"Wait? What for?"
"There's something distinctly unusual about this," pondered Lancelot
gravely. "A few hours ago they were friendly; now they are screaming
for our blood. I don't understand it. But you know my motto: '_Get the
theory first!_' If I can learn _why_ they changed so abruptly--"
"What difference does it make why they changed? They did, didn't they?
That's all that counts--"
"No, Dad. The important thing is not to overwhelm the Themisites, beat
them into submission. It is to settle our differences for all time,
establish an enduring peace--" He turned to me--"Sparks, get on the
wire, will you? I want a complete report from Earth on the previous
peace treaties signed with Themis. Who signed them ... when ... under
what circumstances ... everything we can learn."
"O.Q.," I said. "It's your business. But my money bets on the Skipper's
plan. 'Civilize 'em with a gun' is _my_ motto."
Biggs shook his ungainly head disapprovingly.
"That form of reasoning," he declared, "died with the dictatorships.
Now, get on the key, Sparks. And, oh--while you're at it, see if
there's any news from Diane, will you?"
He was a very anxious looking gent. And no wonder.
* * * * *
Well, after that tempus fidgeted, as it has a habit of doing, the
static had cleared, and I established contact with Joe Marlowe at Lunar
III. He said he'd try to scare up the info I wanted, but it might
take time. I told him to go ahead; I had more time on my hands than a
professional watch repairer. So we dillied and dallied, and after a
while back he came, loaded with more facts than Mr. Britannica put in
his encyclopedia.
The Themis situation, it seemed, was plenty complex. The first peace
pact had been signed eight months ago between the Thagwar of Themis and
the Solar Space Cruiser, _Ajax_, Col. A. R. Prentiss commanding. Swell!
Only two weeks later the Themisites had murdered in cold blood an agent
sent there by the Cosmic Corporation to set up a trading post!
The S.S.P. had sent a second expedition. This party reported hostile
reception. Then, after a whole day wasted in attempting to get in touch
with the Thagwar, the Themisites had suddenly turned friendly--and
signed a second treaty.
This one had lasted exactly four days. It was busted when the
quadrupeds dittoed the craniums of a party of miners who dropped gravs
for fresh water supplies!
Why go on? Expeditions Three, Four, Five and Six had all followed the
same pattern ... an agreeable understanding followed by a swift kick in
the nose. Our experience was no novelty; we were just number Seven on
the Themisite hit-and-run parade.
"In view of the circumstances," Joe Marlowe wound up his report, "the
authorities here suggest that Captain Hanson get the situation in hand
and get the situation in hand and get the situation in hand and get the
situation--"