"I am aware of that, Commissioner Brullar," said the Commander. "Yet, what can I do?"
"You have authority!" sputtered Brullar. "And you know what you can do! Get through to Interstellar Command on Sirius VII and tell them just exactly what these Beolins are up to!" He glared, a fat man in mortal fear for his life. "And you can do it quickly, Commander! Quickly, do you understand?"
"I understand," the Commander said.
"Good." Brullar started to speak again, gulped, hesitated, and finally repeated, "Good." He switched off.
The Commander gazed reflectively down the catwalk, through the ship, at the faint glimmer of green outside of an open lock. There was a turbulence deep in his steel-colored eyes. He tapped a small stud with a slim, tapering forefinger.
Kina Staun came in.
Kina wasn't all Solarian. He had enough Sol blood in him to make him one in almost every respect, but there were differences, if you looked closely. He was the Commander's personal aide. There was actually more than that between them. The tremendousness of all the Commander governed—and which Kina helped him run—made for a rather involved relationship.
When people saw the Commander, they looked for Kina Staun. The two had not been a hundred yards apart since they had first met as newly-appointed official and aide. It was said that Kina knew every bit as much about the Fifth Sector and the Commander's work as the Commander knew himself.
For that reason, if Kina ever left his post, he would certainly die within an hour.