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Updated: May 22, 2025
Anketam's frown grew deeper. He knew that there were other planets besides Xedii; he had heard that some of the stars in the sky were planets and suns. He didn't really understand how that could be, but even The Chief had said it was true, so Anketam accepted it as he did the truth about God. It was so, and that was enough for Anketam. Why should he bother himself with other people's business?
"I will be gone for some time," he said somberly. "The Council feels that it will be two or three years before we have finally driven the Invaders from our planet. This will not be a simple war, nor an easy one. The blockade of orbital ships which encircle Xedii keep us from making proper contact with any friends that we may have outside the circle of influence of the damned Invaders.
Even so, Anketam's faith in the power of Xedii remained constant. The invading armies were still being held off from Chromdin, weren't they? The capital would not fall, of that he was sure. What Anketam did not and could not know was the fact that the Invaders were growing tired of pussy-footing around. Instead of fighting Xedii on Xedii's terms, the Invaders decided to fight it on their own.
It had never occurred to the government of Xedii that there would be any real need for implements of war. The invaders seemed to be limiting their use of weapons, too. They wanted to control the planet, not destroy it. Through the summer and into the autumn, Anketam listened to the news as it filtered down from the battlegrounds. There were skirmishes here and there, but nothing decisive.
"Madam," he said, "it would be useless for me to apologize for the destructions of war. Apologies are mere words." "They are," said Lady Samas. "None the less, I accept them." "Thank you. I have come to inform you that the Xedii armies formally surrendered near Chromdin early this morning. The war is over." "I'm glad," said Lady Samas. "So am I," said the colonel. "It has not been a pleasant war.
Instead of cataca, he and Jacovik planted food crops, doing on a larger scale just what they had always done in the selected sections around the villages. They had always grown their own food, and now they were doing it on a grand scale. No news came from off-planet, except for unreliable rumors. What the rest of the galaxy was doing about the war on Xedii, no one knew.
Farther to the west, another group of forty thousand Invader troops came down from the Frozen Country, and a Xedii general named Oljek trounced them with a mere seventeen thousand men. All in all, the Invaders were getting nowhere, but they seemed determined to keep on plugging. The news only filtered slowly into the areas which were situated well away from the front.
I've authorized Kevenoe to allow money for the purchase of breeding stock. You can draw whatever you need for that purpose. "This war shouldn't last too long. Another year, at the very most, and we'll have forced the Invaders off Xedii. When I come back, I expect to find the barony in good shape, d'you hear?" "Yes, sir. It will be." "I think it will," said The Chief. "Good luck to you, Anketam."
I'm not a Chief. I don't know how their minds work. Do you? Maybe they'll think surrender would be better than having all of Xedii destroyed inch by inch." Anketam shook his head. "Never. The Chiefs will fight to the very end. And they'll win in the long run because right is on their side.
"I have been ordered to read to you the proclamation of the Union President." He looked down at the papers and began to read: "Henceforth, all the peoples of Xedii shall be free and equal. They shall have the right to change their work at will, to be paid in lawful money instead of " Anketam just stood there, his mind glazed.
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