king a string of terror-raids on their trade
planets, hoping to pull the Mardukan space-navy away from the home
planet?" Harkaman had stopped being incredulous. "And when he gets
them all lured away, he'll make a fast raid?"

"That's what I think. Remember our fundamental postulate: Dunnan is
crazy. Remember how he convinced himself that he was the rightful
heir to the ducal crown of Wardshaven?" And remember his insane
passion for Elaine; he pushed that thought hastily from him. "Now,
he's convinced that he's the greatest Space Viking in history. He
has to do something worthy of that distinction. When was the last
time anybody attacked a civilized planet? I don't mean Gilgamesh,
I mean a planet like Marduk."

"A hundred and twenty years ago; Prince Havilgar of Haulteclere, six
ships, against Aton. Two ships got back. He didn't. Nobody's tried
it since," Harkaman said.

"So Dunnan the Great will do it. I hope he tries," he surprised
himself by adding. "That's provided I find out what happened. Then
I could stop thinking about him."

There was a time when he had dreaded the possibility that somebody
else might kill Dunnan before he could.

XVIII

Seshat, Obidicut, Lugaluru, Audhumla.

The young man elevated by his father's death in the Dunnan raid to
the post of hereditary President of the democratic Republic of
Tetragrammaton had been sure that the Marduk ships which came to
his planet traded also on those. There had been some difficulty
about making contact, and the first face-to-face meeting had begun
in an atmosphere of bitter distrust on his part. They had met out
of doors; around them, spread wrecked and burned buildings, and
hastily constructed huts and shelters, and wide spaces of charred
and slagged rubble.

"They blew up the steel mill here, and the oil-refinery at Jannsboro.
They bombed and strafed the little farm-towns and villages. They
scattered radioactives that killed as many as the bombing. And after
they had gone away, this other ship came."

"The _Damnthing_? She bore the head of a beast with three very big horns?"

"That's the one. They did a little damage, at first. When the
captain found out what had happened to us, he left some food and
medicines for us." Roger-fan-Morvill Esthersan hadn't mentioned that.

"Well, we'd like to help you, if we can. Do you have nuclear power?
We can give you a little equipment. Just remember it of us, when
you're back on your feet; we'll be back