"Good," said Cletus. "Pull all but a couple of companies back into Bakhalla."
Eachan's gaze jerked up from the packet of orders to stare at Cletus' face. "Pull back?" he echoed. "What was the point in going up there, then?"
"The point in going up there," said Cletus, "was to cause Neuland to do exactly what they've done - assemble troops on their side of the mountain border. Now we pull back most of our men, so that it looks as though we've lost our nerve. Either that, or never intended to be a threat after all."
"And was that what we intended?" Eachan looked narrowly at Cletus.
Cletus laughed cheerfully. "Our intent, just as I say," he answered, "was to make them assemble a large force on their side of the pass through the mountains. Now we can pack up and go home - but can they? No doubt you've heard the army rumor - and by this time the Neulanders will have heard it too - that General Traynor and myself were overhead discussing an invasion of Neuland, and that we made a special trip up to Etter's Pass to survey it with that in mind."
"You mean," said Eachan, "that deCastries and the Neulanders will be sure that we really meant to invade them?"
"I mean just the opposite," said Cletus. "There's a great deal of truth to the fact that a liar is always going to suspect you of lying and a thief'll always suspect your honesty. DeCastries is a subtle man, and the weakness of subtle men is to suspect any straightforward action of being a screen for some kind of trick. He'll be sure to have concluded the rumor was leaked specifically for the purpose of causing him - and Neuland - to move a lot of troops into position on a false invasion scare, which would evaporate then and leave them looking foolish. Consequently, being the man he is, he'll have resolved to play along with our game and take advantage of us at the very moment we plan to be chuckling over his embarrassment."
Eachan frowned. "I don't believe I follow you," he said.
Cletus nodded at the package of papers. "It's all in the orders, there," he said. "You'll start withdrawing men from the Two Rivers area early tomorrow, a shipload at half hour intervals. As each shipload gets back here and gets sorted out, turn them loose on three-day passes."
Eachan stared at him, grimly. "And that's it?" Eachan said, at last.
"That's it - until I give you further orders," said Cletus, getting to his feet. He turned about and headed toward the door.
"Good night," said Eachan behind him. As Cletus went out the door and turned left to go off down the corridor, he caught a glimpse of Eachan, still standing behind the desk, looking after him.
Cletus went back to his quarters and to bed. The next morning he allowed himself the unusual luxury of sleeping late. It was 10 A.M. by the time he drifted into the Officers' Club for a late breakfast and just short of noon when he finally arrived at his office. Arvid and the staff Arvid had accumulated there were all diligently at work. Cletus smiled at them like an indulgent father and called them all together.
"I'm flying up to Two Rivers this afternoon," he said, "to supervise the windup of the Dorsai exercises up there. So there's not much point in your feeding me with a lot of information material that'll go stale between now and Monday morning anyway. I've been working you all above and beyond the call of duty. So take the rest of the day off - all of you, that is, except Arvid" - he smiled at the big young officer - "and I'll see you again at the beginning of next week."
The staff evaporated like a scattering of raindrops on hot pavement after a tropical shower. Once they were gone, Cletus went carefully around the office, making sure all its security systems were in working order and ready to be put in operation. Then he came back, sat down opposite Arvid's desk and reached over to pick up Arvid's phone. He dialed the number of the Navy base.
"This is Colonel Cletus Grahame," he told the duty petty officer at the far end. "Would you try to locate Commander Linet for me, and have him call me back? I'm at my office."
He put the phone back on Arvid's desk and waited. Arvid was watching him curiously. Cletus got up and walked over to his own desk. He picked up his own phone there and brought it back to exchange it for the phone in front of Arvid. Arvid's phone he took back to his own desk.
He punched out the first two digits of the five-digit number that would connect him with Bat Traynor's office. Then, with the phone activated, but the call incompleted, he pushed the phone from him and looked over at Arvid.
"Arv," he said, "some time in the next few hours Eachan Khan's going to be calling me. If anyone but Colonel Eachan calls, I've just stepped out and you don't know when I'll be back. But if Colonel Eachan calls, tell him that I'm on the phone to General Traynor at the moment - and I will be. Ask him if you can take a message, or say I'll call him back in a few minutes." Arvid frowned in slight puzzlement - but the frown evaporated almost immediately into his usual agreeable expression.
"Yes, sir," he said...
"And now?" he asked, after Cletus had made the call.
"Now, we wait."
Wait, they did - for nearly two hours, during which perhaps a dozen unimportant phone calls came in and were neatly fielded by Arvid. Then the phone Cletus had moved from his desk to that of the lieutenant buzzed abruptly and Arvid lifted the receiver.
"Colonel Grahame's office, Lieutenant Johnson speaking - " Arvid broke off, glancing over at Cletus. "Colonel Khan? Yes, sir... "
Cletus had already picked up Arvid's phone and was completing the punching of the proper sequence of numbers for contact with Bat's office. In the background he heard Arvid saying that he could take a message. Bat's office answered.
"This is Colonel Grahame," Cletus said into the phone. "I'd like to talk to General Traynor right away - in fact, immediately. It's red emergency."
He waited. There was a fractional delay at the other end of the line. Arvid, meanwhile, had hung up. There was silence in the office. Cletus could see out of the corner of his eye how Arvid was standing, watching him.
"Grahame?" Bat's voice exploded suddenly against Cletus' ear. "What's all this?"
"Sir," said Cletus, "I discovered something, and I think I ought to talk to you about it right away - privately. I can't tell you over the phone. It's got to do with the Coalition and it involves not only us, here on Kultis, but the whole Alliance. I'm at my office. I've given my staff the rest of the day off. Could you make some excuse to leave your office and come over here so that we could talk privately?"
"Talk? What is all this - " Bat broke off. Cletus heard the other's voice, suddenly withdrawn from the mouthpiece of the phone, speaking distantly to someone else. "Joe, go get me that file on... the plans for the new military district south of town."
There were a few more seconds of pause, and then Bat's voice came back close to the phone but muted and cold in tone.
"Now you can tell me," he said.
"I'm sorry, sir," said Cletus.
"Sorry? You mean you don't even trust the phone circuits to my office?"
"I didn't say that, sir," answered Cletus evenly. "I only suggested that you make some excuse to get out of your office and meet me privately over here at mine."
His voice was almost wooden in its lack of expression. There was a long pause at the other end of the phone circuit. Then Cletus heard Bat's indrawn breath hiss sharply.
"All right, Grahame," said Bat, "but this better be as serious as you're making it sound."
"Sir," said Cletus seriously, "without exaggeration, it concerns not only the highest Coalition personnel presently on the planet, but members of our own Alliance command here in Bakhalla as well."
"See you in fifteen minutes," said Bat. The phone circuit clicked in Cletus' ear, and then went dead. Cletus put the phone down and turned to look at Arvid, who was staring at him. "Eachan's message?" Cletus prompted gently. With a start, Arvid came out of his trance.