area. Some almost isolated colonies had developed the
inevitable thirst for independence.

From local but violent wars between colonies, some semblance of order
had been wrought. Now there were two sprawling interstellar empires, the
United Empire--Aron and Martha were citizens--and the People's Republic.

Since Aron's realm relied on industrial technology and agriculture and
the People's Republic based its economy on mining and trade, there
seemed to be plenty of room for consolidation.

Unfortunately this consolidation, or even peaceful trading, was not
possible, due to the fact that the two dominions had entirely different
forms of government and religion. The result was, as always, war.

These were the general facts that both Aron and Martha knew. What Aron
discussed with his fiance were the effects of this macropolitical
situation upon their personal lives. The previous posts that Aron had
held in the TA were planets in the interior of the United Empire.

During his stay on Tyros, he received the assignment he expected. It was
a post on the fringe of the empire, a planet called Kligor. These
stations of the fringe served dual purposes, not only their usual
function of planetary observation but as military outposts to warn and
halt any attempted invasion.

When he heard this assignment, Aron proposed, holding up to Martha the
prospect of comfortable living in civilization once the five year hitch
on Kligor was over.

She consented--not really knowing if she loved him or not.

They had been married the day they left. The space ship was so crowded
there was no chance for privacy, so the two had no honeymoon till they
reached the station.

* * * * *

Aron and his bride arrived on Kligor in what was autumn on the planet,
for the seasons were consistent in all hemispheres.

Aron planned to spend a week at the station with his wife and then begin
a planetary check of the various automatic observation stations that
compiled the meteorological and other data and relayed it by radio to
the main station. This check had to be completed before snow came to the
planet.

In that week they learned about each other. Neither of them was young
and both were mature and prosaic enough to develop the daily routine of
a long-married couple. There were many free hours which they would spend
talking about themselves.

To Martha, marriage was not new. She had experienced matrimony before.
Her