It was a slow dispersal, and the soldiers were not driving themselves to accomplish it with anything more than casual speed. As the units departing the roadhead broke up into smaller and smaller units, their pace slowed progressively, until by the time they were down to the four individuals that seemed to be the team number for an individual section of territory, they were literally loafing along, and when at last they reached the area that was to be theirs alone to search, they put themselves first to the leisurely business of setting up temporary camps.
Meanwhile, Procyon moved across the sky overhead and the day wore on. Hal and Old Man sat still, engrossed in the developing situation as shown on the screens of the four scopes that now sat in front of them since Calas had rejoined them. None of the soldiers, as yet, were close enough for naked-eye observation. But Calas became more and more restless as the day wore on. Hal could feel the tension in the wiry little man growing with the passing hours. "Why don't they get it done, damn it?" exploded Calas finally. "Do you know about the battle of Thermopylae?" asked Hal.
Calas turned to look at him. "No," Calas said. "It' happened on Old Earth, nearly three thousand years ago," Hal said. "Persia, a huge empire of that time, set out to conquer the city-states of the Greeks on a peninsula reaching down from the southern part of Europe into the Mediterranean Sea. Xerxes, the Persian ruler, attacked the Peninsula with a vast army. His forces clashed with seven thousand Greeks on a narrow strip of coastline with the sea on one side and steep cliffs on the other. The sea was barred to the Persians by Greek ships. The seven thousand Greeks on land were mainly from Sparta, a city that produced the best hoplites in the world then - men armed with large shields and long spears, fighting in close formation. "
Hal paused. Calas was, at least, listening with every sign of interest. "For three days of fighting Xerxes tried to get past the Spartans. But Leonidas, King of Sparta and their commander, with his troops, who, were mostly Spartans, held them. Then a Greek traitor showed the Persians a narrow footpath up over the cliffs. They started to go up and around the Spartans to take them from behind. Leonidas, learning of this, sent most of his soldiers off in retreat. He, himself, and three hundred of his Spartans with some of the allies from other cities, stayed and defended. They who stayed died fighting, but what they did allowed those sent off to get away safely." He paused again, this time glancing at Calas. "The place where they fought the Persians and died," he said, "is called Thermopylae, and after, there was an inscription put up there. It said 'go, stranger and tell the Spartans we lie here in obedience to their command.' "
Hal stopped, he reached out and enlarged the view on one of the scopes. "And?" said Calas. "What has all this three-thousand-year old history to do with what we've got down there?"
He jerked his hand at the valley below. "Just that Leonidas knew what he was deciding to do when he chose to stay and die - and those with him knew." Hal looked directly into the eyes of Calas. "We only have one life, and at its end, there's one important question only. Whether what we did praises or condemns us in our own eyes. And judgment can rest on any moment's decision or action, from all our years.
Old Man bowed as only he could from a seated position, toward Hal. Hal looked at him. "Now, why?" he said to Old Man. "I only put a truth into words. " "It was the truth I bowed to," said Old Man, and smiled. "All right, all right..." muttered Calas, peering into his scanner, "you don't have to underline it. Maybe I know what you mean better than you think. Don't forget I figured myself for dead, under the rocks of that slide, when I heard those mates of mine taking off without digging for me."
But from then on he watched the screen before him closely, continuously and without fidgeting.
By the time the sun began to set, the soldiers below had all made their individual camps. A few of the separate teams had even made a brief search of part of their assigned area. But most had simply spent their time setting up shelters and building a fire. They sat around the fires as darkness grew, talking and drinking from their canteens, and when, at last, there was nothing to be seen from the ledge but deep shadow where forest foliage had been visible, the numerous firelights flickered and twinkled like echoes of the stars that grew into brightness overhead. "Friend?"
Hal had heard the footsteps coming up behind them, but, still caught in his long day's observation of what was below, on identifying them as the footsteps of Artur he had merely noted them, and returned to his concentration on what was lit on the screen before him by the light of one of the fires below. Now he roused and answered. "Yes?" he said.
He got to his feet, cramped by the long watch. Beside him, Calas and Old Man were also rising. "I thought I could take over for you here," said Artur. "At night, there's not much need for a skilled watcher, and you'll need rest." "True," said Hal.
The darkness was deep enough so that the two men were standing close together. Hal caught the faint sour odor of nervous perspiration from the other. Fresh sweat raised by the body in response to physical effort did not have that smell. "I'll head back in, then," he added. "Calas, Old Man, come along. Amid's probably going to want to talk to us about what we've seen."
He stepped around Artur, making it a point to pass so closely his elbow brushed lightly for a second against the shirt of the Assistant Guildmaster. Sure enough, Artur's shirt was soaked through with sweat. "Make sure you get enough sleep yourself," Hal said to Artur as he passed, "Don't worry about me," Artur's voice came, controlled and level behind him. "I'm wide awake." "Good," said Hal.
He led the two with him to Amid's reception building. Within, Amid was talking, also by firelight, but artificial illumination as well, to Onete." - All right," said Onete, breaking off whatever she had been saying as he came in the door. "I'll be going."
She smiled at Hal and the others as she passed them on her way out. The door shut behind her.
"Come and sit down," said Amid. They did so. There was a rough circle of chairs to one side of the table where the map was laid out, in one of which Amid sat. They took others facing him. "You put in an extended watch," Amid said. "How are you all?" "Myself," said Hal, "I'm still a little stiff from sitting that long. But it's something that'll work itself out." "I'm fine," said Calas - but there was tiredness to be heard in his voice. Old Man smiled and nodded. "What were you able to figure out about them, and their plans for searching?" Amid asked Hal. "Most of what I saw just confirmed what I told you earlier," said Hal. "They've clearly divided the area into small sections they're going to search in no great hurry, with units of four searchers to the section. Thanks to Calas, I understand more about some of their officers than I did. But before we get into that, you know that Artur's taken over as night guard, replacing us?" "Yes," said Amid. His wrinkled old face squeezed up in a frown that would have been almost comical if it had not been so concerned. "He knows it doesn't do any good, but he feels better out there, where he can watch where Cee must be, even if he doesn't know exactly where she is and couldn't see her down there, even if he knew. There's no great need for him to be doing anything else. I thought he might as well be busy at what he wanted, so I agreed to let him take the night watch. There's no problem with that, is there?" "Not from the standpoint of safety," Hal said. "How much sleep has he had?" "He told me he'd had over six hours last night," said Amid I'll've only got his word for it. What is it? Are you afraid he might fall asleep out there on watch?" "No," said Hal. "But you can be wide awake on very little sleep and still not thinking straight - even though you think you are."