He tramped stolidly on, after the others. The council hall door closed.
Starza clawed at the door. It opened. He was too late. They sat silently around the great table, the faceted eyes dead, the antennae coruscating indigo, now green, now rose. Communion. The meshing of minds. Starza shouted at them. Stillness.
Starza looked blindly at me. He was shaking. "Carmody," he said. "Carmody knows the Term mind. He can do something. Come on," he said.
We found Carmody in his quarters, methodically packing. His eyebrows rose as we burst in. "Did you gentlemen ever try knocking?"
Starza just looked at him. Carmody drew a long breath. "You'll find my resignation on your desk, Dave."
"Ah?" Starza's voice was very soft.
"It's only a question of time," Carmody said. "Call it the rat deserting the ship if you like, but I'm through."
Starza was smiling, a fat man's smile. "So you really think you can pull it off," he whispered.