plete submission. As long as you remain submissive to us,
we will do no damage beyond removal of the things we wish to take
from it, and there will be no violence to any of your people, or any
indiscriminate vandalism. This visit we are paying you will cost you
heavily, make no mistake about that, but whatever the cost, it will
be a cheap price for avoiding what we might otherwise do."

The President and the Syndics exchanged relieved glances. Let
the taxpayers worry about the cost; they'd come out of it with
whole skins.

"You understand, we want maximum value and minimum bulk," he
continued. "Jewels, objects of art, furs, the better grades of
luxury goods of all kinds. Rare-element metals. And monetary metals,
gold and platinum. You have a metallic-based currency, I suppose?"

"Oh, no!" President Pedrosan was slightly scandalized. "Our currency
is based on services to society. Our monetary unit is simply called
a credit."

Harkaman snorted impolitely. Evidently he'd seen economic systems like
that before. Trask wanted to know if they used gold or platinum at all.

"Gold, to some extent, for jewelry." Evidently they weren't complete
economic puritans. "And platinum in industry, of course."

"If they want gold, they should have raided Stolgoland," one of the
Syndics said. "They have a gold-standard currency." From the way he
said it, he might have been accusing them of eating with their
fingers, and possibly of eating their own young.

"I know, the maps we're using for this planet are a few centuries old;
Stolgoland doesn't seem to appear on them."

"I wish it didn't appear on ours, either." That was General Dagro
Ector, Syndic for State Protection.

"It would have been a good thing for this whole planet if you'd
decided to raid them instead of us," somebody else said.

"It isn't too late for these gentlemen to make that decision,"
Pedrosan said. "I gather that gold is a monetary metal among your
people?" When Trask nodded, he continued: "It is also the basis of
the Stolgonian currency. The actual currency is paper, theoretically
redeemable in gold. In actuality, the circulation of gold has been
prohibited, and the entire gold wealth of the nation is concentrated
in vaults at three depositories. We know exactly where they are."

"You begin to interest me, President Pedrosan."

"I do? Well, you have two large spaceships and six smaller craft.
You have nuclear weapons, something nobody on this planet has. Yo