"You know better than that, Dee," Cale replied. "Just slow down and tell me what happened."
With a deep breath, Dee forced herself to calmness. "All right. Blue-eye is Donord's most popular girl, and she has avoided the star men. She's frightened of them. She says they have 'hard eyes'.
"There was a good-sized crowd last night, and a lot of the star men were upset about some sort of raid. Blue-eye went out to the privy, and on her way back, she was attacked by a drunk star man. He cursed her for thinking herself 'too good' for the star men, and swore he would show her what a 'real man' could do. He tore her clothing, and took her right there, in the mud of the yard.
"When he was finished, he left her lying there in the mud, and went back into the inn as though nothing had happened. When she could pick herself up, Blue-eye went into the inn and told Donord and some of the men what happened. She pointed out the man, but before anyone could intervene, he jumped her. He was hitting her with his fists, over and over.
"Finally he pulled a knife, and that's when a couple of other star men pulled him off her. They hustled him out. But as I said, she's Donord's most beautiful and popular girl. A lot of the local customers went after the star men. I understand there was quite a brawl; I was too busy trying to save her life to see it myself. Donord says a couple of men were killed.
"He's furious. He's barred the star men from the place. I know that might keep us from learning something important, but frankly, right now I don't care, and neither does Donord. He's busy trying to keep himself and his friends from going on a star man hunt."
"Zant and some men raided the colony a few nights ago," Cale explained. "That's what the star men were upset about." He paused. "Dee, if I could, I'd bring Cheetah down, or maybe even one of the Din-classes, with their full med cabinet. But I couldn't land anything but a flitter down there without being seen, and I'd be lucky to do that. Besides, it would take two days to get down there in a flitter."
The angry flush slowly faded from her cheeks. She nodded. "I know, Cale," she said soberly. "But it's just so . . . so infuriating! I feel so helpless!" The tears began to flow once more, and Cale hurried to the reason for his call.
He told her about the Treaty trade, and warned her that there might be a raid. "I think they'll go for the colony," he said, "but they might make a try for King's Town. You stay close to the inn for the next few weeks, and let Donord know. I'm sure he'll make sure you're safe."
********
"Hello, General," Zant smiled. "How's the crusade for world domination coming?"
There was no answering smile from Ochoa-Mariden. "You've set progress on Jumbo back a century," he said grimly. "Did you call to gloat?"
Zant's smile widened. "I prefer to think we've avoided a century of military dictatorship," he said. "By the way, have you had reports yet on the ruckus in King's Town last night?"
The General's stony expression faded to puzzlement. "I've got the report. Some sort of brawl between some of my men and the locals. What about it?"
Zant's smile faded to poorly-controlled anger. "Does your report mention the woman your men raped and beat up? Or the two local men dead of knife wounds?"
Ochoa-Mariden straightened. "No, it doesn't. Can you substantiate that charge?"
Zant shrugged. "Two bodies, an inn girl in serious medical condition, and a room full of locals can substantiate it, if you care to bother with it."
"Oh," the General replied, "An inn girl."
"Yes, General, an inn girl. I'm sure you would prefer she be a queen or a princess, but it seems none of them hang around your animals."
"Don't be ridiculous, Jenfu," The General replied, his face hard. "No real military organization tolerates rape and assault on civilians, no matter who they are. If any of this can be proven, I'll trigger the blaster on the perpetrator myself.
"It's obvious you have sources in King's Town. Contact them and see if you can get that woman brought here. I'll brief the guards on the bridge to pass her and two escorts."
Zant shook his head. "Sorry, General. I doubt they'll come. Locals who go to New Home these days have a tendency to not come back."
Ochoa-Mariden waved dismissively. "She'll come back. If your report is true, I'll have the colony med team treat her, and have her identify the man responsible. I won't have men like that in my unit." He sighed. "Not that I have all that many men left. All right," he added. "I will personally scribe and sign a safe-conduct pass for the woman and two men, and send it with a hovertruck to pick her and two male escorts up and bring them here. You have my word. Can you give me her name?"
Zant shrugged. "You know better than that, General. For what it's worth, she's called 'Blue-eye,' and one member of her escort will probably be the innkeeper, a big brute with a peg leg." He paused. "Our people tell me she's his favorite girl, and I'm told he's even thinking about taking her to wife." He paused. "Your people can pick them up on the north side of the market square at 0900 tomorrow. By the way," he continued, "he's banned your people from his inn, so you might keep an eye open for more trouble in King's Town."
The General nodded, scribbling notes on his tablet. "I will. Now," he said, "I don't believe for a microsecond that you called because a woman got roughed up and raped. What do you really want?"
Zant's smile reappeared. "Do you remember reading in Cale's original report that there are two times a year when people from the kingdoms can talk with the nomads?"
The General frowned, and then his face cleared. "I remember. Are you telling me you talked to the nomads?"
Zant nodded. "Just got back. We had a nice demonstration of star weapons and the new militias from the kingdoms. Then we suggested they wander east for a few thousand miles. I think they're going to do it, too.
"Now," he added, "to get to the meat of the thing." His voice turned formal. "I must inform you that his Majesty Rajo, King of Valhalla, is present and listening to this conversation. For some strange reason, he doesn't trust you much, General, or us either, I suspect. When Cale and I insisted on calling you, he authorized it only on the condition that he listen in on the conversation."
Ochoa-Mariden nodded to the screen. "An honor, Your Majesty. You will only learn that neither of us has anything to hide. Jenfu, are you saying that the nomads will be leaving, and are no longer a threat to the colony?"
Zant shook his head. "No, not at all. I'm almost certain that the camps will migrate. We convinced them they could not attack against an entrenched enemy with star weapons.
"But that's almost certain to arouse a hard core of haters, to launch an all-or-nothing suicide attack on the colony. We're calling to warn you."
The General nodded. "I've seen that before, and studied it, of course." He frowned. "We're talking about do-or-die fanatics. If you're right, nothing but death will stop them. I think," he continued after a moment of deep thought, "I should have enough men to hold the colony. But I've got a long perimeter to guard, and those dinos move fast."
Zant nodded. "That's how we figured it, too. We're willing to make an offer, but first I have to know whether you still plan to conquer the kingdoms."
Ochoa-Mariden stared at the screen for a long moment. Then his shoulders slumped, and he suddenly looked ten years older. "That's no longer a tenable plan," he said. "I have neither the personnel nor the equipment to continue, in the face of the resistance we've encountered and our primary responsibility to the colony. We have already begun pulling back from Gorby."
Zant nodded, and turned to someone off-camera, presumably King Rajo. "We'd better get some militia down there, your Majesty, before king Jorg of Terjo decides to double his kingdom's size."