Kris did a quick flip. Did she want to be known as a hard bargainer? Would her mission be helped if this fellow was bought and in her pocket? Would buying someone so obviously eager to be bought put her in bad odor with other locals who did have moral scruples?
“We’ll see how it goes. I haven’t even seen this place.”
“You’ll love it. Clear mountain air. The trees up there smell wonderful. I’m told they’re just like Earth pines.”
Kris had had enough of politics. The lineup of young men, at least the ones who had hung on through this haggling, were starting to look downright good.
She broke away in their direction with a smile, and soon was learning the fine art of square dancing.
It wasn’t long before Jack had offers from some of the local gals to show him how the dancing went. He picked up on it real fast.
It was much later in the evening when Duke Travis introduced himself to Kris. Three steps behind him was Juliet. Missing from her face was the smile Kris had always seen there. Missing from her elbow was the likely explanation. No Bob DuVale.
“The king sent you to straighten out our industrialist problem?” Travis asked with no preamble.
“My great-grandfather asked me to come here and look the situation over,” Kris agreed.
“Like you did on Eden and Turantic.”
“You’ll excuse me if I don’t say much about those places. Insurance claims are still before the courts, and my lawyers don’t think I should comment publicly,” she said, not letting her smile waver. “However, Grampa did suggest that I try not to start a war this trip.”
Juliet’s smile stopped just this side of a giggle. Seeing her smile again was worth the scowl her grandfather shot Kris.
“It’s the industrialists who are causing all the trouble. We had a good thing going before they came here. And they wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t for Ray Longknife.”
“Let me see,” Kris said, seeming to count on her fingers. “It’s been eighty years since the war. The settlement of Texarkana started about fifty years before the war. Seems to me that you two have been sharing this place for a lot longer than you haven’t.”
“We didn’t ask for them. Ray Longknife dropped them in our lap.”
“So, you were in favor of them staying on New Cleveland and maybe getting massacred like the folks on LeMonte. I don’t remember Texarkana doing a lot during the war.”
“We made our contribution, and you better remember that.”
“Remember what?”
“That men from Texarkana fought with your great-grandfather during the war.”
“I never forget what the valiant vets did for all of us during the war,” Kris said, mouthing the words she’d learned at her father’s knee during early political campaigns.
She finished talking to Travis’s back. But Juliet came up beside Kris.
“You know what he was talking about?” Kris asked.
“I think he means Great-grandpa Skiev. He went off to the war and never came back.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know. Nobody ever talks about it.”
“Nelly, can you tell us anything about a Skiev who died in the war?”
“There’s a Sergeant Arnold E. Skiev carried on the company rolls of the only unit to deploy from Texarkana. He did die.”
“How?” both girls asked.
“He was hanged,” Nelly whispered.
“Hanged,” Kris said with a gulp.
“The local records do not explain why, but the company was under General Longknife’s command at the time, and I expect his signature was on the death warrant.”
Nelly, why WOULDGRAMPA Ray HAVE SIGNED a DEATH WARRANT?”
Kris, The only reasons They EXECUTED anyone DurING The war were for MURDER, rape, or RUNNING in The face of The ENEMY. AND IT HAD To Be PRETTY EGREGIOUS for THEM To apply a CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.
“Juliet, it’s possible that my great-grandfather may have approved the execution of your great-grandfather.”
“I hope not,” Juliet said. “ ’Cause if he did, you and I would be in a blood feud.”
“Blood feud?”
“Yeah, I’d have to whip out my trusty six-shooter and shoot you dead.”
Jack started edging toward Juliet. One of the Marines spotted the senior Travis and positioned himself between him and Kris.
“But not to worry,” Juliet went on. “If the local records don’t record anything, I don’t have to take up the vendetta. No sweat.”
“Right. No sweat. It would be a shame to mess up all the fun we had on Wardhaven with a shoot-out back here,” Kris said, and started backing away.
Nelly, WHAT’S This VENDETTA THING?
OLD PRACTICE FROM EARTH. No one can JUDGE anyone EXCEPT The HEAD of The FAMILY. If anyone FROM OUTSIDE of The FAMILY kills anyone FROM The FAMILY, EVERYONE in The FAMILY is BOUND To seek REVENGE.
BUT WHAT ABOUT The official JUDGMENT of COURTS?
This PREDATES COURTS AND WRITTEN laws. There are SOME THINGS like BLOOD price AND EXILE THAT can SOFTEN IT, BUT The FACT There’s no DOCUMENTATION as To why ARNOLD SKIEV was HANGED LEADS Me To CONCLUDE THAT The FAMILY Does NOT ACCEPT General LONGKNIFE’S FINDINGS AND Does NOT WANT THEM PUBLISHED.
So, is IT safe for Me To walk AROUND here?
I Don’T know, Kris.
Suddenly a whole lot less interested in dancing, Kris went looking for one of the party’s hostesses to make her excuses.
“Sorry to leave so early. I’ve got a long flight back up to the ship, and I’ve got several early meetings before I drop down tomorrow to see the Duke of Denver.”
The nice lady smiled and said she understood. The smile looked a bit painted on. Maybe she really did understand.
Finding a ride for her team ended up being none too easy. She finally divided her Marines between two comfortable pickup trucks arranged by the foremen of Rancho A. Apparently, he was the second-most-powerful man after the Duke of Austin.
“I understand you rented the ski lodge from the duke.”
Kris admitted she had.
“I’ll see about getting linens and chow shipped out to you tomorrow. The boss talks a fine story, but it usually takes a herd of ranch hands to clean up after him.”
“It looks like he’s got a competent man to do that.”
“I’ll thank you for those kind words, ma’am. I also have to tell you that the boss is a very gentle soul. He might not have put the iron to the calf as hard as it needs to be done, ma’am.”
“Iron to the calf?”
“Yes, ma’am. What you got to understand is that there’s a lot of good hands and a lot of good guns that like things the way they are here. Texarkana is special. We don’t like the idea of it changing. You got to remember that real hard when you talk to folks that want to mess things up,” he said. And as he said it, his smile was hard and his hand gently patted the butt of the six-shooter on his hip.
“I think I understand where you’re coming from,” Kris said, letting no commitment leak into her words.
It was a quiet ride back to the airstrip after that.
As soon as the shuttle hatch was down and locked, Jack blocked Kris’s path. “I’m not letting you go back down again into this madhouse.”
“The king gave me an assignment,” Kris answered, sidestepping Jack to her seat.
“If he’d known he was plopping you into the middle of a blood feud with a major chunk of this planet, I’m sure he would never have sent you here! And I’m sure he’ll change your orders as soon as I bring this significant detail to his attention.”
“He’s got enough on his plate right now,” Kris said, belting in as the shuttle started moving.
“Nothing is as important as his great-granddaughter’s life.” The Marine’s shout was lost to the throaty roar of three antimatter engines going to full power.