umstance of opening the conference?"

"Well, sir ... and then across the square to the conference hall of
the capitol, outside which you will pause for a few gracious words to
the crowd--"

"And that will probably be my last opportunity to enjoy the morning
sunlight. Oh, well, it seems much too bright here in any case."

The commodore absently reached out to adjust a fold of his chief's
sky-blue sash, and the marshal as absently parried the gesture.

"I shall be hardly less than half an hour crossing the square," he
predicted sourly. "With the cheering throngs they have undoubtedly
arranged, and the sunlight reflecting from all that imitation marble,
it will be no place to collect one's thoughts."

* * * * *

He turned back to the huge chamber constituting the "office" of the
suite supplied by his Polluxian hosts. The skeleton staff of men and
women remaining occupied chairs and benches along only one wall, since
the bulk of the delegation had been sent out to make themselves
popular with the local populace.

Hennings presumed the bulk of the local populace to consist of
Polluxians assigned to making themselves popular with his Ursan
Federation delegation. His people would be listening politely to
myriad reasons why the Polluxians had a natural right to occupy all
the star systems from here to Castor, a dozen light-years farther
from Terra. No one would mention the true motive--their illogical
choice in naming themselves the Twin Empire.

"Well, now!" he said crisply. "Once more over the main points of the
situation! No, commodore, not the schedule of experts that will
accompany me to the table; I rely upon you to have perfected that. But
have there been any unforeseen developments in the actual fighting?"

A cluster of aides, mostly in uniform but including a few in
discreetly elegant civilian attire, moved forward. Each was somehow
followed within arm's reach by an aide of his own, so that the advance
presented overtones of a small sortie.

Hennings first nodded to the first, a youngish man whose air suggested
technical competence more than the assurance of great authority. The
officer placed his brief case upon the glistening surface of a large
table and touched a switch on the flap.

"It's as well to be sure, sir," the commodore approved. "Our men have
been unable to detect any devices, but the walls may have ears."

"They won't scan through this scrambler, sir," asserted