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logrolling, probably bribing, and certainly making nuisances of
themselves on governmental levels as high as the Policy Board. Meanwhile
he drags his feet. If the Emperor didn't have more urgent matters on
deck, we might have seen fireworks by now."

"Nuclear?"

"Oh, no, no. Haven't we had our fill of civil war? I spoke
metaphorically. And ... between us, lad, I can't blame the Gospodar very
much. True, Hans' idea is that consolidating all combat services may
prevent a repetition of what we just went through. I can't say it won't
help; nor can I say it will. If nothing else, the Dennitzans do nest way
out on a windy limb. They have more faith in their ability to protect
themselves, given Navy support, than in the Navy's ability to do it
alone. They may well be right. This is too serious a matter--a whole
frontier is involved--too serious for impulsive action: another reason,
I'm sure, why Hans has been patient, has not dismissed the Gospodar as
governor or anything."

"I believe he's making a terrible mistake," Hazeltine said.

"What do you think the Dennitzans have in mind, then?"

"If not a breakaway, and inviting the Merseians in--I'm far from
convinced that that's unthinkable to them, but I haven't proof--if not
that, then insurrection ... to make the Gospodar Emperor."

Flandry sat still for a while. The ship murmured, the music sang around
him. Terra waxed in his sight.

Finally, taking forth a fresh cigarette, he asked, "What gives you that
notion? Your latest work didn't bring you within a hundred parsecs of
Dennitza, did it?"

"No." Hazeltine's mouth, which recalled the mouth of Persis, drew into
thinner lines than ever hers had done. "That's what scares me. You see,
we've collected evidence that Dennitzans are engineering a rebellion on
Diomedes. Have you heard of Diomedes?"

"Ye-e-es. Any man who appreciates your three primaries of life ought to
study the biography of Nicholas van Rijn, and he was shipwrecked there
once. Yes, I know a little. But it isn't a terribly important planet to
this day, is it? Why should it revolt, and how could it hope to
succeed?"

"I wasn't on that team myself. But my unit was carrying out related
investigations in the same sector, and we exchanged data. Apparently the
Diomedeans--factions among them--hope the Domain of Ythri will help.
They've acquired a mystique about the kinship of winged beings ...
Whether the Ythrians really would intervene or not is hard to tell. I