The planter swung again wildly. Cosmo slipped the blow. With a straight left, he knocked Bemmelman down.
The planter shook his head. There was a surprised look on his beefy red features. Sinking his head in his bull neck, he scrambled to his feet.
Cosmo knocked him down again.
Bemmelman turned his brown pig-like eyes up to Cosmo. He tried to rise. Cosmo knocked him down for the third time.
He said: "Bemmelman, get out of here. If you ever lay hands to me again, I'll kill you."
The planter heaved himself to his feet, lip drooling blood. He crossed to his surface plane, scrambled inside. Then he shook his fist at Cosmo.
"I'll get you for this, Horn. You haven't MacIver to protect you now. I'll get you."
Cosmo took a step toward the plane.
Bemmelman hastily slammed the door. The vehicle swooped from the ground, sped away like a silver bullet.
"He will," said Mia in a small voice. "You shouldn't have done that, Cosmo. He's powerful. He controls the Council of Land Owners."