. In addition, they demanded
that the conference begin in three days, Terrestrial time.

The trouble was that interstellar communication beams travel a devil of
a lot faster than ships. It would take more than a week for the Earth
government to get a vessel to Saarkkad V. Earth had been caught
unprepared for an armistice. They objected.

The Karna pointed out that the Saarkkad sun was just as far from Karn as
it was from Earth, that it was only a few million miles from a planet
which was allied with Earth, and that it was unfair for Earth to take so
much time in preparing for an armistice. Why hadn't Earth been prepared?
Did they intend to fight to the utter destruction of Karn?

It wouldn't have been a problem at all if Earth and Karn had fostered
the only two intelligent races in the galaxy. The sort of grandstanding
the Karna were putting on had to be played to an audience. But there
were other intelligent races throughout the galaxy, most of whom had
remained as neutral as possible during the Earth-Karn war. They had no
intention of sticking their figurative noses into a battle between the
two most powerful races in the galaxy.

But whoever won the armistice would find that some of the now-neutral
races would come in on their side if war broke out again. If the Karna
played their cards right, their side would be strong enough next time to
win.

So Earth had to get a delegation to meet with the Karna representatives
within the three-day limit or lose what might be a vital point in the
negotiations.

And that was where Bertrand Malloy came in.

He had been appointed Minister and Plenipotentiary Extraordinary to the
Earth-Karn peace conference.

He looked up at the ceiling again. "What _can_ I do?" he said softly.

* * * * *

On the second day after the arrival of the communique, Malloy made his
decision. He flipped on his intercom and said: "Miss Drayson, get hold
of James Nordon and Kylen Braynek. I want to see them both immediately.
Send Nordon in first, and tell Braynek to wait."

"Yes, sir."

"And keep the recorder on. You can file the tape later."

"Yes, sir."

Malloy knew the woman would listen in on the intercom anyway, and it was
better to give her permission to do so.

James Nordon was tall, broad-shouldered, and thirty-eight. His hair was
graying at the temples, and his handsome face looked cool and efficient.

Malloy waved him to a seat.

"Nordon, I have