dare forge such a thing unless he knew
for sure that the original FC officer was missing ... or dead?"

"What the jumped up mazoo are we doing here, Stet?" asked Orne. "Alien
calls for a full contact team with all of the--"

"It calls for one planet-buster bomb ... buster--in five days. Unless
you give them a white bill in the meantime. High Commissioner Bullone
will have word of this planet by then. If Gienah III still exists in
five days, can't you imagine the fun the politicians'll have with it?
Mama mia! We want this planet cleared for contact or dead before then."

"I don't like this, Stet."

"YOU don't like it!"

"Look," said Orne. "There must be another way. Why ... when we teamed up
with the Alerinoids we gained five hundred years in the physical
sciences alone, not to mention the--"

"The Alerinoids didn't knock over one of our survey ships first."

"What if the _Delphinus_ just crashed here ... and the locals picked up
the pieces?"

"That's what you're going in to find out, Orne. But answer me this: If
they _do_ have the _Delphinus_, how long before a tool-using race could
be a threat to the galaxy?"

"I saw that city they built, Stet. They could be dug in within six
months, and there'd be no--"

"Yeah."

Orne shook his head. "But think of it: Two civilizations that matured
along different lines! Think of all the different ways we'd approach the
same problems ... the lever that'd give us for--"

"You sound like a Uni-Galacta lecture! Are you through marching arm in
arm into the misty future?"

Orne took a deep breath. "Why's a freshman like me being tossed into
this dish?"

"You'd still be on the _Delphinus_ master lists as an R&R field man.
That's important if you're masquerading."

"Am I the only one? I know I'm a recent _convert_, but--"

"You want out?"

"I didn't say that. I just want to know why I'm--"

"Because the bigdomes fed a set of requirements into one of their iron
monsters. Your card popped out. They were looking for somebody capable,
dependable ... and ... _expendable_!"

"Hey!"

"That's why I'm down here briefing you instead of sitting back on a
flagship. _I_ got you into the I-A. Now, you listen carefully: If you
push the panic button on this one without cause, I will personally flay
you alive. We both know the advantages of an alien contact. But if you
get into a hot spot, and call for help, I'll dive this cruiser into that
city to get you out!"

Orne swallowed.