t worse."

"In other words," Blades replied, "you'd rather be party to sabotage.
I'm proposing an act of legitimate self-defense."

"_If_ there actually is a conspiracy to destroy the Station."

"Adam, you're a spaceman. You know how the Navy operates. Can you
swallow that story about a missile getting loose by accident?"

Janichevski bit his lip. The sounds from outside filled the captain's
cabin, voices, footfalls, whirr of machines and clash of doors, as the
_Pallas Castle_ readied for departure. Blades waited.

"You may be right," said Janichevski at length, wretchedly. "Though
why Hulse should jeopardize his career--"

"He's not. There's a scapegoat groomed back home, you can be sure.
Like some company that'll be debarred from military contracts for a
while ... and get nice fat orders in other fields. I've kicked around
the System enough to know how that works."

"If you're wrong, though ... if this is an honest blunder ... then you
risk committing treason."

"Yeah. I'll take the chance."

"Not I. No. I've got a family to support," Janichevski said.

Blades regarded him bleakly. "If the Essjays get away with this stunt,
what kind of life will your family be leading, ten years from now?
It's not simply that we'll be high-class peons in the Belt. But tied
hand and foot to a shortsighted government, how much progress will we
be able to make? Other countries have colonies out here too, remember,
and some of them are already giving their people a freer hand than
we've got. Do you want the Asians, or the Russians, or even the
Europeans, to take over the asteroids?"

"I can't make policy."

"In other words, mama knows best. Believe, obey, anything put out by
some bureaucrat who never set foot beyond Luna. Is that your idea of
citizenship?"

"You're putting a mighty fine gloss on bailing yourself out!"
Janichevski flared.

"Sure, I'm no idealist. But neither am I a slave," Blades hesitated.
"We've been friends too long, Adam, for me to try bribing you. But if
worst comes to worst, we'll cover for you ... somehow ... and if
contrariwise we win, then we'll soon be hiring captains for our own
ships and you'll get the best offer any spaceman ever got."

"No. Scram. I've work to do."

Blades braced himself. "I didn't want to say this. But I've already
informed a number of my men. They're as mad as I am. They're waiting
in the terminal. A monkey wrench or a laser torch makes a pretty fair
weapon. We can take