a job for you. It's probably one of the most important
jobs you'll ever have in your life. It can mean big things for
you--promotion and prestige if you do it well."

Nordon nodded slowly. "Yes, sir."

Malloy explained the problem of the Karna peace talks.

"We need a man who can outthink them," Malloy finished, "and judging
from your record, I think you're that man. It involves risk, of course.
If you make the wrong decisions, your name will be mud back on Earth.
But I don't think there's much chance of that, really. Do you want to
handle small-time operations all your life? Of course not.

"You'll be leaving within an hour for Saarkkad V."

Nordon nodded again. "Yes, sir; certainly. Am I to go alone?"

"No," said Malloy, "I'm sending an assistant with you--a man named Kylen
Braynek. Ever heard of him?"

Nordon shook his head. "Not that I recall, Mr. Malloy. Should I have?"

"Not necessarily. He's a pretty shrewd operator, though. He knows a lot
about interstellar law, and he's capable of spotting a trap a mile away.
You'll be in charge, of course, but I want you to pay special attention
to his advice."

"I will, sir," Nordon said gratefully. "A man like that can be useful."

"Right. Now, you go into the anteroom over there. I've prepared a
summary of the situation, and you'll have to study it and get it into
your head before the ship leaves. That isn't much time, but it's the
Karna who are doing the pushing, not us."

As soon as Nordon had left, Malloy said softly: "Send in Braynek, Miss
Drayson."

Kylen Braynek was a smallish man with mouse-brown hair that lay flat
against his skull, and hard, penetrating, dark eyes that were shadowed
by heavy, protruding brows. Malloy asked him to sit down.

Again Malloy went through the explanation of the peace conference.

"Naturally, they'll be trying to trick you every step of the way,"
Malloy went on. "They're shrewd and underhanded; we'll simply have to be
more shrewd and more underhanded. Nordon's job is to sit quietly and
evaluate the data; yours will be to find the loopholes they're laying
out for themselves and plug them. Don't antagonize them, but don't baby
them, either. If you see anything underhanded going on, let Nordon know
immediately."

"They won't get anything by me, Mr. Malloy."

* * * * *

By the time the ship from Earth got there, the peace conference had been
going on for four days. Bertrand Malloy had full re