res."

"Soap and towels, for General Pontius von Pilate!" Paula Quinton
called out.

"That's an idea; I was wondering what to give Yoorkerk as a
testimonial present," Hideyoshi O'Leary said. "A nice thirty-piece
silver set!"

"Quite appropriate," von Schlichten approved. "Well, you did a first-class
job. I want you back with us as soon as possible--incidentally, you're now
a brigadier-general--but not till the situation Grank-Krink-Skilk is
stabilized. And, eventually, you'll probably have to set up permanent
headquarters in the north."

After Hideyoshi O'Leary had thanked him and signed off, and the screen
was dark again, he turned to the others.

"Well, gentlemen, I don't think we need worry too much about the
north, for the next few days. How long do you estimate this operation
against Konkrook's going to take, to complete pacification, Them?"

"How complete is complete pacification, general?" Themistocles
M'zangwe wanted to know. "If you mean to the end of organized
resistance by larger than squad-size groups, I'd say three days, give
or take twelve hours. Of course, there'll be small groups holding out
for a couple of weeks, particularly in the farming country and back in
the forest...."

"We can forget them; that's minor-tactics stuff. We'll need to keep
some kind of an occupation force here for some time; they can deal
with that. We'll have to get to work on Keegark, as soon as possible;
after we've reduced Keegark, we'll be able to reorganize for a
campaign against the Free Cities on the Eastern Shore."

"Begging your pardon, general, but reduce is a mild word for what we
ought to do to Keegark," Hans Meyerstein said. "We ought to raze that
city as flat as a football field, and then play football on it with
King Orgzild's head."

"Any special reason?" von Schlichten asked. "In addition to the
Blount-Lemoyne massacre, that is?"

"I should say so, general!" Themistocles M'zangwe backed Meyerstein
up. "Bob, you tell him."

Colonel Robert Grinell, the Intelligence officer, got up and took the
cigar out of his mouth. He was short and round-bodied and bald-headed,
but he was old Terran Federation Regular Army.

"Well, general, we've been finding out quite a bit about the genesis
of this business, lately," he said. "From up north, it probably looked
like an all-Rakkeed show; that's how it was supposed to look. But the
whole thing was hatched at Keegark, by King Orgzild. We've managed to
capture a few p