that had filled the room began to subside, but Walters
did not continue his address. He stood, arms folded across his chest,
glaring at the assembled group of men until, one by one, they stopped
talking and shifted nervously in their chairs. When the room was finally
still, the commander glanced significantly at Captain Steve Strong,
standing at the side of the desk, smiled grimly, and then resumed in a
calm, conversational tone of voice.

"I am quite aware that we have departed from standard operational
procedure in this case," he said slowly. "Heretofore, the Solar Guard
has always granted interplanetary shipping contracts to private
companies on the basis of sealed bids, the most reasonable bid winning
the job. However, for the job of hauling Titan crystal to Earth, we have
found that method unsatisfactory. Therefore, we have devised this new
plan to select the right company. And let me repeat"--Walters leaned
forward over his desk and spoke in a firm, decisive voice--"this
decision was reached in a special executive session of the Council of
the Solar Alliance last night."

A short, wiry man suddenly rose from his chair in the front row, his
face clearly showing his displeasure. "All right, get on with it,
Walters!" he snapped, deliberately omitting the courtesy of addressing
the commander by his title. "Don't waste our time with that 'official'
hogwash. It might work on your cadets and your tin soldiers, but not on
us!"

There was a murmur of agreement from the assembled group of men. Present
were some of the wealthiest and most powerful shipping magnates in the
entire Solar Alliance--men who controlled vast fleets of commercial
spaceships and whose actions and decisions carried a great deal of
weight. Each hoped to win the Solar Guard contract to transport Titan
crystal from the mines on the tiny satellite back to Earth. Combining
steellike strength and durability with its great natural beauty, the
crystal was replacing metal in all construction work and the demand was
enormous. The shipping company that got the job would have a guaranteed
income for years to come, and each of the men present was fighting with
every weapon at his command to win the contract.

Heartened by the reaction of the men around him, the speaker pressed
his advantage. "We've all hauled cargo for the Solar Guard before, and
the sealed-bid system was perfectly satisfactory then!" he shouted. "Why
isn't it satisfactory now? What's all this