He paused again and looked up at his listeners. ‘And day by day we gained an increasing measure of His true nature. When His men died, they became... normal again... free of His firing spirit... free to die lost and bewildered in a foreign land far from their homes and loved ones...’ His voice trailed off briefly. ‘We didn’t understand the Mandrocs,’ he went on after a moment. ‘They were just demented savages to us, but I suppose it might have been the same with them too.
‘But we would have held them,’ he repeated. ‘We had the equipment and the will. Soon the army of the Alliance would smash into their rear and then...’
Half-heartedly he struck the palm of his hand with his fist.
His brow furrowed. ‘Then, somehow, there was confusion and disarray on our left flank. Somehow it had been t
