as several
seconds before he spoke. During that time, there was no sound from the
assembled farmers.

"Men," he said at last, "I think that none of you have seen this uniform
before. I look odd in it, do I not?"

The men recognized The Chief's remark as a joke, and a ripple of
laughter ran through the crowd.

The Chief's smile broadened. "Odd indeed. Yes. And do you perceive the
golden emblems, here at my throat? They, and the uniform, indicate that
I have been chosen to help lead the armed forces--a portion of them, I
should say."

He smiled around at the men. "The Council of Chiefs has authorized the
President to appoint me a Colonel of Light Tank. I am expected to lead
our armored forces into battle against the damned Invaders."

A cheer came from the farmers, loud and long. Anketam found himself
yelling as loud as anyone. The pronunciation and the idiom of the speech
of the Chiefs was subtly different from those of the farmers, but
Anketam could recognize the emphasis that his Chief was putting on the
words of his speech. "Invaders." With a capital "I."

The Chief held up his hands, and the cheering died. At the same time,
the face of Chief Samas lost its smile.

"I will be gone for some time," he said somberly. "The Council feels
that it will be two or three years before we have finally driven the
Invaders from our planet. This will not be a simple war, nor an easy
one. The blockade of orbital ships which encircle Xedii keep us from
making proper contact with any friends that we may have outside the
circle of influence of the damned Invaders. We are, at the moment,
fighting alone. And yet, in spite of that--in _spite_ of that, I say--we
have thus far held the enemy at a standstill. And, in the long run, we
shall win."

He took a deep breath then, and his baritone voice thundered out when he
spoke.

[Illustration]

"_Shall_ win? No! We _must_ win! None of you want to become slaves in
the factories of the Invaders. I know that, and you know it. Who among
you would slave your life away in the sweatshops of the Invaders,
knowing that those for whom you worked might, at any time, simply
deprive you of your livelihood at their own whim, since they feel no
sense of responsibility toward you as individuals?"

Again The Chief stopped, and his eyes sought out each man in turn.

"If there are any such among you, I renounce you at this moment. If
there are any such, I ask ... nay, I plead ... I _order_ ... I or