“You’re going to ask our people to strip their homes, their farms, their cities, and give everything to the KomaniThey won’t do it!” Tarat bellowed.
“They’ll have to,” Merdon said evenly. “The Komani will just take it anyway.”
“No, no, no,” Romal said, his round face flushed with agitation. “The people are willing to fight the Komani.”
Merdon laughed bitterly. “Then the Komani will take what they want and kill our people, too.”
Tarat shook his head. “I never thought I’d see you give up.”
Anger flashed in Merdon’s eyes. Then he replied quietly, “Can we beat the Komani?”
“No, but…”
“Do we want them off Shinar?”
“Of course.”
“Will their attack on another planet force the Terrans to leave Shinar?”
“Probably it will,” Tarat admitted.
‘Then I don’t see that we have any choice,” Merdon said. “I don’t like it any more than you do, but if it will get rid of both the Terrans and the Komani …”
“How do you know it’ll work out that way?” Tarat said. *There’s only one chance in a million.”
“Then I’ll take that one chance!” Merdon snapped.
“But it’s so dangerous, Merdon,” Romal pleaded. “Maybe the best thing to do, after all, would be to put n with the Terrans. At least the/re not as bad as the Komani, and the Watchman said …”
“It would be safer to join the Terrans,” Merdon said softlyThen, his voice rising, he continued, “It would have been safer still never to have tried to rebel against them, but we weren’t interested in safety then. We wanted freedom! Now that things look black, are we going to turn our backs on our hopes, our dreams? Are we going to tell our people: ‘Go on back home, the whole thing was a big mistake. Go home and ask the Terrans to forgive you’? Well, are we?”