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trouble to send off inquiries of their own, and got back a negative. It’s understandable that they didn’t then dig further. They consider their time valuable, and I’ve got the reputation of being a troublemaker. Why should they assume my data were valid? Doubtless several of them decided I was lying for some obscure purpose.
    “Well, you’ve been on Demeter long enough to know me better than that, no? And for my part, when I first contacted you about this and you said you’d heard nothing, I believed. When I asked again later and you said you were investigating, I believed also. Since then, however—frankly, I’ve grown more and more skeptical.
    “So why have you summoned me today?”
    Hancock tossed the stub of her cigarette down an ashtaker, took another from a box, and struck it alight in a savage motion. “You mentioned my wanting to gag you,” she said. “Call it what you please. It’s what I mean to do.”
    Not quite a surprise
. Brodersen willed his belly muscles to untighten, his response to be soft: “For what reason and by what right?”
    She met his gaze square on. “I’ve received an answer to my communications about this affair. From an extremely high quarter. The public interest demands that for an indefinite time there be no release of news. That includes the allegations you’ve been making.”
    “Public interest, eh?”
    “Yes. I wish—” The hand that brought the cigarette to Hancock’s lips was less than steady. “Dan,” she said almost sadly, “we’ve been at loggerheads before. I realize how much you oppose certain policies of the Union and how you’re becoming aspokesman for that attitude among Demetrians. Nevertheless, I’ve esteemed you and dared hope you believed I also wanted the best for this planet. We’ve worked together, even, haven’t we? Like when I talked the Council into making the extra appropriation for the University you wanted, or you lobbied your stiff-necked colonial parliament into approving the Ecological Authority that I’d persuaded you had become a necessity. May I ask today for a bit more of your trust?”
    “Sure,” he said, “if you’ll tell me the reasons.”
    She shook her head. “I can’t. You see, I haven’t been given the details myself. It’s that crucial. But those who’ve requested my help, I must trust them.”
    “Notably Ira Quick.” Brodersen couldn’t neutralize the acid in his reply.
    She stiffened. “As you like. He
is
the Minister of Research and Development.”
    “And a drive wheel in the Action Party, which leads all those factions on Earth that’d rather not see us go out into the galaxy.” Brodersen curbed his temper. “Let’s not argue politics. What are you free to tell me? I presume you can give me some argument, some reason to dog my hatch.”
    Hancock streamed smoke while she stared at the glowing butt she held on the desktop. “They suggested a hypothetical case to me. Imagine you’re right, that
Emissary
has in fact returned, but she was bearing something terrible.”
    “A plague? A swarm of vampires? For Pete’s sake, Aurie! And Paul’s, Matt’s, Mark’s, Luke’s, and Jack’s.”
    “It could simply be bad news. We’ve taken a lot of things for granted. For instance, that every civilization technologically advanced beyond us must be peaceful, else they couldn’t have lasted. Which is a logical
non sequitur,
actually. Suppose
Emissary
discovered a conquering race of interstellar Huns.”
    “If nothing else., I doubt the Others would sit still for that. However, supposing it, why, I’d want to alert my species so we could ready our defenses.”
    Hancock gave Brodersen a pale smile. “That was my own offhand example. I admit it’s not very plausible.”
    “Then feed me one that is.”
    She winced. “All right. Since you mentioned the Others—suppose there are none.”
    “Huh?
Somebody
built the T machines and lets us use them.”
    “Robots. When the first explorers reached the machine