The Lotus Eaters

Quarters 39, Clementine Road, Fort Williams, Balboa Transitway Area

Chapayev had become something of a weekly dinner guest at Coronel Muñoz-Infantes' residence. It was even perhaps fair to say that he and the Castilian colonel had become friends.

I wish, thought Chapayev, that as much could be said for his daughter, Maria. She's barely civil and I really don't understand that. I've heard of love at first sight, even—to my cost—experienced it. But hate at first sight? That seems unfair.

Is it because the coronel and I talk too much shop over dinner? I like to talk shop. So does he. Where would be the harm in that? And she grew up in the Castilian Army. Surely none of this is over her head.

"So you were too young for Pashtia, Victor?" Muñoz observed. "I'm surprised your Duque didn't bring you over during his campaign there."

"Standing policy, sir," Chapayev replied. Though he'd never found a really suitable "horizontal dictionary," his Spanish—especially his military Spanish—had gotten quite good through sheer dint of study and practicing with his boys. "The only Volgans from our regiment who were allowed in with the legions were the ones who spoke the language, one of the languages, and had good contacts there. Otherwise . . . well . . . there were a lot of hard feelings still and no love lost between us. The less we saw of each other, generally speaking, the better."

"And things with your cadets . . ." Muñoz began to ask before Maria interrupted him.

"If you'll excuse me, father, I need to go lie down."

Muñoz gave his daughter a half-dirty look, waved one hand dismissively, and said, "Go then." He stared at her back until she had nearly disappeared around the corner. When the colonel took his eyes away he found that Victor was still staring.

The Volgan coughed with embarrassment. "Sorry, sir, I . . ."

The Castilian effected not to have noticed Victor's stare. "I apologize for Maria's rudeness. She is a daughter of the regiment, my young friend, but she is also a product of the Tauran Union's educational system. The fact that you are turning young boys into something analogous to soldiers is just beyond the pale to her."

"Ohhh."

"Oh."

Muñoz always took an interest in Victor's job, training the cadets, but was also always very careful to stay far away from his genuine suspicions, that Carrera was training not only future soldiers but current ones, young ones, fanatical ones who would not be counted in the force ratios calculated at Building 59. Even as he avoided that subject, he also took invariable care to drops hints of anything that might be of interest to the legions.

"I'm afraid I'll have to call it a night, Victor," Muñoz said. "We've got some new people coming in and early tomorrow I've a meeting with my quartermaster as to where we're going to billet them. They'll take up at least half a barracks by themselves, but there aren't so many as to take up a whole one. It's really quite awkward; the men don't even speak Spanish."