tance at the native-troops barracks. A
little later, two airtanks floated in, and then two more, going off
contragravity and lumbering on treads to fire their 90-mm rifles. At
the same time, combat-cars swooped in, banging away with their lighter
auto-cannon and launching rockets. The titanium prefab-huts, set up to
house the laborers and intended to be taken north with them for their
stay on the polar desert, were simply wiped away. Among the wreckage,
resistance was being blown out like the lights of a candelabrum. Push
the white pills out, girls, he thought. Don't push them anywhere; put
them back in the bottle. This year, there wouldn't be any mining done
at the North Pole; next year, the stockholders'll be bitching about
their dividend-checks. And a lot of new machine operators are going to
have to be trained for next year's mining. If there is any mining,
next year.

He took up the hand-phone and called HQ.

"Von Schlichten, what's the wavelength of the officer in command at
the equipment-park?"

A voice at the telecast station furnished it; he punched it out.

"Von Schlichten, right overhead. That you, Major Falkenberg? Nice
going, major, how are your casualties?"

"Not too bad. Twenty or thirty Kragans and loyal Skilkans, and eight
Terrans killed, about as many wounded."

"Pretty good, considering what you're running into. Get many of your
Kragans mounted on those hipposaurs?"

"About a hundred, a lot of 'saurs got shot, while we were leading
them out from the stables."

"Well, I can see geeks streaming away from the labor-camp, out the
south end, going in the direction of the river. Use what cavalry you
have on them, and what contragravity you can spare. I'll drop a few
flares to show their position and direction."

Anticipating him, the driver turned the airjeep and started toward the
dry Hoork River. Von Schlichten nodded approval and told him to
release flares when over the fugitives.

"Right," Falkenberg replied. "I'll get on it at once, general."

"And start moving that mine-equipment up into the Company area. Some
of we it can put into the air; the rest we can use to build
barricades. None of it do we want the geeks getting hold of, and the
equipment-park's outside our practical perimeter. I'll send people to
help you move it."

"No need to do that, sir; I have about a hundred and fifty loyal North
Ullerans--foremen, technicians, overseers--who can handle it."

"All right. Use your own ju