“The Terrans on Shinar would be forced to withdraw when I struck the next planet, or else their lines of supply with the rest of the Empire would be cut.”
Merdon nodded. “Yes, and Shinar would be free of them.” .
“Shinar would be a vassal of the Komani,” Okatar said. “In return for our protection, we would expect tribute.”
Tribute,” Merdon echoed, “and the first payment would be the Bst of supplies and equipment you’d need to attack the next Terran planet.”
“Correct,” said Okatar.
Merdon glanced at his two lieutenants, outside the tri-di booth. They both seemed to be in an agony of impatience.
“I must discuss this with my people,” Merdon told Okatar. “I will call you again, shortly.”
“Very well,” Okatar replied. The viewscreen went blank.
As Merdon stepped out of the booth, Romal yelped, “Do you realize what you’re saying? Okatar will demand everything his men can carry . .. he’U strip us bare!”
“You can’t be serious about this,” Tarat added. “We can’t ask our people to give the Komani whatever they want.”
Merdon folded his arms across his chest and stared them both into silence. “I don’t see that we have any choice in the matter,” he said firmly.
Clanthas basked in the warm sunshine flooding the broad veranda that surrounded the upper floor of his house in Katan. Beyond the railing of me veranda, the flat white roofs of other houses marched down the sloping hillside to the bright blue waters of the harbor. Across the harbor was the busy port of Katan, where the farm produce from a thousand miles around was gathered together and loaded on the big sea-going transports which skimmed across Shinar.’s oceans and lands with equal ease.