“I’ll still reserve my judgment on that,” said Donal. “But in any case, now we’re here, we’ve got to come to some decision. Either for or against the current government; and for or against the market.”

“Do we?” asked William. “Why not a compromise solution?”

“What sort of compromise?”

“Well that, of course,” said William”, in a frank tone, “is why I asked you to lunch. I feel very humble about you, Donal — I really do. I was entirely wrong in my estimate of you, five years ago. I did you an injustice.”

Donal lifted his right hand in a small gesture of deprecation.

“No… no,” said William. “I insist on apologizing. I’m not a kind man, Donal. I’m interested only in buying what others have to sell — and if a man has ability, I’ll buy it If not—” He let the sentence hang significantly. “But you have ability. You had it five years ago, and I was too concerned with the situation to recognize it The truth of the matter is, Hugh Killien was a fool.”

“On that, I can agree with you,” Donal said.

“Attempting to carry on with Anea under my nose — I don’t blame the girl. She was still a child then, for all her size. That’s the way these Exotic hothouse people are — slow growing. But I should have seen it and expected it. In fact, I’m grateful to you for what you did, when I think back on it.”

‘Thank you,” murmured Donal.

“No, I mean that absolutely. Not that I’m talking to you now out of a sense of gratitude alone — I wouldn’t insult your credulity with such a suggestion. But I am pleased to be able to find things working out in such a way that my own profit combines with the chance to pay you a small debt of gratitude.”

“At any rate, I appreciate it,” said Donal.

“Not at all. Now, the point is this,” said William, leaning forward over the table, “personally, of course, I favor the open market. I’m a businessman, after all, and there’re business advantages to perfectly free trading. But more than open markets, it’s important to business to have peace between the stars; and peace comes only from a stable situation.”

“Go on,” said Donal.

“Well, there are after all only two ways of imposing peace on a community — from the inside or from me outside. We don’t seem to be able to do it to ourselves from the inside; so why not try imposing it from the outside?”

“And how would you go about that?”

“Quite simply,” said William, leaning back in his float. “Let all the worlds have open markets, but appoint a separate, individual supraplanetary authority to police the markets. Equip it with sufficient force to back up its authority against even individual governments if need be — and appoint a responsible individual in charge whom governments will think twice about tangling with.” He raised his eyes calmly to Donal across the table and paused to let expectation build to its proper peak in this young man. “How would you like the job?” he asked.

“I?”

Donal stared at him. William’s eyes were shrewd upon him. Donal hesitated; and the muscles of his throat worked, once.

“I?” he said. “Why, the man who commanded a force like that would be—” the word faltered and died, unspoken.

“He would, indeed,” said William, softly.

Across from him Donal seemed to come slowly back to himself. He turned narrowed eyes on William. “Why come to me with an offer like this?” he demanded. “There are older commanders. Men with bigger names.”

“And that is just precisely why I come to you, Donal,” replied William, without hesitation. “Their stars are fading. Yours is rising. Where will these older men be twenty years from now? On the other hand, you—” he waved a self-explanatory hand.

“I!” said Donal. He seemed to be dazzled. “Commander—”

“Call it Commander in Chief,” said William. “The job will be there; and you’re the man for the job. I’m prepared, in the name of Ceta, to set up a tax on interplanetary transactions which, because of our volume of trade, we will bear the most heavily. The tax would pay for your forces, and yourself. All we want in exchange is a place on a three-man commission which will act as final authority over you.” He smiled. “We could hardly put such power in your hands and turn you loose under no authority.”

“I suppose—” Donal was hesitant. “I’d have to give up my position around Procyon—”

“I’m afraid so,” said William, frankly. “You’d have to remove any suspicion of conflicting interests.”

“I don’t know.” Donal’s voice was hesitant. “I might lose this new post at any time—”

“Tliere’s no need to worry about that,” said William. “Ceta should effectively control the commission — since we will be paying the lion’s share. Besides, a force like that, once established, isn’t easy to disband. And if they’re loyal to their commander — and your troops, I hear, usually are very much so — you would be in a position to defend your own position, if it came to that.”

“Still—” Donal still demurred. “Taking a post like that I’d inevitably make enemies. If something should go wrong, I’d have no place to turn, no one would hire me—”

“Frankly,” said William, sharply, “I’m disappointed in you, Donal. Are you completely lacking in foresight?” His tone took on a little impatience. “Can’t you see that we’re inevitably tending toward a single government for all the worlds? It may not come tomorrow, or even in the next decade; but any supraplanetary organization must inevitably grow into the ultimate, central authority.”

“In which case,” said Donal, “I’d still be nothing but a hired hand. What I want” — his eyes burned a little more brightly — “is to own something. A world… why not? I’m equipped to control a world; and defend it.” He turned on William. “You’ll have your position,” he said.

William’s eyes were hard and bright as two cut stones. He laughed shortly. “You don’t mince words,” he said.

“I’m not that kind of man,” said Donal, with a slight swagger in his tone. “You should have expected me to see through this scheme of yours. You want supreme authority. Very well. Give me one of the worlds — under you.”

“And if I was to give you a world,” said William. “Which one?”

“Any fair size world.” Donal licked his lips. “Well, why not New Earth?”

William laughed. Donal stiffened.

“We’re getting nowhere,” said Donal. He stood up. “Thank you for the lunch.” He turned and headed for the exit from the lounge.

“Wait!”

He turned to the sound of William’s voice. The other man was also on his feet; and he came toward Donal.

“I’ve underestimated you again,” said William. “Forgive me.” He placed a detaining hand on Donal’s arm. “The truth is, you’ve only anticipated me. Indeed, I’d intended you to be something more than a hired soldier. But… all this is in the future,” he shrugged. “I can hardly do more than promise you what you want.”

“Oh,” said Donal. “Something more than a promise. You could give me a contract, confirming me as the supreme authority on New Earth.”

William stared at him and this time he did laugh, loudly and long.

“Donal!” he said. “Excuse me… but what good would a contract like that be?” He spread his arms wide. “Some day New Earth may be mine to write you a contract for. But now — ?”

“Still, you could write it. It would serve as a guarantee that you mean what you say.”

William stopped laughing. His eyes narrowed.

“Put my name to a piece of writing like that?” he said. “What kind of a fool do you take me for?”

Donal wilted a little under the angry contempt in the older man’s voice.

“Well… at least draw up such a contract,” he said. “I suppose I couldn’t expect you to sign it. But… at least I’d have something.”

“You have something that could possibly cause me some slight embarrassment,” said William. “I hope you realize it’d do nothing more than that — in me face of my denial of ever having discussed the matter with you.”