“Our men will come shortly to build the first trade city. I advise you not to resist them; they’ll be armed with guns more powerful than mine.”
She reached for his hand, but Lord turned away from her quickly so that she could not again open the raw wound of shame in his soul. He followed Don Howard into the forest.
“You won’t get away with it, Lord,” Howard said grimly. “No trade agent can impose a treaty—”
“Would a trusteeship be any better?”
“Lord, no!”
“There are only two alternatives, and a Hamilton Lord trade city is by far the better.”
“Yes—for Hamilton Lord.”
“No, for these people. Don’t forget, I’ll be running Hamilton Lord. The exclusive franchise will keep out the other traders, and I can see to it that our trade city does no harm. We’ve a thousand planets in the Federation; who’s going to know if one of the cities doesn’t really function?”
“I get it. But why the hell did you have to bring me back?”
“To make a deal with—with your wife.”