The Mote In God's Eye

"Congratulations, Commissioner," Rod laughed. He caught her wrist in both hands and held her at arm's length. "The Lord President of His Majesty's Commission Extraordinary also asks me when we're getting married. I think it's a pretty fair question."

"But-I-Rod-we-" She caught her breath.

"By God, I've got you at a loss for words. Just once you're not talking." He took advantage of the opportunity to kiss her. Then again. That lasted a long time.

"I think I'd better read that letter," she said when they parted. "If you please."

"You still haven't answered your uncle's question, and I won't let you read it until you do."

"His question!" Her eyes flashed. "Rod Blaine, if I do marry anyone-if, mind you-he's going to ask me himself!"

"All right. Lady Sandra Liddell Leonovna Bright Fowler, will you marry me?" The banter was gone from his voice, and although he tried to keep his grin he lost that too. He looked like a four-year-old about to sit on Father Christmas' lap for the first time. "When we get back to New Scotland-"

"Yes, of course I'll marry you-New Scotland? Rod, your father will expect us to be married at Court. All our friends are on Sparta-"

"I think maybe you'd better read that message, sweetheart. We may not get to Sparta for a while." He handed her the flimsy and perched on the arm of the chair she sank into. "It's this part." He pointed.

FIRST REACTION HERE UNCERTAIN WHETHER TO MAKE YOU HERO OR VILLAIN STOP LOSS OF MACARTHUR NOT GREETED WITH JOY AT ADMIRALTY STOP CRANSTON EXPLODED STOP ARMSTR0NG SAID QUOTE HOW IN HELL CAN ANYONE LOSE A BATTLE CRUISER CLOSE QUOTE STOP

PARAGRAPH KUTUZOV REPORT IN YOUR FAVOR STOP KUTUZOV TAKES FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR LOSS STOP KUTUZOV REPORTS POSSIBLE SUPERIOR CASTES MOTIES

COULD HAVE CLEARED MACARTHUR OF VERMIN BUT HIS DECISION RISK OF COMPROMISE OF IMPERIAL TECHNOLOGICAL SECRETS TOO GREAT STOP KUTUZOV STILL UNDECIDED EXTENT OF MOTIE THREAT BUT SUGGESTS ADMIRALTY ASSEMBLE LARGE BATTLE FLEET STOP HORVATH

REPORT STATES MOTIES FRIENDLY NO FLEET NEEDED AND MOTIES QUOTE GREATEST OPPORTUNITY IN HISTORY CLOSE QUOTE STOP PROBLEM IN MY LAP STOP

"Ours too," Rod said. "Read on."

PARAGRAPH BY ORDER OF SOVEREIGN I AM NOW LORD PRESIDENT OF IMPERIAL COMMISSION EXTRAORDINARY FOR NEGOTIATING WITH ALIENS STOP BY PERSONAL DIRECTION

OP HIS MAJESTY RODERICK LORD BLAINE DASH THAT IS YOU BUT YOU ALMOST BLEW IT LOSING YOUR SHIP STOP DO NOT MAKE HABIT OF THAT DASH AND LADY SANDRA BRIGHT

APPOINTED COMMISSIONERS STOP COMMISSION HAS FULL AUTHORITY TO ACT IN NAME OF SOVEREIGN STOP COMMISSIONERS WILL REMAIN IN NEW SCOTLAND UNLESS ADVISABLE CONVEY ALIEN REPRESENTATIVES TO SPARTA STOP

PARAGRAPH IF COMMISSION CONCLUDES ALIENS POSE THREAT OR POTENTIAL THREAT TO EMPIRE COMMISSION WILL ACT IN CONCERT WITH VICEROY TRANSCOALSACK TO TAKE SUCH IMMEDIATE MEASURES AS SEEM ADVISABLE STOP ANY SUGGESTIONS INTERROGATIVE PARAGRAPH ROD UNLESS THOSE MOTIES ARE SIMPLE FARMERS AND THIS PROBE MAKES ME SURE THEY AINT YOU AND SALLY ARE GOING TO BE OUT HERE A LONG TIME STOP PRESUME YOU HAVE RETAINED SANITY SO ARE ENGAGED TO SALLY STOP WHEN IS WEDDING INTERROGATIVE YOUR FATHER SENDS BLESSINGS STOP SO DO I STOP MARQUIS EXPECTS YOU TWO WILL BE MARRIED BY NEXT TIME HE SEES YOU STOP IF YOU THINK MARQUIS AND I HAVE ARRANGED THIS YQU AINT SEEN NOTHING YET STOP HIS MAJESTY APPROVES IMMEDIATE WEDDING STOP YOUR MOTHER AND EMPRESS SEND BLESSINGS STOP

"But what if I said no?" Sally demanded. "That's the most arrogant thing I've ever seen!"

