“Well,” said the commissioner, “you’ll find that we shall exhibit our customary generosity.”
“Makes no difference to me, as long as you don’t disturb the two through-cylinders. They’re loaded with subsidy colonists.”
Alarm showed on Stek’s face. “They’re not free, are they?”
“No. They are still phased out of time—in stasis or however you call it here. That’s why I don’t want them disturbed. They’re bound for the frontier.”
Satisfied, Stek replied, “We’ll not bother them, captain. It wouldn’t do to set a lot of Federation-supported tramps loose in the Eighteen Planets.”
“Well—” Again Deitrich shrugged his disclaimer of interest. “Your restrictions are your privilege.”
“At least, so it has always been.” Stek considered a moment and then said, “But we never can be too sure when the Home will try to make us change them. By the way, how is the situation back there?”
“About the same as usual,” Deitrich told him blandly. “Bit of a squabble out in the coal sack region. Seems somebody got hold of a new weapon and threatened to use it. I guess you got some information on that from the last transport.”
Stek waggled his many chins in affirmation. He asked, “Have they settled it?”
“They did it very simply, because the weapon wasn’t so new after all. The Home Federation had discovered it a century before, but kept it secret. They used it on the rebels.”