to subverting
Article One of the United Planets Charter."

Metaxa nodded.

"You don't deny it?"

Metaxa shook his head.

"Article One," Ronny snapped, "is the basic foundation of the Charter
which every member of UP and particularly every citizen of United Planets,
such as ourselves, has sworn to uphold. But the very reason for the
existence of this Section G is to interfere with the internal affairs of
member planets, to subvert their governments, their economic systems,
their religions, their ideals, their very way of life."

Metaxa yawned and reached into a desk drawer for his bottle. "That's
right," he said. "Anybody like a drink?"

Ronny ignored him. "I'm surprised I didn't catch on even sooner," he said.
"On New Delos Mouley Hassan, the local agent, knew the God-King was going
to be assassinated. He brought in extra agents and even a detail of Space
Forces guards for the emergency. He probably engineered the assassination
himself."

"Nope," Jakes said. "We seldom go _that_ far. Local rebels did the actual
work, but, admittedly, we knew what they were planning. In fact, I've got
a sneaking suspicion that Mouley Hassan provided them with the bomb. That
lad's a bit too dedicated."

"But _why_," Ronny blurted. "That's deliberately interfering with internal
affairs. If the word got out, every planet in UP would resign."

"Probably no planet in the system that needed a change so badly," Metaxa
growled. "If they were ever going to swing into real progress, that
hierarchy of priests had to go." He snorted. "An immortal God-King, yet."

Ronny pressed on. "That was bad enough, but how about this planet Mother,
where the colonists had attempted to return to nature and live in the
manner man did in earliest times."

"Most backward planet in the UP," Metaxa said sourly. "They just had to be
roused."

"And Kropotkin!" Ronny blurted. "Don't you understand, those people were
_happy_ there. Their lives were simple, uncomplicated, and they had
achieved a happiness that--"

Metaxa came to his feet. He scowled at Ronny Bronston and growled,
"Unfortunately, the human race can't take the time out for happiness. Come
along, I want to show you something."

He swung around the corner of his desk and made his way toward a
ceiling-high bookcase.

Ronny stared after him, taken off guard, but Sid Jakes was grinning his
amusement.

Ross Metaxa pushed a concealed button and the bookcase slid away to one
side to reveal an