“It’s too damned convenient,” Leander said.

Charles agreed. “They may discover things we don’t know yet.”

“A strike can be fast, it can be total,” I said, “and it can guarantee survival in an otherwise dicey situation.”

“Survival for how long?” Amy Vico-Persoff asked. “How long until we divide right down to region against region, or us against Cailetet? GEWA against GSHA?”

“Let’s not be so pessimistic,” Charles said, holding up a hand. “This is never going to be household kitchen-sink type science. There might be four or five places on Earth that have the resources and the theoreticians necessary to duplicate our work. Don’t be fooled by the tweaker’s small size. It’s as sophisticated a piece of equipment as any human being has ever made. Bit-player warfare isn’t our real problem right now, and may never be.

“But you’re right — they’ll do it, and soon — two weeks, a month, two months. We have to find a political solution very soon.”

“Politics, hell,” Leander said. “Look what politics has accomplished this far. We have to leave.” He looked around the room guiltily, a child who’d spoken a naughty word.

“Evacuate Mars?” Royce asked, face wreathed in puzzlement.

None of them had given this a lot of thought, I could tell — except Charles and Leander. Brooding in their little ship, fastened to a peregrinating moon…

“No,” I said. “Move it.”

“Jesus!” Lieh cried, jumping from her chair. She left the room, shaking her head and swearing.

Nobody spoke for long seconds. Charles stared at me, then folded his hands together. “We have no right to make these decisions ourselves, alone. Scientists and politicians have no such right.“

“There isn’t the time or the means for a plebiscite. Earth has guaranteed that,” I said. “Our choices are very limited. Ti Sandra said the Solar System would become too dangerous. It would kill us.”

The equipment in the chamber seemed innocent and even crude. “How far have we come, Casseia?” Charles asked.

‘Too far. A long time ago, I remember cursing you for the troubles you caused. We’ve come a long way since.“

“I have never felt in control,” Charles said. Royce and Vico-Persoff seemed content to let us talk for the moment. Dandy stood a few paces behind me, stiff as a statue. Charles and I were being given a wide space in which to make decisions, as much out of fear as respect.

“Nobody has died yet,” I said. “I mean, we haven’t killed anybody. Earth has. We’re still getting reports — but there are entire stations cut off.”

“I know,” Charles said.

“We did not strike the first blow. We will not use this as a weapon.”

“Bullshit,” Charles said, stinging me again. “I had orders to cause damage if necessary. When you and Ti Sandra are worn out and thrown away, someone else will step in and desperation and fear will…” He swallowed and pulled his hands apart, rubbing them on his knees. “Believe it. What we’ve made will kill people, lots of people.”

“We keep coming back to it, then,” I said.

“You’ll talk with Ti Sandra, soon?” Charles asked.

“Yes. I don’t think any of this will surprise her.”

Lieh had returned, face flushed, expression sheepish, and stood beside Dandy. I got up, nodded to Charles, to Leander, to Royce and Vico-Persoff, thanked them for the tea, and left with my bodyguard and communications advisor.

I looked forward to a Spartan bunk and few amenities. Lieh used an electronic key to unlock the door to my room.

It was as Spartan as I could have wished, clean and new and empty. It smelled of starch and fresh bread.

“If the President is awake and well enough, I need to talk with her now,” I said.

Lieh seemed troubled. She looked away and shook her head. Dandy stepped into the room, arms hanging loose. ‘There’s no good time for this, ma’am. Word just came a few minutes ago. We’ve found your husband.“

“He’s at Cyane Sulci?” I asked.

“He was evacuated and taken to a small station at Jovis Tholus. He got there safely, I understand, but the station was a new one. Its architecture was dynamic, thinker controlled.”

“Why not just leave him at the lab in Cyane?” I sat on the bed, expecting to hear of Ilya’s adventures with security, with a troubled station, a technical comedy to relieve my sense of oppression.-

“It wasn’t a good move,” Dandy admitted. He had difficulty keeping his composure. “There were main quarters blowouts at Jovis. They’ve been digging and identifying the last few days. Five hundred dead, three hundred injured.”

“He’s dead, Casseia,” Lieh said. “He’s been found and he’s dead. We weren’t going to tell you until we knew for sure.”

There was no appropriate response, and I had no energy for melodrama. I seemed to be a hole into which things would fall; not a positive force, but a negative.

“Would you like me to stay?” Lieh asked. I lay back on the bed, staring up at the flat ceiling, the utilitarian blue cabinets.

“Yes, please,” I said.

Lieh touched Dandy on the arm and he left, closing the door behind. She sat on the bed and rested her back against the rear wall. “My sister and her kids died at Newton ,” she said. “Ninety casualties.”

“I’m very sorry,” I said.

“I used to talk with her a lot before joining Point One,” she said. “Time gets away. This all seemed so important.”

“I know what you mean,” I said.

“I liked Ilya,” she said. “He seemed very kind and straight.”

“He was,” I said. The dreamlike nature of the conversation told me how many layers of insulation Lhad wrapped around my emotions, expecting just this news, but refusing to acknowledge the possibility — with the growing number of days, the certainty. “Tell me about your sister.”

“I don’t think I’m ready to talk about them yet, Cassie.”

“I understand,” I said.

“The Sulci lab came through fine,” she said. “Dandy thinks we killed him.”

“That’s stupid,” I said.

“He’s taking it hard.”

“I have to talk with Ti Sandra.”

“I think you should wait a few minutes,” Lieh said. “Really.”

“If I do anything but work, I’m going to go right over the edge,” I said. “There’s too much to do.”

Lieh pressed down the placket of her gray suit and held her hand over mine. “Please rest a while,” she said.

“No,” I said.

She stood up from the bed, reached out with her long arm and long, beautiful fingers, and opened the room’s optical port. I handed her my slate and she attached it. A few strokes and verbal instructions, a series of code and security checks, and she was through to Point One at Many Hills. They completed the connection.

I spoke to Ti Sandra ten minutes later. I did not tell her about Ilya.

We talked about the situation, about my discussion with Charles. Still wrapped in surgical nano, eyes heavy-lidded, her lips twitched as she spoke in a harsh whisper: “We agree, Stephen and you and I. But we’re not enough. There have to be consequences and we can’t just go anywhere. So what kind of an idea is this? We need more experts. We need to think seriously.”

“The Olympians can get us started,” I suggested. “We should gather everybody in the next week or so; take the risk.“

“The Point One people can give them everything they need. You’re still acting President, Casseia. How are you, honey?” Ti Sandra asked.

“Not very well,” I answered.

“We’re a mess, all of us. We need a change of scenery. Right?”

“Right,” I said.

“You bring the experts from around Mars. Everyone who can help. Keep in touch. I’ll try to stay awake, Casseia.”

I touched her face on the slate and said good-bye. Lieh waited expectantly, standing in the corner of the small room.

“Why are we going to do this?” she asked.

I lay back on the bed. “You tell me,” I said.

“Because if we don’t, a lot of people are going to get killed,” she said. “But how many people will be killed if we move?”