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"I somehow doubt they'll send the whole reserve," Brodski considered, munching. "Gotta have enough left at the boat to make sure it doesn't go anywhere."
"We should wait, then." Van Damm gnawed thought-fully. "Let them come out, shoot at trees, get no response, mill around for awhile, then start breaking up into smaller packs."
Then we harass them." Brodski rolled onto his back and pulled his hat down over his eyes. "Wake me when they come out," he said, and promptly went to sleep.
". . . but they hadn't gone," Under-chief Pucey panted on with his report. "Shot at us when we moved into the field. Same thing again: disappeared when we returned fire, waited 'til we started to move, then shot us up again-always from a different quarter. We pulled back to the river, and they waylaid us in the woods. If you hadn't sent that second squad out-"
"Of course," said Jomo. "I head the racket on the radio."
"Good thing, Baas; we could've been pi
"We must take precautions. They will not catch us napping again."
Pucey threw a glance of silent appeal to Osgood, who cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Uh, Jomo, since we don't know how many settlers are involved, shouldn't we, uh, get reinforcements before proceeding?"
"Reinforcements?" Jomo's glower made the man take a step back. "Against how many dirt-farmers?" He picked up the marked satellite-map and shoved it under Osgood's nose. "Look! How much cleared land does that show? Scarcely enough for a dozen farms, if they support no more than four adults on any of them. Squatters, with nothing but whatever weapons they could sneak aboard the ships. Now just how much resistance do you think they're likely to put up?"
"Sir, they got seven of us." Osgood couldn't help sounding desperate.
"They caught you flat-footed because you weren't prepared. You will be from now on." Jomo sneered as he rolled up the map.
Osgood and Pucey traded bleak looks.
"No, we are not going to go back to Docktown, aborting this mission, just because a dozen farmers shot at you with a few leftover weapons. Now, I don't suppose you managed to collect much in the way of goods?"
Pucey shrugged, and solemnly held out one knapsack full of half-ripe cabbage tops. "That's all we got before they started shooting," he said.
"Janesfort, Janesfort," Brodski whispered into his radio. "They're coming on up the river, still keeping close to the west bank. Looks like they'll hit the next farm in another hour, maybe hour and a half."
"That's ours!" wailed a male voice, somewhere in the net.
"Everybody who can, take positions at Sam MacDonald's farm," said Jane, calm as ever through the static. "Thin the bastards some more. But be careful; they'll be wide-eyed and paranoid this time."
"Going now, Brodski out." He leaned around a tree to tap Van Damm's shoulder. "Time to hike again, down to Sam's for the next round."
". . . Simba bastards," Van Damm muttered, slinging up his rifle. "We could have eaten those cabbages in another week. After all the time I spent weeding them . . . ."
"Uhuh. They could've torched our cabin, too," Brodski considered. "Y'know, Va
"One does tend to appreciate land one has worked on . . . ."
"Right. You go stiffen the resistance, Van, while I look up the captain."
Osgood had the dubious honor of leading the three-squad assault on the second farm, and he was determined not to make any incautious mistakes this time. He kept his radio on simultaneous transmit-and-send mode, never mind how that drained the batteries, and his stu
Consequently, ten minutes after entering the deep, dark wood, his troops had shot two tree-hoppers and a red mole, and all hope of surprise was good and gone. Osgood, having nobody else to blame for this state of affairs, sighed and ordered the troops to pick up speed.
Van Damm had laid another neat surprise at the farm; once again the Simbas found nothing, no crops, livestock or people, but when they began their return they were ambushed. In the thick woods, the Simbas could find no targets. They hurried back to the boat, leaving four dead, carrying six wounded.
Jomo considered that, and ordered the expedition to proceed to the island. Foraging in the unlimited forest was just too dangerous. On the limited land of that river-island ahead, the pickings should be much safer.
At the Last Resort's best speed, he could be there in another turn at most.
Jane, Makhno, Van Damm and Brodski were discussing strategy after supper and before turning in for the shift.
"We better make some contingency plans in case we win," said Makhno.
"Make that when we win, Leo," said Jane gently.
"Okay, when we win. What are we going to do then? Docktown will still be in, uh, enemy hands."
"Continue the boycott." Jane shrugged. "We can set up our own trade-spots along the river, tell our friends . . . ."
"That'll be rough on the people in Docktown."
"Rougher on the gangsters."
"We must kill them all, you know." Van Damm spoke up.
Makhno turned to give him a long look. "I'd be interested in hearing your reasons, Owen."
"This planet has no prison," Van Damm explained carefully. "No police, not even any courts. That is why you have this problem in the first place. You have no protection from thugs and crooks, and that is why you must kill them."
"How does that follow?" Jane asked, studying him.
"It follows that you ca
"We know we can't let them get away to tell that the land of women' really exists," Jane said levelly. "That will just make us targets again. But why should we go after the thugs left in Docktown?"
"Likewise, to keep them from trying for you again. Also, you ca
"True," Brodski noted. "But remember, there just aren't that many Bad Guys. The whole population of Docktown isn't more than a thousand people. There's only a limited amount of the 'crook' mentality to recruit there, and Jomo brought a big chunk of them on this trip. I say we should send some kind of message to whoever Jomo left behind, see if we can't scare them into behaving themselves."
"Are you sure that there is someone left behind?" asked Jane. "Wouldn't he bring his whole force to attack us here?"
"Jomo's greedy, not stupid. He must have left some sort of garrison to hold what gains he made. I read him for wanting the whole planet. Since he can't take the Harmonies yet with the kind of strength he has, he turned to finding a fort to build up his forces-or, thanks to your boycott, to hunt for food. He plans to come out and take on Castell eventually, but he needs a base first."