his self-honesty. Also, he answered my uncertainty about the pace of training. We'll proceed as we have been."
At 2015 hours, B Company was back in the hutment, where the trainees showered and lazed around a bit. Some went early to bed.
But not Esau and Jael. Sergeant Hawkins had reminded them before the company was dismissed; they had a date with him at 2030 hours. They walked to the orderly room together, not knowing what to expect. Somehow their mutual hostility had died. They didn't know why, and didn't wonder. It was simply gone.
They arrived several minutes early. The Charge of Quarters told them to sit down and wait, then returned to his novel. Hawkins walked in on the dot. "Recruits," he said, "we need privacy. Captain Mulvaney said to use his office." He opened the door to it, held it while they entered, then closed it behind them.
He pulled two folding chairs side by side, so he could see their occupants at the same time. "Sit," he ordered. They sat. He examined them quietly, ordering his thoughts. "I'm going to call you by your given names," he began, "to save time and confusion. I'll ask questions, and tell you who's to answer." He paused, then spoke more loudly, for emphasis. "The other one will remain silent until called on."
His calm eyes examined Jael. "Jael, why did you punch Esau?"
"Because he said I was playing up to Corporal Fong, and that Corporal Fong had said what he did because he… wanted to commit adultery with me."
Hawkins eyebrows rose, and he turned to Esau. "What did Fong say that made you think that?"
"He congratulated her on her chin-ups. She did eleven. But he didn't say a thing to me, and I did thirty-nine! And I didn't say she played up to him!"
"Hmm. Jael, why do you think Fong congratulated you on your chin-ups?"
"Because when we started doing chin-ups two weeks ago, I could barely do four."
"I see." He turned back to Esau. "None of that sounds very lascivious to me. Has Jael flirted with anyone since you've been here?"
"Not that I've seen."
"Not that you've seen. Do you think she might have when you weren't around?"
Esau didn't meet his eyes. "No, sir," he said.
"All right. Jael, you claimed that Esau said you'd played up to Corporal Fong. Esau claims he didn't say that. Which is it?"
"He never said it in so many words, but that's what he meant. Otherwise why would he have said anything at all?"
"Um." The sergeant examined the situation. "What- Jael, I'm asking you this question. What were you and Esau talking about just before that?"
She gestured slightly toward her husband. "He was upbraiding me because I didn't run fast enough this morning."
"Um-hm. Esau, do you think she could have run faster?"
"Most of 3rd Platoon and half of 4th finished ahead of her. And they started out behind!"
"You avoided the question, Esau. Now answer me. Do you think she could have run faster?"
"She should have."
Hawkins' tone sharpened. "Recruit Esau Wesley, I asked you a question twice, and twice you've avoided answering it. Now… "
Esau interrupted. "But she lied! She said I accused her of playing up to him!"
"That doesn't answer my question. It's backflash, Recruit Esau Wesley, and it's earned you a six-by pit to dig before you go to bed tonight. You've got to break that habit. Another backflash tonight and you'll go without breakfast again in the morning."
Esau seemed to shrink, but his expression was bitter and obstinate.
Hawkins' voice was mild again. "Now, I'll ask you once more. Your last chance. Do you think she could have run faster this morning? Or is it just a matter of she couldn't run as fast as most of the others?" Esau didn't answer at once. "The answer, Esau," Hawkins prompted, his voice soft but ominous. "The answer. Nothing else."
"No, sir. It seems to me she ran as fast as she could."
"Thank you, Esau, for your honest answer. So why did you, ah, upbraid her for her late finish?"
Esau looked at his hands, folded on his lap. "I'm the leader of our fire team. I'm responsible for it. And her and Isaiah Vernon are both in it."
"And?"
He looked at Hawkins now, frustrated and upset. "They can't run as fast as the others, and they're weaker!"
"I know that. But do they do as well as they can?"
Esau deflated. "I guess."
"You have some doubts, do you?"
There was a brief lag, then Esau answered. "No. No doubts. She tries all right, hard as she can. And I suspect he does too."
"Are they improving?"
Grudgingly, "Yessir."
"Good. That's what we want them to do. What we want all of you to do. And you Jerries are doing well. You were strong to start with, and you try hard. Your corporals just completed their training here, and they tell us how impressed they are with you all. Jael in particular, because she's a woman. And most young women don't get the kind of physical exercise young men get. Even on New Jerusalem I suspect."
He paused, sizing up Esau, who seemed to be coming out of his black pit. "Tell me, Esau: have you said anything to Isaiah about his running? And his strength?"
"Once or twice."
"Did you ever upbraid him the way you did Jael?"
Esau relapsed a bit. "No, sir."
"Why is that?"
"He's not my wife."
"Do you think your wife's running, and her strength, reflect on you personally?"
He met Hawkins' gaze now, and his voice turned monotone. "It's not that. But I'm our fire team leader, and because of them, my team is the weakest in the platoon. I'll never make squad leader, or recruit platoon leader."
"Ahh! So you want to be squad leader. At least. Why?"
The question took Esau by surprise. "Why, so things'll be done right, and folks'll give it all they've got. Captain Mulvaney said it himself: we'll have to give it all we've got to win the war."
Hawkins nodded slowly. "Those are good reasons. So let me tell you how that works. You start with the people assigned to you, whoever and whatever they are. Some will be strong, some not so strong, some smart, some not so smart. Some able, some not so able. A leader's job is to work with what he's got, and make them an effective team. To do it with fairness, and a minimum of turmoil and resentment. A fire team and squad live together, work together, defend each other. They're closer and more loyal to each other than brothers.
"We senior cadre will base our final decisions on leadership on how well you lead. On your ability to handle the personnel you have." He paused meaningfully. "Including your fairness.
"You, Esau, are physically strong. And fast and smart. But those aren't enough by themselves. Just now, Ensign Berg and I have misgivings about your suitability for leadership. You've shown excellent potential, but you have two major weaknesses. One, you are sometimes surly, and take your frustrations out on others. In this case your wife, which is seriously unfair.
"The other is your backflashing. You backflash more than anyone else in the platoon. When given orders, carry them out! Don't answer back, or argue or discuss-except when invited to. You can't be given authority to order others, when you take orders so poorly yourself."