MERCENARY
Every status-quo-caste society in historyhas left open two roads to rise above yourcaste: The Priest and The Warrior. But ina society of TV and tranquilizers—theWarrior acquires a strange new meaning....BY MACK REYNOLDS
ILLUSTRATED BY BIRMINGHAM
Joseph Mauser spotted the recruitingline-up from two or three blocksdown the street, shortly after drivinginto Kingston. The local offices ofVacuum Tube Transport, undoubtedly.Baron Haer would be doing hisrecruiting for the fracas with ContinentalHovercraft there if for no otherreason than to save on rents. TheBaron was watching pennies onthis one and that was bad.
In fact, it was so bad that even asJoe Mauser let his sports hovercarsink to a parking level and vaultedover its side he was still questioninghis decision to sign up with the VacuumTube outfit rather than withtheir opponents. Joe was an old proand old pros do not get to be oldpros in the Category Military withoutdeveloping an instinct to stayaway from losing sides.
Fine enough for Low-Lowers andMid-Lowers to sign up with this outfit,as opposed to that, motivated byno other reasoning than the snappinessof the uniform and the stockshares offered, but an old pro consideredcarefully such matters asbudget. Baron Haer was watchingevery expense, was, it was rumored,figuring on commanding himself andcalling upon relatives and friends forhis staff. Continental Hovercraft, onthe other hand, was heavy with variablecapital and was in a position tohire Stonewall Cogswell himself fortheir tactician.
However, the die was cast. Youdidn't run up a caste level, not tospeak of two at once, by playing itcareful. Joe had planned this out; foronce, old pro or not, he was takingrisks.
Recruiting line-ups were not forsuch as he. Not for many a year,many a fracas. He strode rapidlyalong this one, heading for the officesahead, noting only in passingthe quality of the men who were takingservice with Vacuum Tube Transport.These were the soldiers he'd becommanding in the immediate futureand the prospects looked grim. Therewere few veterans among them. Theirstance, their demeanor, their ...well, you could tell a veteran eventhough he be Rank Private. Youcould tell a veteran of even one fracas.It showed.
He knew the situation. The wordhad gone out. Baron Malcolm Haerwas due for a defeat. You weren'tgoing to pick up any lush bonusessigning up with him, and you definitelyweren't going to jump a caste.In short, no matter what Haer's pastrecord, choose what was going to bethe winning side—Continental Hovercraft.Continental Hovercraft andold Stonewall Cogswell who had lostso few fracases that many a Tellybuff couldn't remember a single one.
Individuals among these menshowed promise, Joe Mauser estimatedeven as he walked, but promisemeans little if you don't live longenough to cash in on it.
Take that small man up ahead.He'd obviously got himself into ahassle maintaining his place in lineagainst two or three heftier would-besoldiers. The little fellow wasn'tbacking down a step in spite of theattempts of the other Lowers tousurp his place. Joe Mauser liked tosee such spirit. You could use it whenyou were in the dill.
As he drew abreast of the altercation,he snapped from the side of hismouth, "Easy, lads. You'll get all thescrapping you want w