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assets".'
    Still standing, Theo almost froze but made himself relax. 'The assets?'
    'A substantial quantity of arms and ammunition went missing after the Winter Coup, along with explosives, tech gear, and some vehicles. Now, assuming that this materiel has been stored at various locations in the vicinity of the colony townships, it's entirely possible that such hideaways may have come to the attention of some intel-gathering arm of government. In which case that data could be sitting in files that will shortly become, as I've already indicated, somewhat less than secure. Of course, if these stores turned out to be empty then such files could be closed and erased without delay.' He smiled. 'I don't know why you held on to it perhaps you harboured long-term ambitions, or maybe you kept it so that it wouldn't fall into other hands. Either way, I'm glad that you did.'
    Theo smiled blandly. 'Holger, I am at a loss to know how to reply to all that,' he said. 'But I shall give it careful consideration.'
    'That's all I ask.'
    'There is one small favour you might do for me,' he said.
    'Which is?'
    Theo smiled. 'From your communications with the Earth ship, were you told anything about the Forrestal and the TenebrosaV
    'That was one of my first questions,' Sundstrom said. 'But it seems that they have not been found - the distinction of first contact is ours.'
    'After which we will come under the microscope, no doubt.'
    'Why is that?'
    'To find out how our experiment in cultural admixture turned out,' Theo said. 'The original colonial project back on Earth computer-modelled a wide variety of national-cultural combinations, with the aim of finding those most likely to be able to survive conditions on alien worlds. And to build a worthwhile society.'
    Sundstrom gave a rueful grin. 'Scandinavians, Russians and Scots - what were they thinking?'
    A moment later the female assistant entered with Theo's overcoat. He donned it, shook the president s hand and moments later found himself outside the villa again. It was darker and colder now and he felt a distinct nip in the air as he left the villa grounds by I tree-shrouded pair of gates designed to look like the entrance of an adjacent property. The spinnercab he had ordered earlier was waiting at the side of the road, and took him downhill towards the city. Hammergard was spread along a narrow isthmus which separated Loch Morwen from the Korzybski Sea and the ocean beyond, both bodies of water glimmering with reflections of the night sky's starmist hues. But Theo was dwelling on Sundstrom's closing remarks about the Diehards, not to mention the assets, which was something of an unsettling surprise. And yet the president had decided to tell Theo that the assets were vulnerable, a revelation that could have only a limited number of implications, all of which spelled trouble.
    He had the driver let him out on the Loch Morwen shore road in the city's Northvale district. With the hum of the spinnercab fading as it returned to the city centre, Theo took out his comm as he headed up the sideroad that led home. It was an older, larger model, its sangwood case scored and darkened from use, but the exterior belied its customised, upgraded components. A few thumbpresses later the blue oval screen read 'Welcome To The Crypt', and when he raised it to his ear he heard jaunty bagpipe music for a moment or two before someone answered.
    'Aye, whit is it now}''
    Theo cleared his throat. 'Rory, it's me.'
    Silence for a moment. 'Ach, sorry about that, Major I just had Stef on the line from Tangenberg bitching about the trainin' rota because he wants tae watch the Earth ambassador arriving on the vee and I thought that wiz him again—'
    'That's okay, never mind,' Theo said. Rory McGrain was his deputy, quartermaster and researcher all rolled into one. 'Listen, we'll need to roust out some loaders and crews tonight.'
    'Won't be easy, chief. What's it for}'
    'Sundstrom knows about the assets.'
    'Aw, naw . . .'
    'Or