“And afterward?” Romal piped.
“Afterward, the Komani will want to attack another planet of the Empire. Again good. We will help them. We will provide them with all the food we can gather. We will give them ships, and clothing, and any equipment we have.”
“Weapons?”
“We will give them weapons, too. Half of all the weapons taken from the arsenals at the four major cities. The other half we will keep. All the other weapons we are now holding on to—including the arsenal in Katan—we shall keep.”
“And if Okatar finds out?” Altai asked softly.
“It will be no secret. We will tell him that we are keeping these weapons in case we are attacked. We have a right to defend ourselves, if we are free.”
Tarat grunted in sudden understanding. “Woof. You’ll be telling Okatar that if he tries to take anything else from Shinar, we’ll fight him.”
“That’s right,” Merdon said. “We’ll be perfectly willing to have him fight the Terrans elsewhere, and leave Shinar in peace.”
“You’re gambling,” Tarat said, “that Okatar will prefer to fight the Terrans rather than us.”
“He’ll have more to gain fighting the Empire. There’s no profit—and no glory for him—in staying here and crushing us.”
The four lieutenants muttered among themselves.
“I know this is a hard decision to make,” Merdon said. “We’re running a terrible risk. If things don’t work out well, we’ll see our world turned into a blood-soaked shambles. We will be killed, no doubt. But if we’re smart enough, and strong enough … we can achieve freedom. Is it worth the risk or not?”