"Welcome to Svea," Tove said. "Let's find a warm corner where we can talk."
Retief shook his head, smiling, as a tall girl with coppery hair offered a vast slab of venison.
"I've caught up," he said, "for every hungry day I ever lived."
Bo Bergman poured Retief's beer mug full.
"Our captains are the best in space," he said. "Our population is concentrated in half a hundred small cities all across the planet. We know where the Soetti must strike us. We will ram their major vessels with unmanned ships. On the ground, we will hunt them down with small-arms."
"An assembly line turning out penetration missiles would have been more to the point."
"Yes," Bo Bergman said. "If we had known."
"How long have you known the Soetti were planning to hit you?"
Tove raised his eyebrows.