uke, though he knew it was an insult. But
he couldn't respond to it. He fumbled through his memories, trying to
place it. Something about Indians--

Flannery began buttoning his pants over the shirt. "I'm out of bounds,
captain," he said more quietly. "I hope you don't know the prejudices
behind that crack. But you win. If you ever want the rest of the
explanation, look me up."

He closed the door behind him softly and went striding evenly up the
passage.

Duke frowned after him. The talk had gotten under his skin. If there
were things he didn't know--

Then he swore at himself. There was plenty he didn't know. But the
carefully developed indoctrination propaganda of the top Earth
psychologists wasn't the answer he wanted.

He'd have to make his stay on Earth shorter than he'd planned. If they
could get to a man who had served under Djamboula and convince him that
Clovisem were nice house pets, it was little wonder they could wrap the
rest of Earth around their psychological fingers.

Too bad their psychology wasn't adjusted to aliens!

VI

Barth Nevesh was nearly seven feet tall, and his cat-shaped ears stuck
up another four inches above his head. Even among the people of Kel he
was a big man, but to the representatives of the other humanoid worlds
of the Federation, he seemed a giant. The thick furs he wore against
the heavy chill of the room added to his apparent size, and the horns
growing from his shoulders lifted his robes until he seemed to have no
neck.

Now he stood up, driving his heavy fist down against the big wooden
table. "The question is, do we have the answer or not?" he roared. "You
say we do. Logic says we do. Then let's act on it!"

The elfin figure of Lemillulot straightened up at the other end of the
table. "Not so fast, commander. Nobody questions the power of your
fleet. Nobody doubts that we have the only possible answer to the
aliens that Earth is helping to take over our universe--strength
through unity. But is it as good as it can be?"

"How better?" Barth roared again. "Every world in this alien pocket has
been building its strength since the Earthmen's ships first reached
here and showed us space travel was possible. We've seen the stinking
aliens get the same ships. But now we've got something they can't
resist--a Federation, in spite of all Earth could do to stop us. If all
our fleets strike at once, no alien world can resist--and we can stop
merely holding them back