Peisistratus turned white. “She must be killed then,” said Peisistratus. “Her tongue could be torn out. She does not know writing, does she?"
"When Grendel is taken,” said Cabot, “as I think must soon occur, if it has not already come about, she will attempt to purchase her life by betraying his remarks."
"We must get to her first, and kill her,” said Peisistratus. “If she can write her hands might be removed."
"There are other ways,” said Cabot, “stumps drawing pictures in sand, even physical responses to cleverly dichotomized questions."
"Then kill her, certainly,” said Peisistratus.
"Grendel will not permit her to be harmed,” said Cabot. “He would have to be killed first."
"Acceptable,” said Peisistratus, grimly.
"And who would do this?"
"You."
"No,” said Cabot.
"We are finished then,” said Peisistratus.
"No,” said Cabot. “We must strike first."
"The world?"
"Certainly."
"You are joking?"
"No."
"Nothing is prepared,” said Peisistratus.
"You have access to the codes to the sport cylinder, and can access the barracks of the killer humans, and the cattle pens."
"The cattle will be useless,” said Peisistratus. “They will not stir from the vicinity of their feeding troughs. And the killer humans, speeched and unspeeched, are wild, uncontrollable, dangerous, vicious, undisciplined. They would kill us as easily as Kurii. The game humans will be unwilling to leave the shelter of their forests."
"Do you have power weapons?"
"Some, on the ships, not many,” said Peisistratus. “But then power weapons are not generally available in the world, either, being kept in arsenals."
"You know their locations?"
"Surely,” said Peisistratus.
"I assume Kurii are reluctant to discharge such weapons in the world,” said Cabot.
"Certainly,” said Peisistratus. “It could be extremely dangerous."
"Good,” said Cabot.
"But they will seek them and utilize them to protect the world,” said Peisistratus.
"Perhaps,” said Cabot.
"Indisputably,” said Peisistratus.
"If we were between the Kurii and their arsenals,” said Cabot, “it would be difficult for the Kurii to reach those weapons."
"Not as difficult as you surmise,” said Peisistratus, bitterly.
"How is that?” asked Cabot.
"The arsenals,” said Peisistratus, “are not easily accessed, for they are stored at the flat termini of the cylinders, where Kurii may fly."
"Fly?” said Cabot.
"There is little or no gravity there, but an atmosphere, of course, as elsewhere in the cylinder, and thus wing harnesses, of canvas and leather, reinforced by stays, may be used to negotiate those spaces. It is not too unlike the shuttles when beyond their ports."
"I see,” said Cabot, angrily.
"There would be no way for us to keep the Kurii from the arsenals."
"The great bow?"
"Certainly not,” said Peisistratus. “We are not peasants."
"It is one of the most fearsome weapons on Gor,” said Cabot. “How else do you suppose ten thousand small villages from Torvaldsland to Turia, from Thentis to Schendi, have retained the liberty of their Home Stones for centuries?"
"We are not peasants,” said Peisistratus.
"Would that you had less prejudice against the bows of peasants,” said Cabot, “for they can follow and pierce a jard in flight."
"There would be power weapons in the palace, of course,” said Peisistratus. “Those alone might destroy your putative cohorts."
"Have you common weapons, on the ships?” inquired Cabot.
"For use on Gor, of course,” said Peisistratus, “to be used there, that we not attract the attention of Priest-Kings nor seem to violate their laws, crossbows, blades, javelins, spears, and such."
"I see,” said Cabot.
"Thus armed,” said Peisistratus, “we seem to be of little interest to Priest-Kings."
"Interesting,” said Cabot.
"Perhaps they take us for common merchants,” said Peisistratus. “One does not know, and even if they do not do so, and understand our origins and business, they seem content to ignore us then, once we are on Gor and clearly in conformance with their laws."
"Interesting,” said Cabot.
"And, of course,” said Peisistratus, “we make certain that our slave coffles of stripped, neck-chained beauties from Earth, being marched to various markets, are indistinguishable from common Gorean coffles."
"Understood,” said Cabot.
"Too,” said Peisistratus, “there is little difference between a Gorean woman and an Earth woman once they are both on a chain."
"Certainly,” said Cabot.
"I think it is important in these matters, too,” said Peisistratus, “not to treat our selections from Earth otherwise than as common slaves, which they are of course, lest too much curiosity be aroused, and so, thus, we have recourse to the coffle, the wheeled cages, the chaining of their ankles about a central bar in a closed slave wagon, the lash, and such."
"I understand,” said Cabot.
"Many Goreans,” said Peisistratus, “think that Earth is on Gor, in a remote region, inhabited by barbarians."
"I have understood that,” said Cabot.
"There are risks involved, of course,” said Peisistratus, “once we have landed the cargo, our selections, the slaves, and have forgone the use of superior weapons."
"Of course,” said Cabot.
"Sometimes we lose them to raiders, or bandits."
"It would make little difference to the slaves,” said Cabot, “no more than to purloined kaiila, as they would then merely be sold for different prices, or in different markets."
"Yes,” said Peisistratus. “Interestingly some of the girls rejoice, thinking they are being rescued."
"Until they find themselves being lashed even more cruelly in a different direction?"
"Yes,” said Peisistratus.
The girl kneeling beside them, her head to the floor, her wrists bound behind her, trembled, understanding then that she was not unique, and that there was a familiar and established role for such as she on the Gorean world.
"The killer humans are trained with weapons,” said Cabot.
"A limited number, used and reused,” said Peisistratus, “tridents, nets, blades, small bucklers, such things."
"It seems then,” said Cabot, “that there is little hope."
"The power weapons in the palace alone,” said Peisistratus, “might eradicate a small army. The fire in a single holster might incinerate a hundred men, without damage to the cylinder."
"It is hopeless then,” said Cabot.
"Yes,” said Peisistratus.
"I wonder,” said Cabot, regarding Peisistratus narrowly, “if you are one of Agamemnon's humans."
"Perhaps,” said Peisistratus. “You have no way of knowing, do you?"
"I think I will kill you,” said Cabot.
"And my men then you,” said Peisistratus.
Cabot's hands opened and clenched. They were large hands, for a human.
"Beware that you do not deprive yourself of an ally,” said Peisistratus.
"Are you an ally, or an enemy?” asked Cabot.
"An ally,” said Peisistratus, “but I have no intention of dying on a flame rack to convince you of my position in these matters."
"The blonde, when acquired, will implicate you,” said Cabot.
"What if I am a spy,” said Peisistratus, “who has infiltrated the higher echelons of the rebellion, that I may betray you all?"