As for accepting King Angus' annexation of Tanith and accepting his sovereignty, that would also be advisable. They would need a Sword World outlet for the loot they took or obtained by barter from other Space Vikings, and until they had adequate industries of their own, they would be dependent on Gram for many things which could not be gotten by raiding. "I suppose the King knows I'm not out here for my health, or his profit?" he asked Lord Valpry, during one of the screen conversations as the _Space Scourge_ was getting into orbit. "My business out here is Andray Dunnan." "Oh, yes," the Wardshaven noble replied. "In fact, he told me, in so many words, that he would be most happy if you sent him his nephew's head in a block of lucite. What Dunnan did touched his honor, too. Sovereign princes never see any humor in things like that." "I suppose he knows that sooner or later Dunnan will try to attack Tanith?" "If he doesn't, it isn't because I didn't tell him often enough. When you see the defense armament we're bringing, you'll think he does." It was impressive, but nothing to the engineering and industrial equipment. Mining robots for use on the iron Moon of Tanith, and normal-space transports for the fifty thousand mile run between planet and satellite. A collapsed-matter producer; now they could collapsium-plate their own shielding. A small, fully robotic, steel mill that could be set up and operated on the satellite. Industrial robots, and machinery to make machinery. And, best of all, two hundred engineers and highly skilled technicians. Quite a few industrial baronies on Gram would realize, before long, what they had lost in those men. He wondered what Lord Trask of Traskon would have thought about that. The Prince of Tanith was no longer interested in what happened to Gram. Maybe, if things prospered for the next century or so, his successors would be ruling Gram by viceroy from Tanith. XV As soon as the _Space Scourge_ was unloaded, she was put on off-planet watch; Harkaman immediately spaced out in the _Nemesis_, while Trask remained behind. They began unloading the _Rozinante_, after setting her down at Rivington Spaceport. After that was done, her officers and crew took a holiday which lasted a month, until the _Nemesis_ returned. Harkaman must have made quick raids on half a dozen planets. None of the cargo he brought back was spectacularly valuable, and he dismissed the whole thing as chicken-stealing, but he had lost some men and the ship showed a few fresh scars. A good deal of what was transshipped to the _Rozinante_ was manufactured goods which would compete with merchandise produced on Gram. "That load will be a come-down, after what the _Space Scourge_ took back, but we didn't want to send the _Rozinante_ back empty," he said. "One thing, I had time to do a little reading, between stops." "The books from the Eglonsby library?"