ed enough information from the
natives to be able to plan the next step in his campaign. The present
Greatest Noble, having successfully usurped the throne from his
predecessor, was still not in absolute control of the country. He had
won a civil war, but his rule was still too shaky to allow him to split
up his armies, which accounted for the fact that, thus far, no action
had been taken by the Imperial troops against the invading Earthmen.

The commander set up a base on the mainland, near the coast, left a
portion of his men there to defend it, and, with the remainder, marched
inland to come to grips with the Greatest Noble himself.

As they moved in toward the heart of the barbarian empire, the men
noticed a definite change in the degree of civilization of the
natives--or, at least, in the degree of technological advancement.
There were large towns, not small villages, to be dealt with, and there
were highways and bridges that showed a knowledge of engineering
equivalent to that of ancient Rome.

The engineers of the Empire of the Great Nobles were a long way above
the primitive. They could have, had they had any reason to, erected a
pyramid the equal of great Khufu's in size, and probably even more
neatly constructed. Militarily speaking, the lack of knowledge of iron
hampered them, but it must be kept in mind that a well-disciplined and
reasonably large army, armed with bronze-tipped spears, bronze swords,
axes, and maces, can make a formidable foe, even against a much better
equipped group.

The Imperial armies were much better disciplined and much better armed
than any of the natives the commander had thus far dealt with, and there
were reputed to be more than ten thousand of them with the Greatest
Noble in his mountain stronghold. Such considerations prompted the
commander to plan his strategy carefully, but they did not deter him in
the least. If he had been able to bring aircraft and perhaps a
thermonuclear bomb or two for demonstration purposes, the attack might
have been less risky, but neither had been available to a man of his
limited means, so he had to work without them.

But now, he avoided fighting if at all possible. Working with Frater
Vincent, the commander worked to convince the natives on the fertile
farms and in the prosperous villages that he and his company were merely
ambassadors of good will--missionaries and traders. He and his men had
come in peace, and if they were received in peace,