... supposed he's just naturally that
way."

Chung shook his head. "It wasn't a normal standoffishness. You've
heard me reminisce about the time I was on Vesta with the North
American technical representative, when the Convention was
negotiated."

"Yes, I've heard that story a few times," said Avis dryly.

"Remember, that was right after the Europa Incident. We'd come close
to a space war--undeclared, but it would have been nasty. We were
still close. Every delegate went to that conference cocked and primed.

"Hulse had the same manner."

* * * * *

A silence fell. Blades said at length, "Well, come to think of it, he
did ask some rather odd questions. He seemed to twist the conversation
now and then, so he could find things out like our exact layout,
emergency doctrine, and so forth. It didn't strike me as significant,
though."

"Nor me," Chung admitted. "Taken in isolation, it meant nothing. But
these visitors today--Sure, most of them obviously didn't suspect
anything untoward. But that Liebknecht, now. Why was he so interested
in Central Control? Nothing new or secret there. Yet he kept asking
for details like the shielding factor of the walls."

"So did Commander Warburton," Blades remembered. "Also, he wanted to
know exactly when the _Pallas_ is due, how long she'll stay ...
hm-m-m, yes, whether we have any radio linkage with the outside, like
to Ceres or even the nearest Commission base--"

"Did you tell him that we don't?" Avis asked sharply.

"Yes. Shouldn't I have?"

"It scarcely makes any difference," Chung said in a resigned voice.
"As thoroughly as they went over the ground, they'd have seen what we
do and do not have installed so far."

He leaned forward. "Why are they hanging around?" he asked. "I was
handed some story about overhauling the missile system."

"Me, too," Blades said.

"But you don't consider a job complete till it's been tested. And you
don't fire a test shot, even a dummy, this close to a Station.
Besides, what could have gone wrong? I can't see a ship departing
Earth orbit for a long cruise without everything being in order. And
they didn't mention any meteorites, any kind of trouble, en route.
Furthermore, why do the work here? The Navy yard's at Ceres. We can't
spare them any decent amount of materials or tools or help."

Blades frowned. His own half-formulated doubts shouldered to the fore,
which was doubly unpleasant after he'd been c