Звездный десант

           Thiswastheperiod,ofcourse,aftertheBugshadlocatedourhomeplanet,throughtheSkinnies,andhadraidedit,destroyingBuenosAiresandturning"contacttroubles"intoall-outwar,butbeforewehadbuiltupourforcesandbeforetheSkinnieshadchangedsidesandbecomeourco-belligerentsanddefactoallies.PartlyeffectiveinterdictionforTerrahadbeensetupfromLuna(wedidn’tknowit),butspeakingbroadly,theTerranFederationwaslosingthewar.

           Wedidn’tknowthat,either.NordidweknowthatstrenuouseffortswerebeingmadetosubverttheallianceagainstusandbringtheSkinniesovertoourside;thenearestwecametobeingtoldaboutthatwaswhenwegotinstructions,beforetheraidinwhichFloreswaskilled,togoeasyontheSkinnies,destroyasmuchpropertyaspossiblebuttokillinhabitantsonlywhenunavoidable.

           Whatamandoesn’tknowhecan’tspillifheiscaptured;neitherdrugs,nortorture,norbrainwash,norendlesslackofsleepcansqueezeoutasecrethedoesn’tpossess.Soweweretoldonlywhatwehadtoknowfortacticalpurposes.Inthepast,armieshavebeenknowntofoldupandquitbecausethemendidn’tknowwhattheywerefightingfor,orwhy,andthereforelackedthewilltofight.ButtheM.I.doesnothavethatweakness.Eachoneofuswasavolunteertobeginwith,eachforsomereasonorother—somegood,somebad.ButnowwefoughtbecausewewereM.I.Wewereprofessionals,withespritdecorps.