Dorma had joined him and Kosh was already at the village. Damon West came up, and Major Joseph also joined them.
"We haven't disturbed anything," the Damon announced. We've got video of everything. Kosh' people are beginning to get in to pick up the bodies, and prepare them for burial."
"How many?" Samuel asked.
"The village normally had about two-hundred-and-fifty," the Damon answered, "but there was a wedding celebration and there were about seventy more people visiting. So we've got three-hundred-and-twenty dead. There were eight survivors that managed to hide three young girls.... one of the attackers hid from the others."
Samuel did not want to go through the village gates. He really didn't want to see what was inside. But he knew it was his duty. Without a word he motioned the others to follow. The slaughter in the common ground was bad enough, but what the attackers had done to the women and children that had fled to the houses was unspeakable! When he finally came back out Solassie came up.
"Not a word!" Samuel snapped, "Not a word, 'til you've been in there, 'til you've seen THAT! Don't ask me for any mercy, any compassion, any pity. Don't even ask it!"
He headed for his car, the others heading for their own vehicles. Samuel turned and saw Solassie going in the gate. Warlock West came up.
"Sir!" he remarked, "Maybe you should know what caused this. Solassie's daughter is married to the chieftain of the village whose people did this. Her daughter, Solassie's grandaughter, disobeyed her father and married one of Kosh's people, refusing the man her father had chosen. She was killed with the rest. Solassie is here to claim her body."
"Oh, Lords!" Samuel moaned, "Oh, precious Lords! How did you find all this out so quickly?"
"We found five men on the road, sir, in a truck," the Warlock answered, "two of them were wounded. They refused to explain why. This was the only place the road they were on led. So we came to investigate and found this. When we confronted them they bragged about it, sir! They said they were totally justified to avange their chieftain's honor! Of course their pockets and tote bags were full of these peoples' possessions."
Samuel nodded, got in his car and sped away. He reached the other village in a short time. It was completely surrounded and the troops there informed him there had been no attempts to escape.
The field hospital arrived and the doctors were setting up. Samuel went to a truck equipped with a bull horn reached in, hauled out the microphone, and switched on. "You in the village!" he cried, "This is the district commander of the peace keeping forces. You are surrounded! You cannot escape. You owe me 3,900 lives! If you surrender within the hour I will hold no more against you. But if we are forced to enter the village and take you by force, any of my troops that are killed wil lbe added to what you owe me, and YOU will NOT be counted among the payment. The CHOICE is YOURS! You have one hundred minutes from now, one hour, no longer. EXACTLY at the end of that time I will send my armored cars through your gate!"
Samuel put the microphone back. When he turned around he found Solassie standing in front of him. "If the village must be taken," Solassie pleaded, "let my troops take it, so if any more lives are lost they will be among MY people, and not held against us."
Samuel stared at him for a moment, then nodded. "Very well!" he agreed. "How many in there?"
"Normally this village has about 360," Kosh answered, "but its chieftain called in some of his relatives to help avange him. There could be close to 500 in there now!"
"Sir!" a soldier cried out, "White flag at the gate! Two people coming up!"
Samuel turned and started for the gate. Solassie followed. They met about half way to it. "We want to negotiate," the village chieftain announced.
"There is no negotiations," Samuel answered. "You come out within the hour. Those who were involved in the massacre form up over there. Those who weren't, over there. Those who did the killing will be immediately executed by lethal injection. All the rest will be taken to the doctors and surgically seerilized, every man, woman and child! They will be sent into exile and never heard of by your people again!"
"You've GOT to give us SOMETHING!" the chief screamed.
Samuel trembled. "I'll give you this," he finally managed, "and ONLY this. If you come out NOW, and give us no trouble, the rest that will be sterilized to make the 3,200 will be chosen by your leader. They will be sent into exile but they WILL be able to communicate with their loved ones, let them know how they are being treated. They will not be cut off from them. Don't ask any more! I won't give it. I saw what you did to those little girls, those little boys. If I could I'd do things like that to you! But by The Law I must give you a quick and merciful death, and that is more than you deserve. Now CHOOSE! Your leader has said he will use HIS troops to bring you out if you will not surrender, to make it so your people will owe me no more."
"No, father!" the woman screamed, "In the name of God, have your soldiers fight for us! Protect us! We were betrayed. We had a right, our traditions were violated!"

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