"But you didn't say no. You said yes." He leaned down to kiss her hard.

She struggled away and he saw she was genuinely angry. "Damn it." Her voice was very low and clear. "Damn. ‘His Majesty approves'-God's teeth! If I.. turned you down now it'd be high treason!"

"I did ask first," he pointed out "And you answered first."

"That was clever. Oh, stop looking like a little boy. Yes, I want to marry you. I don't much like being commanded to do something I wanted to do anyway."

He studied her. "You were out from under for a long time. I never was."

"What?"

"The obligations that go with the titles. First you were en route to study primitive cultures-your own free choice. I went to the Academy for my Wanderjahr. Then you were in the prison camp, but even in that hellhole you weren't under any authority you could respect." He was choosing his words with great care. Sally was red with anger.

"Then MacArthur, as a guest. Under my authority then, remember? And you respected the fact to such an extent-"

"All right, I Stowed away when we captured the Crazy Eddie probe. You know why."

"Too right. Then New Scotland, where you were practically the highest rank around. You enjoyed that, didn't you? The few people above you weren't interested in making you do anything. And on to Mote Prime, doing exactly what you wanted to do in life. You were out from under for a long time. Now you're back in the box."

"That's what-it-feels like."

Rod flicked the flimsy in her hand. "Arrogant as hell. Right. It jarred me, but not the way it got to you. I've been under orders for a long time. All my life."

"It's the first time you've been ordered to marry any one, I take it."

"Yeah. But we've both been expecting something like that, haven't we? Politically, from an Empire standpoint, our marriage is just too good an alliance to pass up. We get the privileges, the property, the titles, and now the bill comes in. Blind luck we love each other, because we owe it to-"

"To whom?" she demanded.

Rod gi

She was awed. "Does he really think that way? My God, he does! He ordered me to your cabin!"

"What? He what?"

She giggled. "Fantastic. We ought to ask him and see what he does. Let me finish reading this, Rod."

PARAGRAPH I HAVE DISCRETION IN NAMING OTHER MEMBERS OF COMMISSION STOP WILL EXPECT YOUR HELP STOP EVERYBODY IN FIFTY PARSECS WANTS ON COMMISSION

STOP GWEN POWERS HIS MAJESTY DELEGATED TO US DON'T BLAINE THEM STOP YOUR FIRST TASK IS HELPING ME TO FILL OUT COMMISSION STOP SECOND WILL BE ARRANGING

EVIDENCE AND WITNESS LIST STOP

PARAGRAPH ADMIRAL KUTUZOV HAS ORDERS TO PUT YOU ABOARD MESSAGE SLOOP FOR RETURN BEST POSSIBLE SPEED TO NEW SCOTLAND STOP BRING SALLY IF YOU THINK

BEST AND FLIGHT SURGEON APPROVES STOP ADMIRAL WILL ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR HORACE BURY STOP GET MOVING STOP KISS SALLY FOR ME STOP BREAK BREAK REGARDS

BENJAMIN BRIGHT FOWLER COMMA SENATOR OPEN PARENTHESES LORD PRESIDENT IMPERIAL COMMISSION EXTRAORDINARY ACTING FOR HIS MAJESTY LEONIDAS IX CLOSE PARENTHESES BREAK MESSAGE ENDSXX

"Am I going in the message sloop?" she asked.

"That's up to you. You're in condition. Want to?"

"Yes-there are a lot of things to arrange before the Moties get there- My God, we've got to settle things about the Moties, and there's the wedding- Rod, do you realize how big a deal the marriage of Crucis Court and the Fowler heir will be in a provincial capital? I'll need three secretaries, Uncle Ben's not going to be any use, and we've got to arrange for a reception for the Modes and- Oh, all right. Where were we?"

47 Homeward Bound

Kutuzov and Mikhailov went all out in preparing for Rod and Sally's farewell di