The book of the Ler by Foster M. A

Author:Foster, M. A
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Imaginary histories, Science fiction, American, Science fiction
Publisher: New York : DAW Books
Published: 2006-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

the weapons, of which they had a considerable variety. And he knew very well that she would not use those weapons unless at the utmost extremity-. According to the ship's papers they carried, the Pallenber was listed as an armed merchantman; Han knew this as a euphemism for "privateer" He knew well enough that such things were done, but they had been unheard-of in his portion of space for many a year.

As they worked—which went slowly, for she seemed to have a rather low degree of mechanical competence—he asked her how the ler fought wars, if they had any among themselves. He could not see how they could fight a war, without using weapons that leave the hand.

She answered, "We have wars, enough for anyone's taste. 'Once through a ler war and you become a pacifist,' so the saying goes. But we have our disagreements, and if it comes to a resolution by force, then so be it. All participate. But we fight over issues which can be seen in front of you. Immediate things. I suppose you would call them light-infantry actions. But for all that, they are rare. Another difference from humans is the fact that our sense of territoriality is much weaker than yours. It was considered a disadvantage to those who were trying to breed us at the first. And we do not fight over things like politics and religion. Those kinds of things mean that the fighting goes far beyond the battlefield, where such things should be settled."

So when there was a war to be fought, they took up knives and swords, shields, bludgeons, hammers and momingstars, and set upon one another with all the skill they could muster After the issue had been settled, the combatants retired from the field, the winners took what they had been fighting for, or against, and the losers consoled themselves. After all, in losing, they did not lose everything.

But they were not pacifists, and it was true that ler were not particularly unaggressive. Fights between two were not uncommon, and brawls in taverns or on the street were known. But they did not resort to weapons which left the hand, whatever the level of conflict, however many pursued it. A ler who did that would be instantly lynched, then and there, by his fellows. It was the only unappealable death penalty they had.

And for all that they were opposed to their use, they were not blind to the uses of projectile weapons. They extended their penalty to anyone who used them; and since the penalty was eradication without quarter, few ever considered it. They had developed the perfect defense against interplanetary war: try to bomb a ler planet, and they activated a device which caused your sun to go nova. Then they went after your

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