“I understand, Captain,” said the ambassador. He stood up and put his hand on Phule’s shoulder. “We at State have our intelligence branch working overtime on it, believe me. We don’t want to send anybody into a booby trap. The minute we get something useful, you’ll get it from us. You have my word on that. Until then, just try to be ready for anything-anything at all.”
Phule nodded. “I guess we’ll have to be ready, then,” he said. He stood up and shook Gottesman’s hand. Then he added, “That’s what we’re supposed to do anyhow, isn’t it?”
“I have complete confidence in you and your people. Captain,” said the ambassador. Then he added darkly, “I wish I had the same confidence in your superiors.” He allowed himself a thin smile and left the office.
Beeker, who had sat silently listening to the entire interview, watched the ambassador leave, then said, “Are you quite certain you want to stick your head into this particular noose, sir?”
Phule turned to look at his butler. “Is that how you read it, Beeker?” He placed high value on Beeker’s opinions and advice-not that he always allowed them to influence his decisions. If he had, he’d never have joined the Space Legion. But when the butler smelled trouble, it was worth listening to him.
Beeker steepled his fingers. “Consider the evidence, sir. The Zenobians have asked for help against some sort of external threat that they cannot defeat with their own resources. Yet the Zenobians are remarkably competent warriors, both in their basic physical abilities and in their technological accomplishments. What kind of help is a single Legion company going to be able to provide?”