really knew what was going
on, ever visit him. They reported to the Assistants, who reported to
Stillman, who handed down his Jovian pronouncements.

Kinnison set out, deliberately this time, to mold his key Chief Line
Inspectors into just such a group as the Siberians already were. He
released the Assistants to more productive work; retaining of Stillman's
office staff only a few clerks and his private secretary, one Celeste de
St. Aubin, a dynamic, vivacious--at times explosive--brunette. He gave
the boys on the Lines full authority; the few who could not handle the
load he replaced with men who could. At first the Chief Line Inspectors
simply could not believe; but after the affair of the forty millimeter,
in which Kinnison rammed the decision of his subordinate past Keller,
past the General, past Stoner and Black, and clear up to the Commanding
Officer before he made it stick, they were his to a man.

Others of his Section Heads, however, remained aloof. Pettler, whose
Technical Section was now part of Inspection, and Wilson, of Gages, were
two of those who talked largely and glowingly, but acted obstructively
if they acted at all. As weeks went on, Kinnison became wiser and wiser,
but made no sign. One day, during a lull, his secretary hung out the "In
Conference" sign and went into Kinnison's private office.

"There isn't a reference to any such Investigation anywhere in Central
Files." She paused, as if to add something, then turned to leave.

"As you were, Celeste. Sit down. I expected that. Suppressed--if made at
all. You're a smart girl, Celeste, and you know the ropes. You know that
you can talk to me, don't you?"

"Yes, but this is ... well, the word is going around that they are going
to break you, just as they have broken every other good man on the
Reservation."

"I expected that, too." The words were quiet enough, but the man's jaw
tightened. "Also, I know how they are going to do it."

"How?"

"This speed-up on the Nine. They know that I won't stand still for the
kind of casts that Keller's new procedure, which goes into effect
tonight, is going to produce ... and this new C.O. probably will."

Silence fell, broken by the secretary.

"General Sanford, our first C.O., was a soldier, and a good one," she
declared finally. "So was Colonel Snodgrass. Lieutenant Colonel Franklin
wasn't; but he was too much of a man to do the dir ..."

"Dirty work," dryly. "Exactly. Go on."

"And Stoner, the New