ng. Six months of this
had me slightly ga-ga and I wanted out. Since no one seemed to be in a
hurry to give me an assignment I had found one for myself. I had no idea
of what would come if it, but I also had no intention of returning until
the job was done.

A quick stop at supply and record sections gave me everything I needed.
The sun was barely clear of the horizon when the silver needle of my
ship lifted in the gray field, then blasted into space.

The trip took only a few days, more than enough time to memorize
everything I needed to know about Cittanuvo. And the more I knew the
less I could understand their need for a battleship. It didn't fit.
Cittanuvo was a secondary settlement out of the Cellini system, and I
had run into these settlements before. They were all united in a loose
alliance and bickered a lot among themselves, but never came to blows.
If anything, they shared a universal abhorrence of war.

Yet they were secretly building a battleship.

Since I was only chasing my tail with this line of thought, I put it out
of my mind and worked on some tri-di chess problems. This filled the
time until Cittanuvo blinked into the bow screen.

One of my most effective mottoes has always been, "Secrecy can be an
obviousity." What the magicians call misdirection. Let people very
obviously see what you want them to see, then they'll never notice what
is hidden. This was why I landed at midday, on the largest field on the
planet, after a very showy approach. I was already dressed for my role,
and out of the ship before the landing braces stopped vibrating.
Buckling the fur cape around my shoulders with the platinum clasp, I
stamped down the ramp. The sturdy little M-3 robot rumbled after me with
my bags. Heading directly towards the main gate, I ignored the scurry of
activity around the customs building. Only when a uniformed
under-official of some kind ran over to me, did I give the field any
attention.

Before he could talk I did, foot in the door and stay on top.

"Beautiful planet you have here. Delightful climate! Ideal spot for a
country home. Friendly people, always willing to help strangers and all
that I imagine. That's what I like. Makes me feel grateful. Very pleased
to meet you. I am the Grand Duke Sant' Angelo." I shook his hand
enthusiastically at this point and let a one hundred credit note slip
into his palm.

"Now," I added, "I wonder if you would ask the customs agents to look at
my bags he