They weren’t likely to see any, Mazer knew—not until it was too late anyway. The transports were near silent and used no exterior lights, making them practically invisible at night. If one did come into view, it would likely be right when the lander was on top of them. And what could Mazer and Bingwen do at that point but fight and hope for the best? They couldn’t run for cover. There was none. Not anymore. In the north there had been patches of jungle in which to conceal themselves, but here, near the lander, the Formics had left nothing. Every sprout and sapling and blade of grass had been stripped or burned away, leaving a landscape so barren and devoid of any life that it was as if Mazer and Bingwen had stepped off of Earth and walked onto another planet entirely.
“If I tell you to run, you run,” said Mazer. “Do you understand? No questions asked, no hesitating. Immediate obedience.”
“Immediate obedience,” Bingwen repeated.
“It could mean your life, Bingwen. It could mean both of our lives. If I tell you to drop, you drop. If I say jump in the river, you jump in the river.”
“The river’s probably polluted,” said Bingwen. “All of the runoff from the mist is in that water. I might die if I swim in that.”
“You see? That’s the type of hesitation I’m speaking of. You can’t question my orders. Ever. If I tell you to jump in a polluted river, it’s only because every other option means death. It means the chances of surviving a polluted river, however slim, are greater than the chances of surviving not jumping in it.”
“River. Jump. I got it.”
Mazer stopped and took a knee, facing him. “I’m serious, Bingwen. If I give you an order, it’s only to keep you alive. It may contradict what you think is best or what you want to do, but you must obey it. That has to be instinct. You have to believe with absolute certainty that anything I tell you will be for your good.”
Bingwen nodded. “I believe that.”
“So if I tell you to crouch down and take cover…”
“I crouch and take cover.”
“And if I tell you to hide in a hole…”
“I make like a snake and hide.”
Mazer unholstered his sidearm. “And if I tell you to take this and go north…”
“I thought you weren’t going to teach me how to shoot.”
“I’m not. Not really. This is a last resort. This is when all other options have failed. But if I tell you to take this gun and run north, you take it and protect yourself and run north. Understand?”
“But why would you give it to me?”
Mazer made a move to speak, but Bingwen continued, cutting him off.
“I wouldn’t question you in the moment,” said Bingwen. “If you told me to do it, I’d do it, no hesitation. I’m asking the question now, when you can still answer it. If you’re alive enough to give me the gun and give me the order, then aren’t you alive enough to keep fighting with it yourself?”
“If I give you the gun and tell you to run, it’s because it’s the only way to keep you alive and get you away.”
“Me … but not you.”
“I don’t want to die, Bingwen. I will do everything to get back home. But more important to me is that at least one of us survives. If I can hold them off long enough for you to get away, I prefer that than something happening to both of us. Do you understand?”
Bingwen waved his hands. “No. That can’t be how it works. That’s wrong. If you were by yourself, you’d fight for as long as you could. You’d stay at it. And who knows, because of perseverance or luck or skill or desperation, maybe you would survive, even if you didn’t expect to. But giving me the gun is guaranteeing failure. That’s giving up. You’d be dying because of me. I can’t allow that.”
“Listen to me, Bingwen.”
“No. I’m not letting you do that. If you have it in mind to give up your weapon, you will do it at the wrong time. You would hold off for as long as you think is necessary to ensure my survival instead of yours. And you would overcompensate. You would give me more time than I needed and therefore give up sooner than necessary. You can show me how the gun works, but I’m only going to use it if you no longer can.”
Mazer was quiet a moment. “In the military we call this insubordination. People are stripped of rank and imprisoned for it.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’m not in the military.”
“You’re making this difficult, Bingwen.”
“No. I’m making it the opposite. I’m removing a consideration from your mind. I’m letting you fight with a clearer head. That’s in my best interest, too. The more focused you are on staying alive, the better my chances are, too.”
Mazer considered then nodded. “All right. No giving up the gun.”
“Good.”
“But if I can no longer use it, you pick it up.” He showed him the weapon. “You see this light? Red means it can’t fire, the safety is on. Flip this switch here, the light goes green, it’s ready to fire.” He flipped the safety back on. “Don’t run with your finger on the trigger, even if the safety is on. That’s the fastest way to shoot yourself. Keep your index finger flat against the receiver like this until you’re ready to fire. And use the wrist brace. Here.” Mazer tapped a button on the grip, and the wrist brace extended backward, found Mazer’s wrist, and wrapped around it. “It will tighten automatically to fit the diameter of your wrist and help steady your aim.”
“Where should I aim?”