rights,’ or anything like that? I mean, is all this capacity something that they
need too, or is it all pretty valueless as far as they’re concerned?”
“Hopefully we’ll be able to work out a basis for joint development,” Buhl
replied. “Their experience and knowledge of the environment would constitute a
valuable asset in any case, which makes a cooperative approach the most
desirable goal to aim at.”
Frederick Methers, the other man from GSEC, commented, “Despite their physical
form, the Taloids’ own culture is actually pretty primitive. They don’t have the
conceptual abilities to utilize more than a tiny fraction of the potential
they’re surrounded by. But with us giving direction and them providing the
working skills, it should be possible to get the act together and run it for
mutual benefit.”
Whaley looked at him curiously for a second or two. “I can see our angle,” he
said. “What’s in it for the Taloids?”
Methers spread his hands. “What every backward race wants when it meets a more
advanced culture—access to greater wealth and power, security, knowledge . . .
whatever.”
“That’s true of the Taloids too?” Whaley sounded surprised.
“I wouldn’t mind betting on it, anyhow,” Methers said.
Gorsche nodded. “Genoa is also a fairly small state that’s constantly being
attacked by larger enemies, and Padua is one of them. I’d have thought there’s a
good chance that the Genoese would be extremely appreciative of any help we
might give them for defending themselves. And that incident with the Paduans
will have provided a very convenient demonstration of the kinds of things we
could offer.”
Ramelson looked from side to side. All the faces were watching him expectantly,
waiting for his endorsement of the policy being proposed. He sat back and
drummed his fingertips absently on the arms of his chair while he thought over
what had been said. At last he nodded. “It’s certainly worth exploring further,
anyway. Do I take it that the other people you’ve put this to are in agreement
also?”
Gorsche nodded. “It’s more or less Dan Leaherney’s own recommendations, and the
president has approved,” he said.
Ramelson looked satisfied and turned to Buhl. “Then let’s get a confidential
policy memorandum off to Caspar, confirming our position,” he said. “The sooner
he knows where he stands, the sooner we’ll start seeing some results.”
“That’s what I wanted to discuss next,” Buhl said, reaching for some papers in
his briefcase. “In fact I’ve got a draft here for you to look at. Maybe we can
go through it while we’re all here together.”
On the other side of Washington, D.C., Walter Conlon and Patrick Whittaker were
having breakfast at a Howard Johnson’s. “I imagine Gerry Massey must be pretty
pissed,” Whittaker said. “After the job that he and Vernon did all through the
voyage out … I mean, they’ve collected enough proof to debunk just about
everything that Zambendorf has said and done since the mission left.”
“That’s right,” Conlon agreed over a plate of scrambled eggs and hashbrowns, but
without sounding especially perturbed.
Whittaker looked puzzled. “But hasn’t it all been a waste of time?”
“Why?”
“Well . . . who cares anymore?” Whittaker shrugged. “Compared to what’s happened
on Titan now, all that’s trivial, isn’t it? Anyone who tried to make a big thing
now out of whether or not Zambendorf had pulled a few tricks would just be
making an ass of himself, and Massey’s smart enough to know it. I assumed that
was why Massey and Vernon haven’t been announcing any great revelations.”
Conlon shook his head. “They probably watched Zambendorf just to help pass the
time during the voyage,” he said. “Massey’s also smart enough to have figured
out that I wouldn’t have sent him all that way just to expose a stage psychic .
. . not after he learned where the mission was really bound for and why,
anyway.”
Whittaker frowned. “You mean his job never was to blow Zambendorf out of the
water?”
“Not unless he wanted to, anyhow,” Conlon said, without looking up from his
meal. “No—GSEC and the rest had their cover story, so I had to have mine. Massey
figured that out a long time ago. Before the mission left I arranged with one of