Звездный десант

           "HissuggestionmadesenseasthesurfaceairtemperaturewasmuchlowerthantheBugsuseintheirtunnels;acamouflagedventholeshouldshowaplumelikeageyserbyinfraredvision.Iglancedatmydisplay."Cunha’sboysarealmostatlimit.Startyourparade.’

           "Verywell,sir!"

           "Off."IclickedovertothewidecircuitandcontinuedtomaketracksforthecraterwhileIlistenedtoeverybodyatonceasmyplatoonsergeantrevisedthepre-plan—cuttingoutonesquad,headingitforthecrater,startingtherestofthefirstsectioninatwo-squadcountermarchwhilekeepingthesecondsectioninarotationalsweepaspre-plannedbutwithfourmilesincreaseddepth;gotthesectionsmoving,droppedthemandcaughtthefirstsquadasitconvergedontheanchorcornercrater,gaveititsinstructions;cutbacktothesectionleadersinplentyoftimetogivethemnewbeaconbearingsatwhichtomaketheirturns.

           HediditwiththesmartprecisionofadrummajoronparadeandhediditfasterandinfewerwordsthanIcouldhavedoneit.Extended-orderpowered-suitdrill,withaplatoonspreadovermanymilesofcountryside,ismuchmoredifficultthanthestruttingprecisionofparade—butithastobeexact,oryou’llblowtheheadoffyourmateinaction...or,asinthiscase,yousweeppartoftheterraintwiceandmissanotherpart.

           Butthedrillmasterhasonlyaradardisplayofhisformation;hecanseewithhiseyesonlythosenearhim.