already set, right on the button at 350. An'just now I'm settin' lookin' at one of 'em bendin' over a tub o' apples—snazzy little brunette name of Leila—derned if she don't turn around and say—" Chip gulped. "Never mind. Point is . . ." His voice nearly faltered. "It's almost like these folks was readin' my mind!"
Retief patted Chip on the shoulder.
"Don't worry about your sanity, old timer," he said. "That's exactly what they're doing."
6
"We've never tried to make a secret of it," Tove said. "But we haven't advertised it, either."
"It really isn't much," Bo Bergman said. "Not a mutant ability, our scholars say. Rather, it's a skill we've stumbled on, a closer empathy. We are few, and far from the old home world. We've had to learn to break down the walls we had built around our minds."
"Can you read the Soetti?" Retief asked.
Tove shook his head. "They're very different from us. It's painful to touch their minds. We can only sense the subvocalized thoughts of a human mind."
"We've seen very few of the Soetti," Bo Bergman said. "Their ships have landed and taken on stores. They say little to us, but we've felt their contempt. They envy us our worlds. They come from a cold land."
"Anne-Marie says you have a plan of defense," Relief said. "A sort of suicide squadron idea, followed by guerilla warfare."
"It's the best we can devise, Retief. If there aren't too many of them, it might work."
Retief shook his head. "It might delay matters—but not much."
"Perhaps. But our remote control equipment is excellent. And we have plenty of ships, albeit unarmed. And our people know how to live on the slopes—and how to shoot."
"There are too many of them, Tove," Retief said. "They breed like flies and, according to some sources, they mature in a matter of months. They've been feeling their way into the sector for years now. Set up outposts on a thousand or so minor planets—cold ones, the kind they like. They want your worlds because they need living space."
"At least, your warning makes it possible for us to muster some show of force, Retief," Bo Bergman said. "That is better than death by ambush."
"Retief must not be trapped here," Anne-Marie said. "His small boat is useless now. He must have a ship."
"Of course," Tove said. "And—"
"My mission here—" Retief said.
"Retief," a voice called. "A message for you. The operator has phoned up a gram."
Retief unfolded the slip of paper. It was short, in verbal code, and signed by Magnan.
"You are recalled herewith," he read. "Assignment canceled. Agreement concluded with Soetti relinquishing all claims so-called Jorgensen system. Utmost importance that under no repeat no circumstances classified intelligence regarding Soetti be divulged to locals. Advise you depart instanter. Soetti occupation imminent."
Retief looked thoughtfully at the scrap of paper, then crumpled it and dropped it on the floor. He turned to Bo Bergman, took a tiny reel of tape from his pocket.
"This contains information," he said. "The Soetti attack plan, a defensive plan, instructions for the conversion of a standard antiacceleration unit into a potent weapon. If you have a screen handy, we'd better get started. We have about seventy-two hours."
In the Briefing Room at Svea Tower, Tove snapped off the projector.
"Our plan would have been worthless against that," he said. "We assumed they'd make their strike from a standard in-line formation. This scheme of hitting all our settlements simultaneously, in a random order from all points—we'd have been helpless."
"It's perfect for this defensive plan," Bo Bergman said. "Assuming this antiac trick works."
"It works," Retief said. "I hope you've got plenty of heavy power lead available."
"We export copper," Tove said.
"We'll assign about two hundred vessels to each settlement. Linked up, they should throw up quite a field."
"It ought to be effective up to about fifteen miles, I'd estimate," Tove said. "If it works as it's
Retief patted Chip on the shoulder.
"Don't worry about your sanity, old timer," he said. "That's exactly what they're doing."
6
"We've never tried to make a secret of it," Tove said. "But we haven't advertised it, either."
"It really isn't much," Bo Bergman said. "Not a mutant ability, our scholars say. Rather, it's a skill we've stumbled on, a closer empathy. We are few, and far from the old home world. We've had to learn to break down the walls we had built around our minds."
"Can you read the Soetti?" Retief asked.
Tove shook his head. "They're very different from us. It's painful to touch their minds. We can only sense the subvocalized thoughts of a human mind."
"We've seen very few of the Soetti," Bo Bergman said. "Their ships have landed and taken on stores. They say little to us, but we've felt their contempt. They envy us our worlds. They come from a cold land."
"Anne-Marie says you have a plan of defense," Relief said. "A sort of suicide squadron idea, followed by guerilla warfare."
"It's the best we can devise, Retief. If there aren't too many of them, it might work."
Retief shook his head. "It might delay matters—but not much."
"Perhaps. But our remote control equipment is excellent. And we have plenty of ships, albeit unarmed. And our people know how to live on the slopes—and how to shoot."
"There are too many of them, Tove," Retief said. "They breed like flies and, according to some sources, they mature in a matter of months. They've been feeling their way into the sector for years now. Set up outposts on a thousand or so minor planets—cold ones, the kind they like. They want your worlds because they need living space."
"At least, your warning makes it possible for us to muster some show of force, Retief," Bo Bergman said. "That is better than death by ambush."
"Retief must not be trapped here," Anne-Marie said. "His small boat is useless now. He must have a ship."
"Of course," Tove said. "And—"
"My mission here—" Retief said.
"Retief," a voice called. "A message for you. The operator has phoned up a gram."
Retief unfolded the slip of paper. It was short, in verbal code, and signed by Magnan.
"You are recalled herewith," he read. "Assignment canceled. Agreement concluded with Soetti relinquishing all claims so-called Jorgensen system. Utmost importance that under no repeat no circumstances classified intelligence regarding Soetti be divulged to locals. Advise you depart instanter. Soetti occupation imminent."
Retief looked thoughtfully at the scrap of paper, then crumpled it and dropped it on the floor. He turned to Bo Bergman, took a tiny reel of tape from his pocket.
"This contains information," he said. "The Soetti attack plan, a defensive plan, instructions for the conversion of a standard antiacceleration unit into a potent weapon. If you have a screen handy, we'd better get started. We have about seventy-two hours."
In the Briefing Room at Svea Tower, Tove snapped off the projector.
"Our plan would have been worthless against that," he said. "We assumed they'd make their strike from a standard in-line formation. This scheme of hitting all our settlements simultaneously, in a random order from all points—we'd have been helpless."
"It's perfect for this defensive plan," Bo Bergman said. "Assuming this antiac trick works."
"It works," Retief said. "I hope you've got plenty of heavy power lead available."
"We export copper," Tove said.
"We'll assign about two hundred vessels to each settlement. Linked up, they should throw up quite a field."
"It ought to be effective up to about fifteen miles, I'd estimate," Tove said. "If it works as it's
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