Uller Uprising

overnor-Genera

spectively. The attempt to relieve Jaikark's palace had been called off before the relief-force could be sent; there was heavy and confused fighting all over the island, and most of the combat contragravity and about half the Kragan Rifles had had to be committed to defend the Company far

parently one of the civilian

They have everything here except Company House-docks, airport, everything. We're trying to hold out, but there are thousand

Blount and your Resid

King Orgzild. We've tried to call the Palace, but

eported rioting in the city and an attempted palace-revolution against King Jonkvank, and that the Residency was under attack. By way of variety, it was the army

quatorial Zone, and the country north of it to the pole, the area of Uller occupied by the Company. He was almost beginning to

er spectacle so woe-begone as a back-slapping extrovert with the bottom knocked out of him. "My God, it's happening all ove

succeeded or failed in the first hour. It was a little early to be certain, but he was beginning to suspect that this one hadn't succeeded. "If we all do our part, we'll come

N.I.'s barracks; the Tenth and the Zirks are trying to defend the cavalry barracks. Some of our Kragans managed to sl

ers.... How about the repair-shops and maintenance-yard and lorry-hangars? I

the lorry-hangars. Jarman's got a couple o

row," Keaveney was wailing, to Paula Quinton an

p of coffee, general," Mordkovitz sug

ney and tried to quiet him. At the same time, a woman in black slacks and an orange sweater-the one wh

lling," she said. "He's on

to his mouth before entering the booth. Kankad's face was looking out of the screen a

? I have twenty thousand of my people here who are capable of bearing arms, all w

. Since Ullerans were bisexual, the total population, less the senile, crippled, and very young, was the military potential. Sending Kankad's five hundred warriors and his m

mmand, there; he'll need help to hold the Company farms. Ma

, at once," Kankad promised. "H

eplied. "Paula is with me, he

officer in charge of the stati

laborers from the mine-labor camp are pouring into the mine-equipment park. C

"I'll see what Them M'zangwe can do about transport;

called. "General Mordkovitz! Who's the ranking officer in d

's ri

ll him to get cracking on it. Tell him not to let those geeks get any of that equipment onto contragravity; knock it down as fast as they try to lift out with it. And tell hi

that," the girl captain told

s of little pink and white pills that somebody had brought in two bottles from the dispensary across the road, each using a billiard-bridge. The girl in the orange sweater had a handful of scribbled n

a grin; that was the second time he'd heard her use that word, this evening. "The cigarette

kers, but I've seen stranger th

ing past, her hands full of telepr

on some sort of a contragravity vehicle at about two to five thousand

r screen that ought to do all right for two

onkrook. First he spoke to a civilian who chewed a dead c

t, now?"

paceport and the native-troops and labor barracks, and down the east side of the island to the farms. We have the wire around the farms on the island electrifie

hten shook

re massacred. Some of them were lucky enough to get killed fighting. The geeks took Eric and Hendrik alive; rolled them in a puddle of thermoc

we about King Kankad's offer. "His crowd ought to be coming in in a couple of

the Bushranger. But they're not much as transports, and we need them here pretty badly. Then, we have five

hten asked. "She was due in Konkrook fro

in twenty minutes after things started. They tried to lift out with her, and the Ch

have her, to use against us. What

ern Lights is at Grank, too. The Oom Paul Kruger should have been at Bwork, in the east, when the gun went of

aran to Kankad's, to pick up

t to be able to take the offensive against th

ll see about getting A

bub of voices, Jules Keaveney arguing contentiously. Evidently Colonel Cheng-Li's

on Uller!" Keaveney was saying. "How did th

was replying. "I know a lot of rich geeks

ichten took visible shape in his mind. For a m

g equipment, Barney," he

mean?" Keaven

ew it would be, to every residency and trading-station on Uller, and that was the signal they'd agreed upon, probably mo

ligence doing-sleeping?"

n the wastebasket, and being called mailed-fist-and-rattling-saber alarmists f

e to the airport with Jarman, when

ives there, which ought to be about 1100, he's to pick up all the Kragans he can pack

led. "Are you nuts? Don't you thin

hem," von Schlichten told him. "Now p

ange sweater were struggling to get a big circular TV-screen up, then turned to look at the s

e both on fire, now." She tossed a slip into the wastebasket beside her and glanced at the next slip. "And more pink pills back of the barracks

aveney said, pushing out a handful of pink pills with

, evicting token-mutineers from the two northern barracks. "There's usually two-way t

ill to Loki, he had taught a couple of professors of extraterrestrial zoology to play kriegspiel, and before the end of the trip, he wa

ido Karamessinis, the Resident-Agent at Grank, had reported, at last. The city, he said, was quiet, but King Yoorkerk's troops had seized the Company a

d to get him on the s

me forward as your friend and protector; if we're wiped out elsewhere, he'll yell 'Znidd suddabit!' and swamp you. Don't antagonize h

h red-gold hair and a dusting of

u making ou

out of his palace, and we're keeping open a couple of streets between there and here. We air-lifted all our Kragans and half the Sixth N.U.N.I. to the Palace, and

ng the rio

iests from the temples of one sect that followed Rakkeed, and Skilkan f

and you're doing all right.... How long do you think it'd take, with the e

e this tim

in radio communicati

sual," the girl replied.

leared. Within a few minutes, a saurian Ulleran face was looking out of it at hi

" von Schlicht

spond to von Schlichten's name. "We have image-

er. I am told that your soldiers in Krink have risen again

kked of Skilk, may Jeels devour him alive! I have Hurkkurk's head here somewhere, if

ed that the Krinkan king would interpret as a tone of cold-blooded cruelty. "There are too many trai

ating them, all at minor provincial tow

ichten said. "Well, I'm sending the Northern Star to Krink. She can only bring i

eaming smile. He made an exclamation of pleasure which sounde

all have rifles like your soldiers. Have them brought to the Great Square, at the Palace he

Schlichten advised. "They're at Furnk, you say

ished here, I will send soldiers to help you at Skilk. There shall be a great p

ardon me, I'll go to give

deyoshi O'Leary in front of the

e-ammoed; they dropped me off here. Wan

o around ahead of the Star and alert these regiments. And as soon as things stabilize at Krink, prod Jonkvank into airlifting troops here. You'

ed to be where he wasn't wanted

n! You have no authority to make promises like that;

he necessity for such a step. "Captain Malavez! You will send out an all-station telecast, immediately: Military Commander-in-Chief Carlos von Schlichten, being informed of the deaths

to assume a civil position of any sort,

r and took out his authority, lettin

"If you're wise, don'

at," he said. "But I don't fancy the Ulle

ix months to get back. A radio message takes a little over twenty-one years, each way." He holstered the pistol again. "You were bitching about h

of Keaveney's subordinates said. "Can we hold

rror. "What do you think we'll live on, for a year?" he asked. "On this planet, there's not more than a three months' supply of any sort of food a human can eat. And the ships that'll be coming in until word of our plight can get t

aveney suggested that the next ship was due in from Niflheim in three

are going to hold Uller for the Company and the Terran Federation." He looked around him. "Now, get back to work, all of you," he told the group that had formed around him and Keaveney. "Miss Q

ng about military matters. There must be a hundred

fast enough." He went over to the situation-map again, and looked at the arrangement of pink and white pills. "First of all, I want you to call Jarman, at the military airport, an