“It is my pleasure,” said Julian.
“We are only a few moments from a shuttler,” he said.
“You received my message?” asked Julian.
“A message was received, with your call signal, purportedly from Varna,” said the officer.
“It was authentic,” said Julian.
“But it was broadcast on a band commonly utilized by barbarians,” said the officer.
“It was an Ortung radio, with a fixed frequency,” said Julian.
“We suspected a trap,” said the officer.
“But you took precautions?” said Julian.
“Surely,” said the officer.
“The Drisriaks,” said Otto, “doubtless also took the message for an Ortung communication. It brought both the Drisriaks and the imperial fleet to this sector.”
“Drisriaks have been hunting Ortungs,” said Julian.
“And it seems they found them, in the vicinity of 738.2,” said the officer. “The Ortungs were decimated. There was much debris.”
“How came you to this world?” asked Otto.
“It was en route to Varna,” said the officer, “and when we detected the traces of barbarian ships, we chose to investigate.”
“Both Drisriaks and Ortungs were here,” said Otto.
“Abrogastes himself was here, only hours ago,” said Julian.
The officer whistled.
“You will doubtless attempt to pick up his trail and deal with the Drisriak fleet.”
“There is little chance of overtaking lionships,” said the officer.
“You will do your best,” said Julian, angrily.
“Yes, sir,” said the captain.
It might be noted that, even at that time, the empire had many enemies, some of them technologically sophisticated, some of them even within her own borders.
“It will not now be necessary to proceed to Varna,” said the officer.
“I will need a ship,” said Julian.
“To return to Telnaria?” said the officer.
“Eventually,” said Julian, “but first we must return to Varna.”
“Excellency?”
“There are arrangements to be made there,” said Julian, looking at Otto, “and, too, we may wish to pick up some cargo.”
“Yes,” said Otto.
“I am sure the admiral will put as many ships at your disposal as you wish, your excellency,” said the officer.
“A single corvette will do,” said Julian.
“Doubtless accompanied by a convoy of destroyers,” said the officer.
“A corvette will do,” said Julian.
“As your excellency wishes.”
The officer turned about then and went toward the hoverer, some yards away. Gerune had already been placed on board.
Otto and Julian remained for a few moments in the meadow.
Julian looked up to the sky, to the east.
“Abrogastes presents a great danger to the empire,” said Julian.
“He is lord of the Drisriaks,” said Otto, “and they are the largest and most dangerous tribe of the Alemanni nation.”
There were eleven tribes in the Alemanni nation.
“I fear,” said Julian, “that he may bring together a league of barbarian peoples, the Alemanni, and others.”
“It would not be easy,” said Otto. “There is much rivalry, much envy, much suspicion and jealousy among such peoples.”
Long had the empire exploited such matters.
“Surely the empire can defeat mere barbarians,” said Otto.
“It is not the same empire that it once was,” said Julian.
“It has thousands of ships, it can destroy worlds,” said Otto.
“There are hundreds of such peoples,” said Julian.
“The empire has nothing to fear,” said Otto. “It is eternal.”
“Once there was no empire,” said Julian.
“I cannot conceive of a reality without the empire,” said Otto.
“Its loss would mean the downfall of civilization,” said Julian.
“There is nothing to fear,” said Otto.
“Abrogastes is your enemy, as well,” said Julian.
“Yes,” said Otto.
“I will urge that the Wolfungs be supplied with a weapon,” said Julian, “one capable of destroying a ship in orbit.”
“We would be muchly grateful,” said Otto.
“You desire to serve the empire?” asked Julian.
“It must be preserved,” said Otto.
“We have many enemies,” said Julian.
“True,” said Otto.
“Abrogastes is our greatest enemy,” said Julian. “I fear him most of all.”
“Why?” asked Otto.
“It is not that he now has so much power,” said Julian, “or so many ships, or even that the Alemanni is a populous nation, but other things, frightening, terrible things.”
“What?” asked Otto, puzzled.
“He is like a shark,” said Julian, “who can detect a drop of blood in the water, an erratic movement.”
“I do not understand,” said Otto.
“He can smell corruption where others can sense only soundness,” said Julian. “He can see weakness where others see only strength.”
“Ah,” said Otto.
“He is a statesman, a warlord,” said Julian.
“Of course,” said Otto.
“He has vision. He can think new realities. He can ponder new orders, new ways of life. He has ambition, he has patience. He is ruthless.”
“But he is weak now,” said Otto.
“Yes, he is weak now,” said Julian.
“So there is nothing to fear,” said Otto.
“At least Ortog is dead,” said Julian.
“No,” said Otto.
“‘No’?” said Julian, startled.
“Did you not see the point of entry of the knife?” asked Otto. “It was below and to the side of the heart.”
Julian regarded Otto, closely.
“We study such things in the school of Pulendius,” said Otto. “It behooves the gladiator to have some sense of anatomy.”
“That is why you threw your cloak over him!” said Julian.
“Yes,” said Otto, “that if he should give some sign of life it might be less likely to be detected.”
“And that is why the clerk averted his eyes, and the shieldsman, on the trail, cast you such a look?”
“Doubtless,” said Otto.
“Ortog lives?”
“The wound was grievous, he may by now be dead,” said Otto.
“Did Abrogastes know how he struck him?”
“I would surmise so,” said Otto.
“Why did he not kill him?” asked Julian.
“I do not know,” said Otto.
“He was prepared to have you fight him,” said Julian.
“He may have known that I had once spared Ortog on the Alaria,” said Otto.
“How could he know that?”
“I do not know,” said Otto. “Perhaps from witnesses, men or women from the Alaria who were embonded by the Ortungs, and then later acquired, with other loot, by Drisriaks.”
“But it was important for him to punish treachery, and see justice done,” said Julian.
“It seems it was well punished,” said Julian. “The Ortungs were decimated, and Ortog, at best, is left grievously wounded, stranded, on a remote world.”
“He was prepared to have his daughter beheaded,” said Julian.
“But she was not beheaded, was she?” said Otto.
“No,” said Julian.
“But instead she was reduced to slavery,” said Otto.
“A most horrifying and grievous punishment for her,” said Julian.
“But one surely eminently suitable, considering her crime,” said Otto.
“Certainly,” said Julian.
“But, besides,” said Otto, “she is a slave.”
Julian looked up at Otto.
“She may not understand it yet,” said Otto, “but she is a man’s slave. One can tell it from her body, her expressions, her movements. She will never be fully happy until she is a man’s slave.”