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horror stories about Accord.
If the Empire decided tou se force, no public outcry would be raised, and
Accord could count on few allies. In return, the Institute could send out the
death ships, and if everyone was lucky, perhaps ten percent of the population
of a thousand systems might survive.
The Accord House of Delegates ignored the enormous growth in the
massivedestruct weaponry of the Empire. The Empire was totally ignorant of the
potential biological and ecological disasters created by the Institute and
already dispersed to where not even total destruction of the Accord Coordinate
systems could stop the rain of lingering death.
From what he'd seen, neither side would believe the other's power, although
Accord had acknowledged the Empire's fleets somewhat. So what could he do?
He turned to the console and punched out the office number of Courtney
Corwin-Smathers, leaving his own screen blank.
 Courtney here. What's wrong with your visual?
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 Whaler here.' Call off the dogs, Courtney. You've made your point. The
preliminary terms have been registered officially with External Affairs, and
you'll have to coordinate with JanisDu-Plessis, but I think you can handle
that.
 The other thing you should know is that Defense is also playing. We don't
need that, and neither do you.
 Oh...?
 I still will have to stay around, making polite speech after polite speech,
and committing Accord to nothing until you get your ions flared. Or do you
have a better suggestion?
 Your prudence is commendable, if belated, but Ms. Ku-Smythe might request a
quiet elimination if theI.I.S. or the Ministry of Defense haven't already done
so.
 That's a chance I'll have to take. He tapped the stud and cut the
connection. His next call went to Marcella's direct office line. He got a
recording with a smiling face.
 I am out at the moment. If you would leave a message, I will return your
screen when I return.
 Whaler here. The Ministry of Defense has decided to shove Commerce directly
out of the picture by eliminating me. You might also be interested to
learnAlia Herl-Tyre paid off some of my Legation staff to stall you. At the
same time.Defense exploded my office and removed one of my staffers. External
Affairs thinks you played them for nulls.
Again leaving his own screen blank, he tapped out Sergel's private number,
and got another recording requesting a message.
 Sergel. You'd better be gone tomorrow, or on your way, or have a damned good
story. The External Relations staff knows you played them false, and the
Ministry of Defense knows you failed.
He tapped out another number, with a blank screen. He didn't have a private
number, but the External Relations Committee number for Alia Herl-Tyre.
Another recording.  Ms. Herl-Tyre. My name is Nathaniel Whaler, and we haven't
met. Sergel Weintre used to work for the Legation, until he claimed that you
were paying him to spy on us, and we discovered that he was also being paid by
the Ministry of Defense to spy on you as well as us.  Under the circumstances,
thought you'd be interested. With a sigh, he leaned back and touched the wide
belt, running his fingers along the side, splitting the layers andr emoving a
thin flimsy.
The code system was crude, but unbreakable without either the flimsy, which
would last for less than a standard hour after he touched it, or the Prime's
personal diary, of which there was one copy. The system was one way, but that
didn't matter.
After the ten minutes it took him to code what he needed, he picked up the
draft and opened the door from his private quarters to his office. The walls
to the staff office still were jagged andbulged in places, although the steel
portal door remained untouched.
He palmed the plate, and the portal irised open. The deserted staff section
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had the lighting at half bright. He slipped behind Mydra's console,
congratulating himself on hisp rofessional ease until he barked his knees as
he pulled the chair up to the console. The first job was to send the message
to the Prime. He accessed the direct comm line, feeling the charges ring
higher and higher as the message ran out.
He hoped it would get there, and since the Legation was paying for the direct
shot, it had a chance.
He staggered out from behind Mydra's console and back to his own office.
The next step would be trying to break the media blackout on the talks, which
he suspected was due to their dull sound, rather than any conspiracy. After
all, what self-respectingfaxcaster in the capital of the Empire was interested
in tariff and exchange terms negotiations between the Empire and a former
colony, particularly when the Minis-
try involved hadn't told anyone and when the others didn't want anyone to
know?
From the New Augusta directory, He got the numbers for Galactafax and
Faxstellar.
 Greetings. I am the Accord Trade Envoy, Nathaniel Whaler. And a statement to
make on the bombing of our Legation I have.
 The what? asked the dutyfaxer atGalactafax.  The bombing of our Legation by
forces opposing the talks on trade 
 Hold it! Hold it! Let me catch it all on flux. First, who are you? For the
record?
 Envoy Nathaniel Whaler, Acting Legate and Trade Envoy for the Legation of
Accord. He paused and cleared his throat.  This very afternoon, my office
wasbombed. Two devices. Bystanders, several were hurt. Good faith we came in,
but the Imperial Senate and Imperial Ministries respond not, but question who
has jurisdiction. No one pays attention.
 Hang on there.Lord Whaler. Let me see if I have this straight. You were
invited here for trade talks. The Imperial Senate and the Ministries are
arguing over jurisdiction, and this afternoon your Legation was bombed, and
people were injured. Is that the idea? [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]