Spinneret

The door opened, and Carmen stepped inside, her face set in a decidedly neutral expression. Meredith wished fleetingly he knew how much, if anything, Andrews had told her about their guests. "Carmen Olivero, current chair of the Council of Astra," the colonel introduced her, rising to his feet. "This is Mr. Msuya of the UN

Secretariat; I've just had to inform him of the Council's decision to forbid non- Astrans from direct access to the Spi

For a long moment he thought she was going to bring down the whole house of cards. Her eyes, which had been sweeping the group, cut abruptly back to him, widening in surprise. But only for a moment. "I see," she said. "Well. I'm glad you decided not to bother appealing the resolution; with a seven-to-three margin it would've been useless, anyway." She focused on Msuya. "Were you expecting to take over the cable studies, sir?"

"The cable is UN property," he told her coldly. Turning back to Meredith, he added, "I don't know what you expect to gain by this charade, Colonel, but rest assured that no one in this room is in the slightest taken in. You're going to bring in the American scientists, make a big show of taking them off the project—and the minute we're gone they'll be back at work."

"I'm sorry you think me so underhanded," Meredith said, matching the other's tone. It was time he showed some irritation at all this verbal abuse. "You and Dr.

Chang can compare notes on my character on the trip back to Earth; I'm sure he'll have one or two things to add by then."

Msuya blinked, and for the first time a hint of uncertainty showed through his animosity. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we certainly can't afford to feed any extra people here," Meredith said calmly. "I just assumed you wouldn't mind giving them a lift home. It is only a four-day trip, you said?"

Msuya took a deep breath, turned back to gaze at Carmen, still standing just inside the door. "So your civilian Council presumes to dictate to an authorized military commander, does it? What do you think the U.S. Congress is going to say when it hears about this? Or the Pentagon? I expect they would appoint a new commander rather quickly."

Meredith held his breath … but Carmen had clearly figured out what was going on. "I don't see that the Pentagon or anyone else has any cause to complain. Your average military base isn't ninety percent civilian, either, and I can vouch for the fact that the Council has made the colony run smoother." She fixed Msuya with a steely glaze. "As I recall, that is what the UN mandate called for to establish and maintain a viable settlement on the world Astra; to choose, equip, and train such perso

She rattled off the whole General Purpose section from memory, and when she was finished, even Msuya looked grudgingly impressed. "I see you at least put someone with legal experience in charge of your Council," he said, turning back to face Meredith. "But you're digging yourself into a hole where you will literally starve to death. You can throw us off Astra now, yes, but how long will you survive when the UN cuts off all food and supply shipments to you? How long could you hold out if the Security Council voted to send a military force to deal with your blatant disobedience?"

Meredith couldn't help it; he laughed out loud. "A military force! Have you seen the collection of warships riding around us out there? Damn thing looks like a three-dimensional traffic jam—and every one of them ready to jump at the slightest suggestion that we're being invaded. I suggest you bear that in mind when you start talking about military action."

For a moment the two men stood there, gazes locked. Meredith waited long enough for the tension in the room to get good and thick. Then, dropping his eyes to Brown's computer console, he keyed for a status report. "Your shuttle has been refueled and will be ready to lift in about an hour. Before you leave, I'll ask Major Brown to give you a tour of the Martello Base facilities."

"This is outrageous!" one of the scientists snorted. "Mr. Msuya—are you going to let him just throw us out?"

Msuya's eyes were still boring into Meredith's face. "For the moment, Doctor, there is little else I can do. But that condition is temporary. Very temporary."

Meredith phoned for Brown and endured the minute of stony silence it took the major to arrive. He half expected Msuya to hurl some final threat as Brown led them out, but the undersecretary passed up the chance for last-minute dramatics.

Carmen started to follow the group; Meredith signaled her to remain. The door closed and she let out a long, sighing breath. "You shouldn't have laughed at him, Colonel," she said.

Suddenly weary, Meredith sat down again behind the desk. "I know, but that particular threat was so ridiculous. Not that it matters, really—Msuya couldn't possibly get madder than he already is." He shook his head. "What did you want to see me about? Andrews seemed to think it was important."

She smiled lopsidedly. "Actually, I came here to offer whatever help I could to head off Perez's power play. I see I was a little late."

"Not at all—both your timing and assessment of the situation were perfect."

"I meant—never mind."

"You meant you missed the episode where I switched sides?"

She flushed. "Well … yes. I was a little … surprised by that."

"Yeah. My own fault, too—I should've expected the UN to try a direct takeover and been better prepared. They moved a lot faster than I thought they could."

There was a moment of silence. "What happens now?" Carmen asked. "Are you really sending Dr. Chang home?"

"I have no choice. You saw Msuya's expression—he's just itching for a chance to come down like a Marine battalion on either Astra or the U.S. Throwing everyone off Astra like this should get the U.S. off the immediate hook, though there'll now be pressure on the President to replace me. I hope he understands what I'm doing and can stall them."

"What if he can't? I have to tell you, Colonel, that legally you're on very soft ground. Council or no, you're still the one who's ultimately responsible for everything that happens on Astra … and the UN would be well within their rights to cut off our supplies."

"All right," Meredith said abruptly. "As the saying goes, two can play this game."

He keyed his phone for the base communications center. "Put a call through to the nearest Rooshrike ship," he instructed the officer on duty. "Tell them I'd like a talk with Beaeki nul Dies na at his convenience." He got an acknowledgment and looked back at Carmen. "Is there anyone in your department who's ever handled trade negotiations?"

Frowning, Carmen leaned across the desk and started tapping computer keys. "I think Ruth Eldridge might have … No, that was a labor dispute." She pressed more keys, but the screen remained blank. "Nothing like that in anyone's file, sir," she said.

"Damn. Well … how about you? You want to help me open up trade with the Rooshrike?"

She looked up at him, jaw dropping open. "Me? Why?"

"Why not? Common sense and a fast mind are at least as important as experience in something like this. Besides, as head of the Council you'll lend an air of legitimacy that may keep Perez's crowd off my neck."

"But—Colonel, don't you think you're giving me just a little too much extracurricular work?"

He smiled in spite of himself. "Oddly put, but you have a point. All right; as of right now you're relieved of all your normal duties. I'll get you a priority number for materials and perso

"I understand." She sighed. "Oh, all right; I'll do it. What exactly do you want from the Rooshrike?"

"Ultimately, our own private cha