given quarters in a palace that made Windsor look like a second-class
lodging.

Odin and Gunnar shared a suite. As he dressed that morning, Odin looked
about him at the splendor. Every bit of woodwork was hand-carved. The walls
were covered with frescoes. The chandeliers were jeweled masterpieces and
the carpets were thick crimson piles. The lace curtains must have ruined
the eyes and hands of a dozen women.

He had heard that the planets of Aldebaran had been peopled by a blond
peaceful race who were on a par with the culture of the Middle Ages
when Grim Hagen arrived. Lord, how he must have worked himself and
them to bring them this far along in nineteen years. There was a
peaceful air of prosperity about the planet; and trade, he understood,
was flourishing with the other worlds of the system. But the people
were no more than slaves--beaten and cowed into submission. Oh, they
worked hard. But Odin wondered what had been their punishment in years
past for not working. There was something in their eyes--a stunned,
unhappy look--that made him wonder what would happen some day when
they learned as much as their masters and turned upon them. Moreover,
he had been told that the planets were over-crowded when Grim Hagen
arrived. They did not seem so now. How many graves throughout those
nine planets were dedicated to the conquerors?

Only once had he seen one of them mistreated. That was at a dinner the
night before. The banquet hall had been a combination of medieval, modern,
and Brons' splendor. The dishes, the food, and the music had been superb.
But a fair-skinned girl had spilled a few drops of wine when she was
serving Grim Hagen. His face had grown dark. Half arising from his
high-backed chair at the head of the table, he had doubled up his fist and
struck her below the cheek-bone. She reeled back, her face crimsoning from
the blow and the shame. The other servants pretended to see nothing. But in
the girl's eyes and in the eyes of the others he saw the old promise that
had been written in the eyes of slaves since time began: "Some Day! Some
Day!"

Then, with perfect calm, Grim Hagen had sat down, wiping his lips with a
lacy napkin. "Pardon me, gentlemen, but they have so much to learn in so
short a time." Then he looked down the long table at Odin and could not
resist one gibe. "You don't know how happy I was to find that these planets
were peopled by a light-skinned race."

* * * *