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He had been dealing with the Everrard family on Hoth, and professed himself much more satisfied with the bargains he had gotten on Tanith and swore to return. He had never even heard of Andray Dunnan or the Enterprise. It was a Gilgamesher that brought the first news.
I think it ought to go further, though. A formal treaty between Tanith and Marduk would be greatly to the advantage of both." "I'd be inclined to think so, Prince Edvard. But aren't you proposing marriage on rather short acquaintance? It's only been fifty hours since the Nemesis orbited in here." "Well, we know a bit about you and your planet beforehand. There's a large Gilgamesher colony here.
It was a Gilgamesher who brought the story to Tanith, and it was almost two years old when he told it. "We heard it from the people of the planet, the ones who live where Burrik had his base. First, there was a trading ship came in. You may have heard of her; she is the one called the Honest Horris." Trask laughed at that.
"I only have four ships here; I sent for the ones on the other trade-planets, but I haven't heard from any of them. We can't go there with only four ships." "Sixteen ships," Bentrik corrected. "No, fifteen and one Gilgamesher we're using for a troopship. I think that's enough. You'll remain here on Gimli, in any case, admiral; as soon as the other ships come in, you'll follow to Marduk with them.
So he sent Harkaman in the Corisande and Ravallo in the Black Star to visit the planets Marduk traded with, looking for Dunnan ships and exchanging information and assistance with the Royal Mardukan Navy. Almost at once, he regretted it; the next Gilgamesher into orbit on Tanith brought a story that Prince Viktor was collecting a fleet on Xochitl.
There were twelve spacecraft in line outside the Moon of Tanith, counting the three independents and the forcibly chartered Gilgamesher troop-transport; that was the biggest fleet Space Vikings had ever assembled in their history. Alvyn Karffard said as much while they were checking the formation by screen. "It isn't a Space Viking fleet," Prince Bentrik differed.
Her captain, Horris Sasstroff, called himself "Honest Horris," a misnomer which he had also bestowed on his ship. He was a trader of sorts. Even the Gilgameshers despised him, and not even a Gilgamesher would have taken a wretched craft like the Honest Horris to space. "He had been to Melkarth before," the Gilgamesher said. "He and Burrik are friends."
"But isn't the Duke of Wardshaven sending a ship here to establish a base? That was what we'd heard. We heard you'd gone from Flamberge to Gram to command for him." "Where did you hear this? And when?" "On Hoth. That'd be about two thousand hours ago; a Gilgamesher brought the news from Xochitl." "Well, considering it was fifth or sixth hand, your information was good enough, when it was fresh.
We blew up one of Barragon's ships, and put the other one down out of commission, and then we sacked his base. There was a Gilgamesher colony there; we didn't bother them. They'll tell what we did, and why." "That should furnish Prince Viktor of Xochitl something to ponder," Trask said. "Where are the other ships, now?"
By the time they were down to the inner edge of the exosphere, the ball had started to unwind, ship after ship dropping out of it and going into orbit, some badly damaged and some going to attack damaged enemies. Some of them were completely around the planet, hidden by it. He saw three ships approaching Corisande, Sun Goddess, and the Gilgamesher. He got Harkaman on the screen.
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