The Amtrack Wars - Earth Thunder Part 74

'That's tough, because neither of us have any choice in the matter."

He looked down at the baby. 'Hey, you! Small fry!

Don't just lie there. Talk some sense into your mother."

He laid Sand-Wolf in Clearwater's arms.

'Are you pleased to have a son?"

'I think so. To tell you the truth, I'm still getting used to the idea. Y'know - the two of us making a human being.

I grew up believing that the President-General was the creator of All Life."

'And now you know it isn't true."

Steve gave another warning glance. 'Correction. We know he doesn't create Plainfolk."

'That's right. There's something I have to show you."

.Clearwater peeled off Sand-Wolfs white nights.h.i.+rt and turned him face down on the bed. On the light peachy-brown skin of his back were several darker zebra stripes, running from his shoulders down to the terry-towel nappy, and forming a roughly symmetrical pattern on either side of his spine.

Steve ran a finger down one of the stripes. 'So what?"

'You're not angry?"

'Why should I be? I think he looks great - don't you?"

'Of course I do." Sand-Wolf gave a disgruntled gurgle as she replaced his nights.h.i.+rt and laid him in the cot.

'Then why are you crying?"

Clearwater brushed the tears from her face. 'If you were a woman, you'd understand."

'But as I'm not, I can't."

'One day perhaps."

Steve took her hand. 'I'm sorry I wasn't here when -' 'You're here now. That's enough."

Steve glanced at the wall clock and sighed. 'And now I've got to go.

See you this evening." He kissed her lightly on the cheek then placed a hand on the baby's chest and rocked him gently from side to side.

'G'bye, Sandy."

As he turned to go, Clearwater threw aside the bedclothes.

'Wait! I'll walk you to the door."

'Walk? You mean without -?"

Clearwater laughed at his astonished expression. 'Yes!

Did you think I was going to be in this bed forever?"

She pulled up the hem of her knee-length maternity s.h.i.+ft. It was the first time Steve had seen her legs in months. The bullet wounds had healed but her right thigh still bore the scars of the surgical operations that had rebuilt her shattered thigh bone.

'Jeeezuss, that's look brutal. Does it still hurt?"

'Mutes don't feel pain. Isn't that what they say?"

Clearwater pulled on a long white bathrobe and knotted the sash. 'I still have a slight limp, but the nurses have told me that will gradually disappear." She linked arms with Steve.

'Are you sure this is allowed?"

'Of course. You're a member of the Family. The nurses seem to think you're a very important person now."

'Then make the most of it. It may not last."

No one challenged them as they walked along the pa.s.sage towards the reception area. Clearwater stopped at the double-doors that divided the Long Term Care Annexe from the rest of the Life Inst.i.tute and turned towards Steve, her face raised expectantly.

They kissed and hugged one another, then separated.

A pa.s.sing medical orderly picked up the cap which had fallen from under Steve's arm.

Steve put it back on and adjusted it to the right angle.

'Are you sure you can make it back on your own?"

'Just watch me." Clearwater held onto his hands for a moment longer then turned and walked away. With no arm to lean on, the limp was more p.r.o.nounced. When she reached the side corridor, she looked back, waved briefly and was gone before Steve could respond.

I should be happy, thought Steve. I've got out of that fiasco in Ne-Issan without anyone guessing what really happened. Roz is safe and has knocked some sense into Cadillac. Fran will be handed back, shaken but unharmed. I have a son. The woman I really care about is almost restored to health and may soon gain her freedom. So why do I feel something terrible is going to happen...?

Ten days after the death of Yoritomo and Ieyasu, while the TohoYota family were still trying to sort out the succession and the chaos caused by the dead Shogun's order to arrest everyone working for, or a.s.sociated with, his great-uncle on a charge of treason, the Yamas.h.i.+ta family struck again - this time with their armies.

Before Cadillac and Roz departed for the Winter Palace, the Yama-s.h.i.+ta and their allies had spent some time working out what action each would take if the planned coup were to succeed, and the call to arms had been sent by courier-pigeon to the expectant domain-lords within minutes of Cadillac's arrival at Sarakusa with the severed heads of Yoritomo and Ieyasu.

In a simultaneous pincer movement from east and west, foot-soldiers and cavalry units from Min-Orota's army crossed over the Connecticut river into the lower quarter of the Toh-Yota's huge northern domain a few hours after the Yama-s.h.i.+ta had ferried troops across the Hudson under cover of darkness. Their objective was to secure a fifty-mile deep strip along the coast facing Long Island.

A second Yama-s.h.i.+ta strike-force swung south into New Jersey, to secure the remaining section of the west bank and mouth of the Hudson River where it ran out past Staten Island into Lower New York Bay.

In the far north, the Fu-Jitsu family, long-time allies of the Yama-s.h.i.+ta, launched an attack along the south bank of the St Lawrence River, to link up with a third strike-force moving eastwards around the northern tip of Lake Champlain.

But not everything went as the Yama-s.h.i.+ta family had hoped. In the north-east, the Hase-Gawa, regarded as 'reliable' neutrals by the Toh-Yota, declined to join the Progressives despite being informed of Lord Ieyasu's treachery, and his betrayal of a son from their n.o.ble house. They had fought alongside the Toh-Yota to depose the ruling Da-Tsuni, and they responded to the Yama-s.h.i.+ta's invitation by attacking the Fu-Jitsu's left flank. The Ho-Nada family promptly joined them, foiling the planned pincer movement.

On hearing of this vigorous response, the Na-Shona family, whose domain covered the north-eastern tip of Ne-Issan, and who had pledged their support during the secret meeting at Sara-kusa, decided to remain on the sidelines - a move which left the Hase-Gawa, Ho-Nada and Naka-Jima free to send their coastal fleets to harry the Min-Orota.

In the centre, its other princ.i.p.al allies, the Ko-Nikka and Se-Iko began the process of mobilising their reserves.