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highest level. You’ll lead them but I want the Commerce Minister himself to be in on the negotiations, the initial ones anyway. Do not leave this to underlings. I’ll talk to the minister shortly, then you contact him and together assemble a team of experts. I will announce today that we’re prepared to offer handsome reparations for the killed and wounded on Ravenette. I want everything done that can be done to keep these people in the Confederation of Human Worlds. But withdrawal of our forces is not negotiable and I want the Coalition to understand that we will fight to keep them there.
    “One more thing. Admiral Porter, Mrs. Wellington-Humphreys, I want to know why it took so damned long for me to find out about what happened on Ravenette. Goddamnit, do you realize how embarrassing this has been to me, to find out about this through the news media? Both of you order a top-down review of your reporting procedures and fix them so that this never happens again.”
    “Ma’am,” Admiral Porter leaned forward, “we support you. But if it comes to war with the secessionists, where will we get the forces to fight them?”
    Madam Chang-Sturdevant leaned back in her chair and folded her hands. “We’ll find them, Admiral; we must. All right, everyone, let’s get to it. Marcus, would you stay behind for a moment? I have something to discuss with you.”
    After the others had left she turned to Berentus. “Marcus, what’s the story on this General Cazombi?”
    Berentus smiled. “He was punished by the Chiefs, sent to Ravenette to get him out of the way and put an end to his career. It was unjust, it was unfair, but I do not interfere with assignment policy when the Chiefs make it.”
    “That’s as it should be, Marcus. Well, what did he do to get sent to Fort Seymour?”
    Berentus shrugged. “He was the C1, the personnel officer for the Combined Chiefs, an assignment that always leads to a third star. You remember the Avionian incident? You may remember the lawsuit brought against a Marine officer for things he and his men did at the time? It was brought by the chief scientist at Avionian Station.”
    “Yes. She died, I recall.”
    “Yes. Well, Cazombi volunteered to appear as a witness for the accused, a Captain Conorado of 34th FIST. Cazombi was dead set against ever bringing that officer to trial in the first place and he expressed, in no uncertain terms, his disappointment with the Chiefs for not doing everything they could to avoid it. And he has also been very much against the quarantine we’ve imposed on 34th FIST. His view is that if we can trust Marines to put their lives on the line for us we should be able to trust them to keep quiet about the Skinks instead of holding them prisoner on Thorsfinni’s World. Others agree with him, particularly the Commandant, but their views have been expressed, um, a bit morediscreetly than Cazombi’s. His nickname, you know, is ‘Cazombi the Zombie’ because his demeanor is usually ice cold, even in the most desperate situations. He has quite a distinguished combat record. Well, uncharacteristically, more than once he let loose in meetings with the Chiefs, and now he’s out of grace with them.”

Chang-Sturdevant shook her head. “Marcus, sometimes your military leaders treat good men like shit. I’m so sick of this goddamned Old Boy’s Club attitude! Keep your eye on this Cazombi guy, will you? I don’t mean that to keep him in line, but he’s on the hot seat out there now and that’s just where we need officers who aren’t afraid to speak their minds.” She smiled. “I know it’s bad policy for you to interfere with the inner workings of the military services, but by Buddha’s hairy backside, if this Cazombi fellow shows initiative out there, I sure as hell will!”
    “Ma’am, one more thing. Admiral Porter’s question, about where we’ll get the forces if the Coalition imposes war on us, is valid. We are stretched thin.”
    For the first time