Il. I Could Make Them As Dust. Just Say The Word.
“No. That's worse than war.”
III. But You Said A God Must Protect His People
“What would we be if I told you to crush honest men?”
IV. Not Stuck Full Of Arrows?
No.
The Omnians were assembling among the dunes. A lot of them had clustered around the iron-shielded cart. Brutha looked at it through a mist of despair.
“Didn't I say I'd go down there alone?” he said.
Simony, who was leaning against the Turtle, gave him a grim smile.
“Did it work?” he said.
“I think . . . it didn't.”
“I knew it. Sorry you had to find out. Things have a way of wanting to happen, see? Sometimes you get people facing off and . . . that's it.”
"But if only people would-
“Yeah. You could use that as a commandment.”
There was a clanging noise, and a hatch opened on the side of the Turtle. Urn emerged, backward, holding a spanner.
“What is this thing?” said Brutha.
“It's a machine for fighting,” said Simony. “The Turtle Moves, eh?”
“For fighting Ephebians?” said Brutha.
Urn turned around.
“What?” he said.
“You've built this . . . this thing . . . to fight Ephebians?”
“Well . . . no . . . no,” said Urn, looking bewildered. “We're fighting Ephebians?”
“Everyone,” said Simony.
"But I never . . . I'm an . . . I never-
Brutha looked at the spiked wheels and the sawedged plates around the edge of the Turtle.
“It's a device that goes by itself,” said Urn. "We were going to use it for . . . I mean . . . look, I never wanted it to . . .'
“We need it now,” said Simony.
“Which we?”
“What comes out of the big long spout thing at the front?” said Brutha.
“Steam,” said Urn dully. “It's connected to the safety valve.”