cover infiltration, interrogation,
psychological defenses against psychic probes
and other means that might be used to acquire
information from you, under duress or otherwise.
You will absorb intelligence countermeasures and
counter-countermeasures, identification of military
spacecraft and weapons used by both the UIPS
and INOR, analysis of our military capabilities and
those of our adversaries, covert communications
through conventional, unconventional and spunnel
channels, and other tricks of the trade. Your quick
reaction reflexes will be enhanced through means
that will not be apparent to you."

"What does that last part mean?"

"I'll get to it. First, your mission. Your escape
from this Station has been arranged. The pieces
are being moved into place. Your immediate
destination is tanktown Coldfield on Planet Pluto."

The view tank's image of Pluto expanded as did
the gray-black contrasts of the planet's surface.
A white light in a mottled area blinked, drawing
Brad's momentary attention. His eyes returned
to Ram.

"Your initial field of operations is centered in
Coldfield," Ram pointed to the light. "Where you go
from there depends on the contacts you develop
and how well you exploit each opportunity. The tank
town has a permanent population of about fifty
thousand plus about ten thousand transients.
Mix with the transients for starters."

"Get to the mission, Ram," Brad cut Xindral short.

Ram sighed. "We've sent a succession of formal
diplomatic missions to INOR," he said, "including a
few to the renegades that now run Planet Pluto.
We've asked them repeatedly to not interfere with
the Slingshot program. We've emphasized to each
INOR government that Slingshot is as important
to them as it is to us. They're not listening. We're
still pressing diplomatic means, meanwhile, our
logistics is being disrupted by Pluto's President
Narval's hoodlums."

"How does this team fit in?"

"If we send in a military force to sweep away
these scoundrels, our action will be seen as an
imperialist intrusion into the Outer Region. It
will create such resentment among the governments
out there that the Slingshot schedule cannot help
but suffer serious harm. Getting INOR's cooperation
will also become more difficult than ever.

"Maybe, if we gather enough hard evidence of
a conspiracy and confront them with it, they'll
change their ways. Right now, they're blaming the
attacks on partisans over whom they say the