"We have a radio, but at the moment it's not working. We're on the move, as you can see."
"I've got a radio, General," Koffler said. "I've got two hours' worth of batteries, so if you've got a generator, that would be helpful. But all I really need is some help to string my antenna. I can be on the air in a couple of min-utes."
"You're a radio operator, Sergeant?"
"Yes, Sir. That's why General Pickering sent me."
Fertig looked at the Filipino.
"Ask Lieutenant Ball and Sergeant LaMadrid to report to me, would you, please?" he said. He turned back to Koffler. "Lieutenant Ball is my signal officer," he said. "They'll string your antenna for you."
"Yes, Sir. Thank you."
"This is interesting," Fertig said, fingering the sword. "What is it?"
"Lieutenant McCoy told me that when the war just started, some Army asshole-"
He stopped, horrified at what he had just said.
"It's all right, Sergeant. I am perfectly willing to agree that there are a number of assholes in the United States Army."
"Some Army guy sent twenty thousand of them to Australia. They're Cavalry sabers. An Ordnance officer-an Army Ordnance officer-cut them down and sharpened them. They make pretty good machetes. Good steel in them."
"I see. And that weapon of yours?"
Koffler handed it to him.
"It's what they call a carbine, General. Sort of halfway between a pistol and a rifle. Fifteen shots. They're good out to about a hundred yards. We brought you a hundred of them. If they got them all off the submarine. They were going to try to unload some more stuff, maybe all we brought, if the Japs didn't show up."
"Interesting weapon," Fertig said, turning it over in his hands.
"Colonel Stecker and McCoy decided it would be smarter to bring car-bines than rifles. They're smaller, the ammo doesn't weigh as much, and the Colonel thought that your Filipinos could probably handle them better than rifles."
"Colonel Stecker? Who is he, Sergeant?"
"Marine Colonel, Sir. He won the Medal of Honor in the First World War. He was supposed to come in with us, but they're going to make him a general and send him to Washington, so he couldn't."
So at least two people more senior than a lieutenant are involved in this. Thank God!
And then another question occurred to him.
"Did you meet Captain Weston?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Presumably, he is with your lieutenant-McCoy, I believe you said?- on the beach?"
"Yes, Sir. Lieutenant McCoy. No, Sir. Mr. McCoy sent him to Australia on the submarine."
"He did what?" Fertig asked, at first greatly surprised, and then suddenly annoyed. "On whose authority?" he wondered angrily, aloud.
"Mr. McCoy sent him to Australia, Sir," Koffler said. "I guess he figured he had the authority to do that, otherwise he wouldn't have done it."
"I can't wait to meet Lieutenant McCoy," Fertig said.
Lieutenant Robert Ball appeared, sleepy-eyed. He looked at Koffler with undisguised curiosity.
"You sent for me, General?"
"This is Staff Sergeant Koffler of the United States Marines," Fertig said. "He needs some assistance to erect an antenna. He intends to communicate with Australia with it. Would you and Sergeant LaMadrid assist him, please?"
"Yes, Sir," Ball said. He offered his hand to Koffler. "I hope you've got some wire?"
"Yes, Sir. I've cut a straight wire for the twenty-meter band, insulators and everything. It's in one of the parcels."
"And you have a radio?"
"A radio, a key, and enough batteries for two hours. Have you got a gener-ator?"
"It'll take an hour to get it running; it's in pieces."
"Then I guess we better go with the batteries for now," Koffler said. "It won't take long. But I am going to need a generator pretty soon."
With Lieutenant Ball and Sergeant LaMadrid-and halfway through the pro-cess, General Fertig-as a fascinated audience, Sergeant Koffler carefully removed the plastic coating from several packages. There were four identical packages, each containing a battery. Others held a neatly coiled roll of copper wire to which were attached ceramic insulators; a receiver; a transmitter; a high-speed telegraphic key; and a small set of headphones.
The receiving and transmitting antennae were quickly erected. Koffler pulled his shirt from his trousers again and untied the second plastic belt.
With all the care of a surgeon, he used his machete to slit open the square package.
"Gotta be careful as hell with this," he explained. "Not only is it printed on what looks like toilet paper, but it's soaked in some chemical that makes it practically explode if you get a match near it."
Inside the package was an oilskin envelope. Koffler opened it, removed a pad of paper, tore the first sheet from it, and carefully tucked it in his pocket. Then he put the pad of paper back in the oilskin envelope, carefully closed it, and looked at Lieutenant Ball.
"This is your new SOI," he said. "You got someplace to keep it where it won't get fucked up, or would you rather I keep it?"
"I'll keep it safe," Ball said, and Koffler handed it to him.
"Lieutenant McCoy's got another copy," he said. "But if we lose both, we're all back up shit's creek."
He took the flimsy sheet of paper from his pocket and read it carefully.
Taking note of the interest of his audience, he then handed it to General Fertig. "I thought it was 'K' and 'P,' but it always pays to check," Koffler said.
MESSAGE 001
PART A - TO BE TRANSMITTED IN THE CLEAR, REPEATED TWICE
OPERATIONAL IMMEDIATE
FROM MXX FOR IMMEDIATE PERSONAL ATTENTION CINCPAC
ALL STATIONS COPY FOR RELAY TO KFS
PART B - ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING AS APPROPRIATE TO BE TRANSMITTED IN THE CLEAR REPEATED FOUR (4) TIMES
AAA-LANDING PARTY ABORTING MISSION ATTEMPTING RETURN SUNFISH
BBB-LANDING PARTY ASHORE LOST CONTACT WITH SUNFISH
CCC-SUNFISH DETECTED BY ENEMY ASHORE
DDD-SUNFISH DETECTED BY ENEMY SURFACE CRAFT
EEE-SUNFISH DETECTED BY ENEMY AIRCRAFT
FFF-SUNFISH UNDER ATTACK BY ENEMY ARTILLERY
GGG-SUNFISH UNDER ATTACK BY ENEMY SURFACE CRAFT
HHH-SUNFISH UNDER ATTACK BY ENEMY AIRCRAFT
III-SUNFISH BELIEVED DAMAGED
JJJ-SUNFISH BELIEVED SUNK BY ENEMY ACTION
KKK-SUNFISH SAFELY DEPARTED UNDAMAGED
LLL-LANDING PARTY ASHORE SUSPECT DETECTION MOVING INLAND
MMM-LANDING PARTY DETECTED SITUATION IN DOUBT
NNN-LANDING PARTY SAFELY ASHORE NO CONTACT WITH FRIENDLIES
OOO-LANDING PARTY SAFELY ASHORE IN CONTACT WITH FRIENDLIES
PPP-LANDING PARTY SAFELY ASHORE IN CONTACT WITH FERTIG
PART C-TO BE TRANSMITTED IN THE CLEAR, REPEATED TWICE
END
MXX CLEAR
" 'K' and 'P' does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it, Sergeant?" General Fertig said.
"Yes, Sir, it does," Sergeant Koffler said. "Put a match to that, General. We don't need it anymore."
Fertig shrugged, took out his lighter, and applied the flame to the small sheet of paper. There was a flash, a small cloud of smoke, and the paper disap-peared.